Round 9, the last bout before leaving the championship for the summer, and with hopeful expectations from all riders to break on a good note, it proved to be an interesting weekend of racing.

Misano, nestled in the province of Rimini, played host to proceedings, starting with the all-important superpole. Unfortunately, the boys didn’t ride as well as they’d hoped here, resulting in mixed positions over both races; which meant all three team members were on the back foot, knowing it was going to be an up-hill struggle.

Saturday’s race saw Chaz Davies run a gauntlet of riders to immediately jump to 4^th before the first corner. He held strong, biding his time and when he saw the opportunity, stole second, where he stayed until the flag.

Marco faced a difficult race having had technical issues that kept him from FP4. The Italian fought hard in the second group away from the leaders but despite his efforts had to settle for 7^th place.

Michael Rinaldi struggled with the chosen tyres and eventually decided to make a pit stop, swapping them out for a better suited compound. The knock-on effect meant a finish in 17^th.

Race 2 saw both Marco and Chaz showcase their skill by taking 3^rd and 4^th respectively. Melandri bolted on to the leading group from the off, while his welsh team mate climbed the leader board to eventually sit just 2 seconds behind the leader on the final lap.

Rinaldi again caught the attention of the racing gentry by coming from the back row to 11^th place.

"Our pace wasn't bad, but today's result doesn't reflect our potential. Now we need to wait a month before we test, and two before we race. I can't wait to ride my bike again." Michael Rinaldi

After a memorable weekend featuring two podium positions the riders enter the interlude in good standing, with Chaz firmly in 2^nd, Marco 5^th and Michael holding his own in 14^th.

Roll-on September for round 10; Portimao 14-16^th