The fourth round of the Italian Speed Championship was held last weekend in Romagna, more precisely on the Misano Adriatico Circuit, which once again saw Kevin Manfredi confirmed among the protagonists of the most hard-fought category on the Italian scene, the Supersport 600, that also in this appointment saw 20 riders enclosed in less than 2 seconds.
Kevin arrives in Misano Adriatico after the weekend spent in Assen which saw him win both races in the European class, since Friday's free practice he has worked hard to improve the performance of his bike, bringing the team to the top positions, with time of 1.39.461 he moved to 4th position and kept and concentrated his goal on the race pace during the session.
On Saturday afternoon or in the first qualifying session, Kevin and Team AltoGo opted for the use of only one set of Pirelli tires to be able to work more on set-up, speed and consistency for the race; a choice made that however paid off even on the flying lap, thus confirming the provisional 6th position of the day.
During the second qualifying different set-ups were tried in view of the race but Kevin still managed to keep the 6th position on the starting grid, further improving his best lap of 1.39.156.
Good sensations from the rider on the Yamaha R6 who in Race 1, after starting very strong, fought for the podium with his direct rivals throughout the race, including former Superbike rider and vice world champion Federico Caricasulo.
In the final stages, the Spezzino suffered a bit from the loss of slipstream and had to settle for 6th place finish, which still brought further points to the Championship.
Kevin: “I'm half happy… we can achieve a lot more, we are working and growing from race to race and seeing the progress made compared to the beginning of the year gives me hope.
I am happy to have once again been among the protagonists of this weekend, as demonstrated by the 2nd place obtained in the Warmup on Sunday morning.
In race 1 we suffered a bit at the end, we couldn't keep the trail, in race 2 we were unlucky, but these are the races.
In any case, I am ready to give my best also in the next weekend of the European Championship in Most in the Czech Republic, to return to the next CIV appointment scheduled for 28/29 August at Mugello, even more performing. "
In the Warmup on Sunday we saw the fruits of the work carried out throughout the weekend, with a Kevin in great shape who obtained an excellent 2nd place, both morally and technically important for the whole Team.
Unfortunately, luck was lacking in race 2, immediately after the start the 26-year-old from Liguria was forced to retire due to a technical problem with the braking system that did not allow him to force braking and above all to drive safely.
Unfortunately, a wasted opportunity for Team Altogo and Kevin who, however, must now immediately shift their focus to the new round of the European Championship in Most, in the Czech Republic, where Kevin is currently the championship leader with 14 points ahead of his rivals.
This weekend, therefore, the Spezzino rider will race on the Most circuit, a circuit totally unknown to him and on which the first edition of the Superbike World Championship will take place, just this weekend.
Kevin will have two free practice sessions on Friday, to better understand the layout of the track in view of the superpole on Saturday morning.
Kevin thanks all the sponsors and technical partners of the 2021 season.
