The best laid plans of riders and men sometimes go awry - something confirmed in the STK1000 Race at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli on Sunday. After a fight back up into the lead for points leader Raffaele de Rosa from outside the top 5, key rival Leandro Mercado fought back and the two looked set for a classic last lap showdown. And classic it was – but not in the way intended.

Mercado, on a completely rebuilt bike after a big crash in morning Warm Up, took the early lead comfortably and the race looked under control. But De Rosa, who has been the man to beat in recent STK1000 races, worked his way back up to catch the Aruba.it bike and took the lead.

As the lead switched hands and then Mercado went wide, De Rosa had pulled a small gap on the Argentine rider with a handful of laps to go, but the Aruba.it rider closed back up to the Althea machine by the penultimate lap and took back the lead as the Italian suffered a moment. And moments later, De Rosa fought back – before the two bikes slid off into the gravel.

De Rosa has since been awarded two penalty points for the move and will drop three positions on the grid in the next Race, at Lausitzring in September.

The crash could transform the rivalry from new to classic, with both riders having been clear at the top of the table in a two-way fight before the incident and both having the experience to play the long game, but there is a saving grace for the two riders: the double 0 score hasn’t changed their 1-2 placement in the points table.