Rinaldi: "We need to stay as focused as ever in remaining rounds"
Italian keeps his eyes on the title following tough German battle
In typical European Superstock 1000 style, the return of the series following the summer break saw some sensational racing action at the Prosecco DOC German Round with Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Junior Team) taking the victory as he continues to hunt down the title.
Clinching the victory in the final two laps following mistakes from pole position starter Federico Sandi (Berclaz Racing Team) and main title rival Toprak Razgatlioglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), Rinaldi now leads the championship standings by 26 points with only three rounds remaining. Following a mistake from Sandi and a crash from Razgatlioglu, the Italian was able to keep a calm head and proved he has a strong pace to fight until the end.
Proud of his achievement around the Lausitzring circuit, Rinaldi explained: “We rode tactical race, which hasn’t always been our strongest suit. We improved a lot under this aspect: after a difficult WUP, we stayed focused, managing the pace during early phases and catching up with the frontrunners. The bike was extremely competitive, and I want to thank my team for the great job they did. It was a hard battle, perhaps even beyond the limit, but we need to simply focus on our work. We took important points, and we need to stay as focused as ever in the remaining rounds.”
STK1000 resumes after a three week break at the Autodromo Interncacional do Algarve, as the series makes its return to Portugal. With the fight for the title hotting up, it’s all to play for and you can relive some of the stunning action all with the WorldSBK VideoPass.
