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Sunny skies greeted WorldSSP300 riders at the Motul Italian Round for the third round of the series, and fans were treated to the unpredictable and sensational racing which was decided as the riders crossed the line.

Marc Garcia (Halcourier Racing) took his debut victory after making his final move through the famous Variante Basse chicane. Thrilled to get the monkey off his back in terms of getting the first taste of his prosecco, he explains: “I feel very happy to be on the podium and I will continue with this way so in Donington I will be stronger.” His full reaction can be found here.

Narrowly missing out on home glory, Alfonso Coppola (SK Racing) crossed the line 0.177s off Garcia and a mistake when reading his pit board meant he wasn’t prepared for the final lap. Unhappy with his mistake, he still remains in second position in the championship standings – 41 points off leader Scott Deroue (MTM HS Kawasaki). Coppola explains: “I am not very happy with this result, I was pushing for the whole race to take the win, but in the end I made an error with the lap board.”

Taking third position in the hot conditions is Mykyta Kalinin (Team MOTOXRACING), the Ukrainian rider struggled in the hot conditions in Italy but was able to fight through and make it onto the podium for the first time of the season. Showing a strong pace all year so far, Kalinin was happy to cross the line in a podium finishing position. He explained: “I am really happy with the race but in the last few laps I became tired, I was pushing as hard as I could and some riders made mistakes and I could reach the podium.”

Borja Sanchez (Halcourier Racing) crossed the line in third position, but was penalised to fourth position as he incorrectly rejoined the track in the race. Continuing to put in competitive performances on his Yamaha machine, the Spanish rider will hope to rejoin the podium next time out at Donington Park. Locked in a battle until the last lap, the former CEV rider is showing true potential so far this season in a tough field. 

Giuseppe De Gruttola (SK Racing) rounded out the top five in front of his home fans after a strong weekend at a circuit he has visited in the past in the similarly close European Junior Cup. The Italian performed well with his adoring home crowd support behind him, and he narrowly missed out on the podium fight in the ever difficult last lap fight. Starting from sixth on the grid, the Yamaha rider took the fight to the final laps but was unable to make that all important move.

Re-live the highlights or the full WorldSSP300 race with full commentary all through the WorldSBK VideoPass as the 35 riders prepare for the fourth round of the season at Donington Park.