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Italian rider Niccolo Canepa has stepped in to replace the still injured Sylvain Guintoli in the Pata Yamaha team this weekend at the Pirelli Riviera di Rimini Round, putting in a solid ride from 15^th on the grid to take P7 at the chequered flag in Race 1. The Italian veteran comes fresh from both a test for the team at Misano ealier in June and a podium finish for the Pata Yamaha Official STK1000 team in Round 7 at Donington Park.

“It was really good,” said Canepa. “I’m really satisfied about the result. It wasn’t so easy starting from the 15^th position because we had a problem in the Superpole. Well not a problem but bad luck with the red flag, so I wasn’t able to make a lap with the qualifying tyres. I started in 15^th and I had a very strong pace in the race and I finished seventh so I’m really really happy, as the bike is working good. I was also fast at the end so that makes me happy for tomorrow’s race.

“I actually only did half a day of testing,” said Canepa of his recent experience at misano. “We had half a day in the dry and a couple of laps in the wet. So that was helpful but they’ve improved a lot since the test, with the traction control system and a lot of stuff on the bike, so the bike was new and that’s why I am so happy to be here.”

The Italian will be pushing for more home glory at Misano on Sunday at 13:00 local time (GMT +2) as Race 2 gets underway on the Riviera di Rimini.