2022 Campionato Italiano MX PRO Prestige MX1-MX2, RND #05, Fermo (FM)

The positive result’s momentum continued for SM Action GasGas Racing Team Yuasa Battery in the second-to-last round of the MX1-MX2 Prestige at Fermo. Forato dominated the MX1 Elite as he made the Pole Position, a double win and the first step of the podium; Tuani finished 3^rd Overall in the MX2 Elite thanks to an excellent Race 1. In the MX2 Fast Ruffini was shy of a place for the podium.

After the very long summer break that lasted a little bit more than two months, the Italian MX PRO Prestige MX1-MX2 Championship took its way with the second-to-last race of the 2022 calendar. The circuit that was chosen by the Italian Motorcycling Federation is the Cross Park Monterosato at Fermo, a historical track located in the Marche region that has a classic and traditional layout.

SM Action GasGas Racing Team Yuasa Battery deployed Alberto Forato #303, who is the undisputed leader of the MX1 Elite and the owner of the Red Plate despite his absence due to an injury at the Pietramurata round. It also deployed Federico Tuani #3 (MX2 Elite) and Luca Ruffini #669 (MX2 Fast).
Saturday went well for the MX2 riders. In Free and Timed Practice Federico finished in P6 and P7 respectively; Luca finished both sessions in P11 instead. In the MX1 Alberto ended Free Practice in 2^nd place while in Timed Practice he made the fastest lap time and conquered the Pole Position.

On Sunday, MX2 Race 1 start was excellent for Federico, as he took turn 1 in 2^nd position. Luca was 16^th at the end of lap 1 instead. Federico stayed in the “top 3” for the whole race, and after that, he also lead the race for a couple of laps, he finished in P2. Luca made up a lot of places during the opening laps and he eventually stabilized in the “top 10”, crossing the finish line in P8 (2^nd of the Fast category).



In Race 2 the riders had a more difficult start and at the end of lap 1, they were close to each other in P19 and P20. They then both put some effort to recover as many places as possible, and when the checkered flag was shown, Tuani passed in 9^th position while Ruffini was 12^th and 5^th in the Fast category. At the end of the day, Federico gained his first podium of the MX2 Elite as he was 3^rd, while Luca had a few points of the gap from the podium and finished in P4 of the MX2 Fast. In the General Classification, Federico gained one place and he is now 6^th, while Luca made a big step forward as he passed from P8 to P4, still aiming for the “top 3”.

In MX1 Race 1 Alberto had a great start. He passed in P2 at turn 1, but he quickly took the lead of the race, imposing his pace and leaving nobody behind, and he won the race with a huge gap from the rider in 2^nd. In Race 2 the rider from Veneto made the Holeshot but he was overtaken a few turns later. After three laps Alberto re-gained the lead and quickly made a great gap from the others, winning the second weekend race. With the double-win, Forato confirmed himself as the undisputed leader of the MX1 Elite this season. With the points that he gained, he staked a claim on the 2022 title.



The sixth and last round of the Italian MX PRO Prestige MX1-MX2 Championship will take place on the weekend of the 17^th and 18^th of September. The circuit that will host the season's final race will be the newly renovated Ciglione Della Malpensa track in Vare’s province.

Alberto Forato #303: “This weekend went well, with the fastest lap time in Timed Practice on Saturday and a double-win on Sunday. In both races, I had good starts, P2 in Race 1 and P1 in Race 2, so the effort that I put in last week to improve my starts gave me good feedback. Let’s continue like this and let’s focus to make more good results in the remaining rounds of the season”.



Federico Tuani #3: “It was a good weekend. In Race 1 I made a good start and after a long fight within the leading group, I managed to finish 2^nd. In Race 2 I had a bad start but I had a good pace all over the race; I managed to finish in P9. It’s a pity because if I made a better start in Race 2 I could have aimed for a much better final result. After all, I’m happy with P3 Overall and I want to thank my family, my team, Jackie Vimond and all the people that help me”.

Luca Ruffini #669: “It was a tiring race, especially for the hot weather! In Qualifying I made a discrete lap time as I finished in P11 and I went to the starting gate in P21. In Race 1,  after a not good start in 16^th position, thanks to my pace and some good speed I managed to finish in P8 and P2 among the Fast riders. In Race 2 another bad start made me move to 20^th place, so I once again had to recover and I finished 12^th Overall and 5^th in the Fast category. After all, I had fun this weekend, and I understood that I’m making good progress. We’ll meet at Malpensa in two weeks-time”.

Source : https://mailchi.mp/87dfa1076bf6/sm-action-gasgas-racing-team-yuasa-battery-press-release?e=7734f3af1b