Foggia Wins For Honda At Misano
Misano World Circuit Marco SimoncelliWorld Championship hopeful Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing Honda NSF250RW) rode a stunning race at Misano today to take his second victory in three races.
The ninth Grand Prix victory of his career also completed a Misano hat-trick – Foggia won both races here last year, the San Marino and Emilia Romagna GPs.
The 21-year-old Italian enjoyed a dazzling home-race battle with three determined rivals, the quartet separated by just metres and then centimetres during the frantic final laps. Foggia was just perfect when it mattered most, having fought his way through from the third row of the grid. The lead changed several times in the last few laps, but Foggia always had the answer, using the amazing speed and acceleration of his NSF250RW to make some audacious overtakes, especially into Misano’s flat-out-in-sixth-gear Turn 11.
By the chequered flag Foggia had eked out a 0.289-second advantage for a very well-earned third win of the year, following his successes at the Indonesian Grand Prix in March and at last month’s British GP. He is now 35 points off the championship lead, with six races remaining.
Foggia’s team-mate Tatsuki Suzuki (Leopard Racing Honda NSF250RW) also rode a brilliant race. Yesterday the 24-year-old from Chiba qualified on the sixth row of the grid but fought back superbly from that handicap to join the lead group – six riders at that time – at two-thirds distance. However, having used his tyres so much during his comeback he didn’t quite have the pace to stay with the leaders to the end and slipped back to finish sixth, less than six seconds behind Foggia.
Riccardo Rossi (Sic 58 Squadra Corse Honda NSF250RW) worked his way into the top ten after starting from the fifth row of the grid but lost a few places to finish 11th, only 0.066 seconds outside the top ten.
Grand Prix rookie Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia Honda NSF250RW) did everything he could to fight forward during the race but his lowly grid position didn’t help and he finally took the chequered flag in 21st position.
Team-mate Mario Suryo Aji (Honda Team Asia Honda NSF250RW) made a good start and was just outside the points when he fell heavily, luckily without injury.
Moto3 riders and teams now head west for the Aragon Grand Prix in Spain on 18 September, before going east for the Japanese Grand Prix on 25 September. The Twin Ring Motegi event is followed by the Thai, Australia, and Malaysian GPs. The 2022 season concludes with the Valencia GP in Spain on 6 November.
I have no words to describe the feeling of winning again in Misano. We wanted this result, and it's very important for the championship. Many thanks to my family, to my team and to everybody supporting me.
At the beginning of the race, I couldn't improve my lap time, even if I could ride fast going alone. I overtook some riders during the race, but my pace wasn't good. I expected more from this race because yesterday, despite my crash, I had a good feeling. A couple of riders crashed in front of me, and to avoid the clash, I went wide, losing some positions and contact with the big group. But I cannot be proud of my performance; I need to improve.
-thumb.png)
It's a shame I couldn't see the chequered flag today. I did not do so many laps today, but I've seen many positive things during these laps. I did a good start, being 18th at the end of the first lap. I was comfortable riding in that group, fighting for points, but I suffered a massive highside. Fortunately, I feel okay, and I have two weeks to recover before the Aragon race.
