Enea Bastianini “I love this round”, Tech3 “it is certain”

Enea Bastianini heads to his most successful MotoGP circuit fresh from the high of a debut Sunday podium for Tech3 KTM in Barcelona.

Since making his MotoGP debut in 2021, Bastianini has finished on the Misano rostrum in five of his six home races.

Bastianini’s worst Misano performance is fourth in the 2024 San Marino Sprint, when he crossed the line just 0.2s behind Franco Morbidelli.

But he was back on the podium at the next three races, culminating in victory at last year’s ‘Emilia Romagna’ GP.

Tech3 KTM team manager Nicolas Goyon is “certain” that Enea Bastianini will be a contender again this weekend.

"This year, our team is approaching San Marino with a local hero, with Enea Bastianini born and bred in Rimini, and he still lives in the area,” Goyon said.

“He has always been fast here, and he is arriving with the confidence from his first podium of the season, so it is certain that he will be competitive in front of his home crowd.

“We are excited to see what he can do with his KTM.”

Bastianini’s best MotoGP weekend of the season saw the Italian beaten only by the Marquez brothers as he finally cashed in on the speed shown since Brno, where he was third in the Sprint.

"I am super excited to head to Misano for my home race, I love this round a lot, and we have the confidence from our first podium of the season in Catalunya,” Bastianini said.

“All Italian riders know the Misano track by heart, we all train there together during the summer and winter breaks, so it is going to be a competitive weekend.

“However, I think that we have potential to do a strong result, so let’s see how the weekend goes, and let’s enjoy it!"

Meanwhile, injured team-mate Maverick Vinales, 13th in the Catalan MotoGP, will have very different goals.

"Barcelona was tough for us, because we obviously want more, but we have to listen to our body at the moment,” Vinales said.

“We need to accept that we are still recovering, and it is already a great gift to be back in action with the team honestly. We will continue the work this week in Misano, step by step as we progressively get stronger and stronger.”

Goyon added: “All he needs now is time to get back to full fitness, because he proved in Barcelona that he has the speed, so let's see how his body adapts to the Misano track."

This weekend’s grand prix will be followed by an official post-race test on Monday.