Andrea Iannone, triumphant debut in the Bagger World Cup! Here's how it went at Mugello

Not a bad debut for Andrea Iannone in the world cup of bikes with big bags! The result of the Mugello round.

Second round of the Harley Davidson Bagger World Cup, the first for Andrea Iannone right at home in Mugello. For the new Niti Racing standard-bearer (with technical support from Cecchini Racing) we note a front-row start, while in the two races he took a 4th place (with a Long Lap) and a superb win. All in all, an excellent debut for the former SBK and MotoGP rider on the H-D Road Glide, a complete novelty that he had only tried a few days ago in a test day at Misano. Here’s how it went.

Remember that the weekend follows the same format as the now-defunct MotoE: two free practice sessions and qualifying on Friday, two 8-lap races on Saturday. FP1 took place on a wet track, with both our Italian riders staying in the pits, namely Iannone and Filippo Rovelli (ParkinGO). Things improved from FP2 and the rider from Vasto had the satisfaction of topping the timesheets with a 1:57.484, the only lap of the session under 1:58, followed by his teammate Oscar Gutierrez, then Eric Granado 3rd and Filippo Rovelli one second back. After the MotoGP sessions came qualifying, a single session given the 10-rider grid. Eric Granado prevailed over Archie McDonald (Joe Rascal Racing), with Andrea Iannone completing the front row, and Filippo Rovelli 5th.

We get to today, the final day of the Bagger World Cup’s lightning weekend. Race 1 gets underway with Iannone reaching Turn 1 ahead of everyone, but he brakes a bit too hard and runs slightly wide, to the advantage of polesitter Granado and McDonald. Dimas Ekky Pratama’s race ends immediately, crashing at Scarperia on the first lap. Four riders break away straight away; along with the three mentioned, Gutierrez also latches on. Iannone, however, comes under investigation for an overtake under yellow flags and receives a Long Lap. He then serves it incorrectly (briefly touching the green), earning another one: he will finish 4th, six seconds down. Up front the battle remains a three-way fight, especially intense on the last lap: Oscar Gutierrez prevails over Eric Granado and Archie McDonald.

This time the polesitter gets the best launch; Iannone tries again but has to slot in before striking back shortly after. Watch out for Rovelli, who explodes off the line: before the first lap is even over, he hits the front! On the straight the slipstream games spice things up, with Gutierrez also joining the mix... But he overdoes it at Turn 1 and flies off, goodbye to the chance of a Mugello double. The “scrap” rewards Granado, who takes the lead ahead of Iannone, a recovering McDonald, and Rovelli. In the end, however, it comes down to the Brazilian and #29; it seems the former has a bit more, until two laps from the end when Iannone attacks and never relinquishes the lead. A dream debut: here comes his first Bagger World Cup victory! Eric Granado therefore finishes 2nd, third place for Archie McDonald, who becomes the new championship leader.

If you like the content from our news outlet, you can select it as your preferred source by clicking HERE