Christopher Iotti: How Tough the Uphill Battle Is in the Aprilia RS660 Trophy—Is the Turning Point Just Around the Corner?
Road RacingWednesday, 26 August 2026 at 18:15
Christopher Iotti speaks frankly: it’s been an uphill season in the Aprilia RS660 Trophy. We take stock of the Brno and Misano rounds in our interview.
Two rounds that didn’t quite meet expectations. Christopher Iotti isn’t satisfied with the last two events between Brno (marked by a tragic double loss in the concurrent Alpe Adria IMC) and Misano, but he’s looking to Cremona and Vallelunga to make some steps forward. Debuting in the Aprilia RS660 Trophy after years in Motoestate, the Emilia-based rider-worker with MMP Racing is currently 5th in the overall standings, but he’s confident he can make some progress, since the guys ahead aren’t too far with three races still to go. We’ve now reached the halfway point of the 2026 Aprilia RS660 Trophy, and we checked in: here’s what he told us.
Let’s start with Brno, unfortunately marked by a tragic event: how do you handle something like that?
In the moment you think about it, then you’re “forced” to stop thinking about it, to wipe it away, otherwise you can’t move forward. It was moving the next day, when there was the meeting and we gathered on track for a minute’s silence... We’re aware of the risks.
How did your weekend in the Aprilia Trophy go?
Many others had already ridden there, but it was new to me and I really struggled, I was way behind. We couldn’t get the bike set up the way I wanted, there were 2–3 things that weren’t right, and I even carried one problem into Thursday at Misano... In the first two free practice sessions I couldn’t improve, then little by little, with effort, we managed to do better. In the race I fought in the group for 6th, I ended up 8th and I also lowered my time.
Then came the return to Misano—how did it go?
I was still carrying the problem from Brno, the rear was sliding a lot: on Thursday I was really in trouble, lapping 3 seconds slower than myself from the April round! Only in qualifying did I almost match my time, it took a lot... The good thing is the rain arrived, I caught it all and it turned everything on its head. I was starting 11th, it was my first time on rains and I didn’t really know what to do, I just followed the others during the two sighting laps before the race. Gradually and without taking risks, as the team also advised me, I finished 6th. We’re not fighting for the championship, I don’t have to prove anything, and on Monday I had to go back to work [laughs]. I brought it home.
Also because in the rain the slightest mistake is enough...
Exactly, but I got a good feel for it: now the rain doesn’t “scare” me like before—if it happens again, I’d know how to go faster. I admit I was a bit afraid before the start, it was something new without ever having tried it. I was telling myself, now I’ll finish last and even get lapped! [laughs] Instead, the opposite happened. The team also told me it helped that I still have a bit of 300-style riding, letting the bike flow a lot without grabbing the front brake into the turn. Sure, I didn’t start well, but lap after lap I managed to climb back. That was my limit at that pace; more than 6th wasn’t possible, but in the end it went well.
Now there’s Cremona and Vallelunga left—how do you see those final rounds?
I hope things turn around a bit at Cremona, next week we’ll also go for a test and we’ve got two races. I’ve been stopped since the Misano round, I haven’t been able to train, so that will definitely help. I’ve ridden at Vallelunga at the start of this year for a test, but I don’t like it much... Still, we’ll try to do our best. I’d like to get a podium before the end of the season. I’m already looking at 2027 too, there are various interesting options: I want to keep racing.
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