CIV Superbike Racing Night Qualifying 2: Rinaldi shows signs of resurgence, Delbianco on pole

Delbianco takes pole position for the CIV Superbike Racing Night at Misano, Rinaldi is a whisker behind in second.

The sun is shining at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, with the CIV Superbike Racing Night shaping up to be nothing short of thrilling. In a scorching (considering the typically summer temperatures...) second session of official qualifying, there are 10 riders covered by 1 second, with the ever-consistent Alessandro Delbianco (DMR Racing Yamaha) setting the pace. The championship leader secured his second pole position of the season, while good news also comes from Michael Ruben Rinaldi, second on the starting grid.

True, seeing Michael Ruben Rinaldi this high after the double run of CIV Superbike official practice is nothing new. His hope is to reverse the trend of a return season to the Italian series that has so far been less rewarding than his performance would suggest due to various technical problems, leaving him ninth overall. On the track where he scored 2 of his 5 career wins in the Superbike World Championship, the 2017 Superstock 1000 International Champion clocked the second fastest time, just 206 thousandths off Alessandro Delbianco’s benchmark. A confidence boost for Rinaldi as well as for the entire B-Max Racing Team, also highlighted by the surprising Lukas Tulovic, fourth on his debut with the Ducati Panigale V4 in CIV Superbike trim.

The fact remains that the fastest man was once again Alessandro Delbianco. The Q1 night leader with a best of 1'35"580, he further improved that reference in the decisive Q2 to 1'35"358. A great lap from the reigning Champion, not too far from the pole record he himself set in 2024 at 1'34"930, laying the groundwork for yet another standout weekend. Scuderia Improve - Firenze Motor will be forced into overtime with Gabriele Giannini (3rd to complete a multi-brand Yamaha-Ducati-Honda front row) and Andy Verdoia (22nd), both of whom crashed.

Crashes also for two other expected contenders, Christian Gamarino (5th, the top BMW standard-bearer) and Luca Ottaviani (7th). This evening for the Racing Night, which will start at 21:40, Samuele Cavalieri with Broncos Racing Ducati will set off from sixth on the grid. Eighth place for Nicholas Spinelli, followed in order by the Aprilias of Luca Bernardi and Luca Vitali. Alessio Finello, with the Garage 51 by DTO Ducati V4 inherited from Michele Pirro, qualified fifteenth, with Davide Stirpe all the way down in sixteenth. Randy Krummenacher did no better than twelfth, preceded by an impressive Mattia Volpi (11th with Pistard Racing’s leading BMW S 1000 RR).