Alessandro Di Mario's Diary: "Now I Know I Can Win in Supersport, Too

The weekend in Virginia was great, but it also left a bit of a bitter taste.

I arrived in Virginia still feeling the effects of a highside in the Carousel at COTA (Austin, Texas) while testing ahead of the late-August MotoAmerica round. My right pinky still hurt, but it was manageable, so after the good result in Race 2 at Mid-Ohio I set off feeling confident.

This time the bike worked properly right away and, session by session, we refined the setup. Unfortunately, because of the discomfort in my hand and an arm pump issue, I never managed to put together a perfect lap, and in the end I qualified in a respectable fifth place. Even though my ideal lap (the sum of the best three sectors) was 0.4 quicker and in line with the top three.

In Race 1 I got a very good start and immediately gained a position. At the end of the first lap I made a double overtake and tucked in behind the race leader, who was Darryn Binder. The following lap I found myself leading a Supersport race for the first time. It was a wonderful feeling, as was battling for 16 of the 18 laps with riders like Josh Herrin, Joshua Hayes, and Darryn Binder. Unfortunately, with three laps to go, I had a problem with my arm and had to ease off, settling for fourth place. Still, it was really exciting to be able, for the first time, to fight for the win.

Race 2, unfortunately, played out completely differently. A heavy downpour hit just before the start. By the time we lined up, the track was drying, and we had to start on slicks on a damp/wet surface. I had never experienced this condition before and spent the first part of the race in damage-limitation mode. Near the end I found the pace of the leaders (except for Josh Hayes, who gapped everyone), but by then it was too late and I couldn’t climb higher than eleventh.

This second race left a bit of a bitter taste for what could have been, but this weekend sends us to the next round at COTA (a track I love and where I’ve also won 2 championships) super fired up and confident we can achieve an even better result. Now I know I can fight for the win too!!

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