The Diary of Alessandro Di Mario: You Never Forget Your First Supersport Test

Finally we’re getting started! I promised to take you with me to my first test with the Rahal Ducati team’s Supersport bike, and here we are.

We’re at the “Podium Club” in Casa Grande, Arizona, south of Phoenix. The track is in the middle of the desert, with cacti up to 10 meters tall and “tumbleweeds,” like in the cartoon “The Daltons” that my peers know well. These picturesque tangles of windblown plants are everywhere. I even found them right on the track, which isn’t great 😊 😊

It was a very important test because it was my first time on the Panigale V2 with which I’ll race MotoAmerica Supersport. Plus, the start of the adventure is just around the corner: in a few days I’ll make my debut in a setting more fascinating than I could have imagined—I’ll be racing the Daytona 200!

Speaking of which: on that occasion my team will also field a fourth Ducati for PJ Jacobsen, who will go on to race Superbike in MotoAmerica. The top class does not race at Daytona. PJ is a very well-known rider: he competed in the 125 World Championship, as well as in World Superbike and Supersport. A champion, in short. But back to me.

I want to tell you what the working method of a pro team is like here in the USA. My team consists of two mechanics and a crew chief, and in common with the other riders on the team we share the electronics engineer, the data analyst, and the suspension expert.

Since it was my first time trying the bike, we dedicated the first day to finding the right feeling and getting to know a track that was new to me. To help me, we used an “Easy” bike setup to have a stable, more predictable bike, even if not suited to the track. In addition to the standard adjustments (rearsets, handlebars, levers…), my seat was raised by about 5 centimeters. By the end of the day I already felt the bike was “mine” and my lap times were about a second off the best.

It rained overnight, so on the morning of the second day we didn’t go out, waiting for the track to dry. Then we set off again with the same setup as the day before to immediately regain the right feeling. Little by little, the setup was modified to make the bike more reactive. By the end of the day my times were in line with those of the other teammates. Which, let me remind you, are Josh Herrin, one of the best MotoAmerica riders and a longtime Supersport frontrunner, and Kayla Yaakov, the fastest girl on earth: she already has Supersport experience too. I’m making my debut, I’m only 17. The internal competition is very strong, but it’s an extra motivation.

With this first outing done, I started focusing on the upcoming commitments. Taking the best possible care of my physical fitness is always important, now even more so because on Saturday, February 7, I’ll have to race for two hours straight, in a super high-speed bowl like Daytona. Before that there will be tire tests. I can’t wait to tell you how it goes. See you soon!