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00:00Hole shot so far Lucas Coonan has a third for a three, DeWolf not here with two.
00:07Gate drops now, charging down into this first turn and it's Tom Vial aggressive as he cuts across.
00:14Hurlings from the middle of the gate, round the outside, Hurlings may be leading by the time we
00:18get to the top of the hill if he can get around his teammate and he does, Hurlings leads but
00:23it
00:23was a Vial hole shot. Honda HRC Petronas where was this performance yesterday in the qualifying race?
00:31Hurlings rockets out of the start, Vial second, Renault there in third, the lead Yamaha,
00:35a great start for Calvin Ballandran as he charges downhill.
00:45Down past pit lane, we go, Ferrato with a great start, that's what the wall of noise is as well
00:50but
00:50it's already being passed by a fast starting Jan Panza, look how wet it is, they've thrown some water
00:55down into that turn, there's Panser in yellow, Oliver just behind him, then Ferrato.
01:03Tricky moments on the opening lap here because obviously since MX2 race one they've had to throw
01:06a little bit more water down, it's greasy on top with the stones and the hard pack conditions,
01:11I'm glad they didn't water on the face of the jumps there in those places, of course they wouldn't
01:15do that anyway. It's been a slow start as well for Lucas Cooner, went through the first checkpoint at
01:2018th, he's quickly up to 15th now, Fernandes just behind him. Qualifying race winner Tim Geiser
01:25right at the back in 32nd place, so a poor start for Geiser, did he fall at the first corner
01:31somewhere
01:31else, waiting for him to come through the first sector, Geiser already in pit lane apparently, here.
01:40Right he's coming for, is that a buckle front wheel? Could well be, he emerged from the middle of the
01:48pack
01:48so obviously not feeling something, well feeling that something was wrong there with the Monster
01:51Energy Yamaha and that's a crying shame for yesterday's qualifying race winner. I want to see that again
01:55at some point because I, that front wheel maybe, I might be wrong, but could have easily tagged
02:00somebody and ripped a bunch of spokes out in the first corner, we never know.
02:05Anyway, Hurlings continues to lead, Vial there second, Renault third, Volandran four, Panteler
02:10in yellow and fifth, Oriol Oliver, what a great start for him on the Gabriel SS 24, KTM Factory Juniors
02:16machine, he is in sixth place, Verrato seven, Lappucci, Nicholas Lappucci, former European champion,
02:22finds himself in eighth on the number 21, ninth is Adamo, tenth is Fevre, and Geiser already
02:28going to be a lap down, so this is just going to be for track Intel, wow, what a turnaround,
02:35and what a disastrous start for Geiser.
02:40Hurlings looks up, probably sees a flash of blue and thinks, well what, what happened there?
02:44Where did he pass me? Honda HRC Patronus one and two, they were an incredible start for them,
02:50and Renault was strong yesterday, held up by Ferrato, and now with a clear track to attack his two
02:56Honda adversaries in front, Renault could have a chance at this.
02:59Number five, Lucas Coonan is up in 211, both Fevre and Coonan finding their way past Adam Sterry
03:05on that opening lap, as Coonan, your championship leader, trying to make hay while the sun is parked
03:12behind those clouds up there, we've got a bit of cloud cover here, that's great for the circuit by the
03:16way, great for the riders, bit of cool respite in the height of the sun in the afternoon here.
03:22Max and Renault relishing these conditions, so too the Red Bull Ducati of Calvin Vallandran.
03:32Calvin Vallandran, he's just coming into view now, behind Max and Renault on the number 10,
03:40and Vallandran, who got an eighth in the opening race of the year in Argentina, he got a fifth in
03:44race
03:45two in Andalusia, hasn't been sort of too close to the top five since then, he was unfortunate in a,
03:50at the start of the race in Trentino, one of those when Panza actually, of all people, got a little
03:55bit out of control, he had nowhere to go, and Vallandran went down. So to see Calvin Vallandran,
04:00a lot of Ducati personnel here this weekend, of course, factory being up the road in Bologna,
04:04about an hour or so, an hour and a half, two hours maybe, but Vallandran looking good on that Red
04:10Bull
04:10Ducati. Yeah, and it's the last GP for him in his twenties, he turns 30 years old next Wednesday,
04:15so yeah, Vallandran, now a veteran, you've got to say that much, but yeah, can't wait for his home
04:19GP, we know that much. Talking to about him, he's going to do our GoPro lap hopefully, and yeah, it's
04:23going to be superb to see Calvin on, you know, the country where he was born, let's face it, Lucas
04:27Kunin there, Paul, now moving into the top 10, and he's also passed Fevre up to ninth now as the
04:31championship leader. Just looking at the pace there at Maxime Renault as he came down towards
04:35the finish line, closing in on fellow Frenchie, Tom Vial, no love lost between these two, they've
04:41had quite a few shenanigans over the years, these two, but a few argy-barges and a few disputes in
04:46their former years, so of course, Vial will want to try and stay away, stay ahead of Renault,
04:52likewise for the rider in blue, so it's almost a little bit of red mist, this one at the moment,
04:57and I think Vial knows, if he leaves the door open, gives Renault half a sniff, he'll be through,
05:02he'll also be mindful of the fact, if he comes around the outside, he'll try and give an elbow,
05:06but Renault charges down the inside, moves into second position, nervous look over the shoulder
05:12there from Vial, wants to know who's next, well, the answer is number 10, Calvin Vallandran,
05:16on the red ball Ducati, great start again for Jan Panza, he's in fifth place at the moment.
05:22Yeah, Vial and Renault took all three MX2 World Championships between 2020 and 2022,
05:28between them, Renault never needs an extra motivation, a supercharged up furious rider,
05:32and he will be charging off the back wheel of hearings, he's thinking hard pack,
05:35this is my ground Jeffrey, and I'm going to show you how to go around it.
05:40Electrifying start this for the number 10, around the outside here, as he tries to close in on that
05:44Honda HRC Petronas machine, of number 16, Tom Vial, Calvin Vallandran, definitely with a bit between his teeth here.
05:54It's one of those situations as well, when you've got a rider of Calvin's kind of caliber and talent,
06:01when you see him sort of struggling in around those 10th and 12th and 14th position, yes,
06:05he's helping develop a new motorcycle in MXGP, he knows that's like, you know, the risks involved with
06:12that and the kind of pitfalls, if you like, you know, we're not always going to get it perfect,
06:17things like that, but when we do, we're going to be up at the sharp end, when we're in that
06:21position
06:22now with Ballandran, we're at the sharp end, run with it, let's go with it, enjoy it, enjoy the process,
06:27put a smile on everybody's face, that's exactly what's happening here, but it's great to see him there.
06:33All right, Fevre, lighting up the back end, unusual there for Fevre, those kind of conditions,
06:41and normally his bread and butter, roll on the throttle, let it drift, not on that occasion for
06:46the Frenchman. Yeah, it feels like frustration there for Fevre, stuck behind Ferrato again,
06:50Kunin's got past Ferrato much quicker than he did yesterday, and Vlandran, best result,
06:54fifth on the Ducati so far this year, looking to try and take third off of Vial.
07:02Yeah, working their way out of the trees here, bottom of the screen, there's Adamo,
07:06Adamo in sixth place, he was third in the quali race, the in-laws live just literally over the
07:12forest below us here in the valley, so he knows this place all too well, Lucas Kunin desperate to
07:19get to the front, flies by the 83 of Oriel Oliver, thinks about coming back past the factory KTM, but
07:26can't find a way through, Kunin now up into seventh, has a wrestle with the bank to the outside there,
07:33big moment that for the number five, lucky to get away with it, just came in too hot, bounced off
07:37the
07:38bank, that bank did not move, nor the defence, back end came around on the Belgian, feet were off the
07:43pegs as well, could have been a big one that for the number five. Yeah, a lucky escape, four KTM
07:49freight
07:49train there, two privateers, here's the replay. Into the bank, catches his foot, maybe even on that block
07:54as well, so hopefully foot and ankle are all intact, would have made the eyes water, I think,
08:01if he'd done any damage. Yeah, I'm sure you've had a few of those in your time, bought the stingers
08:04on the
08:05foot, I want to behold. Oliver nearly let Ferrato pass with a mistake in this, in a couple of corners
08:10ago, and Ferrato now looking to move forward, which would be a novelty for him, he's been defending for most
08:14of
08:15this weekend, good to see Adamo on home ground, but now he's going to get challenged by Kunin.
08:19Vellandren has found his way into third, with a move on Vielle, while we were looking at that
08:24replay of Kunin's mistake in the corner. Top three for Vellandren, with the fastest lap of the race so
08:30far as well. Here's Kunin going after Adamo. How sweet would it be for Ducati to get in a podium
08:40position here on home territory, with the factory just down the road like you said, Paul, but yeah,
08:44Adamo's now got his hands four with Kunin here. Got a couple of podiums last year, didn't they,
08:48with Jeremy Siwa, Switzerland and France, both of those third.
08:54Just like, let's just take one step at a time, you know, enjoy the process, enjoy being up there,
09:00and then let's see what happens after this first race. Kunin pushing on here, he goes after the
09:04Italian. Of course, down to one rider as well now, Ducati, so for London, plenty of space in that big
09:09Ducati truck to work with, great to see Andrea Bonacorsi in here though, at least walking around after his
09:13problems in that world. Number 80, Andrea Adamo, charging downhill, lead Red Bull KTM rider here
09:21in this little battle for sixth place at the moment, former MX2 world champ, of course, Lucas Kunin yet
09:27to win a championship, but he is leading the current MXGP series as it stands right now, with 63 points
09:32heading into race one over Jeffrey Herlings. Herlings is going to be clawing a few of those points back,
09:37because he's going to add 25, Kunin is only going to add 14.
09:43Watch this here, this was the repass.
09:46He's going to come back to the inside here, that was the move for third, for Landren, on Vial.
09:57Great bit of riding that from the Red Bull Ducati, all of a sudden though, eyes on the battle for
10:01the lead.
10:01Herlings struggling to contain the efforts of Maxime Renault here, and Maxime Renault definitely
10:09looking interested in going over past the Honda rider.
10:15Nothing wrong with Herlings' hard pack riding skills either.
10:20But it just seems at the moment, he's taken a bit of a while to get going. Maxime Renault already
10:24warmed up.
10:30Again, drifting wide, chasing a bit of dirt there, he's going to cut back to the smooth area, rail this
10:35berm,
10:36lower on the take-off there. Herlings has the bases covered in this next turn though.
10:41Will there be a cut back here? Herlings surely won't leave the door open.
10:44There's one effective line there, both riders used it in that right-hander.
10:51He will know that it's the Yamaha behind him, and I'm sure he would have heard by now that Geiser
10:56was out, not out, but not a threat, with him going out on the first lap into pit lane.
11:02He's now circulating in 31st place. It's your qualifying race winner.
11:08So Yamaha's almost bookending the field at the moment, and Renault hasn't had a race win since
11:11Argentina last year, and you know he's going to be absolutely champion of the bit here,
11:16now he's in a position to threaten the bullet, who never stops racing, of course,
11:19on a bit of hard pack last weekend in the UK, and now he's on it.
11:34Big panic rev there, 4-0.
11:41Tries to spook Herlings, Herlings been around the block. In fact, he's on his second lap, isn't he,
11:47around the world. He's been here that long. He's only picked up the miles.
11:51It was 18 years now as a pro, 19 maybe. A bit long in the tooth, but you know what,
11:56he's still there, pushing at the front. 149.757, fastest lap of the race that time around.
12:00He knows he's under threat from Maxime Renault. Honda HRC, Patronus Ryder, the gap between him
12:07and the Monster Energy Yamaha, 1.076 seconds. You see there, want to see a replay of that whole
12:13wave section there from Maxime Renault, because he did it so well, came through the turn,
12:18the left-hander stood up on the pegs, wheeled that first one, then double-double. You get that
12:22right like that. Of course, he's not the only one doing it, but it was just perfectly illustrated
12:26in that moment in time. Interesting there, Herlings changed his line, went wider through there,
12:30and Renault actually switched to where Herlings was the previous lap and got it wrong, lost a lot
12:33of time. So Herlings, yeah, like you say, on his 34th Italian Grand Prix, he's flying ahead at the
12:39moment and looking for his 20th Grand Prix win in this country.
12:45Steri, Keats, Jonas, Horgmo all finding their way past Nick Lapucci, who drops down to 15th place.
12:51Herlings has found another gear all of a sudden on that Honda, because he's put a gap
12:55between himself and Renault. It was six tenths a moment ago, it's now gone out to 1.8.
13:00So there's been a very, very quick Sector 2 for Jeffrey Herlings. 34-2, 35-4. 1.2 seconds gained
13:07just in the blink of an eye. Hello. Kunan all over the back of Panza. This is for fifth place.
13:16Oh, he's gonna be brave here. He leans on in Panza. No response there. Let's the number five go by,
13:22but Kunan had to work very hard for that because he had to dip the elbow, put himself off balance
13:27a
13:27little bit, but maintained his posture and his confidence to swing around the outside and apply
13:32the pressure to Panza. It was either a case of come through me or I'm gonna lean on you. Kunan
13:37was
13:38able to lean on him. Able to keep that momentum as well from that wide line as he sailed through.
13:42Panza did his best to block him off, but Kunan working and you've got to think he's going to be
13:46stronger than Vial who's just on his first Grand Prix back after two away from a big crash in France.
13:50So Kunan marching up the order here trying to limit the damage that Herlings is making in his championship lead.
13:57Kunan with the fastest second one time of the race. 22-3-1-9. Fastest lap of the race so
14:02far.
14:021.49.757 Jeffrey Herlings who's now two seconds clear of Maxime Renault. That charge from the Frenchman
14:09falling flat for now. This is through turn 10. Five waves in, three waves on the way out before we
14:16charge uphill over Liquid Molly Mountain. And as we crest through there this high speed left-hand
14:21turn with two single rollers. Hard and slick and polished throttle control. Faith in your tyres.
14:27Can't afford to rush too hard through there. Kunan slight bobble in that left turn.
14:34Kietz up to 11th now on the Beta. Good to see the Beta
14:39on the fringe of a top 10 in this first race. Beta of course their factory about 20 minutes from
14:45here.
14:47Have another look at the start then. Herlings and Vial jostled for the foxhole shot.
14:54Herlings left of the gate is right of the box. Comes in, sweeps across the four of Elzinger
15:02and the number 10 just gets it. Half a bike on Vial.
15:09Watch it from this angle. Herlings over to the right-hand side.
15:13Sweeps across the 93 and the number 10. Gets the nose right across there.
15:21Jeffrey Herlings with his second black plate of the season.
15:32There's Geiser just ahead of him. Geiser a lap down. Still in 31st place. He came in and
15:37literally was in pit lane for a lap. Almost a lap. So this one just to get some track intel
15:44but for
15:44Tim Geiser after winning the qualifying race on Saturday. Hoping for a good start and maybe even
15:50a run at a Grand Prix victory here on Italian soil.
15:55He's dream of that Grand Prix victory here in Italy. Coming to an abrupt end out of turn five into
16:02pit lane which is at the side of
16:04turn six. Not sure what the issue was but it's obviously a mechanical that needed fixing in there
16:10in pit lane. Hopefully we get news on that. And he was about mid-pack so it wasn't from a
16:15crash.
16:16He wasn't at the back of the pack and picking it up. Koonan down the inside of Vial.
16:20Tries to cut back here but looked across helplessly. Saw the championship leader coming through.
16:26And there was no sort of resistance there from the number 16. Koonan now in the fourth.
16:35Pauls Jonas moving up the order there. He's relegated here at standard 12th place.
16:39Ariel Oliver still on the edge of the top 10. But yeah Koonan trying to accelerate away here.
16:44Only one Grand Prix win on Italian soil so far. That was in Sardinia. Nothing outside of that.
16:49This is 11th GP in this country and he's still looking for his first win on hard pack Italian soil.
16:54Let's talk about the weather here. Look at the wind on the trees. The sun's disappeared. I haven't
16:59seen the weather forecast. I don't know if there was a hint of rain in the air. I think maybe
17:03early
17:04on in the week I was looking maybe 35 percent chance. But the way those winds and the trees are
17:09blowing in and around there and the cover that we've got. Just wondering whether we're gonna maybe
17:13get a bit of a downpour at some point. Maybe in the break or not. Maybe even later on this
17:17afternoon.
17:18It's holding off for now if that is the case. Valandran. Valandran hesitates coming out of the turn.
17:25Koonan didn't need a second invite. Charges down the inside into third right at the end of lap nine.
17:33All of a sudden second half of this race that we've had so far. Koonan really coming alive.
17:38Maybe making quite a few passes. Yeah impressive patience again not rushing it not snapping at it.
17:44We've barely seen his back wheel break loose a little bit faster to some corners.
17:47But still right up to third now. About five seconds down on Renault.
17:51That oh he buries it deep there. The move on Calvin Melandran.
17:56Also had the fastest lap. 148.706. Herlings that's done around 51.4. Renault 51.8.
18:0348.7 for Lucas Koonan. Just wonder whether it was one of those. Just throw everything into this lap.
18:09Just to close people down. See where we're at. If we make those gains great. Let's run with it.
18:14Maybe even go another lap. That's exactly what he's done here. Trying to leave Valandran in his wake.
18:22And leaving Valandran to contend with Vial. Vial in fifth place on the number 16.
18:27The rider in white there at the back of the shot.
18:32So Koonan found his way past Oliver. That was for seventh on lap four.
18:42Then he kept on pushing. Found his way past Adamo.
18:56Found his way past Panza. Got him into fifth. Then Vial. That was for fourth. That was a couple of
19:03laps ago.
19:06And then this move for third on Valandran.
19:11Vial in just a little bit hesitant coming out of that turn.
19:14And made a mistake coming out of the right hander there where that pass was made eventually.
19:22So ten laps in the books when we hit the line this time around.
19:26Hurlings are 151.253. Renault at 50.6. 50.5 for Lucas Koonan.
19:31But he's still five seconds down on the Frenchman Maxime Renault.
19:34Or he was when we hit the line a moment ago.
19:40Right. We might have some news on Tim Geiser coming in.
19:45Lisa is down in pit lane.
19:48Let's hear what Yamaha have told her about Geiser's entry into pit lane on that first lap.
19:59Yep. I'm just in pit lane. We saw Tim Geiser from Monster Hunter Yamaha Factory.
20:03MXGP team come into the pits right at the start of that race.
20:06They were fixing his wheel. What actually happened in the first corner.
20:10The foot peg from another bike in that first turn got caught up in his wheel.
20:15Totally damaged it. They had to change it as we saw.
20:18Tim's obviously out there on track trying to salvage as much as he can.
20:21But with that full gait of 40 riders it's going to be incredibly difficult for him to even get into
20:26the points.
20:26So it's a very tough day at the office for the five time world champion.
20:33Yeah as I pretty much suspected then as he came out of that turn you saw that front.
20:36It looked like it wasn't moving right. It looked like it had a bit of a buckle on it.
20:41Even mentioned the foot pegs going through could have been a possibility and that's exactly what it was.
20:45So heartbreak then for Tim Geiser who's circulating in 29th with nine minutes to go plus two laps.
20:52He's going to try and ride around even try and score a point if he can.
20:56But not what he or the team wanted after that
21:00win in the qualifying race on Saturday. His first of the season.
21:03One minute this sport can be so intense. It can put you on such a big high.
21:09The next minute it can just pull you down in the cruelest of ways.
21:14Almost a tale of Geiser's season isn't it?
21:16Are they winning Trentino and then obviously problems since then with big crashes.
21:20And in fact that blue Yamaha there being in front of Lucas Kunin could be a nice target for him.
21:24You could think that's Renault in second.
21:27Could do.
21:28But it's actually Geiser.
21:30Well here is Vial forcing his way down the inside of Vallandren.
21:35I think we just missed a pass there with Vial on Vallandren.
21:38Because he had the inside line.
21:41Renault getting caught by the lap rider. Sorry Paul.
21:45Hurlix here being caught at the moment.
21:481.7 seconds it was between him and Maxime Renault.
21:51Renault hasn't thrown in the towel just yet.
21:53Hasn't given up the fight.
21:55He's just at the back of the shot Paul.
21:57Renault on that tight left hander got held up by a lap rider coming right across his barriers.
22:01But he's recovered well. He's still on his case.
22:05Get a split around this turn.
22:07Sector 2 Hurlings goes through its best.
22:1033.988 Renault with that back marker traffic.
22:14About three four tenths slower.
22:1634.2 so the gap going out to 2.082.
22:20As we work our way towards the end of Sector 3.
22:25Kunin at 34.213 and 34.7 for Vallandren.
22:28And then Vial at 35.477.
22:32So Vallandren able to hold off the attack from Vial then.
22:35He stays in fourth fall and now it's not much in it though.
22:371.6 seconds in fact maybe Vial has slightly lost time trying to make the attempt.
22:43It's definitely a lot darker out there than it was when we started the race.
22:46Definitely get a bit moody out there as well with the winds picking up.
22:51If they're a cooler wind then it's okay.
22:52Because obviously we don't have this intensity of the sun just beaming down on us as it has been all
22:57weekend.
22:57Here's Roman Favre going after Jan Panza.
23:00This will be for seventh place a couple of laps to go.
23:03That's too much of the rear wheel through that turn.
23:05Looked like he buried the front this time around.
23:07Did the number one Frenchman and defending champion of course.
23:10Still the spectacular ride this from Jan Panza.
23:14Seventh you've got a seventh race to in Latvia last time out.
23:17So he's used to being in there in the top 10 of more recently.
23:21Can he hold the Frenchman at bay though?
23:24Six and a half minutes or thereabouts plus two laps.
23:26It's probably going to be a big ask isn't it?
23:29Especially when you look at the lap times.
23:3053-4, 53-1.
23:32Favre inching closer.
23:35Looking more efficient through these waves than the Slovenian as well.
23:38The Slovenian there in yellow.
23:40The lead rider in shot here.
23:45Elzinga in the points for Veneri.
23:47He's down in 20th place.
23:49Right, misses that 13.
23:51He's going to get around the outside, down the inside.
23:52Easy pickings for Favre as he moves past Panza.
23:57Panza tried a quick response but just looking back,
24:00you wonder whether he's just starting to feel a bit fatigued now
24:04after being out there for so long.
24:07He's got about an 11 second gap over the next rider which is Alberto
24:10Ferratto on the Fanta Kid 9th and Oliver rounding out the top 10.
24:14But yeah, Panza, this is still a slow start to the season for him, Panza.
24:18He didn't replicate the same sort of form as he had at the end of last year
24:21but now he seems to be coming into his own, especially on these hard-packed surfaces.
24:25Kunin still closing in there, Paul.
24:27Three seconds between him and Renault.
24:28That's a gap to watch with five minutes and a bit left.
24:31Favre getting his head down.
24:32Putting some distance quickly between himself and Jan Panza.
24:35He's got Andrea Adamo, three seconds on the track.
24:38That was him just leaving that right-hand turn a moment ago.
24:44Favre onto the first of these two plateaus.
24:51Tear-off strewn all over the place.
24:52That crowding rock really starting to come through now.
24:55Burms drying out all the time.
24:57They were a little bit stickier at the start of the race,
25:00but now they're just drying out.
25:01They're becoming like talcum powder, very silky.
25:03So you go in and all of a sudden it sucks you in rather than
25:06sort of gives you the traction that you need to sort of burn around.
25:12That single before the finish line jump, very rutty,
25:14just upsetting the balance of the bike ever so slightly.
25:17Riders happen to roll off the gas there a little bit.
25:22Favre there in seven.
25:25Double, double.
25:26See the squeaky brakes, rear disc heating up.
25:30He's working it, working it hard around here.
25:32Not the only one.
25:34When we had the sort of battle up front, you know,
25:36sort of that Hurling, Renault, Vallandre and Vial,
25:40in and around that same part of the track.
25:42In fact, into the trees there,
25:43there was a lot of sort of squeaky brake going on.
25:46Hello, came on again.
25:48What a charge this has been from Maxime Renault.
25:50All over the back of Hurling's is being pushed by Kunin,
25:53who's closing in fast as well.
25:55This is going to be a big four minutes, I think, plus two laps.
25:58Hurling's under pressure, Renault on the charge,
26:00Kunin with a bit between his teeth.
26:02All of a sudden can see two rivals and a potential race win.
26:09Similar lap times last time around, but it was Hurling's the slower of the three riders.
26:15Blue flags, Hurling's the guinea pig.
26:21Druro trying to stay out of the way.
26:23He'll look across to his inside.
26:24He'll see Hurling's, hopefully he checks up and sees Renault there as well.
26:30Don't want to be that rider, getting interfering with play.
26:33Takes a look at the bottom of the hill there.
26:35So he did see Maxime Renault to his left-hand side, who does go through.
26:391.3 at the last split at the top of the hill.
26:42We hit the line now, 14 laps in the books, Hurling's goes through.
26:47And Renault's time, very similar, still hovering around 1.3, no, 1.9.
26:55Kunin, I tell you what, crucial time now, with the traffic on the horizon.
27:01Mobile chicanes all over the place for the leaders.
27:04Adamo and Villal, these two fighting over fifth position.
27:08Adamo with the fans on their feet, urging him every step of the way,
27:11would love to see an Italian on the podium at the end of it all this weekend.
27:17Villal, after looking like attacking Vlander, has fallen back from the South African now.
27:20Two and a half seconds difference between the fourth and fifth riders.
27:23Adamo in sixth place is hunting that top five position in front of his home fans.
27:27They'll be cheering over the rafters for him, for sure.
27:31There's Renault, bottom corner of his screen.
27:34Hurling's disappearing amongst the back marker there,
27:36as he hits Monster Energy Hill in the middle of the circuit.
27:43Nice move this from Adamo, Speedway Styles loses drive, loses that position again.
27:51Villal, at the moment, there in that fifth position, doing all he can, but he was helped there by Adamo.
27:57Adamo certainly feels more comfortable on this ground, this late on in the race.
28:03Talking to some of the riders and teams yesterday, a lot of the year they start on scoop tires,
28:09and obviously some were saying we're probably going to be down to a more traditional pattern of tire,
28:14given the nature of the ground and stuff like that.
28:16I was talking to Eddie Seal from Dunlop, former motocross racer and supermoto world champion.
28:20Of course, now the Dunlop crew man down there in the paddock,
28:24and he was saying that their specific scoop is also good on hard pack,
28:29but he said for Saturday they have the confidence in it, but Sunday we may just find ourselves
28:33drifting towards that traditional pattern.
28:36Looking at the circuit at the moment, you would have to say he would have gone for the latter,
28:40you know, but never say never, stranger things have happened because there's still some loose dirt
28:43out there where it might make a difference, but overall, over the whole lap, not sure.
28:48And a traditional pattern by that, Paul, you mean like a bigger blocks, wider surface area,
28:51that sort of thing? Yeah, just a normal tire, not scoop, just square blocks.
28:54Just like normal, yeah, quite closer together, yeah.
28:56Yeah, mid-hard, something like that. Might be an intermediate you get away with,
29:01because even on the small areas of the racetrack where it is starting to polish up for that brief bit
29:05of time, you know, a mid-tire would still work because you've got a lot of areas where it's still
29:12hard
29:13and rocky where you might need that sort of bite in the tread pattern.
29:16Yeah. A complete hard pack tire, probably just rolling around on top more than anything else.
29:23The tire technology coming along, leaps and bounds over the last few years.
29:26Absolutely. So many different sort of options in the middle, in between.
29:31But so many scoops being used because of how they turn up the start strikes,
29:34it just gives them the extra... And the tracks in general, yeah.
29:36Yeah, yeah. Kunun, all over the back of Maxime Renault now.
29:42Herlings has disappeared, there he is coming in the opposite direction, out of turn 20.
29:47Kunun in and out of that turn, so not railing the turn, cutting the corner short,
29:51closes a couple of bike lengths here, and all of a sudden Renault on the ropes.
29:55Can he hold on to the second position? He's hoping to.
30:00Two lap board being read in a few corners from now as time ticks down.
30:05Quick look over the shoulder there, protects the inside.
30:09There's Herlings on the face of the jump. Got the best seat in the house at the moment,
30:13he's not having to deal with this threat from the number five.
30:15Nicely picking up the front wheel down the hill there, soaking it up, which get the back wheel on
30:20the ground a little bit longer rather than hitting it and then being pushed forward.
30:23And then you can't do anything until you hit the both wheels on the ground before you can start braking
30:28again.
30:35Fascinating contest this between these two.
30:38And Herlings will be hoping that Renault can hold him off of course, making five points on the ground,
30:42on the Belgian will be much better than just the three between first and second,
30:46so Renault for sure could be doing Geoffrey a favour if he holds on to that one.
30:54Yeah, 16 laps complete at the moment.
31:00Gap between Herlings and Renault 2.6, nothing in it between Renault and Lucas Coonan.
31:07It was magnificent in America a week ago by the way, Thunder Valley, two second place finishes there.
31:14Comes to Italy, bit of a reality check, hardest liquor surface.
31:18Something a little bit different to the wider spaces of the Colorado circuit.
31:23But yeah, just on Tim Geis, he's two places outside the points at the moment,
31:27but crucially 12 seconds away from them.
31:29So it's not likely that Geis is going to add to his points tally here today,
31:32at least in this first race.
31:33Be nice being at pretty much ground level as well rather than 2,000 meters above the clouds.
31:40It's incredible what they did there for the first appearance on that sort of going as well.
31:43The altitude is not to be underestimated.
31:47Right, we're getting another look at Lucas Coonan.
31:53Climbing all over the back of Max and Renault once more towards the end of this penultimate lap.
31:57Renault knows he's there, he's got a fight on his hands.
31:59Herlings is getting closer to them as well.
32:02Herlings, that's not a two and a half second gap anymore.
32:05Coonan going to be the last of the hard breakers down here.
32:08Almost finds a way through.
32:09Well, I tell you what, Max and Renault is just shredding on eggshells.
32:14Doesn't want to give too much gas in the corners because he knows he can light up the back end,
32:17make a mistake.
32:18Doesn't want to be too sort of ginger as well because he knows that the threat will come from behind
32:24and that pass will be made.
32:25There's Herlings just there.
32:26The top three riders separated by two seconds as we go into the final lap here.
32:30And the Miraval in Montevaki.
32:34Oh, it's very close.
32:35It's so mentally challenging as well, Paul, because they've got to maintain such concentration to do,
32:39like you say, not be so fast on the gas.
32:41Brake nicer without it sliding away.
32:42It's so difficult.
32:44Back markers in Herlings' line of sight as we drop down into turn 14.
32:49The left-hander, hopefully they are heeding the blue flags and not colorblind.
32:54As so many riders seem to be these days.
32:57Oh, lighting at the back end.
32:59Lucas Coonan trying everything, throwing everything at Maxime Renault on this final lap
33:04for that second position.
33:06Knows he can't afford to lose five points to Herlings, who's in the thick of the traffic,
33:11navigates them well.
33:14Elzinger doing his best to stay out of the way, does a great job, does the Dutchman.
33:22Right, back marker here in front of Renault, who goes to the inside
33:28and finds his way past. It's Coonan who gets held up in that exchange.
33:32He's going to have to get aggressive with Kevin Brumman.
33:37Oh, good drive there from Coonan.
33:39Coming out of that final turn, turn 22 as we go uphill for the final time.
33:43Erlings, Renault, Coonan. The top three here separated by nothing.
33:49Two, three corners to go.
33:51Either one of these riders could win it.
33:53Erlings in the box seat at the moment though.
33:58Two corners to go, one more as we get out of this left.
34:03Erlings bounces back from the disappointment of Latmir.
34:06He wins race one here in Italy.
34:10Renault second, Coonan third.
34:13Nani Roma on the flag.
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