5TH GP DELLE ALPI: THE LAP THAT NEVER REALLY BEGAN

The 5th GP delle Alpi was supposed to be, above all, a weekend of answers. Following the gearbox problems caused by the accident during the Summer Camp, Saturday afternoon provided the first real opportunity to put the MiniGP 2 back on track, check the repairs, work on the setup and test the engine.

The goal wasn't to chase lap times immediately. It was to understand the bike. Lap after lap, Emanuele found a consistent pace of around 57-58 seconds, with very encouraging feedback.

The MiniGP 2 finally appeared to be working properly again. Apart from a few minor details still to be adjusted, it was exactly the response we had been looking for.

Sunday morning: the speed is there 🏁

Sunday morning's free practice sessions were used for the final adjustments. Overall, the bike continued to perform well and the stopwatch confirmed the positive feeling from Saturday.

Emanuele recorded the second-fastest time, just behind a very quick Antonio Rotondo #36, who was riding extremely well on his Bucci A190 Daytona.

Everything seemed ready for qualifying.

Q1: the first setback

The first qualifying session began normally. Emanuele completed a few laps to bring the tyres and engine up to the correct temperature before finally finding enough clear track to start pushing.

Then, in the second sector, came the first major problem of the day: a hose suddenly failed, causing an oil leak and forcing Emanuele to abandon the session.

Back in the paddock, work began immediately on the MiniGP 2. It had to be repaired, checked and made completely safe before it could return to the circuit.

The repairs were completed in time and the bike successfully passed the technical checks required to take part in Q2.

Q2: everything seems ready

Emanuele returns to the track. A few more laps are needed to bring the tyres and engine back into their ideal operating window while waiting for the right gap in traffic.

The track ahead is clear. Emanuele prepares the final approach and accelerates hard out of the corner leading onto the start/finish straight.

The stopwatch starts running.

Fourth gear. Full throttle. The MiniGP 2 leans to the right to take Turn 1.

Everything appears perfect.

Then, in a fraction of a second, everything changes.

The crash

Emanuele suddenly loses the bike. Only moments later comes the impact with the barriers.

From where we are standing, all we can see is the MiniGP 2 on the ground, with obvious impact damage and the front end almost completely destroyed. Emanuele has come to rest further down the track and is hidden from our view by the marshal post.

The flags come out immediately and the approaching riders slow down.

Then come the seconds that seem to last forever.

About twenty seconds later, a helmet appears from behind the barriers.

It's Emanuele.

He gets to his feet and immediately signals that he's OK.

Emanuele first. Everything else comes later.

After being examined by the medical team at the circuit, Emanuele is transferred to hospital for further checks. There is initially concern over a possible fracture to his left tibia, together with the various injuries caused by the impact.

Later that evening he reaches Ospedale Maggiore in Lodi, where further examinations are carried out.

Fortunately, the tests reveal no fractures and no neurological injuries. Following the necessary observation period, he is expected to be discharged on Monday, September 7, 2026.

Beyond racing, points and championships, that's the result that really matters.

Racing goes on, even when you're not on track

While Emanuele was undergoing his medical examinations, the 5th GP delle Alpi naturally continued.

At the end of the day, Emanuele still wanted to personally congratulate Antonio Rotondo #36 on his victory after a difficult weekend that ultimately paid off.

Starting from pole position, Antonio led both Race 1 and Race 2, finishing with a margin of more than 6 seconds over his closest challenger.

Because before points, victories and championship standings come respect between riders and the passion they all share for this sport.

Despite being forced to score zero points this weekend, Emanuele Rossetti #85 remains at the top of the standings with 141 points.

Antonio Rotondo moves into second place, 19 points ahead of Francesco Messora.

And then we do the maths... 🏆

There is, however, one detail that almost went unnoticed among the races, technical problems and everything that happened this weekend.

In fact, we had already missed it at Rioveggio.

After his double victory at the GP del Setta, Emanuele had reached 141 points. Antonio Rotondo #36, the closest rider still mathematically capable of challenging him, was on 38.

Two rounds remained — Viverone and Ottobiano — with a maximum of 100 points still available.

Even by taking every single one of those points, Rotondo could have reached a maximum of 138.

Perhaps we were simply too focused on racing to realise it.

Viverone didn't decide the Championship.
Ottobiano won't have to decide it either.

The title already belonged to the #85.

Discovering it now, at the end of a weekend in which, for a few endless seconds, everything else stopped mattering, inevitably gives that title a very different meaning.

Now it's the MiniGP 2's turn 🔧

For the MiniGP 2, another kind of work is about to begin.

And simply calling it “the bike” would not really tell its story.

The MiniGP 2 is a hand-built motorcycle created by the team. It was born as a replica of the CBM SP3, but developed to specifications specifically studied and designed around Emanuele, his riding style and our requirements on track.

It is a project that we have built and developed over time. That's precisely why, after an accident like the one at Viverone, we don't simply want to replace whatever is broken.

The damage is significant and the front end clearly shows the effects of the violent impact.

Emanuele has already made one very specific request: he wants to see the MiniGP 2 exactly as it was recovered from the circuit.

And he wants to be there — and take part — when the bike is completely stripped down.

Every component will be checked. We will carefully analyse everything that may help us reconstruct what happened and, above all, try to identify the cause that led to the loss of the bike at Turn 1.

No rushed conclusions, and no component will be replaced before the analysis has been completed.

First we'll understand. Then we'll rebuild the MiniGP 2.

Ottobiano means something different now 🏁

Ottobiano is no longer the race where we have to defend the Championship.

That Championship has already been won.

October's final round now becomes something completely different: a target for our return.

Emanuele's full recovery comes first. Then the MiniGP 2 will have to be stripped, inspected, rebuilt and returned to a condition in which it can safely go racing again.

We don't need Ottobiano to become Champions.

But after what happened at Viverone, being able to line up on the grid again with Emanuele and the MiniGP 2 would mean more than any championship table could ever explain.

Thank you ❤️

The EMA#85 Team would like to thank all the fellow riders, friends and everyone who continued to call and send messages throughout the evening asking for updates on Emanuele's condition.

Moments like these remind us once again that a racing paddock isn't made only of motorcycles, lap times and championship standings.

For now, Emanuele comes first.

Then we'll open the garage and start trying to understand what happened to the MiniGP 2.

We'll take you with us once again, sharing the strip-down, the analysis and — hopefully soon — the rebuilding of the bike through our channels.

And when the time comes to return to the track, we'll do so with one more certainty.

EMA#85 WILL RETURN TO THE TRACK AS 2026 CHAMPION. 🏆

See you at Ottobiano. ✊🏁