As Italy celebrated three race wins in front of the 100,000 crowd at their home grand prix it turned into a miserable afternoon for the British riders round the 3.259 Mugello circuit. Gloucestershire’s Scott Redding was the only points scorer in the 23 lap MotoGP™ race, finishing in 12th place on the Octo Pramac Ducati. Sam Lowes and Bradley Smith finished, but out of the points in 19th and 20th place respectively. Cal Crutchlow looked set for a top ten finish when he was brought down by Dani Pedrosa on the last lap.

Scotsman John McPhee’s sixth place on the British Talent team Honda in a superb Moto3™ race was the only real bright light, with Danny Kent crashing out of the Moto2™ race and Tarren Mackenzie on his Mugello debut a brave 27th.

Ride of his life: Dovizioso takes magnificent win at Mugello

Italian rider, Italian bike, Italian GP…and the tricolore flew high over the podium at Mugello, as Ducati Team’s Andrea Dovizioso took a magnificent MotoGP™ win battling rivals on track and illness off it to cross the line over a second clear of Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) and an impressive home podium for Danilo Petrucci (Octo Pramac Racing).

Home hero Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) shot off the line for the lead from P2 on the grid, denying teammate and polesitter Viñales, as Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team) stormed up from seventh to fight off Dovizioso for third.

Over the line saw Lorenzo use the speed of the Ducati to take the lead for the first time in red, dueling with old nemesis Rossi before the Italian took him back. Then it was ‘DesmoDovi’ on the move after Viñales had gone through on Rossi, taking the ‘Doctor’ as the trio began to break away from Lorenzo – with Petrucci on the chase.

Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar) had an incredible start from P16 after having suffered with illness throughout the weekend, moving up into seventh, as Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) suffered a different fate and got a ride through for a jump start.

Petrucci caught the group before too long as Dovizioso took over at the front, and the Pramac rider then pounced on Viñales after a small mistake. Then Viñales took over in second with only a few laps remaining and the Championship leader with his head down.

The pendulum swung between the two men until the last lap dawned – and ‘DesmoDovi’ kept it inch-perfect around every corner to take his third ever Grand Prix victory, and the first for a red machine at Mugello since Casey Stoner won in 2009.

Viñales took second to increase his Championship lead, with Petrucci putting in the dry-weather ride of his life to complete the podium. The ‘Doctor’, who suffered a motocross crash in training the week before the event, pushed through the pain barrier and just missed the podium.

Alvaro Bautista (Pull&Bear Aspar Team) caught and passed reigning Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) to complete the top five, with Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) coming home in P7 behind Marquez

Lorenzo suffered grip issues later in the race and crossed the line in eighth, beating Ducati test rider Michele Pirro over the line. Iannone’s heroics following his illness saw him complete the top ten at home.

The late drama saw a tough day for Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) conclude in a crash, unfortunately collecting LCR Honda’s Cal Crutchlow on the final lap.

Tito Rabat (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) took P11, with the top fifteen completed by Scott Redding (Octo Pramac Racing), Jonas Folger (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), Hector Barbera (Reale Avintia Racing) and Jack Miller (EG 0,0 Marc VDS).

Pasini hits full power to take a hard-fought home win

Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team) has taken his first victory in the World Championship since 2009 at the Italian GP, after a fight to the flag against Tom Lüthi (CarXpert Interwetten) and Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS).

It was tight into Turn 1 before Pasini struck for the lead to cross the line in P1 first time round, ahead of polesitter Franco Morbidelli (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) and Marquez.

Drama then struck on the first lap, as Forward Racing Team’s Lorenzo Baldassarri highsided into Turn 15 – collecting title hopeful Takaaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia), but both riders escaped the incident unharmed.

At the front, Marquez took Morbidelli for second to settle into the rhythm behind Pasini, as Lüthi pushed to stay with the front trio. Marquez then took the lead, Pasini hit back, and the front four pulled over two and a half seconds clear of chasing Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) in P5.

Morbidelli then began to drop back, trailing the top three by over a second. The race burst into life as Pasini, Marquez and Lüthi took the gloves off, with a three-way fight for the win lighting up Mugello.

As the final lap dawned, Lüthi struck for the lead, but Pasini dug in on home turf. Having been pushed back to third, the Italian pulled his almost signature move on Marquez through Casanovi and Savelli, before striking against Lüthi straight after. Ahead as the end of the lap appeared, Pasini kept himself clear in the lead and pushed hard through the final corners to hold it over the line as the two men behind tried to slipstream. The Italian took his first win in the Moto2™ class and his first win since the 250 race at Mugello in 2009 by only 0.052 over Lüthi, with Marquez only another 0.084 back after the incredible showdown.

Morbidelli came home in a solid fourth place, ahead of an equally lonely ride for Miuel Oliveira to take yet another top finish in fifth.

Luca Marini (Forward Racing Team) just pipped Dominique Aegerter (Kiefer Racing) over the line to sixth, with Italian veteran Simone Corsi (Speed Up Racing) taking eighth on home soil. Top rookie was an impressive weekend from Jorge Navarro (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) to cross the line in ninth, after key rookie rival Francesco Bagnaia (Sky Racing Team VR46) crashed out late on.

Reigning Moto3™ World Champion Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) had a stunning comeback from his arm injury to take tenth.

Migno wins in the magic and mayhem of Mugello

Andrea Migno (Sky Racing Team VR46) has taken his first ever Grand Prix win in the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley, staying just ahead of compatriot Fabio Di Giannantonio (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) as the two broke free from the pack on the final lap. Juanfran Guevara (RBA BOE Racing Team) took his first ever podium in P3.

It was Di Giannantonio who got the best start, taking the lead into Turn 1 with Romano Fenati (Marinelli Rivacold Snipers) another good starter. The initial front group that emerged saw Fenati leading Di Giannantonio, Jorge Martin, Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse), John McPhee (British Talent Team) and Marcos Ramirez (Platinum Bay Real Estate), as Ramirez’ teammate Darryn Binder looked to tag onto the back.

With over twenty riders in the “front group” positions switched and changed at the sharp end. Some stunning overtakes around the rest of the lap made for a signature Moto3™ spectacle, with riders going eight or nine abreast into Turn 1.

As the last lap dawned it was Migno and Di Giannantonio who managed to pull a tiny gap – with the VR46 academy rider able to just stay ahead over the line to take his first ever Grand Prix win, by only 0.037.

‘Diggia’ took another podium, and showed incredible sportsmanship as he congratulated his compatriot on the win only a split second after the pair crossed the line.

Juanfran Guevara’s first podium came ahead of an equal best-ever result for Darryn Binder in fourth, with Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0) completing the top five. BTT rider John McPhee took sixth in a solid ride to bag more points, and crucially finished just ahead of Championship leader Joan Mir (Leopard Racing).

Ayumu Sasaki (SIC Racing Team) was the rookie of the day in P8 after fighting at the front for the first time on the world stage – and coming from P24 on the grid. Marcos Ramirez took P9, ahead of Italian duo Nicolo Bulega and Enea Bastianini (Estrella Galicia 0,0).