Day - 13, Misano Day 3

Not entirely sure what time we left this morning, probably about 7:15. We had a really clear ride into the circuit and parked in the usual place for another €20. It had rained overnight, so the grass was wet but more of a problem for getting changed out of the riding gear than for manoeuvring the bike. The man was there with his little garden tool and block of wood for my side stand.

My brekkie consisted of 3 cherry filled croissants and a small carton of orange juice, from a previous hotel. I have to say, the croissants were very nice. If they survive the trip back Catherine might get one.

Racing started with the Red Bull Rookies, race 2. The title had been won the day before, after we’d left the circuit. It was a very close and entertaining race, the new champion being pipped for the win on the last corner!

MotoGP had a warmup and then the parade, before Moto3 and Moto2 races. We had 3 lads in Moto3, two of whom fell off, the third finishing out of the points. Jake Dixon was our only hope in Moto2. His fall in qualifying meant he started 9^th but he’d been fast all weekend, so there was hope. That was until he was nerfed off at turn 5, losing at least 6 places. His race never really got going after that and he finished out of the points. Very disappointing.

Lunch was the salmon sandwich on 50/50 bread that I’d bought yesterday too. So much better than the €5 rip-off that we found out was out of date, the price sticker conveniently hiding it. To accompany it I had some crisps and a blue berry flapjack. A far cheaper option than the circuit offerings.

The MotoGP race had a certain inevitability about it but the Italian Bez put up a good fight to finish a close second.

Besides the racing, part of the entertainment is watching people struggle to find the right seats. It amuses me no end how difficult some people find it. At Misano, there are four parts. The stand, the section within it, the row and the seat. Fairly simple but if you don’t read it carefully, then the spanner in the works is, that Section A, B, C & D all have seats numbered 1 to whatever. We were section B Row L, 10/11. Another spanner could possibly be the fact there’s no rows J or K! Even so, it ain’t rocket science. Then of course, there’s the mavericks, who just sit anywhere they please, sod what it says on the ticket. Endless fun.

The ride back was fairly smooth once more but very hot. The car park people had thanked us and wished us safe journey, which was nice, and the Italian plod were efficient in marshalling the traffic. All in all, Misano has been a success.

I took a walk out when we got back, checking out some more restaurants. There’s a lot of seafood on offer, not necessarily salads but I found a couple that could accommodate Phil’s salad obsession and serve me up some pasta. We chose the nearest one, with the cheapest beer. To my surprise, when it came time to order the drinks, Phil had a beer too! His first of the trip I think. As this was our last night in Riccione, I said I was having gelato. Phil agreed it sounded like a good idea, so that what’s we did. A large cone, with 2 enormous scoops of ice cream, for just €5. I’ve I’d known about that on Thursday, I would probably have had one every night!

Tomorrow, we start our journey home. The first leg is a shortish one, so we can visit the Ferrari Museum in Maranello. 2 long days will follow that and Thursday we’ll be back in blighty.

Apologies for you getting another 2 days together, wi-fi at this hotel has been up and down like the proverbial.

Ciao for now.