Thirty-eight riders took to the track for the grand finale on August 30, 31, and September 1 at the Mugello Circuit, which hosted the last round of the European Handy Bridgestone Cup and the OCTO Cup, the European and Italian Paralympic motorcycling championships organized by the Di.Di.Diversamente Disabili association.
The race weekend, part of the CIV (Italian Speed Championship) program, was also an opportunity to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Di.Di., which started its activities right at Mugello. On Friday evening, a talk was held in the paddock featuring those who had believed in this project from the beginning, discussing the current state of affairs and future plans.
The speakers included Giovanni Copioli, President of the Italian Motorcycle Federation, Jesper Holm – Member of the FIM Europe Speed Commission, Andrea Silva – PR Communication Manager at BMW Motorrad Italy, Claudio Comigni – Head of Motorcycle Business at Bridgestone Emea, South Region, Antonio Agostinelli – Vice President of the Tuscany Paralympic Committee, Stephane Paulus – President of Handi Free Riders France, Antonio Montoya – Founder of Handy Free Riders Spain, and, in closing, Emiliano Malagoli – President of Di.Di., who will be hanging up his helmet this year to dedicate himself full-time to the association he founded. All reaffirmed their commitment to supporting the competitions of Paralympic riders and related activities, emphasizing the importance of inclusion and the strong commitment of the institutions and companies they represent to providing meaningful support.
The evening ended with a dinner orchestrated by the Michelin-starred chef from “Il Porticciolo” in Fiumicino, who, along with BMW Italy, has always been close to these events. Gianfranco Pascucci, together with young people with Down syndrome from Locanda Girasoli, designed a refined seafood menu. Di.Di. brought the youngsters on stage to present them with an award for their enthusiastic support.La serata si è conclusa con una cena orchestrata dello chef stellato de “Il Porticciolo” di Fiumicino, da sempre vicino con BMW Italia a questo tipo di eventi. Gianfranco Pascucci, insieme a ragazzi con sindrome di Down della Locanda Girasoli, ha disegnato un raffinatissimo menù a base di pesce. I Di.Di. hanno voluto sul palco i ragazzi per consegnare loro un riconoscimento per il loro entusiastico supporto.
FMI President Copioli also presented an FMI award to Gianfranco Pascucci, Antonio Agostinelli, and Emiliano Malagoli.
THE RACES
Race 1 – Saturday
In the 1000cc European Handy Bridgestone Cup, Martin Horky (Czech Republic – Yamaha R1) crossed the finish line first, leading all 10 laps of the race, followed by Emiliano Malagoli (BMW S1000RR) and Lorenzo Picasso (Honda CBR1000RR). In the 600cc class, Austrian Jakob Lorenz (Austria – Yamaha R6) took the top spot on the podium, followed by Remo Marinato (Yamaha R6). The race was held in the late afternoon under hot conditions, with temperatures of 32°C and 37°C on the asphalt.
In the Italian OCTO Cup, in the 1000cc class, Picasso finished first, followed by Ivo Arnoldi (BMW S1000RR) and Alex Innocenti (Ducati Panigale V4). In the 600cc class, Lorenz took first place again, with Spaniard Montoya (Yamaha R6) in second and Marinato in third.
Race 2 – Sunday
The weather remained the same, with 30°C and 39°C on the asphalt. Thirty-five riders took to the grid, and the race was smooth, with Horky setting the best time at 2.02.547. There were two falls without consequences for Montoya and Chatelain.
Nel Campionato Europeo in entrambe le classi si riconfermano i podi di gara 1: nelle 1000cc. primo posto per il mattatore del weekend Horky, seguito da Malagoli e Picasso. Nelle 600cc. Lorenz si aggiudica il primo posto, Marinato il secondo.
Mentre per la OCTO Cup classe 1000cc., un ottimo Umberto Troisi (Ducati Panigale V4) sale sul gradino più alto del podio, relegando alle sue spalle Picasso e Arnoldi. Nelle 600cc. imprendibile Lorenz che guadagna la prima posizione, seguito questa volta da Alessandro Chiarelli (Yamaha R6), terzo Marinato.
Thus, the European and Italian champions in the various categories were crowned for a season full of events and great satisfaction!
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
European Handy Bridgestone Cup 2024
1000cc Class
Martin Horky – 146 points
Lorenzo Picasso – 112 points
Emiliano Malagoli – 101 points
Lesser Impaired (Minor Disabilities) 1000cc Class
Massimo Bacci – 106 points
600cc Class
Jakob Lorenz – 159 points
Remo Marinato – 120 points
Lesser Impaired (Minor Disabilities) 600cc Class
1° Antonio Montoya p.81
OCTO CUP 2024
1000cc Class
1° Lorenzo Picasso p.95
2° Umberto Troisi p. 65
3° Alex Innocenti p. 52
600cc Class
1° Jakob Lorenz p.90
2 Antonio Montoya p. 70
3°Remo Marinato p.58
Thanks to FIM Europe, FMI, CIP, OCTO Telematics, Bridgestone, BMW Motorrad Italy, SNEP, Intrasecur Group, and Pakelo for making it possible to bring 38 riders to Mugello for the championship finale and for supporting Di.Di. in all the many social, educational, and training activities organized by the association.
The 2024 season for Di.Di. isn’t over yet: they will be back on September 17 at Tazio Nuvolari for riding courses for young people with disabilities, then on October 12 at Vallelunga for a major motor therapy event where people with disabilities will have the thrill of riding as passengers in sports cars and motorcycles, and finally on November 9 at EICMA – Milan for the official awards ceremony of the two championships at the BMW Motorrad stand.
