Di.Di. World Bridgestone Cup
Great success for the first edition of Di.Di. Bridgestone World Cup, the international competition for disabled riders.
Alan Kempster: the Australian rides “natural”, as he likes to say. He has lost his right leg and arm in an accident and rides, without the aid of prosthetics, keeping well balanced on the saddle of the bike as if nothing had happened.
There were nearly twenty riders at the start and an important audience of testimonial: Alex De Angelis, MotoGP rider in the NGM Forward team, MotoGP team manager Lucio Cecchinello, who was named honorary president of the association. Also present were the rider of the World Superstock 1000 Fabio Massei and Massimo Roccoli, star of the Supersport, who lead the way in the warm up lap ahead the Di.Di riders.
Success also for the initiative of the two-seater Ducati Panigale: ridden by Dario Marchetti, head of the instructors of the Ducati Riding Academy, it gave emotions to many enthusiasts passengers, all in Vircos leather suits. Among “special” passengers, the exceptional blind athlete and singer Annalisa Minetti, who after enjoying the curves of the Mugello track as a passenger of the powerful bike, gave the awards to the race protagonists. On Saturday evening Annalisa had also performed in a concert in the paddock, giving a delicious taste of the shows she is performing in this period with his tour “Io rinasco” (I am reborn).-
Among the events, also the Di.Di bike, a Honda NC 700 with a system of side wheels by Handytech, to give the chance to go back on the saddle to those who have lost the use of their legs. And for the first time, on Di.Di Bike a paraplegic young man rode again a motorcycle, 12 years after his road accident.
On the top step among 600 cc motorcycles the Tuscan Emiliano Malagoli, founder of the non-profit Diversamente Disabili association: with a prosthesis in his right leg, he closed his race ahead of Cristian Carnevale, deaf, and Fabio Segato, who has strong limitations to the mobility of both legs as a result of an accident. Fourth position for Alan Kempster: the Australian phenomenon prevailed on the only girl in the grid, Samantha Palmucci, conditioned by a partial lesion of the brachial plexus. Behind them Andrea Capurro, who has atrophy in both legs, and Giovanni Aranciofebo, who raced with a prosthetic right arm. Withdrawal for Claudio Gesi and Matteo Arlati.
In the 1000 cc class, the winner was Umberto Lisanti: the rider from Piedmont, devoid of his left arm, arrived ahead of Mattia Buriani and Fabio Tagliabue, both monocles. Fourth place for Luca Raj, who has his left arm paralyzed, and who closes the race in front of “flying dentist” Enrico Mariani, with a prosthesis in his right leg, and of Bruno Serena. Withdrawal for Daniele Barbero, while Fabrizio Felicioni did not start after a crash.
An exceptional event, therefore, the Di.Di. World Cup in Mugello, which has been possible thanks to a joint effort: to give their valuable contributions were also Ideal Gomme and Bridgestone Italia, which have provided the hospitality, Stepa, which offered drinks on Saturday, Ortopedia Michelotti, for the the prosthesis “set up”, Osteopatia Spalvieri, who gave free massages to all Di.Di riders, SBK Mugello, which adapted a motorcycle for Alan Kempster and provided assistance in the race, Squad, which made the T-shirts of the event, and Proracing, which hosted the Bridgestone World Cup in the day DiDi racing at Mugello.
“I must say thanks to the Italian Motorcycle Federation, too”, said Emiliano Malagoli, president of the Di.Di association. “From Simone Folgori, responsible for the speed, to the sports doctor Monica Lazzerotti, from Federica Tiburzi to Stephen Frew, Alan Kempster’s manager, who worked for the paperwork from Australia, to Reevu, which provided the helmets for Alan. All of them helped us to achieve this dream: employees of Diesel, too, who donated a portion of their salary for this event.”
