Vladimir Leonov wins rain race in Italy’s Imola

On April 7-8, Vladimir Leonov brought victory to his team, Yakhnich Motorsport, in a race in wet conditions in Imola, Italy at the Italian Road Race Championship.

Throughout the race, Leonov’s pace was 3-4 seconds faster than that of other Supersport riders in the peloton. In the middle of the race, after Vladimir was told by the team’s racing coaches to slow down, Alex Gramini, who was going second, showed a good lap time of 2:16:158 — but it was still 0.5 seconds longer than Vladimir’s…

At this point, Leonov is the unquestioned leader in his class, and this is the first time that a Russian has topped the list at such an important championship. After the Italian round, the Yakhnich Motorsport team headed to the Assen racetrack in the Netherlands, where the next round of the championship is scheduled.

Vladimir Leonov described his experience in Italy: “It was difficult to prepare for the race because the weather was constantly changing. Twenty minutes before the start, it began to rain heavily. I decided that the best tactic for me was to make a good start and gain an advantage over my competitors. And I did just that! Racing was easy, the bike rode very well! I didn’t even break a sweat during the race, just got wet. I’m looking forward to the Assen round!”

Natalia Lyubimova, Yakhnich Motorsport Director, commented: “We regard Vladimir Leonov’s performance at the Italian championship primarily as a test for our Supersport bike, and a quest for new technical solutions, new tuning. It was pouring in Imola on Thursday, but the weather was dry during practice and qualifications, which helped us do our best and prepare the bike for the next round of the world championship in Assen. I would like to thank our entire team, and particularly Vladimir Leonov for his breathtaking victory. Italians even dubbed our rider a “motorboat,” for he is truly unrivaled in rain races!”