On the season map, Binetto represents a major turning point – a round that marks the finish line for some and leaves a cliffhanger for others. Last Sunday, some riders crossed a finish line they’d been chasing for months, while on the very same tarmac, others found themselves exactly halfway through their journey.
Closing the circle
In the first, tightest loop, the Girone Sud (the Southern Group) of the Trofei ScooterMatic race found its champion in Gennaro Scelzo, at the end of a campaign that began many races ago. Simply riding fast on any given Sunday just wasn’t enough: he had to do it consistently, even when the track conditions seemed stacked against him. At Binetto, he went down just a whisker from the finish line yet still took second overall on the day – a friendly reminder of how life works: it’s not those who never make mistakes who win, but those who get back up the fastest. It is the ultimate Malossi way to bring home a title. In the same chapter, Davide Manzo claimed the overall day’s title in Trofei ScooterMatic Regioni Sud (the Southern Regions) race – a loop that tightens and concludes, even as the rest of the season keeps spinning.
The suspended circle
Then there is the circle that neither opens nor closes at Binetto, but remains suspended halfway. The Trofeo Nazionale Scooter Velocità (National Scooter Speed Trophy) race has reached its halfway mark, and nothing is decided yet. Ignacio Roman took the overall day’s win at the end of a sprint finish where four riders crossed the line within a few tenths of a second. Mattia Ciuffolo did exactly the same in the TNSV Replica, securing the day’s victory. Yet a single round’s win is just a stepping stone, not the destination, and the riders leaving Binetto head home with points in the bag but everything still to play for.
Right in the middle of this spinning circle was Torquato Testa’s perfect weekend in the Malossi Racing Academy competition. He left nothing on the table for anyone else, taking a clean sweep: pole position, the race win, and the fastest lap. Watching a talent grow race after race is exactly what the MRA is all about, because you don’t arrive at the Trofei Malossi races as the finished article – you grow up together.
One circle opens, another takes time out
The season is far from over, and Sicily is calling. At Racalmuto, on the Valle dei Templi circuit, the Girone del Trofeo ScooterMatic and the Trofeo ScooterMatic Regioni Sicilia races are still up for grabs. A game that is still wide open, with answers coming in a couple of weeks: the final circle, ready to set itself in motion.
On Saturday morning, during a free practice session, an accident involved Andrea Guzzon, and suddenly the racing lost all its importance. ‘Guzz’ will get back up and roar again like the lion he has always been. We are all here for him, and while we patiently wait to welcome him back, our eyes are turned to the South, where everything will keep moving and spinning at breath-taking speed.
