Philipp Öttl shines at Ducati's home race: "Being at the front is worth its weight in gold"

Misano is not only a special race because of its proximity to the sea and the charming holiday region off the coast of San Marino, it is also the home race for a large part of the heavily Italian riders' camp. This is also the case for Feel Racing, the Ducati team led by Philipp Öttl.

Behind the Yamaha riders Can Öncü and Albert Arenas as well as Valentin Debise on the Chinese ZX Moto, the Bavarian qualified 0.267 seconds behind in fourth place on the grid - Öttl has never been this far forward since his return to the medium displacement category in 2025.

"Goal number one is to be at the front," smiled Philipp at the meeting with SPEEDWEEK.com. "We've done the most important thing, qualifying, so that takes some of the stress out of the weekend. If you're at the front, that's worth its weight in gold. You have to be at the front, that makes your life easier."

Four manufacturers were slowed down

The balance rule was adjusted before the races on the Adriatic and the maximum throttle opening of Yamaha, Ducati and Triumph was reduced by a few per cent in different speed ranges. ZX Moto is now back where it was at the start of the season. A look at the results list shows that not much has changed as a result: Each of these four manufacturers made it into the top 8 with at least one rider.

Before the races in Misano, Philipp is in fifth place in the World Championship, 16 points behind fourth-placed Can Öncü (Ten Kate Yamaha). After his victory in Assen, it would be a dream come true for the rider from Ainring to triumph at Ducati's home race. Öttl is keeping his cool as usual: "I did ten laps in a row in free practice, which was fine," said the 30-year-old. "Our test here was good and the pace is also there now. I think we can be up front. But when everyone is so close together, it's always difficult to make a prediction for the race. I've always felt good, which is a good prerequisite."