MotoMatters.com | Kropotkin Thinks

Race two has been reduced from nineteen to fifteen laps due to the 37ºC high heat, the riders agreeing with the medical decision that two races in one day at this extreme heat would be difficult as the race this morning was a long ten laps. 

Niki Tuuli was declared unfit after yesterday's red flag causing injury, with a wrist strain and contusion, bumping riders up from eighth down. The race temperature was 36ºC for seventeen laps. 

With Italy suffering from overly hot weather, the early start meant the punishing sun wasn't at its worst, with an air temperature of 32ºC. The afternoon's race would be a proposed fifteen laps, reduced from nineteen, only five laps more than the sprint that would determine the later race's grid. 

World Supersport would be seventeen hot laps with the Italian weather at 35ºC making things interesting. The two Italian wild cards both picked up three second penalties for irresponsible riding. 

The race would be nineteen laps of Imola with no long lap penalty available, the narrowness of the trap replacing the penalty with a three second penalty. The temperature was up to 38ºC. 

As the air temperature soared to 30ºC, riders had fifteen minutes to set times, with a long lap and a risk of flags not giving them as many opportunities as usual.