Misano World Circuit

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Lore & Background

The circuit was designed in 1969; it was built from 1970 and 1972, and inaugurated that year. Its initial length was 3.488 km (2.167 mi) and only had a small, open pit area. This version of the circuit hosted three editions of the San Marino motorcycle Grand Prix, from the 1985 season to the 1987 season. In 1993 it was modified for the first time: the track length was increased to 4.060 km (2.523 mi), with the possibility to race both the long and the old short loop; moreover, new facilities and new pit garages were built. It was at Misano during the 1993 Italian Grand Prix that the defending 500 cc World Champion Wayne Rainey's career ended after he fell and suffered a broken spine. Between 1996 and 2001 all facilities were improved further, adding more pits and stands. In 2005, a new access point to the circuit was built, Via Daijiro Kato, in honor of the late Japanese rider, killed during the 2003 Japanese Grand Prix, whose in-season race home was in the Portoverde frazione of Misano Adriatico. In order to host again the World motorcycle championship, the circuit was extensively modified in 2006. The circuit direction was changed to clockwise direction, the track length was brought to 4.180 km (2.597 mi), track width has been widened to 14 m (15 yd), facilities were improved, and all security measures have been applied. The first MotoGP race held on the circuit after the modifications was the 2007 San Marino and Rimini Riviera motorcycle Grand Prix, which was won by "home" marque Ducati. During the 2010 Moto2 event, Japanese rider Shoya Tomizawa was killed after losing control of his bike and being subsequently struck by both Scott Redding and Alex de Angelis. Coincidentally this incident occurred 17 years to the day of Wayne Rainey's career ending incident also at Misano. On 3 November 2011, the circuit owners announced that it would be named after Marco Simoncelli, an Italian motorcyclist who died during the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix in Sepang a week prior. Simoncelli was born in nearby Cattolica and had lived from childhood in Coriano. On 8 June 2012 the track's new name was confirmed at the San Marino round of the Superbike World Championship.

In Their Own Story

The sun hangs low over the Adriatic Sea, casting long shadows across the tarmac as the grid forms up for the start lights. The air is thick with the smell of burning rubber and the deafening roar of four-stroke engines echoing off the grandstands packed in red. A veteran rider slows his bike at the end of the pit lane, the silence before the storm palpable. As the lights go out, the pack surges forward, a blur of color and speed that carries the hopes of an entire nation.

Reader's Guide

Misano is unique for its blend of high-speed straights and tight, technical chicanes that test rider bravery and bike handling equally. The layout features long runs down the main straight, allowing for top-speed battles, before punishing riders at the tight hairpin known as the 'Tosa'. This corner requires immense braking stability and is often where overtaking attempts are made or crashes occur. The track surface can be treacherous in the heat of August, demanding perfect tire management. Culturally, Misano is the most Italian of all MotoGP venues. The atmosphere during the San Marino GP is electric, with fans filling every available space, creating a wall of noise that supports their local heroes. It is less about corporate hospitality and more about pure, unadulterated racing passion.

Did You Know?

• The circuit was originally called Circuito Internazionale Santa Monica Misano before 2006.
• The track length was increased from 3.488 km to 4.064 km in 1993.
• Wayne Rainey's career ended at Misano during the 1993 Italian Grand Prix after he fell and suffered a broken spine.
• Shoya Tomizawa was killed at Misano during the 2010 Moto2 event, 17 years to the day of Rainey's accident.
• The circuit was renamed after Marco Simoncelli on 8 June 2012 at the San Marino round of the Superbike World Championship.