We arrive in India after the nice podium in Misano and with my hand starting to hurt less. Just before leaving, however, the news of the sudden death of a close friend of mine, a driver with whom I have raced many times and to whom I am particularly close, shocks me. In the days leading up to the race I try not to think about it but it is difficult. The only thing I can do is to dump everything on the track. A new track for everyone, beautiful, which is not easy to become familiar with. In free practice I make a few mistakes but I need it to see where I am at the limit.

The feeling on the bike is very good, I enter Q2 directly and on the good lap I take off the POLE time. For the SPRINT I am charged up, getting a good start, although Pecco and Martin pass me at the start. We get to 1 and I feel a big bump in the back. I don’t know how I manage not to fall, I go long, all the other bikes pass me and I restart from behind. After half of the first lap I see that I can catch the ones in front of me so I start to catch up. I pass one, then another, as soon as I see a motorcycle in front I point and pass it. I see on the chart that my times are really good. I recover to fifth position, a few more laps I would have aimed for the podium.

Great race but I am left with a bitter taste in my mouth and I want to take it away in Sunday’s race. I start well even though I know that at the start Pecco and Jorge have something more. Clean turn at the first corner, thankfully without a hitch. A few turns to get the rhythm and I take the lead. And I start doing my race. I feel at one with the bike, I ride hard and start to get a good gap. In the back they struggle to follow me, I take advantage of that. One lap to go, the margin is so much, I start to feel the sweet taste of victory. A flavor that explodes inside me after the checkered flag. At the parc fermé I jump on my team, which is no longer holding. A really beautiful and special victory. A victory all your own, Philip.