Round 5 of the 2026 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship for the TVS Racing International Championship category concluded today at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, where Italian ace Cristian Borrelli completed a sensational weekend double on home soil.
Right from the start, Portugal’s Pedrinho Matos bolted off the grid to claim the holeshot, pursued closely by Malaysia’s Mohd Ramdan Mohd Rosli, Vietnam’s Luca Agostinelli, India’s Chiranth Vishwanath, and Cristian. The battle lines were drawn almost immediately, with Luca seizing the lead on Lap 2 while Cristian carving his way up to third.
The turning point arrived on Lap 4 during a breathtaking four-way shuffle for the lead. Spain’s Luis Miguel ignited the attack by clocking a rapid 1’50.837s to slip past Luca. Sensing his moment, Cristian spotted an opening and pounced, executing a maneuver to seize top position from Luis. That decisive move shattered the leading pack’s rhythm, triggering a frantic six-bike freight train that swapped positions at turns.
Behind the front runners, Ramdan delivered an extraordinary fightback on Lap 6. Trailing the group in sixth, he unleashed a searing 1’50.228s lap to execute a daring double overtake into third, reigniting his podium hopes with Republic of South Africa’s Oratilwe Phiri tucked right in his slipstream.
The final lap evolved into a sprint with Cristian commanded the lead under fierce pressure from Luis, while Pedrinho launched a blistering last-gasp charge. Pushing his machine to the absolute limit, Pedrinho posted the outright fastest lap of the race at 1’49.796s, brilliantly snatching third from Ramdan at the final complex of corners.
Up front, Cristian held his nerve, powering across the finish line in 13’03.367s to secure a clean sweep of the Misano weekend. Luis took a valiant second place just 0.173s behind at 13’03.540s, while Pedrinho completed the podium in third at 13’03.961s. Ramdan crossed the line in fourth with total time of 13’04.189s, with Oratilwe rounding out the top five at 13’05.053s.
Cristian commented, “I really didn’t expect to take a double victory this weekend. Race 1 was crazy and intense with so much overtaking, whereas in Race 2, my focus was entirely on managing my pace and defending cleanly at the front. I gave it everything out there, and to deliver this double win on home soil for Italy feels unbelievable. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to FIM Italy and TVS Asia for giving me this fantastic opportunity to compete, as well as the chance to test myself against such talented riders from all around the world.”
TOP 5 FASTEST – RACE 2
1. CRISTIAN BORRELLI – ITALY (13’03.367s)
2. LUIS MIGUEL – SPAIN (13’03.540s)
3. PEDRINHO MATOS – PORTUGAL (13’03.961s)
4. MOHD RAMDAN MOHD ROSLI – MALAYSIA (13’04.189s)
5. ORATILWE PHIRI – REPUBLIC OF SOUTH
AFRICA (13’05.053s)