Continuing where he left off only two weeks previous, Darren Fry took maximum points from Round 3 of the Ducati 848 Challenge at a sun-baked Misano circuit in Italy. In very contrasting weather conditions to Assen, the Italian track played host to the second of two 'away' rounds for the 848 Challenge which coincided with World Ducati Week, a festival of all things Ducati attended by over 60,000 dedicated fans from across the globe.

Fry and Buildbase/JHP Racing team-mate Leon Morris were split by less than a second after Saturday's qualifying on a track that none of the 848 riders had visited before. Following on from his strong showing at Assen, Mark Cheetham qualified third on the Shorrock Motorcycles bike, with Ben Garner and Barry Poll fourth and fifth. Behind them on the grid was Stuart Poyser who put in an assured performace having taken late delivery of his 848 the previous day after it was delayed on the 1000-mile journey to Misano. Peter Hasler on the AOR/Boast Plumbing bike qualified seventh, two seconds ahead of guest rider Tony Hoare of Bike magazine who had only thirty minutes of previous experience of the Ducati UK-sponsored bike, having ridden it in free practice the day before. Completing the 848 Challenge grid was Alan Walker and Sean Hourigan, back from an ankle injury that forced him to miss the Assen round.

In early Sunday afternoon temperatures reaching almost 30 degrees, and in front of a huge, enthusiastic crowd of Ducati fanatics, the 848 Challenge riders took to the mixed Ducati Italy Superstock grid on race day in need of shade during a brief pause for cameras and last-minute preperation. When the grid cleared and the race finally got underway, it was Fry who got the better start over Morris and managed to put an Italian bike between them on his way into the first corner; a gap which he would build on for the remainder of the race.

As Fry pressed home his advantage and Cheetham held onto third place behind Morris, the real battles were taking place further down the grid. Garner on the Ducati Manchester/Green Thumb bike held off Poll while battling through the mid-pack Italian bikes, and just behind them Hasler made up over two seconds on lap 4 to overtake Poyser, only for the two to swap places on the very next lap. Hourigan, in only his second ever race, kept the pressure on Walker at the back of the pack, although the pair were some distance behind Hoare who was embroilled in his own battle with two other Italian bikes. On the penultimate lap Hasler once again got the better of Poyser with both bikes starting the last lap with less than a 10th second between them.

Fry had by this time opened up a 14 second gap over Morris who had to continually battle the larger capacity Italian machines to keep pace with his team mate, and so it was Fry who again finished in first place, with Morris in second and Cheetham third. Garner crossed the line fourth, Poll fifth, and having had the better last lap it was Hasler who came home sixth ahead of Poyser. Hoare posted an 8th place in his guest appearance in the 848 Challenge series to cap off successful weekend, and Walker and Hourigan completed the race to ensure all 848 Challenge bikes came home safely.

Immediately after the exhausting race Fry revealed part of his race strategy "Because it was so, so hot, we had a plan that I would ride to an agreed gap. With three laps to go I focussed on simply keeping that gap between me and Leon".

On finishing third, an elated Cheetham commented "Misano is just awesome. Some of the corners are just like the TT. You just keep it pinned in sixth through that right-hand kink out the back...it's unbelievable!"

After three rounds Fry now leads the Ducati 848 Challenge with 125 points, Cheetham on 88 points, and Morris on 76 points. The series now heads for Snetterton on 10 & 11 July where the temperature is certain to be cooler but the racing no less exciting.