Kentuckian Alessandro Di Mario is only 15 years old, and the Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering rider is just 19 points out of the BellissiMoto Twins Cup Championship lead. There is one round and two races left to go in the season for the two-banger class, and Di Mario is realistic about his chances of snatching the title from current points leader Rocco Landers.
It’s been an incredible season for one of MotoAmerica’s youngest and most promising riders. In fact, Di Mario’s results have mirrored frontrunner Landers’ results. Whenever Landers has finished on the podium, so has Di Mario. That’s seven podium finishes out of 10 races, highlighted by his race two victory at Barber Motorsports Park in May. That breakthrough win fueled Di Mario with confidence, and he went on a four-race tear where he finished as runner-up each time, including the last three races in a row that were won by Landers. And that’s why Di Mario will arrive at Circuit of The Americas 19 points behind Landers. It’s one of the closest championship battles in MotoAmerica. And it’s also why we had to check in with the always-smiling Di Mario to find out what’s on his mind:
Q:
By the time COTA rolls around, it will have been nearly three months since the last BellissiMoto Twins Cup round. How have you been been staying sharp during all the downtime since the last Twins Cup round at Brainerd.
Di Mario:
I’ve been doing a lot of track days and physical training lately, and I also race a Twins Cup bike in the N2/WERA Endurance series.
Q:
What’s your plan going into COTA?
Di Mario:
My plan is to win both races, I am 19 points away, which doesn’t make it too easy to win the championship but I can’t control what goes on around me, so all I can do is go as fast as possible and win.
Q:
Has it been difficult to keep your focus this season with so much time between the previous round at Brainerd and this one coming up at COTA, and also without as many rounds as some of the other classes have in the MotoAmerica Championship?
Di Mario:
I definitely would have liked having more rounds this year because it would’ve helped me out a lot, especially since I had a crash at Barber Motorsports Park in race one, but I’m really confident that I can be consistent this last round.
Q:
It’s tough to have a DNF when there aren’t many races in the season, isn’t it?
Di Mario:
It made me really mad when I crashed out of the lead because those points would have been crucial right now. But, I can’t change what happened in the past, so I just have to beat everyone, no doubt.
Q:
Tell us about the endurance racing you’ve been doing. That’s got to be really helpful for your MotoAmerica Twins Cup program, right?
Di Mario:
Endurance racing has definitely helped out a lot because it gives me a lot of seat time and keeps me fresh on the bike. I’ve progressed a lot this year, I’ve gotten a lot of track records on the Aprilia RS 660, and every time I get on the bike, I go faster.
Q:
Good luck at this final round, Alessandro.
Di Mario:
Thank you. I really can’t wait to get to COTA to see how the championship turns out. No matter what, I will, for sure, give it my everything. I appreciate all the opportunities I’ve had this year, and I want to thank everyone involved in helping to make this such a great season for me. To be going into the final round with a chance to win the championship, well, that’s all I could ask for. See you all at COTA!
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