Italiano
DOUBLE FOURTH PLACE – BEST INDEPENDENT IN RACE 2!
A nearly perfect Sunday for Pata Go Eleven Team and Andrea Iannone at Motorland Aragon; while the goal is certainly high, achieving better today would have been difficult, almost impossible, especially in the main race. A double P4, just off the podium, Best Independent at the end of Race 2, but above all, two great performances, with plenty of duels, overtaking, and constant improvement in the personal lap time.
During the warm-up, in cold conditions, a solution had been tested to help the Ducati V4-R turning. The results were positive, so much so that the configuration was kept for the races.
Warm Up:
P 1 S. Lowes 1.48.648
P 2 A. Bautista + 0.183
P 3 T. Razgatlioglu + 0.209
…
P 10 A. Iannone + 0.854
The Superpole Race was the most intense and spectacular of the whole weekend, perhaps one of the best of the whole season. Toprak and Bulega battled consistently at the front for ten laps, with many riders managing to stay within a couple of seconds behind the duo. Andrea started aggressively, immediately managing to pass Petrucci and the Yamahas of Locatelli and Rea on the first lap, slipping into the slipstream of the Lowes twins. While Alex was caught on lap three, Sam had a strong pace and pulled away, together with number 29 behind him. The podium remained within reach, but the two independent Ducatis chasing Bautista never had a chance to attack; a few things were missing, and above all, the Spaniard showed great speed on the straight. On the final lap, Sam Lowes held off the opposition until the final sector, and Andrea dived into the final corner and complete a brilliant overtake! Fourth across the finish line, fourth on the grid for race 2, a second and a half from the win, and fastest lap of the race on the final lap: 1:48.533.
Superpole Race:
P 1 N. Bulega 18.09.560
P 2 T. Razgatlioglu + 0.105
P 3 A. Bautista + 0.703
P 4 A. Iannone + 1.593
In Race 2, the weather changed slightly, with clouds coming over Motorland, lowering the track temperature. With a soft front tyre, Andrea got off to a perfect start, fgot close to Alvaro, and overtook him entering Turn 5, one of the “Maniac’s” favourite spots. The Spaniard had a bit more speed, and keeping him behin in the early laps was crucial. On the third lap, he regained the position, pushing Andrea slightly wide, allowing Rea to also got him. Thus began a long chase of the Northern Irishman, while the top three showed a pace that was difficult to replicate. In the final three laps, Andrea maintained his pace in the 49.5s, attacking Johnny on the final corner. He took a small gap and finished fourth, Best Independent!
P 1 N. Bulega 32’42.828
P 2 T. Razgatlioglu + 3.248
P 3 A. Bautista + 4.973
P 4 A. Iannone + 12.904
A more than positive weekend, a day that boosts morale and confidence ahead of the final races, with the goal of making up some more positions in the riders’ Championship. After so many difficult rounds, finally a strong performance from the whole team! Now the action shifts to the Estoril-Jerez double-header in two weeks; two tracks where #29 showed great potential last year!
Andrea Iannone (Rider):
Denis Sacchetti (Team Manager):
“Finally, a day where everything went right! All of us needed it, Andrea and our sponsors, too. The goal is to aim higher and get closer to the podium, but objectively it was difficult to do anything more here. In the Superpole Race we came within a second and a half of the victory, in race 2 Andrea tried to hold off Alvaro at the start of the race, but then he had more pace than us. Finishing both races with a comeback and two spectacular overtakes on the final corner is always a unique feeling. We want and care to finish the season strong and bring home more great results between Estoril and Jerez!”
SUNDAY PICTURES: CLICK HERE
