Italiano
AMAZING SUPERPOLE RACE, SIGNIFICANT DROP IN THE SECOND HALF OF RACE 2!
A mixed Sunday at Magny-Cours; a very positive morning, finding an astonishing sixth place in the Superpole Race, battling and defending the position amidst overtaking and clashes. In Race 2, from midway onward, the Pata Go Eleven team suffered a significant drop, loosing several positions, then finishing outside the points zone, due to a penalty for cutting a chicane.
In the Warm Up, the technicians, along with the rider from Vasto, found a good base for the race; unfortunately, the two fastest times were deleted for touching the green, but the real best lap done would have allowed to finish in the top nine on used tyres.
Warm Up:
P 1 T. Razgatlioglu 1.35.671
P 2 S. Lowes + 0.039
P 3 N. Bulega + 0.373
…
P 20 A. Iannone + 1.942 (best lap deleted due to track limits)
In the Superpole Race, Andrea fought like a lion through every lap, among contacts, overtakes, hard brakings at turn 5, and swapping positions. First, he went one-to-one with Bassani, passing him on the entry to turn 11, then with Alvaro and Rea, until the Northern Irishman touched the rear of the Ducati Pata Go Eleven, losing his balance due to the Spaniard’s crash. Andrea finally regained the position on the Bimota rider and set off in pursuit of Petrucci and Van Der Mark; he gained about a second in two laps, but the race was over. Sixth place, an excellent grid position for race 2, a more than convincing performance with a podium finish pace
Superpole Race:
P 1 T. Razgatlioglu 15’59.137
P 2 N. Bulega + 3.712
P 3 A. Lowes + 7.674
…
P 6 A. Iannone + 10.287
Race 2 started with good prospects; an excellent start, then, heading into Turn 5, throughout the weekend, #29 complained of poor traction exiting Turn 3, so much so that he was joined by Van der Mark, who took him slightly wide before heading towards the inside apex; he lost four positions, five with the next overtake by Bautista. Andrea tried to keep up the pace, but towards the midward of the race, he went wide at Turn 5, losing several positions; there, the front tyre began to heat up significantly, losing grip, and some vibrations began to appear. All the data still needs to be verified, but from that point on, the pace picked up, and #29 was forced to finish outside the points zone, due to a long lap for cutting a chicane. Furthermore, from midrace on, the pain in his right leg increased, mainly when changing direction.
P 1 T. Razgatlioglu 33’52.845
P 2 N. Bulega + 8.087
P 3 A. Lowes + 12.123
…
P 16 A. Iannone + 34.476
A mixed weekend in France, highlighted by two excellent performances in the Superpole and Superpole Race. Unfortunately, we missed the final ten laps, perhaps also due to yesterday’s crash, which prevented us from getting useful datas. After these two up-and-down days, WorldSBK moves to Aragon, a special venue where Andrea returned to victory last year. Getting back into top form is crucial to try and find a positive, points-rich round!
Andrea Iannone (Rider):
Denis Sacchetti (Team Manager):
“Today once again proves that we’re fast, but we’re not getting the points we deserve. In the Superpole Race, Andrea completed a great race, finishing sixth, fending off every attack. In Race 2, however, from lap 9 – 10, we rose the pace significantly, as if something wasn’t working. The engineers are still analyzing it, and perhaps next week we’ll have a clearer idea. It’s disappointing to bring home so few points, but at least we know we can fight at the front, and we’re taking the positive side. I hope Andrea can fully recover physically for Aragon, where we’ve historically performed very well!”
SUNDAY PICTURES: CLICK HERE
