Italiano
14 LAPS FEELING THE PODIUM…THEN P 4 – BEST INDEPENDENT!
It was hard to ask for more on Saturday in Jerez; Andrea Iannone fought tooth and nail to reach the third step of the podium, but had to settle for fourth place, just letting position to Alvaro Bautista “in state of grace” for the second half of the race. A great result, Team Pata Go Eleven is finally back fighting for the podium!
In FP3, #29 was one of the few riders not to use qualifying tyres, working on his race pace. He repeated the low 1.39s several times to ensure everything was ready for the weekend’s hot sessions, qualifying and the race.
Free Practice 3:
P 1 N. Bulega 1.37.829
P 2 S. Lowes + 0.209
P 3 T. Razgatlioglu + 0.328
…
P 16 A. Iannone + 1.276
In Superpole, Andrea and the Pata Go Eleven team nailed the perfect strategy: following Bulega for a reference slipstream. Here, the Ducati rider made the difference and could help shave a few hundredths off the final time. He finished in the top three, clocking a high 1.37, already close to the previous track record. On his second attempt, Andrea significantly improved the first sector, then kept his pace, improving another two tenths. Fifth place overall, an excellent qualifying result, which then became fourth on the grid following Sam Lowes’ unfit. It was the perfect position to fight for the podium.
Superpole:
P 1 N. Bulega 1.36.629
P 2 T. Razgatlioglu + 0.524
P 3 S. Lowes + 0.972
P 4 A. Lowes + 1.054
P 5 A. Iannone + 1.119
In Race 1, the #29 rider got off to a good start, immediately moving into second place; he let Bulega go, but managed to defend his position on Toprak for a few laps. The Turk overtook him at the turn 6 and opened up a gap, but Andrea began to control it: for fourteen laps, he held Alex Lowes behind, gaining significantly exiting the final corner and in the first sector, then dropping a few tenths on the fast right turn. Alvaro Bautista charged up from behind, reclaiming the yellow Pata Go Eleven Ducati and attempting an attack at Turn 13. He ran wide, but Andrea rejoined and managed to keep him behind for another lap. The front end dropped a bit, especially on the long right-handers of Jerez. At Turn 2, the Spaniard overtook and went away. Iannone defended fourth place in a close battle with Vierge’s Honda, finishing just off the podium – Best Independent!
P 1 N. Bulega 33’19.744
P 2 T. Razgatlioglu + 3.766
P 3 A. Bautista + 9.569
P 4 A. Iannone + 11.221Great race, excellent Saturday, perhaps the best of the season since Australia, the podium was just a whisker away; Alvaro was in top form, the fastest on track in the second half of the race, congratulations to him, he took away the sweet taste of Champagne. There are two chances tomorrow, the goal remains the same!
Andrea Iannone (Rider):
“It was a great race today. I enjoyed the battle, I gave it everything I had. We made the most of the package we had, but I’d like to aim even higher. It would have been difficult to do better today. I was fighting for the podium the whole race. I managed the first part so as not to run out of tyres at the end because I knew Alvaro would be there. I tried to defend myself, but I didn’t have any left. We’re struggling a bit in the long right-handers because of the front. We’ll try to find some solutions for tomorrow. I want to thank the team and Ducati anyway!”
Denis Sacchetti (Team Manager):
“P4 today. We’ve worked well since Friday and were fast in both qualifying and the race. In Superpole, the strategy was excellent; we always found the right reference point in front of us. In Race 1, Andrea was able to manage when he needed to, then push hard towards the end to take another Best Independent just outside the podium. There’s still a bit of disappointment because we were back in contention for the podium and missed it by two seconds, but Alvaro was unstoppable today, and incredibly fast. Tomorrow we can have two more chances. We’ll do everything we can to improve and finish strong!”
SATURDAY PICTURES: CLICK HERE
