Italiano
P 3, PODIUM AT THE FIRST RACE WITH A THRILLING FINALE!
Balda took the podium in the first race of the season, at Phillip Island!
What Else?
Saturday morning began under cloudy skies, with cooler temperatures slightly challenging the yellow Ducati’s setup. A time attack attempt with the qualifying tyre (a derivative of the zero tyre for Round 01) showed in 1.29.0, but the feeling wasn’t the best. He still completed the lap alone, just a few tenths of a second off the top five.
Free Practice 3:
P 1 N. Bulega 1.28.273
P 2 S. Lowes + 0.302
P 3 A. Bassani + 0.449
…
P 12 L. Baldassarri + 0.767
In Superpole, the strategy was simple: find a good reference slipstream and get the first three rows. No sooner said than done; slipstreaming here on the island could give a couple of tenths, but Balda manages to take just a small advantage of Bulega. Seventh place, just a few thousandths off the second row. It’s a shame about the traffic on the third fast lap, where he could have improved in the fourth sector. Goal fully achieved, and a great qualifying!
Superpole:
P 1 N. Bulega 1.28.244
P 2 Y. Montella + 0.419
P 3 S. Lowes + 0.485
…
P 7 L. Baldassarri + 0.947
In Race 1, Balda started with one goal: full attack mode! No tyre management and full throttle from the first lap, confident he had shown a good pace even on used tyres. In the first three laps, he made spectacular overtakes, taking the lead of the group battling for the podium; Bassani and the Lowes twins have all been overtaken at Turn 1. He set his pace between 29.5 and 29 high, opening up a gap on the group behind. The final five laps were a different story: Bassani fought back, but the Go Eleven rider struggled with his left rear, but he didn’t give up. He defended himself, fought, and finished third by just 36 thousandths. 36 thousandths that made history; it was Balda’s first WorldSBK podium, and a great satisfaction for the whole Go Eleven Team!
Race 2:
P 1 N. Bulega 32’56.857
P 2 Y. Montella + 4.776
P 3 L. Baldassarri + 6.147
A perfect weekend so far, but there’s still one more day to go, and the weather looks rather unstable for the Australian Sunday. Stay focused until tomorrow evening, then it’ll be time to celebrate, because no one can take this podium out of our hands!
Lorenzo Baldassarri (Rider):
“I’m on the podium, my first podium in WorldSBK, in my debut race! It’s unbelievable to think that it’s my first time riding a Ducati here. We have fun with the team, there’s a great atmosphere, and today we were really strong. I pushed from the first lap, I felt good and was trying to recover to second place, but in the last five laps I had no more. I almost crashed several times at the end, my tyres were destroyed, but I gritted my teeth, I wanted the podium at any costs. And so it was. I want to thank everyone who believed in me, who is supporting me even in the difficult times, and the team that is working so hard. I can’t wait to get back on the bike tomorrow, we still have something to say about this spectacular track!”
Denis Sacchetti (Team Manager):
“If you had told me a month ago that we’d be on the podium in Australia, I wouldn’t have believed it. Not because I didn’t believe in Balda, but simply because we didn’t have the chance to test over the winter due to bad weather, and Lorenzo arrived here knowing very little about this bike and these tyres. We had no idea what our potential would really be; however, his working method and his intelligence in working in the garage with the guys and on himself allowed him to quickly understand how to ride this Ducati. The guys in the garage gave him what he needed, and today he made us have fun. It’s a double satisfaction for us, and today we’re enjoying it to the fullest. I lost a few years in the final laps, but I can only congratulate him and keep him fired up for tomorrow!”
SATURDAY PICS: CLICK HERE
