Italiano
SOLID FRIDAY ON THE ROLLERCOASTER, NINTH PLACE, A COUPLE OF TENTHS OUT OF THE TOP 5!
A solid and consistent Friday in Portugal for Team Go Eleven and number 34 Lorenzo Baldassarri; Portimao always proves to be one of the most challenging tracks on the calendar, with blind spots, uphills, high-speed corners, and downhill braking sections like the hard ” turn 5.” Finding the right balance on this “Rollercoaster” isn’t easy, but today the team and rider worked in the right direction, making progress with each exit.
In FP1, “Balda” took some time to get to know the bike and tyres here in the Algarve, while also trying not to overwork his arms; remember, the Superbike riders have been out for about a month, following the opening race. A small geometry change towards the middle of the session, but a clear improvement in terms of time references. The first session concluded just outside the top ten, within one second. The feeling on the bike was good, however, although something was lacking in the first part of the track.
Free Practice 1:
P 1 S. Lowes 1.40.287
P 2 N. Bulega + 0.004
P 3 A. Lowes + 0.155
…
P 12 L. Baldassarri + 0.968
In FP2, the italian rider got a more decisive and confident start, immediately moving into the top ten. It was a tight session with close gaps, so much so that by mid-session the top ten were all within five tenths of a second. The technicians were still testing a slight setup adjustment to the front end and the electronics, especially between turns seven and nine, right where the jump is located, one of the trickiest areas to fine-tune. Back on track, he immediately improved three tenths off the pace, setting a 40.7, his best lap of the day. On his final outing, on new tyres, he repeated his best time, but abnormal vibrations in the front forced the number 34 to abort his final lap.
Free Practice 2:
P 1 S. Lowes 1.39.941
P 2 N. Bulega + 0.247
P 3 Y. Montella + 0.410
…
P 9 L. Baldassarri + 0.817
A positive Friday confirms Team Go Eleven’s performance and opens for a tight and spectacular Saturday, starting with Superpole, where the gap between the first three rows will be decided by a few hundredths of a second. Tomorrow morning, Further progresses in the first and third sectors are needed, but confidence for the race remains high!
Lorenzo Baldassarri (Rider):
“I’m happy with today; we made progress in all the sessions. After a month without riding a Superbike, it took a moment to adjust, but then I felt comfortable and we finished in the top ten, with a good feeling. We have a few details to fix, so there’s still plenty of room for improvement. Since we haven’t done any dry testing here, the more we lap, the more we improve. We need to keep working and stay focused, then we can have fun here in Portimao, too!”
FRIDAY PICS: CLICK HERE
