Italiano
RACE 1 – TOP 6, GOOD POINTS GOT FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP STANDING!
Solid performance for Lorenzo Baldassarri and Team Go Eleven on Saturday at Most; qualifying in the first three rows, the minimum goal for Superpole, in Race 1, recovering from a difficult second start (following the first red flag). A pace in line with the podium, some nice overtaking moves in Turn 1, and a sixth-place finish proved a positive race.
In FP3, it was crucial to complete as many laps as possible and make up for the time lost yesterday in FP2. Balda opted to fit the SC0 and evaluate it over ten laps, the distance of the Superpole Race. He improved significantly in the first sector, struggling slightly in the middle of the track, but his overall pace was good. The final minutes were affected by yellow flags, so much so that it became impossible to improve due to laps cancelled.
Free Practice 3:
P 1 I. Lecuona 1.30.330
P 2 Y. Montella + 0.342
P 3 G. Gerloff + 0.470
…
P 10 L. Baldassarri + 1.002
In qualifying, Balda opted to attempt a first time attack by his own; on the second lap, he broke the barrier of the 31, moving into sixth place, but it was immediately clear that with the second tyre, he needed to significantly improve to confirm the position. On his second run, he found Bulega on track, attempted to match his time, and finished in 1:30.4, a truly excellent laptime that, however, cost him a spot on the second row by a thousandth of a second. He took the checkered flag with an 8th place finish, a good result from which to build on for Race 1 and the Superpole Race. There was some disappointment, as a tenth less would have earned him fourth place.
Superpole:
P 1 N. Bulega 1.29.616
P 2 Y. Montella + 0.280
P 3 I. Lecuona + 0.495
…
P 8 L. Baldassarri + 0.877
At the first start of Race 1, Balda started perfectly, getting a row entirely, and was sixth at the end of the first lap; behind him, Petrucci had a hard crash that brought out the red flag. It was all over again. His second start was decidedly less impressive than the first, especially in the funnel of the first chicane. Tenth at the end of the first lap, he immediately overtook Locatelli, and the following lap it was Manzi’s time, with two spectacular braking maneuvers at Turn 1. He chased the group battling for fourth place, taking the position from Surra; the final ten laps were a tenth-by-tenth chase for Bassani and Gerloff, closing the gap from a second and a half to seven tenths, taking advantage of a fast final sector, but with no chance of attacking. Sixth place overall, an excellent result at the end of Saturday, securing a solid first result in a weekend that began with a few more difficulties compared to Balaton Park.
Race 1:
P 1 N. Bulega 31’55.741
P 2 I. Lecuona + 1.330
P 3 Y. Montella + 11.222
…
P 6 L. Baldassarri + 15.168
Sixth place means ten championship points, closing in on Sam Lowes’ third-place; when the race isn’t a particularly exciting one, scoring points for the championship is still crucial. Fourth place was certainly within reach today, but the number 34 rider managed it well and took home the result. For Sunday, the goal is to improve in the central section of the track, where the bike’s agility matters, gain some grid positions in the morning for Race 2, and then set out to secure a top-five finish in the final race of the weekend!
Lorenzo Baldassarri (Rider):
“It was a great race today. I’m happy with the work done so far. Yesterday we got off to a good start, but unfortunately we lost some time in the afternoon, and this morning I wasn’t as effective as I thought. In the race, however, I found a good pace. It’s a shame about the first red flag because I had a really good start. In the second start, I got a bit stuck in the first corner, losing positions. In the early laps, I lost a couple of seconds, but then I found my rhythm and kept a good pace until the checkered flag. The important thing was to bring home the race today. For tomorrow, we’ll try to make another small step and improve our result. I thank the team, today everything worked well, and I’m little by little getting closer to third place in the standings!”
Denis Sacchetti (Team Manager):
“Today, Balda had a clever race that paid off in terms of the overall standings. Two factors influenced the final result: we could have hoped for a couple of better positions, but on the first lap we had built up too much of a gap and we lacked a bit of consistency in the middle of the race. We learned some very important things, where we can improve both for tomorrow and for the future. Balda is improving, and if we can make a step in some areas, we could be closer from tomorrow on. Sixth place is still an excellent result; we’re fast on all the tracks and we need to keep it up!”
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