Italiano
FIFTH PLACE IN SP RACE AND SO MUCH BAD LUCK IN MISANO’S SUNDAY!
In motorsport, when a negative streak begins, it seems never-ending; and Sunday at Misano confirmed it. Balda is incredibly fast, his race pace over the distance is podium-worthy, but today contact knocked us out of the top spots, culminating in a rather unfortunate episode.
In the warm-up, rider #34 manages the ten minutes available to regain confidence after Saturday’s day; the feeling isn’t the best, especially at the front, but it’s just enough time to shake off the bad memories of the crash.
Warm Up:
P 1 N. Bulega 1.32.098
P 2 I. Lecuona + 0.747
P 3 A. Bassani + 0.784
…
P 11 L. Baldassarri + 1.435
In the Superpole Race, Balda didn’t get a great start and got a bit stucked into the pack. He overtakes some opponents on the first lap, then engages in a fierce battle with Locatelli: they swap positions several times, then on lap seven he gets on the inside at Turn 4. He makes a great overtake, sets the pace, and closes in on Surra and Oliveira, who were battling for the top five. With a series of personal best laps, he gains two seconds in three laps, then on the final lap the Portuguese rider makes a mistake, giving Balda the position. Sixth at the finish line, he finds out in the pits that Surra has been given a penalty, which gives him fifth place. He keeps his starting position for Race Two, and makes a great comeback!
Superpole Race:
P 1 N. Bulega 15’27.153
P 2 I. Lecuona + 1.133
P 3 Y. Montella + 7.422
P 4 A. Bassani + 11.940
P 5 L. Baldassarri + 13.754
In Race 2, Lorenzo lost a few positions at the start, then two heavy contacts, one with Oliveira and a very risky one with Bautista, dropped him to the back of the grid. Head down, he came back showing a stunning pace; in the battle with Vierge, they touched, and his right boot got stuck on the Spaniard’s Yamaha, opening completely, so much so that Balda had to stop at the side of the track to put it back on. The group sped away, and he rejoined the track and rode fast; consistently the second-fastest on the track, similar to Iker Lecuona, he lost two and a half seconds to Bulega in 17 laps, essentially nothing. He finished fifteenth, still earning a point, but the disappointment was immense, perhaps more so today than on other occasions.
Race 2:
P 1 N. Bulega 32’49.765
P 2 I. Lecuona + 5.101
P 3 Y. Montella + 14.016
…
P 15 L. Baldassarri + 34.074
Now the only important thing is to reset the last two weekends in terms of results, starting from the feeling and confidence shown on Sunday both here at Misano and Aragon. This is also what racing is all about; you must never give up!
The Go Eleven team extends a special thanks to everyone present at the circuit, the guests, sponsors, and partners who made the home race experience truly special; thanks to the 76,000 people in attendance!
Lorenzo Baldassarri (Rider):
“We leave Misano with a bitter taste in our mouths. Our pace was in line with the podium, and in Race Two I felt really good. I saw my pace once I restarted and was clearly faster than the third-place rider. I was very efficient on used tyres, and today confirmed that. Unfortunately, I had a few contacts in the early laps, and coming out of the Quercia I touched again another rider, opening my boot. I almost lost it and was forced to stop to put it back on. I restarted, but by then everyone was far away. I’m taking home the feeling on the bike and the pace I had on the track, and I want to restart from that!”
Denis Sacchetti (Team Manager):
“We really wanted to do well here at home. The fans welcomed us with great warmth and enthusiasm. So many came to say hello, and that filled us with joy. The race didn’t go as we’d hoped; the disappointment is even greater given the speed Balda showed. He was riding very fast, and his times easily could have given him the podium. Unfortunately, it was a bad day, aside from the Superpole Race, where we’re holding onto fifth place. Now we have two weeks off and then we fly to the UK to get back the results that slipped away from us here at Misano!”
SATURDAY PICS: CLICK HERE
