Italiano
BALDA HOLDS THE TOP 6 AT THE END OF RACE 1 BATTLE!
Whenever there is a battle, contact, and flying bike parts, you can be sure Balda is right in the thick of the fight; the team faced a difficult start to Saturday, but Team Go Eleven steadily improved from qualifying through to Race 1. It was a great performance for the number 34 rider, who crossed the finish line in sixth place after a hard-fought recovery ride.
FP3 was the toughest session for the yellow Go Eleven Ducati; struggling with a lack of grip, Lorenzo couldn’t find the right feeling, especially on new tyres. He managed to dip below the 1.36—improving on yesterday’s times—but still couldn’t quite find the explosive pace he was aiming for. For qualifying, the decision was made to revert to the bike used on Friday—the base setup Balda had found earlier in the season.
Free Practice 3:
P 1 A. Lowes 1.34.740
P 2 N. Bulega + 0.083
P 3 A. Surra + 0.124
…
P 15 L. Baldassarri + 0.981
The Superpole session here at Estoril is a tricky affair; the field is tightly packed, with grid positions likely to be decided by thousandths of a second. Right from the first time-attack run, the Go Eleven rider latched onto Bulega’s slipstream, aiming to use him as a reference point. On his first set of tyres, he secured an impressive sixth place, despite a small error in a corner that cost him around three-tenths of a second. Since the rear qualifying tyre couldn’t handle more than one flying lap, he returned to the pits for a tyre change before heading out for his final attempt. He put in a perfect lap for the first three-quarters—putting him on track for fourth on the grid—but a slight slip-up in the final sector cost him four-tenths. He clocked a 1:34.9, securing a spot on the third row, though he was left regretting the missed opportunity to complete a truly spectacular lap. Between the morning session and qualifying, the team and Balda managed to find a solid compromise to turn the situation around.
Superpole:
P 1 N. Bulega 1.33.884
P 2 I. Lecuona + 0.157
P 3 A. Lowes + 0.546
…
P 9 L. Baldassarri + 1.074
In Race 1, Balda finally gets a good start and holds his position. On the opening lap, he closes the door in every corner, and on the second lap, he overtakes Sam Lowes at Turn 3. He maintains a fast pace, managing to close the gap to Montella; at Turn 1, he dives down the inside from some distance back and completes the move, though the two make contact—causing a real scare—at Turn 3. Balda manages to hold his position and sets off in pursuit of Bassani, a tough competitor in the one-to-one battle. On the ninth lap, the number 34 rider posts a fast final sector and attacks at Turn 1, claiming sixth place. A back-and-forth battle ensues with a margin of around a second, but the Go Eleven rider manages to keep that one-second gap all the way to the finish line. It was an excellent performance—a solid, error-free race—and a great starting point for Sunday at Estoril.
Race 1:
P 1 N. Bulega 33’34.620
P 2 I. Lecuona + 3.870
P 3 A. Surra + 9.668
…
P 6 L. Baldassarri + 17.850
Ten points secured today—a slight gain on fifth place in the standings, a three-way battle that remains wide open among Sam Lowes, Bassani, and Balda himself. The goal for tomorrow is to find a few tenths in the second sector, specifically between turns four and five—an area that has been the weak point all weekend. Best possible result achieved today!
Lorenzo Baldassarri (Rider):
“It was a tough day today; we faced some difficulties in the morning, but then we rolled up our sleeves, worked hard, and managed to secure a great result. I’m happy; I feel we did a good job in both the race and qualifying. It was a shame not to complete my best lap in Superpole, but starting from the first three rows is still good. We picked up some solid points—that was the goal—and for tomorrow, we’ll keep working to find a little something extra to improve.”
Denis Sacchetti (Team Manager):
“We bounced back well starting from qualifying; it had been a tough weekend up to that point, but then both Balda and the team found the right setup to get back into the mix. In qualifying, his true laptime was good enough for fourth or fifth, but what matters most is that we got the best possible result in the race. We won the battle for sixth place; Lorenzo felt confident in turn 1 and pulled off some great overtaking moves. He put his heart into it, and it showed. We’ll get to work this evening, analyze the data, and build on this sixth-place finish tomorrow!”
SATURDAY PICS: CLICK HERE
