GOOD FEELING ON THE BIKE, T 1 AND T2 QUITE STRONG, STILL SOME TENTHS TO IMPROVE IN THE SECOND PART OF THE TRACK!

Friday across the Channel kicked off with warm temperatures, over 30 degrees Celsius in the air, 40 degrees Celsius on the track; ideal conditions for all the WorldSBK riders. Andrea Iannone entered with the SC 2 front tyre, but, feeling a lack of front feeling, he switched to the SC 1. After the compound change, he rode on track for the whole session, completing 23 laps, the race distance here at Donington Park. He kept a steady pace in the low 27s, with a best lap of 27.0 and fifth place at the end of a positive session. This also bodes well for the race, as he didn’t experience any significant drop in the tyres.

Free Practice 1:
P 1    A. Lowes    1.26.544
P 2    N. Bulega  + 0.001
P 3    T. Razgatlioglu   + 0.048
P 4    D. Petrucci   + 0.404
P 5    A. Iannone   + 0.477

For FP2, the asphalt heats up further, reaching over 45 degrees and slightly altering grip compared to the morning. The work areas focused on the front, where #29 complains of a few too many lockouts and he found quite hard stopping the bike, especially in the Fogarty Esses (turns 9-10) and the final sector. In the afternoon, the Team did a comparison between the SC0 rear and the SCX. The Vasto rider improves the laptime compared to the morning, but the gap between the two tyres isn’t as wide as at other tracks.

Free Practice 2:
P 1   N. Bulega   1.26.342
P 2   D. Petrucci    + 0.181
P 3   S. Lowes   + 0.249
…
P 12    A. Iannone   + 0.622

This evening, the data collected today will be analyzed and a solution will be tried to ensure better handling for the Ducati Panigale V4-R, focusing on getting a few tenths in the second half of the circuit; the first two sectors today were in line with the top positions. Today the gap between Andrea and the leader is just over half a second, showing that tomorrow’s Superpole will be a close one, cents will make the difference.

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