Italiano
CRAZY WEATHER IN PHILLIP ISLAND’S SUNDAY, DOUBLE TOP TEN – BITTERSWEET TASTE FOR RACE 2!
Rain didn’t have to come this weekend! But after a crazy, almost unpredictable Sunday, with heavy rain, a half-and-half track, Baldassarri and Team Go Eleven emerged quite well, finishing eighth in the Superpole Race and ninth in Race 2, conditioned by an extremely close jump start. A podium finish on their debut, positions defended in mixed conditions, and fast in the wet; it means going back to Italy in fourth place in the World Championship!
The Warm Up was held in dry conditions after the overnight rain, with decidedly cooler conditions and little wind on the track. The feeling was good, and a small set-up adaptation on the rear approved.
Warm Up:
P 1 S. Lowes 1.28.858
P 2 N. Bulega + 0.003
P 3 A. Lowes + 0.249
…
P 7 L. Baldassarri + 0.558
For the Superpole Race, the track was dry, but from the first lap onward, drops of rain came. Balda started well, but a mistake in Turn Six opened the gap with the front group. His pace was good, and he was trying to climb back, but he couldn’t keep a clean and precise pace throughout the laps. Furthermore, riding slicks for the first time on wet asphalt wasn’t easy; however, he managed the situation, and in the final laps he rode 29s again, which gave him the eighth place. Third row for Race 2 confirmed, and the minimum goal achieved!
Superpole Race:
P 1 N. Bulega 14’56.175
P 2 A. Bassani + 2.752
P 3 A. Lowes + 3.563
…
P 8 L. Baldassarri + 8.178
On the grid for Race 2, heavy rain hits Phillip Island. Everyone goes on rain tyres, and once again for the Go Eleven rider, first time racing in the wet, without any laps before. Unfortunately, at the start, number 34 makes a slight move, resulting in an automatic Double Long Lap penalty. The race seems over: five seconds lost, an eternity, but Balda doesn’t give up. He gets back, rides incredibly fast, in line with podium times, and gains 10 seconds on fourth place. He finishes just behind Oliveira, in ninth place! There’s some disappointment over missing out on a top five due to the start, but what matters is the reaction and being fast in all conditions.
Race 2:
P 1 N. Bulega 37’21.038
P 2 A. Bassani + 11.336
P 3 A. Bautista + 17.790
…
P 9 L. Baldassarri + 33.241
Sunday in Australia offered less excitement for Team Go Eleven; with dry conditions, the results would likely have been different. Today, it was easy to score a zero, be slow, or make serious mistakes; yet, with today’s points, Go Eleven and Balda goes back to Italy in fourth place in the World Championship, one point to the third place. It’s only the first round, but a World Championship podium is already in the history books.
Before this round, how many would have said it? Keep it up, Balda, it’s just the beginning of a wonderful journey!
Lorenzo Baldassarri (Rider):
“Today, in some ways, motivated me even more than yesterday. The conditions were unusual, the weather changed frequently, and it rained heavily in Race 2. I had to manage everything directly in the race for the first time, without any practice. I made a few riding mistakes in the morning, but I didn’t know how much I could push with the slicks in the wet, but we did it. In Race 2, I had an incredible pace, catching up with my rivals quite easily. It’s a shame I threw away a result at the start. The positive thing, however, is that I didn’t give up, and we were very fast. Here at Phillip Island, I found a special feeling with this bike, which I hope to bring to Europe as well. I want to thank the team, Ducati, and all the people with me for the results achieved. I can’t wait to get back on the bike!”
Denis Sacchetti (Team Manager):
“The weather changed our plans a bit today, which is a shame, because we found something more for the dry during the warm-up. However, I’m really satisfied with the work done this Sunday, both by the team and our rider. Balda proved to be competitive in all conditions, which wasn’t easy, considering his inexperience with this bike. Now we’ll definitely be more prepared for the various situations that will come in the next races. Of course, I’m disappointed about the penalty, because it was almost nothing and didn’t bring us any advantage, while the time lost in the long laps is eternal. However, today I know that fourth or fifth place would have been worth it, and, combined with yesterday’s podium, I’d say that for a debut, it was difficult to expect more, and we should be more than happy about it. The guys in the garage are working well and harmoniously, let’s keep it up!”
SATURDAY PICS: CLICK HERE
