P 6 IN SUPERPOLE, SIXTH PLACE IN RACE 1 AFTER FINAL SPRINT FOR TOP 5!

An excellent result for Team Go Eleven at the end of Saturday at Aragon; sixth place in Race 1, Balda was able to defend himself and fight hard, earning good points for the overall standings. It was probably not the best race for the yellow Ducati, but finishing a slightly struggling day just outside the top 5 proves the excellent work Lorenzo and the whole team are doing.

In FP3, Balda found the feeling back he had yesterday morning, consistently riding alone and immediately managing to lower his times; the track was faster, with a best lap of 48.4, but what counts most is consistency. He completed 11 laps with the SCX, exceeding the full race distance of the Superpole Race, maintaining an excellent tyre drop range.

Free Practice 3:
P 1   A. Bassani   1.48.169
P 2   N. Bulega   + 0.049
P 3   A. Surra    + 0.082
…
P 7    L. Baldassarri   + 0.237

In qualifying, Balda chose to go completely alone, without needing a reference rider in front. Despite the much higher temperatures, he managed to match his morning time and then lower it by a few tenths. At the pit stop for tyres, he was fifth; he rejoined the track, slipstreaming Bulega and Surra. The speed was there, however, and he broke the barrier of 48, getting sixth place on the grid. For the first time, Balda felt confident and at ease going alone, knowing he had the speed to stay ahead; it was a shame Bulega overtook him on the final turn, otherwise he could have improved a few tenths.

Superpole:
P 1   N. Bulega   1.46.836
P 2   I. Lecuona    + 0.476
P 3   A. Surra     + 0.513
…
P 6    L. Baldassarri   + 0.933

In Race 1, Balda got off to a good start, defended himself through Turn 1, and completed the first lap in sixth place. He struggled in the early laps, made a few mistakes, and wasn’t as clean and precise as he’d like, but he didn’t leave room for the riders behind him to attack. As the laps passed, grip decreased, and the number 34 gradually improved, improving his times too. In the final seven laps, tenth after tenth, he managed to close in on Bridewell ahead of him, but the Englishman was particularly effective exiting the corners and keeping traction. Balda tried, staying close, and on the final lap he attempted to cross through the final corner but missed the lead by a thousandth of a second. Sixth place, a good performance, plenty of points, and confirmation that the Ducati Go Eleven is always there at the front, race after race!

Race 1:
P 1   N. Bulega   32’46.379
P 2   I. Lecuona   + 1.274
P 3   S. Lowes   + 8.078
…
P 6   L. Baldassarri   + 18.684

Today Lorenzo was particularly good at managing the situation, not getting carried away in the early laps, when he didn’t have the right feeling on the bike. The second half of the race was good, but tomorrow the team needs to make a small step forward, especially when exiting slow corners. Keep head down and keep working!

Lorenzo Baldassarri (Rider): 
“Overall, I’m satisfied with today. In qualifying, I managed to find good speed on my own, with no references in front of me, qualifying sixth, on the second row, which is a good result. In the race, I thought I’d do a little better, but I struggled at the start of the race. It took me a while to get into the rhythm, and then towards the end, I was having trouble in overtaking. I was losing too much on corner exits, and I wasn’t able to take fifth place, which was just a few thousandths away. I would have liked to put on a bit of a show and try to overtake, but I had to settle for today. On the other hand, I’m happy with how I handled it. We brought home ten points, which are important for our position, but I want to improve for tomorrow. Now, let’s work things out with the team and see if we can compete stronger tomorrow!”

Denis Sacchetti (Team Manager): 
“Today we were pretty consistent throughout the day. We’ve been riding around sixth place since this morning, and we finished sixth in the race. Balda has made a step forward since yesterday. This morning’s Superpole was very encouraging, as he preferred to go alone, here at Aragon, where a slipstream counts for a lot, and he managed to set a great time. For the race, we perhaps suffered a bit from the higher temperatures, and especially in the early laps, we weren’t able to be strong. The second half of the race was much better. I was a bit disappointed to see how fast the Ducati in front of us was coming out of the corners, because it was difficult for Balda to find a point of attack. Well done, though, for not getting nervous and bringing home a sixth place, which is important for the championship. We need to find something between traction and speed for tomorrow; we’ll work on that!”

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