Italiano
TOP 6 WITH AN EARLY THRILL!
Saturday at Magny-Cours ended on a positive note: a sixth-place finish in a hard-fought race—interrupted by a red flag—where Balda battled right to the end within the group contending for fourth place. There was a moment of suspense, however, when a minor crash during the warm-up lap left everyone holding their breath; fortunately, Balda managed to restart and race despite missing a footrest and riding a slightly damaged bike!
In FP3, the team opted to test the qualifying tyre over race distance—a logical choice ahead of tomorrow’s Superpole Race. It was a solid, no mistakes session, though perhaps lacking a bit of explosiveness in the opening laps.
Free Practice 3:
P 1 N. Bulega 1.34.987
P 2 G. Gerloff + 0.334
P 3 I. Lecuona + 0.438
…
P 8 L. Baldassarri + 0.675
In Superpole, the number 34 rider chose to go it alone for the first time this season, without looking for the slipstream of other riders—a sign of maturity and the confidence that he was fast enough to set a competitive time by himself. He delivered an excellent first stint in the low 1.35 range, placing him in the top five. During his second time attack—on a promising lap where he was two-tenths of a second under his personal best—he lost the front end at Turn 8 and ended up in the gravel. Fortunately, there were no injuries, though he did drop a row to finish eighth. He achieved his goal of a top-three-row start, but a top-five finish had been within reach.
Superpole:
P 1 N. Bulega 1.34.318
P 2 S. Lowes + 0.168
P 3 I. Lecuona + 0.278
…
P 8 L. Baldassarri + 0.963
Race 1 was full of twists and turns; number 34 had a decent start—though he lost a couple of positions—and then Balda showed great aggression by overtaking several riders at both Turn 4 and the Turn 6 chicane, putting on a spectacular show for the fans. He was hunting down fifth place when the race was red-flagged. At the restart, Balda lost the front at Turn 13 during the warm-up lap, but with great composure and presence of mind, he managed to restart. With a half, not fixed footrest, a cut brake line, and missing parts on his Ducati V4R, he lined up, started, and fought like a lion to secure sixth place. It was a shame the race was shortened, as the second half could have been very promising. Ten points secured and a great performance—right in the mix at the front!
Race 1:
P 1 N. Bulega 16’26.38
P 2 I. Lecuona + 3.118
P 3 S. Lowes + 6.293
…
P 6 L. Baldassarri + 10.050
The goal for Sunday is to secure a top-five finish; improvements are needed in the first section of the track, while maintaining the strength shown in braking and through the chicanes. Data will be analyzed tonight, and tomorrow the team returns to the track for the final race day at Magny-Cours!
Lorenzo Baldassarri (Rider):
“It was a positive day overall, though it’s a shame about the crash during my final qualifying run, which cost us the chance to start in the top five. I really enjoyed the race, though; we essentially had two Sprint races today due to a red flag. On the restart, I crash at low speed before the green light, but fortunately, I managed to get going again and take my spot on the grid. All in all, I think we did a great job: I was missing my right footrest, yet my lap times were still good, and I was fighting just outside the top five. The bike was excellent; I was able to ride well and bring home a solid sixth-place finish. We can improve for tomorrow—I hope for a smoother day—but I know we’re competitive here!”
Denis Sacchetti (Team Manager):
“We achieved a great result today, despite a few heart-stopping moments in qualifying and right before the start! Balda was fast from the very beginning at Magny-Cours, though, and this sixth-place finish is definitely worth more than the one at Donington Park, because we’re close to fourth place. We’re missing something in the first sector; we’ll work on shaving off a few tenths there. I liked his reaction to the crash today—plus, he really gritted his teeth to race with a damaged bike!”
SATURDAY PICS: CLICK HERE
