Italiano
A SUNDAY OF GRIT AND DETERMINATION IN CREMONA!
Sundays at Italian circuits haven’t brought much luck this year; however, Balda managed to get back from a difficult start in Race 2, making up over ten places with a blistering pace. He fought hard to secure seventh place, effectively putting the morning’s crash—caused by contact—behind him.
During the warm-up, Balda approved a set-up change on the front and confirmed it for the race; his 1:28.5 lap time was excellent, despite some difficulties in the final sector.
Warm Up:
P 1 I. Lecuona 1.27.790
P 2 N. Bulega + 0.115
P 3 S. Lowes + 0.419
P 4 A. Lowes + 0.779
P 5 L. Baldassarri + 0.793
The goal for the Superpole Race is clear: defend the second-row starting position and try to make up some grid places. The team choose for the aggressive SCQ compound to ensure better grip at the start of the race. Unfortunately, on the opening lap, a contact with Gerloff at Turn 7 sends both riders down; the exact sequence of events is unclear, but Balda was clearly on the inside and ahead, while the American Kawasaki rider tried to defend his line on the outside. They collided, and any hopes for a result vanished; it is a shame, as the number 34 rider’s pace was clearly faster, but anything can happen on the first lap. He lines up tenth for Race 2, visibly furious upon returning to the pits—plenty of fighting spirit to channel into the final race!
Superpole Race:
P 1 I. Lecuona 14’42.411
P 2 N. Bulega + 2.005
P 3 A. Surra + 5.214
…
DNF L. Baldassarri
At the start of Race 2, Balda finds himself…third from last! Rear grip is poor, and the opening laps feel like riding on ice; then he starts to find his rhythm, and from the third lap onwards, he ignites a spectacular comeback. Moving up from eighteenth, he overtakes half the grid with superior pace, clears Locatelli, and sets off in pursuit of the Bassani-Gerloff duo, who are battling for seventh place. He catches them around mid-race and passes them with clean moves—overtaking the American at Turn 7, the very same corner where the earlier contact occurred. With five laps to go, Balda keeps pushing and tries to catch Dixon; despite a three-second gap, he crosses the finish line just four-tenths of a second behind. Seventh place—a great result, considering the disastrous start to the race.
Race 2:
P 1 I. Lecuona 34’02.443
P 2 N. Bulega + 8.590
P 3 Y. Montella + 12.724
…
P 7 L. Baldassarri + 21.405
Today, a podium pace was once again within reach; in the second half of the race, the yellow Ducati was among the fastest on track—the only bike, alongside the two factory Reds, to keep high-28/low-29 lap times right up to the finish line. Moreover, Lorenzo never gave up; it would have been easy to lose control while bouncing back in the pack with riders to overtake ahead, yet he managed to secure the points needed to defend sixth place in the Championship. A total of 23 points for the weekend—finally, an Italian race that gives us reason to smile!
Lorenzo Baldassarri (Rider):
“All sorts of things happened today; in the Superpole Race, I made contact with Gerloff and we both crashed. It’s a shame because I felt I had much more pace, and by my point of views it didn’t make sense to close hardly the line on lap 1, that was a last lap move. Starting from the middle of the pack in Race 2, I didn’t have a good feeling with the rear tyre; for a moment I thought there was a problem, but then I refocused. I didn’t give up, and I found my rhythm; I overtook everyone and could see I was really fast, though I didn’t want to override. Towards the end of the race, I managed things in a old style way—using the throttle—because grip was really low. On one hand, it’s a pity, because today we could easily have fought for the podium—perhaps even more so than yesterday—but we lost that chance at the start of the race. That’s the area where we need to improve, and we’ll all give 100% to make it happen. Now I’m looking forward to the final two races and bringing home some good results before the winter break. I want to thank all the fans and the guests—both mine and the team’s—who came here to Cremona; you showed me so much affection, and I hope I put on a good show for you!”
Denis Sacchetti (Team Manager):
“All in all, it was a positive weekend for us; it was our home race, and we wanted to perform well in front of the crowd and the guests who came to support us. Balda was a bit unlucky in today’s Superpole Race; slight contact sent him on the ground, and he couldn’t save the bike. We know that starting from the back is a problem, and overtaking here at Cremona is even harder than on other tracks. However, I liked his reaction; making another mistake would have been costly, but instead, he fought hard and achieved the best possible result. We are in a good position in the championship, and I’m keen to finish in the top six. He was also really fast towards the end—half a second a lap quicker than the podium finishers. We’re leaving with a fourth and a seventh place—results that perhaps don’t fully reflect our potential—but we recognize that it’s still a positive outcome on a track that doesn’t particularly suit Balda’s style!”
SATURDAY PICS: CLICK HERE
