<\/p>\n
Saturday at Magny-Cours ended on a positive note: a sixth-place finish in a hard-fought race\u2014interrupted by a red flag\u2014where 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\u00a0and riding a slightly damaged bike!<\/p>\n
In FP3, the team opted to test the qualifying tyre over race distance\u2014a 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.<\/p>\n
Free Practice 3: In Superpole, the number 34 rider chose to go it alone for the first time this season, without looking for\u00a0the slipstream of other riders\u2014a 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\u2014on a promising lap where he was two-tenths of a second under his personal best\u2014he 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.<\/p>\n Superpole: Race 1 was full of twists and turns; number 34\u00a0had a decent start\u2014though he lost a couple of positions\u2014and 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\u00a0at 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\u2014right in the mix at the front!<\/p>\n Race 1: 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!<\/p>\n Lorenzo Baldassarri (Rider):\u00a0<\/strong>
\nP 1\u00a0 \u00a0N. Bulega\u00a0 \u00a01.34.987
\nP 2\u00a0 \u00a0G. Gerloff\u00a0 \u00a0+ 0.334
\nP 3\u00a0 \u00a0I. Lecuona\u00a0 \u00a0 + 0.438
\n…
\nP 8\u00a0 \u00a0 L. Baldassarri\u00a0 \u00a0+ 0.675<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nP 1\u00a0 \u00a0N. Bulega\u00a0 \u00a01.34.318
\nP 2\u00a0 \u00a0S. Lowes\u00a0 \u00a0+ 0.168
\nP 3\u00a0 \u00a0I. Lecuona\u00a0 \u00a0 + 0.278
\n…
\nP 8\u00a0 \u00a0 L. Baldassarri\u00a0 \u00a0+ 0.963<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nP 1\u00a0 \u00a0N. Bulega\u00a0\u00a0 16’26.38
\nP 2\u00a0 \u00a0I. Lecuona\u00a0 \u00a0+ 3.118
\nP 3\u00a0 \u00a0S. Lowes\u00a0 \u00a0 + 6.293
\n…
\nP 6\u00a0 \u00a0L. Baldassarri\u00a0 \u00a0+ 10.050<\/strong><\/p>\n
\n“It was a positive day overall, though it\u2019s 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\u00a0at 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\u00a0the 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\u2014I hope for a smoother day\u2014but I know we\u2019re competitive here!”<\/p>\n