Italiano
FIFTH PLACE IN SUPERPOLE RACE, THEN A BITTER END CLOSE TO THE TOP TEN!
A bittersweet Sunday at the end of a solid weekend in terms of points, but in which Andrea Iannone never got a good feeling with his Panigale V4-R. Fifth place in the Superpole Race, an improvement compared to Race 1, then in the final manche a gamble on the rear tire didn’t pay off, worsening the consistency of performance.
In the Warm Up the rider from Vasto opted to clear up a doubt regarding the front. Here Pirelli had brought a new compound, with which it had not yet been possible to carry out a real comparison. Ten minutes to test it and decide whether to discard it or try it in the race. No particular benefit at the end of the Warm Up, therefore it is better to continue with the “safe” SC1.
Warm Up:
P 1 T. Razgatlioglu 1’33.049
P 2 N. Bulega + 0.195
P 3 A. Lowes + 0.675
…
P 14 A. Iannone + 1.513
In the Superpole Race Iannone showed, as has happened since the beginning of the season, that he has a good feeling with the qualifying tyres, the SCQ. Immediately at the start he managed to overtake a couple of opponents, exchanging positions with Locatelli. In Alvaro Bautista’s fall he lost a couple of seconds, when the bike slid back towards the line, and was then too late to come back. He defends fifth position, improving his start for Race 2 by one row.
P 1 T. Razgatlioglu 15’36.088
P 2 N. Bulega + 1.651
P 3 A. Lowes + 4.779
…
P 5 A. Iannone + 10.913In Race 2 the Team and Andrea Iannone took a bet; the new 339 rear tyre. Unfortunately this weekend the rider’s feeling has never been the best, so in the last chance to try something different, we opted to take a risk, aware that it could have gone in either direction, better or worse. After a super start that thrilled the entire audience in the stands, the problem with braking and not being able to close the corner worsened further, leading Andrea to drop back to twelfth position. The central part of the race was really difficult to manage, only to then recover at the end, even riding at a pace in line for the podium, overtaking Sam Lowes and crossing the finish line in Rea’s slipstream. The bet didn’t pay off, but it’s right to take a risk with the goal of aiming for something much more ambitious! 4 points got, in a race where the risk of crash was very high.
Race 2:
P 1 T. Razgatlioglu 33’06.338
P 2 N. Bulega + 2.980
P 3 A. Bautista + 6.920
…
P 11 A. Iannone + 27.292
It’s a pity that the worst weekend of the season took place in the home race, but after the tests carried out here the Team and the rider were aware that it would be a complicated three days. The amount of 19 points is the positive aspect of this round, where however no important mistakes were made. Every now and then it’s important to know how to defend yourself, especially in a Championship with so many points to get. WorldSBK moves north to the UK to Donington Park in mid-July!
Andrea Iannone (Rider):
“I was aware that it wouldn’t be an easy Round after the feeling in the Misano tests, with the high temperatures we suffered a lot. In Race 2 we tried the new tyre, but the feeling wasn’t good and it didn’t turn out to be the right choice. It was perhaps the most difficult weekend for me, but I’m still satisfied with having taken some points. We still are the first independent team, there is room for growth and we have to work as a team to always try to do better!”
Denis Sacchetti (Team Manager):
“After yesterday’s race, to try to close the gap from the fight for the podium, we needed to make some important changes which certainly involved risks. This morning in the SP Race we were not as constant as we would have liked in terms of pace, but we brought home a fifth place and the second row for Race 2, so in any case we improved the position. For Race 2, the choice of the medium tyre, the new one from Pirelli, was certainly wrong, and it influenced the result. It was a bet, it could have been good or bad… that’s how it went! Andrea still collected data for the next stages, he scored points, but we all have a higher goal. I have to say that it was a great round in terms of atmosphere, with many friends and supporters , a fantastic and warm audience that gave us emotions….thank you Misano!”
SUNDAY PICTURES: CLICK HERE
