A good feeling on the bike for the beginning of the Donington circuit, but still some tenths to improve in the second part of the track

Friday across the Channel kicked off with warm temperatures, over 30 degrees Celsius in the air, 40 degrees Celsius on the track; ideal conditions for all the WorldSBK riders. Andrea Iannone entered with the SC 2 front tyre, but, feeling a lack of front feeling, he switched to the SC 1. After the compound change, he rode on track for the whole session, completing 23 laps, the race distance here at Donington Park. He kept a steady pace in the low 27s, with a best lap of 27.0 and fifth place at the end of a positive session. This also bodes well for the race, as he didn’t experience any significant drop in the tyres.

Free Practice 1: 
P 1    A. Lowes    1.26.544
P 2    N. Bulega  + 0.001
P 3    T. Razgatlioglu   + 0.048
P 4    D. Petrucci   + 0.404
P 5    A. Iannone   + 0.477

For FP2, the asphalt heats up further, reaching over 45 degrees and slightly altering grip compared to the morning. The work areas focused on the front, where #29 complains of a few too many lockouts and he found quite hard stopping the bike, especially in the Fogarty Esses (turns 9-10) and the final sector. In the afternoon, the Team did a comparison between the SC0 rear and the SCX. The Vasto rider improves the laptime compared to the morning, but the gap between the two tyres isn’t as wide as at other tracks.

Free Practice 2:
P 1   N. Bulega   1.26.342
P 2   D. Petrucci    + 0.181
P 3   S. Lowes   + 0.249
…
P 12    A. Iannone   + 0.622

This evening, the data collected today will be analyzed and a solution will be tried to ensure better handling for the Ducati Panigale V4-R, focusing on getting a few tenths in the second half of the circuit; the first two sectors today were in line with the top positions. Today the gap between Andrea and the leader is just over half a second, showing that tomorrow’s Superpole will be a close one, cents will make the difference.

Andrea Iannone (Rider): 

“Today we finished a positive day. The temperatures were very warm and the grip was different from last year. This morning I felt very comfortable on the bike, and in the afternoon we tried some changes and compared it with the SCX. We need to improve the feeling with the front end and the braking. Now we’ll look at all the data, analyze what we collected today, and see what we can achieve tomorrow!”

An exciting comeback for Iannone from second to last to the top 10 at the line

On Saturday at Donington Park, the sun and summer temperatures provided a pleasant atmosphere to the first day of racing. Team Pata Go Eleven got off to a though start, but they turned things around with a positive and solid Race 1.

Unfortunately, in FP3, a technical issue on the first flying lap forced Andrea to stop trackside, causing the red flag for oil on the track. Fortunately, the damage had been quickly repaired, allowing #29 to return to the track to assess whether everything was OK. However, by missing the session, the changes made following Friday’s comments were not tested, forcing the team to go into qualifying without any real feedback.

Free Practice 3: 
P 1    A. Lowes   1.25.354
P 2    S. Lowes    + 0.284
P 3    T. Razgtlioglu    + 0.374
…
No time set    A. Iannone  

The Superpole, as expected, was all about a few hundredths of a second. Many riders were close together, within a few thousandths. Andrea completed a strong first lap, placing himself in the top ten, but on his second attempt he slipped to fourteenth place, losing significantly in the third sector. It’s a shame, because with a few hundredths less, he could have moved up a few rows. Race 1 and the Superpole Race will therefore start from the middle of the pack, on the fifth row.

Superpole:
P 1   T. Razgatlioglu  1.24.827
P 2    N. Bulega  + 0.119
P 3   A. Lowes  + 0.147
…
P 14   A. Iannone   + 1.087

Race 1 proved to be quite chaotic, with lot of crashes and clashes between the riders. In Turn 1, on the first lap, one of clashes led to the crash of three riders, forcing Andrea to slow down to avoid them; however, he was hit by two other riders, running wide and restarting second to last. In the early laps, he waited for the right gap to begin his comeback, then began a series of overtaking moves. From mid-race on, he was consistently among the fastest riders on the track, closing a gap of over 4 seconds from the top ten. He overtook 10 riders, set a personal fastest lap with four laps to go, and had an incredibly fast first section of the track. In the final two laps, he managed to attack Vickers and Vierge, grabbing tenth place. It was a solid comeback race, showing excellent race pace and making no mistakes. It’s a shame, because his pace was in line with the top five, but it was still a positive race for the team morale and confidence!

Race 1:
P 1   T. Razgatlioglu   33’27.255
P 2    N. Bulega  + 6.535
P 3    D. Petrucci   + 11.775
…
P 10    A. Iannone   + 21.942

For Sunday, we’ll need to build on the second half of today’s race, building on the great determination shown, and try to make up some positions in the SP Race to avoid contact at the start. After a few unlucky races, the team moved the standings with solid points earned!

Andrea Iannone (Rider): 

“Our Saturday started with a technical problem that cost us FP3. We showed up to qualifying with an untested setup and the feeling wasn’t great. I qualified in the middle of the pack, but a few tenths better and I would have moved up a couple of rows. In race 1, unfortunately, I was hit in Turn 1 and, to avoid the riders who crashed in front of me, I lost a lot of time, restarting second to last. I had fun overtaking a lot of riders. I had a good pace, but we’re missing something in the last sector and the third. With a normal first lap, we could have had fun at the front, but we’ll try again tomorrow. In any case, I’m happy with the good pace and the comeback we completed.”

Denis Sacchetti (Team Manager):

“Here in Donington, the gaps are always really tight, and many riders are often within just a tenth of a second, and it happened today in qualifying. The positive note is that last year here at Donington we were 1.8 seconds off pole, while this year we’ve closed the gap to a second, a clear sign of significant improvement that was then also evident in the race. Unfortunately, Andrea was involved in a collision at the first corner and found himself second to last. However, he did a great comeback, riding in line with the Top 5. With five laps to go, he was the fastest rider on track, setting his fastest lap of the race. This performance once again underlines our speed, now we need to be able to translate it into the race.”

A positive Sunday concludes with P7 in Race 2

A positive Sunday at Donington Park ended with two encouraging and positive performances from Andrea Iannone riding the yellow Ducati of Team Pata Go Eleven. He earned points in the SP Race, finishing in the Top 9, and showed an excellent race in the afternoon, riding the pace to finish just close to the podium. It was hard to overtake today and there was something missing in the final two sectors, but the UK Round delivered a consistent weekend.

A good step forward had been done in the Warm Up compared to Saturday, where Andrea went on track on used tyres, riding in the high 26s. This was 3/4 tenths of a second better than yesterday’s race, and a small improvement in sector three.

Warm Up:
P 1   N. Bulega   1.26.069
P 2   S. Lowes   + 0.105
P 3   T. Razgatlioglu   + 0.155
…
P 15   A. Iannone   + 0.811

In the Superpole Race, the #29 had a good start, immediately joining the battle for the grid change, chasing Petrucci. The short race was with the SCX, which began to give way slightly towards the end, preventing Andrea from attacking the Umbrian rider. He finished ninth on the grid, securing two rows, but he still needs to improve his braking towards T 11 and the entry to T 9, the two classic overtaking spots at Donington Park.

Superpole Race:
P 1   T. Razgatlioglu   14’23.520
P 2   N. Bulega   + 2.804
P 3   S. Lowes   + 3.874
…
P 9   A. Iannone   + 9.546

In Race 2, the Vasto rider defended well at he start, overtaking Vickers and Aegerter in the early laps. A “waiting” race was held toward the final laps, where the Ducati Pata Go Eleven could have had more grip on the rear. Andrea was faster than Gerloff and Petrucci, but never had a chance to attack; the American Kawasaki rider was very fast in the final part of the track, defending the main braking points well. On lap 16, Andrea attempted to attack, but went wide, cutting the 9-10 chicane into the gravel; he lost two seconds, a position on Aegerter, and the gap to the pair battling for fifth place widened. The Swiss Yamaha rider quickly caught up, lapping about a second faster than fourth place, but it was time for the checkered flag. Seventh place, a solid and competitive race, to conclude a strong weekend.

Race 2:
P 1   T. Razgatlioglu    33’20.407
P 2   N. Bulega   + 2.946
P 3   A. Bautista   + 3.135
…
P 7   A. Iannone   + 14.422 

Coming across the Channel after two tough races, the Pata Go Eleven team and Andrea Iannone completed a consistent weekend with a strong pace in all races. More could have been achieved by fully exploiting their potential, but after so many zeros, returning to move up the standings and getting points is a positive sign. Now WorldSBK moves to Hungary at the end of July for the final round before the summer break!

Andrea Iannone (Rider): 

“This Sunday we made a step forward in terms of feeling and race pace. In the SP Race, I managed to make up several positions and get into the top nine, allowing me to start Race 2 with less gap. In the afternoon, it was a waiting race. I knew I had more tyre in the final stages, so I tried to wait for the right moment to attack. There are few overtaking opportunities here at Donington, and I didn’t have the confidence to do so in the final two sectors. A straightaway in the chicane made me lose my rhythm, but then I managed to move up to seventh place. I felt I could go faster, but in the slipstream, the front tyre was heating up. We’re returning from Donington with some good points in the standings, which will give us confidence heading to Balaton!”

Denis Sacchetti (Team Manager):

“Today we brought home a solid Sunday. Andrea was strong in the Superpole Race, taking two rows, and in Race 2 we were back in the fight for the important positions. We had a good pace, but overtaking here isn’t easy. In fact, we saw a lot of “trains” and several riders opened and closed the gap through the sectors. He tried at the chicane, but unfortunately he went a bit wide, losing the chance to fight for the top five. After some difficult races, it’s a good result that gives us confidence. We’re struggling a bit under braking, so we’ll have to fix this because Balaton is a stop-and-go track. We’re finally moving up the standings again!”