Strong pace and a good feeling in practice at Jerez

Best Friday of the season at Jerez de la Frontera; Andrea Iannone and Team Pata Go Eleven finished fourth in the morning, then took third in the afternoon. Excellent race pace, good confidence despite a crash, and high morale ahead of the final WorldSBK Saturday.

In FP1, the team opted to immediately test the new front tyre on the Andalusian track; feelings weren’t optimal, with a little crash loosing the front. #29 finished the session just a bit higher than 38, with a 1:39.028, which earned him fourth place, after seventeen laps on the same tyres. Warm, sunny conditions around 30 degrees Celsius provided the perfect backdrop for the final Friday of the year.

Free Practice 1: 
P 1    N. Bulega    1.38.587
P 2    T. Razgatlioglu  + 0.088
P 3    X. Vierge   + 0.422
P 4    A. Iannone   + 0.441

In FP2, the team switched to the classic SC1 front, which immediately improved the front-end issues. The track was much hotter, with greater grip, but also a lot of wind, which bothered the riders, especially in the long corners. On his first outing, #29 replicated his FP1 time, riding just above 38 again, setting the third fastest time. In his second stint, on the first lap, he had a small crash in turn 11. With minimal damages, he managed to return to the pits and was back on track in 8:30 minutes, with the Ducati V4-R restored in record time. Keeping on used tyres, he managed to get back into the low 39, showing great confidence and an excellent pace. The top three defended until the end of the session.

Free Practice 2:
P 1   N. Bulega   1.38.668
P 2   S. Lowes  + 0.198
P 3   A. Iannone  + 0.406

There’s still a lot of work to do, especially to set the front; between FP1 and FP2, we improved in some areas, but we lost feeling in the corners, especially in terms of confidence. Finding a balance between the two sessions would be ideal for tomorrow. A positive day, the best Friday of the year for Team Pata Go Eleven!

Andrea Iannone (Rider): 

“Today was the best Friday of the year in terms of speed and performance; we confirmed our pace both in the morning and afternoon, finishing third and always managing many laps on the tyres. In the afternoon, I had a small crash; the wind was really bothering me, and I had some issues with the front. We improved in some areas, but things got worse in the fast corners, putting a lot of pressure on the front. I thank the guys for the work they did in the garage; we managed to get back on track after the crash and we still had a good pace. We can improve a lot for tomorrow; let’s focus on qualifying and see what we can achieve on Saturday in Jerez!”

Best Independent and fourth place on Saturday in Jerez

It was hard to ask for more on Saturday in Jerez; Andrea Iannone fought tooth and nail to reach the third step of the podium, but had to settle for fourth place, just letting position to Alvaro Bautista “in state of grace” for the second half of the race. A great result, Team Pata Go Eleven is finally back fighting for the podium!

In FP3, #29 was one of the few riders not to use qualifying tyres, working on his race pace. He repeated the low 1.39s several times to ensure everything was ready for the weekend’s hot sessions, qualifying and the race.

Free Practice 3: 
P 1    N. Bulega   1.37.829
P 2    S. Lowes   + 0.209
P 3    T. Razgatlioglu   + 0.328
…
P 16   A. Iannone   + 1.276

In Superpole, Andrea and the Pata Go Eleven team nailed the perfect strategy: following Bulega for a reference slipstream. Here, the Ducati rider made the difference and could help shave a few hundredths off the final time. He finished in the top three, clocking a high 1.37, already close to the previous track record. On his second attempt, Andrea significantly improved the first sector, then kept his pace, improving another two tenths. Fifth place overall, an excellent qualifying result, which then became fourth on the grid following Sam Lowes’ unfit. It was the perfect position to fight for the podium.

Superpole:
P 1   N. Bulega   1.36.629
P 2   T. Razgatlioglu   + 0.524
P 3   S. Lowes   + 0.972
P 4   A. Lowes   + 1.054
P 5   A. Iannone   + 1.119

In Race 1, the #29 rider got off to a good start, immediately moving into second place; he let Bulega go, but managed to defend his position on Toprak for a few laps. The Turk overtook him at the turn 6 and opened up a gap, but Andrea began to control it: for fourteen laps, he held Alex Lowes behind, gaining significantly exiting the final corner and in the first sector, then dropping a few tenths on the fast right turn. Alvaro Bautista charged up from behind, reclaiming the yellow Pata Go Eleven Ducati and attempting an attack at Turn 13. He ran wide, but Andrea rejoined and managed to keep him behind for another lap. The front end dropped a bit, especially on the long right-handers of Jerez. At Turn 2, the Spaniard overtook and went away. Iannone defended fourth place in a close battle with Vierge’s Honda, finishing just off the podium – Best Independent!

Race 1:
P 1    N. Bulega   33’19.744
P 2    T. Razgatlioglu  + 3.766
P 3    A. Bautista   + 9.569
P 4    A. Iannone   + 11.221

Great race, excellent Saturday, perhaps the best of the season since Australia, the podium was just a whisker away; Alvaro was in top form, the fastest on track in the second half of the race, congratulations to him, he took away the sweet taste of Champagne. There are two chances tomorrow, the goal remains the same!

Andrea Iannone (Rider): 

“It was a great race today. I enjoyed the battle, I gave it everything I had. We made the most of the package we had, but I’d like to aim even higher. It would have been difficult to do better today. I was fighting for the podium the whole race. I managed the first part so as not to run out of tyres at the end because I knew Alvaro would be there. I tried to defend myself, but I didn’t have any left. We’re struggling a bit in the long right-handers because of the front. We’ll try to find some solutions for tomorrow. I want to thank the team and Ducati anyway!”

Denis Sacchetti (Team Manager): 
“P4 today. We’ve worked well since Friday and were fast in both qualifying and the race. In Superpole, the strategy was excellent; we always found the right reference point in front of us. In Race 1, Andrea was able to manage when he needed to, then push hard towards the end to take another Best Independent just outside the podium. There’s still a bit of disappointment because we were back in contention for the podium and missed it by two seconds, but Alvaro was unstoppable today, and incredibly fast. Tomorrow we can have two more chances. We’ll do everything we can to improve and finish strong!”

On the podium for the last 2025 WorldSBK Sunday

Third place in the Superpole Race, seventh in the afternoon at the end of Race 2; having seized the opportunity in the morning to get back on the podium, finishing third in the final Superpole race of the season is something unique: well deserved!

In the warm-up, the #29 immediately approved the changes made at the end of Saturday; much better in terms of agility and braking, so much so that he immediately found a high 38 in race configuration.

Warm Up:
P 1   T. Razgatlioglu   1.38.691
P 2   A. Lowes  + 0.179
P 3   A. Bautista  + 0.197
P 4   A. Iannone   + 0.242

In the Superpole Race, everything happens; the first lap features a contact between Toprak and Bulega, with the Turkish rider down. Andrea immediately takes second place and tries to manage his position to defend in the opening laps. Behind him, Alvaro, the strongest opponent for the podium, begins to climb the standing; on the fourth lap, he takes advantage of his great speed on the straight and overtakes the #29 at Turn 6. Iannone tries to follow him, since the Spaniard is on a Q tyre, hoping for a drop towards the end. Both riders open the gap and finish second and third, respectively. Team Pata Go Eleven and Andrea Iannone are back on the podium; a perfect race to get a front row start Race 2, too!

Superpole Race:
P 1   N. Bulega   16’32.529
P 2   A. Bautista   + 4.055
P 3   A. Iannone   +  5.236

In Race 2, Andrea got off to a good start, but he followed the Ducati duo into Turn 1 and ran slightly wide. Three or four bikes got the inside there, and he moved into seventh place. In the opening laps, he was attacked by Lecuona and Mckenzie, but quickly regained his position and chased the group for fourth place. #29 lapped slightly faster, gaining tenths of a second, but when he reached Lowes, he ran wide again into Turn 1. He finished the race there, defending his position and finishing seventh as Best Independent. The front tyre was in trouble; he could have overtaken a couple of riders, but the risk of a crash was too high.

Race 2:
P 1   N. Bulega    33’20.508
P 2   A. Bautista  + 1.793
P 3   T. Razgatlioglu   + 6.339
…
P 7   A. Iannone   + 11.435

A great weekend for the whole team, concluding a season of ups and downs; wonderful memories from some races, like Australia, the Jerez and Aragon rounds, plus a few days throughout the season. Unfortunately, on the other hand, there were many mistakes and zeros that affected the standings. But what happened was done, and the important thing is to finish on a high note; five Parc Fermeé in the last six races, the last three rounds with a pace that would have put the team fourth in the championship, never worse than P 7.

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE, to the guys in the team who gave their all at every moment, to Ducati for providing a unique bike and support, and to Andrea for these two years together: it’s true, we can say it, working with the Maniac isn’t easy, but when the visor is down, few can match his talent. 7 podiums and a win close two amazing years spent together!

Andrea Iannone (Rider): 

“A good Sunday to conclude the 2025 WorldSBK season. This morning we secured the podium, I had a great pace and managed to lap quickly and defend third place. In race 2, the start penalized my race, I went wide in Turn 1 and two or three riders got my position. We were all lapping very close together, I was the fastest in my group, but I took too many risks with the front and I choose to finish seventh as Best Independent! It’s great to be back on the podium in Superpole, we worked well this weekend and I thank the whole team and Ducati!”

Denis Sacchetti (Team Manager): 
“Andrea gave us a fantastic end to the season with four consecutive best independent finishes and five parc fermée finishes in the last two events. Two years ago, we made a gamble together, and we won! I’ll never forget the victory at Aragon, but especially the podium on the first race after the cameback in Australia. I was a rider myself, and I understand what it means; it still makes me emotional to think about it. I also have a special thank you to my whole team, which makes me truly proud today. The guys worked with professionalism and dedication from the first to the last race, showing all their passion by continuing to push even in the most difficult moments. THANK YOU Filippo Burgatti, Daniele Cafaro, Loris Caroli, Marco Carrieri, Mirko Cheli, Manolo Iagatti, Gianluca Torresi, Andrea Siboni, Paco Foncea, and Elia Ramello.”