A little technical issue on Friday but overall a good feeling

It was a mixed feeling Friday at Most; strong first session, Balda gained confidence with the track, showing great agility in the chicanes and smoothness through the fast corners. The second session was slowed by a small technical issue, which was resolved towards the end. Top 5 in the morning, Top 5 in the afternoon before the forced pit. An overall positive Day 1 for Team Go Eleven and the number 34!

In FP1, the Italian rider went to the track trying to regain confidence with the Ducati Panigale V4-R on the unique Czech track. Fast right from the start, he moved into the top positions, dropping to the high 1.31. He struggled in the first sector, unable to consistently repeat the braking into Turn 1. After a short pit stop and a rear shock adjustment, Balda returned to the track, immediately repeating his best, then dropping to a 1:31.7, good for fifth place!

Free Practice 1: 
P 1   N. Bulega   1.31.130
P 2   S. Lowes   + 0.258
P 3   I. Lecuona    + 0.313
P 4   Y. Montella   + 0.430
P 5   L. Baldassarri   + 0.589

Shortly before FP2, a few drops of rain came over the track; the asphalt remained dry and all riders took to the track normally. Balda immediately found good speed, the first and second sector showed the best time, only to then lose some ground in the third sector; fifth place in the top twenty minutes of the session. While braking at the first corner, he felt a small technical problem that forced him to return to the pits; a minor issue, but one that required the mechanics to work for about twenty minutes. With five minutes to go, Balda managed to get back on track, checked that everything was fine on the yellow Panigale, and also put in a good final lap, improving in the third sector.

Free Practice 2: 
P 1   G. Gerloff   1.30.791
P 2   N. Bulega   + 0.066
P 3   S. Lowes   + 0.142
…
P 9   L. Baldassarri   + 0.497

The speed is there here at Most, Balda is in good shape and feels positive ahead of tomorrow; the time lost this afternoon was certainly unnecessary, as it wasn’t possible to understand race pace. It’s a good sign, however, that the issue was fixed, allowing for a couple of final laps, where #34 was able to clear up some doubts. This afternoon, braking into Turn 1, one of the crucial points on this old-school track, seems to have improved. Tomorrow there will be some work to do and make up for, but we’re off to a good start!

Lorenzo Baldassarri (Rider): 
“Positive feelings on this first day at Most! This afternoon, unfortunately, we were stopped by a little technical problem, which meant we weren’t able to complete many laps, but fortunately the team was able to fix it and I could complete a couple more laps. I’m very confident for tomorrow; we need to stay focused and keep pushing and improving. This track is a bit unusual, old-school, but today I felt good, and tomorrow I want to raise the bar!”

Race One – Top 6 for a good haul of points

Solid performance for Lorenzo Baldassarri and Team Go Eleven on Saturday at Most; qualifying in the first three rows, the minimum goal for Superpole, in Race 1, recovering from a difficult second start (following the first red flag). A pace in line with the podium, some nice overtaking moves in Turn 1, and a sixth-place finish proved a positive race.

In FP3, it was crucial to complete as many laps as possible and make up for the time lost yesterday in FP2. Balda opted to fit the SC0 and evaluate it over ten laps, the distance of the Superpole Race. He improved significantly in the first sector, struggling slightly in the middle of the track, but his overall pace was good. The final minutes were affected by yellow flags, so much so that it became impossible to improve due to laps cancelled.

Free Practice 3: 
P 1   I. Lecuona   1.30.330
P 2   Y. Montella   + 0.342
P 3   G. Gerloff    + 0.470
…
P 10    L. Baldassarri   + 1.002

In qualifying, Balda opted to attempt a first time attack by his own; on the second lap, he broke the barrier of the 31, moving into sixth place, but it was immediately clear that with the second tyre, he needed to significantly improve to confirm the position. On his second run, he found Bulega on track, attempted to match his time, and finished in 1:30.4, a truly excellent laptime that, however, cost him a spot on the second row by a thousandth of a second. He took the checkered flag with an 8th place finish, a good result from which to build on for Race 1 and the Superpole Race. There was some disappointment, as a tenth less would have earned him fourth place.

Superpole: 
P 1   N. Bulega   1.29.616
P 2   Y. Montella    + 0.280
P 3    I. Lecuona    + 0.495
…
P 8    L. Baldassarri   + 0.877

At the first start of Race 1, Balda started perfectly, getting a row entirely, and was sixth at the end of the first lap; behind him, Petrucci had a hard crash that brought out the red flag. It was all over again. His second start was decidedly less impressive than the first, especially in the funnel of the first chicane. Tenth at the end of the first lap, he immediately overtook Locatelli, and the following lap it was Manzi’s time, with two spectacular braking maneuvers at Turn 1. He chased the group battling for fourth place, taking the position from Surra; the final ten laps were a tenth-by-tenth chase for Bassani and Gerloff, closing the gap from a second and a half to seven tenths, taking advantage of a fast final sector, but with no chance of attacking. Sixth place overall, an excellent result at the end of Saturday, securing a solid first result in a weekend that began with a few more difficulties compared to Balaton Park.

Race 1: 
P 1   N. Bulega   31’55.741
P 2   I. Lecuona   + 1.330
P 3   Y. Montella   + 11.222
…
P 6   L. Baldassarri   + 15.168

Sixth place means ten championship points, closing in on Sam Lowes’ third-place; when the race isn’t a particularly exciting one, scoring points for the championship is still crucial. Fourth place was certainly within reach today, but the number 34 rider managed it well and took home the result. For Sunday, the goal is to improve in the central section of the track, where the bike’s agility matters, gain some grid positions in the morning for Race 2, and then set out to secure a top-five finish in the final race of the weekend!

Lorenzo Baldassarri (Rider): 
“It was a great race today. I’m happy with the work done so far. Yesterday we got off to a good start, but unfortunately we lost some time in the afternoon, and this morning I wasn’t as effective as I thought. In the race, however, I found a good pace. It’s a shame about the first red flag because I had a really good start. In the second start, I got a bit stuck in the first corner, losing positions. In the early laps, I lost a couple of seconds, but then I found my rhythm and kept a good pace until the checkered flag. The important thing was to bring home the race today. For tomorrow, we’ll try to make another small step and improve our result. I thank the team, today everything worked well, and I’m little by little getting closer to third place in the standings!”

Denis Sacchetti (Team Manager): 
“Today, Balda had a clever race that paid off in terms of the overall standings. Two factors influenced the final result: we could have hoped for a couple of better positions, but on the first lap we had built up too much of a gap and we lacked a bit of consistency in the middle of the race. We learned some very important things, where we can improve both for tomorrow and for the future. Balda is improving, and if we can make a step in some areas, we could be closer from tomorrow on. Sixth place is still an excellent result; we’re fast on all the tracks and we need to keep it up!”

P4 twice in Sunday’s races

Fourth place in the Superpole Race, fourth place in Race 2, a solid and consistent Sunday for Lorenzo Baldassarri and Team Go Eleven, just close of the podium! Something was missng in the opening laps on new tyres in both races, but the result is positive, and it’s the best weekend of the season so far in terms of points got.

From the Warm Up, Balda found an excellent feeling with the Ducati V4R, improving overall in all sectors. Third place, in a session characterized by cold temperatures; SC0 tyres used to evaluate them for the SP Race.

Warm Up: 
P 1   I. Lecuona   1.30.481
P 2   N. Bulega   + 0.211
P 3   L. Baldassarri    + 0.431

In the Superpole Race, Balda had a good start, braking aggressively at Turn 1, and overtook a row. Temporarily sixth, he immediately attacked Surra on the second lap, taking fifth place. On the fourth lap, the Go Eleven rider attacked Gerloff, making the same move and gaining the position. He began a tenth-by-tenth comeback to chase Montella. Balda gained a second and a half but only managed to finish close to the podium, without chance of attacking. The taste of podium was there, but he came back four positions from where he started, an excellent race.

Superpole Race: 
P 1   N. Bulega   15’07.499
P 2   I. Lecuona   + 1.959
P 3   Y. Montella   + 6.980
P 4   L. Baldassarri   + 7.679

In Race 2, number 34 finally starts from the front, from the second row. The reflexes are once again lightning-fast, enough to defend the position and chase the podium. Montella is third, Balda tries to catch up, but in the opening laps the Barni rider seems to have a slightly faster pace; number 34 takes a couple of too many risks, loses his pace for a couple of laps, and got overtaken by Surra, finishing fifth. The podium thenis about 3.5 seconds far, but Baldassarri regains his focus, reopens the battle with Surra, and takes fourth place with yet another strong braking move into Turn 1. From that moment on, a pattern unfolds, familiar both this morning and in the Balaton race: Balda chases tenth after tenth, gain two seconds, and crosses the finish line about a second behind the podium. Another great performance for the whole Team Go Eleven, but there’s a bitter taste in the mouth for having had a glimpse of the podium, and then letting it slip away in the opening laps!

Race 2: 
P 1   N. Bulega   33’20.149
P 2   I. Lecuona   + 0.594
P 3   Y. Montella   + 15.529
P 4   L. Baldassarri   + 16.783

Overall, Most’s weekend, which started off with difficulty on Friday, turned out to be the best of the season so far for the yellow Ducati; Baldassarri was consistent, bringing home the maximum, and with today’s two fourth-place finishes, he moved into fourth place in the overall standings, fifteen points behind third. Let’s keep our feet on the ground: the season is long, but it’s worth dreaming!

The WorldSBK circus moves to Misano for two days of testing before flying to Aragon, Spain, for Round 06, halfway through the season!

Lorenzo Baldassarri (Rider): 
“I’m really satisfied with the weekend. We started well on Friday, then we had a few issues. I wasn’t entirely comfortable at the end of Day 1, knowing we’d have to chase; in the end, we closed the gap, bringing home some good results. The work with the team was excellent; we managed to get the most out of the package. Today, however, I’m here a bit annoyed; we came close to the podium twice, but we weren’t able to bring it home. However, I want to look on the bright side: we scored a lot of points in the standings, we’re always fast; missing the podium keeps us focused for the next few days of work. We’re moving to Misano for testing; I want to find more on the bike and make another step forward!”

Denis Sacchetti (Team Manager): 
“It was a great weekend. We confirmed our current level, we’re consistently fighting for the podium, and here at Most, we scored more points than in previous rounds, a result that gives us fourth place in the championship. We can also smile, especially considering Balda’s growth. The work between him and the team is excellent, and we’re aware of the areas we need to improve, knowing we still have room to do so. So far, we’re not very effective on new tyres, but we’re fast on used tyres, so we often have to come back. Now we have two days of testing at Misano, Wednesday and Thursday, which will be important for us to make another small step forward!”