Fourth place achieved on Friday at Balaton Park

If Assen was considered a great Friday, here at Balaton, Balda took another step forward; from the first laps, he settled into the top three or four, riding many laps even on used tyres and working hard on his race pace. He finished fourth in FP1, then fourth in the afternoon, halving the gap to the leader. It was the best Friday of the season so far for Team Go Eleven and the number 34!

The Balaton asphalt was slightly dirty and quite slow at the beginning of FP1, so much so that times improved rapidly, lap after lap. Baldassarri seemed to immediately find confidence with the Hungarian track, taking advantage of a formidable first sector. He put in many fast laps, but he missed to get a perfect one. On lap 17, he got 1.40.242, giving him a top-5 finish, improving his time in the third sector. A solid first session, confirming Balda’s speed!

Free Practice 1: 
P 1   I. Lecuona   1.39.454
P 2   N. Bulega   + 0.243
P 3   S. Lowes    + 0.468
P 4   L. Baldassarri   + 0.788

In FP2, Balda tested the long run, fifteen consecutive laps replicating the conditions expected for tomorrow’s race. After a few laps to find repeatability in the sectors, he significantly lowered his times, alone on the track, settling on a 39.3, which he repeated three times. He returned to the pits, made a small adjustment to the front end, a bit on the limit entering the chicanes, and improved his best by a tenth on the penultimate lap, with the SCX at the end of its life, 20 laps done. Fourth place was secured, the gap to the leader halved to around four tenths, and great satisfaction with the work done by both the team and the rider.

Free Practice 2: 
P 1   I. Lecuona   1.38.860
P 2   N. Bulega   + 0.103
P 3   S. Lowes   + 0.141
P 4   L. Baldassarri   + 0.437

The race tyres have been confirmed; Race will be with the SCX, but tomorrow morning there will be to test the qualifying tyre. On such a narrow and “chicane” track, starting up front is crucial. A Friday like this boosts confidence and morale for the whole team, and Baldassarri found a great feeling with the changes tested in the riding position, too. Tomorrow… It’s race day!

Lorenzo Baldassarri (Rider): 
“We needed a Friday like this! I’m very satisfied with the work done on track and with the team. We were competitive from the first laps, and I feel the bike is in my control. I know where I can still improve, but the base is excellent for tackling Saturday. Today I didn’t want to try the qualifying tyre; we focused on race pace, and it seems good, so I’m confident for the race. Now I’ll rest on today and tomorrow we’ll focus 100% on qualifying first, and then we’ll see what we can do in the race!”

P2 in Superpole, but a fast crash in Race 1

From the dream of a front row start to a Race 1 finale to forget. Balda had an incredible qualifying session, second place on the starting grid, but it all ended a few hours later with a bad start and a consequent high-speed crash at Turn 8! There’s still some disappointment over a missed podium chance, but what matters most is that Balda is healthy and in good shape for tomorrow.

Saturday morning starts well, with a perfect FP3; Balda first tests the new race tyre, improving yesterday’s best laptime, then it’s time attack time. With the Q, with no references in front, he breaks through the 39 barrier and moves into third place, showing great confidence here at Balaton Park.

Free Practice 3: 
P 1   N. Bulega   1.38.339
P 2   I. Lecuona  + 0.134
P 3   L. Baldassarri    + 0.264

For qualifying, the strategy was the usual one: try to follow Nicolò and get the first two rows as minimum goal. First attempt, second place, 1.38.7, which secure the position in case of yellow flags or traffic on the track. Despite a quite “slow” first sector. With the second tyre, almost no one can improve, and it’s the front row, second place! Great Balda, an extraordinary second place.

Superpole: 
P 1   N. Bulega   1.38.094
P 2   L. Baldassarri    + 0.608
P 3   Y. Montella    + 0.625

In Race 1, unfortunately, everything went wrong right from the start; a bad start, Lorenzo lost seven positions at the first corner and was stuck in the back of the pack. In the heat of recovery and knowing he had the pace to get back, on the second lap, at Turn 8, the fastest on the whole track, at about 200 km/h, he lost the front end and ended up in the gravel. Race over. Balda, despite a huge shake up, got up and returned to the pits without serious injuries. The damage to the bike was extensive, forcing the team to work late, but what matters most is that the rider is safe and well for tomorrow’s two races.

Race 1: 
P 1   N. Bulega   34’48.413
P 2   I. Lecuona   + 2.538
P 3   M. Oliveira   + 12.584
…
DNF   L. Baldassarri  

In the warm-up, it will be important to check Balda’s feelings and make sure the bike is working well; furthermore, number 34 will try to quickly regain his confidence on the bike, before attacking right from the start for the Superpole Race!

Lorenzo Baldassarri (Rider): 
“Today’s race is a real shame. The crash at the start of the race compromised all the work we have done over the weekend. I got off to a bad start, but two riders in front of me touched, I had to slow down, and all the other went on the inside. I went into recovery mode, gained positions, then I lost the front in Turn 8. It’s a shame, we would have been fighting for the podium. Let’s take the positive. I’m fine, despite the big crash at about 200 km/h, I’m in one piece, and tomorrow we have two more races to make our mark. We will start from P 2, I want to make up for it!”

Denis Sacchetti (Team Manager): 
“We missed an opportunity today, but the team and Balda did a great job leading up to Superpole. He’s really good on this track, and on Saturday he took another step forward in understanding his Ducati. The crash happens, but unfortunately it happened while trying to come back from a bad start, and at the fastest point of the track. But the important thing is that he’s okay, because tomorrow morning we’ll start from the front row and we can fight for a good result. The key is to forget the crash and pick up where we left off in the morning.”

The second podium of the season for Lorenzo Baldassarri

After a crash like yesterday’s, it would have been easy to lose confidence; but Balda responded with two incredible races on Sunday in Hungary. A podium finish in the morning, fourth place, just close to third place in Race 2, keeping everyone on the edge of their seats for a great comeback!

Here at Balaton, the Warm Up was perhaps the most important session of the whole weekend for both Lorenzo and Team Go Eleven; it was crucial to check the second bike was working well, and the rider also needed to find the confidence for the races. After a few laps, he managed to get an excellent low 39; mental reset after yesterday was complete!

Warm Up: 
P 1   N. Bulega   1.38.215
P 2   I. Lecuona   + 0.350
P 3   S. Lowes    + 0.583
…
P 8   L. Baldassarri   + 1.239

In the Superpole Race, number 34 got off to a good start, closing the line in Turn 1, and thanks to the collisions around him, he found himself in first place! He barely had time to realize it before the red flag came out for yet another collision and subsequent crash. The race restarted, and Balda took third place at Turn 2, overtaking Montella. He set his pace, he is faster than the guys behind him, and no one could keep up. He remained focused until the finish line, got his second podium of the season, and his first in a Superpole Race! He had a fantastic race, incredibly fast, with only the two factory Ducatis ahead of him.

Superpole Race: 
P 1   N. Bulega   13’10.468
P 2   I. Lecuona   + 0.894
P 3   L. Baldassarri   + 5.103

In Race Two, the first lap was an open battle; Balda lost a few positions, but by the final Balaton chicane, he was already hot on Bautista’s heels for third place. He tried, getting the inside, but he couldn’t stop correctly and was forced to cut the chicane. Montella passed them both and opened up a gap. To avoid a penalty for cutting the chicane, the Go Eleven rider slowed and let an opponent pass. He then overtake McKenzie and began his comeback on the number 5 Barni rider. The two rode similar, the gap was almost three seconds, but Balda didn’t give up; lap after lap, he snipped off tenths of a second, and in the final seven laps, he was clearly the second-fastest rider on the track, working his way up to Montella’s exhausts. At the end of the race, he crossed the finish line in fourth, half a second off the podium. Another amazing race, another result to remember! It’s a bittersweet feeling because the podium was right there, so close, and if he had lost less time at the start of the race, it would have been possible.

Race 2: 
P 1   N. Bulega   34’39.980
P 2   I. Lecuona   + 2.557
P 3   Y. Montella   + 11.970
P 4   L. Baldassarri   + 12.478

22 points earned this Sunday, a significant result for the Championship that almost erases yesterday’s zero. Four points from fifth place, 20 from third, prove an incredible start to the season for Balda and the whole Go Eleven Team. Today, an answer was needed, and the answer is stronger than any doubt: keep going, because with every race we’re getting closer to the red duo!

Lorenzo Baldassarri (Rider): 
“After what happened yesterday, it wasn’t given that I’d have a Sunday like this: a podium this morning, fourth place this afternoon. On the eve of the weekend, I would have signed up for two results like that, and today I almost didn’t race due to the consequences of the crash! Today, however, I woke up well, I wasn’t in too much pain, and I immediately regained the right confidence with the bike. I’m a little disappointed about the end of race 2. My pace was incredible and I knew I was faster, but I started from far away after the chaos of the first laps. This morning, however, the podium in the Superpole Race was incredible and perhaps even more valuable than the one in Australia, because it’s a race where I struggle. This weekend, I have to thank the whole team and the mechanics. They rebuilt a bike, they stayed up late last night to give me a perfect bike today. I’m happy to have repaid them with a nice third place!”

Denis Sacchetti (Team Manager): 
“I’m really happy with the team today, and especially with Lorenzo, who gave a great response. After yesterday’s crash, it wasn’t easy to get going again, but instead he came back even stronger and more determined, demonstrating his maturity and professionalism with incredible grit. This morning’s podium is confirmation of his strength, and in Race 2, fourth place left us bittersweet taste. Maybe one more lap and we could have come home with another podium. The championship is still long, and we’re there in every race. We’re growing together, we’re having fun together, and we can achieve even greater results if we keep working focused and calmly on our path!”