Free Practice

The first Friday of the year told a similar story compared to the tests; Bulega setting the pace, Iannone leading the chasing group. Different weather today, about 10-15 degrees more on the asphalt between morning and afternoon, influenced the performance and grip conditions on the track. Team Go Eleven and Andrea Iannone, confirmed the second position, placing halfway between the number 11 of Aruba and the other protagonists on the track.

In FP 1 the last doubts in terms of set-up and geometry were solved, work that had not been possible on Tuesday, finding a good base to continue the weekend. Andrea found a strong pace right from the start of the session, repeatedly riding on the low 29.

Free Practice 1: 
P 1    N. Bulega   1.28.922
P 2    A. Iannone  + 0.367
P 3    A. Bautista   + 0.593

Before FP 2 the sun warmed the Phillip Island track, changing the grip conditions; more slippery asphalt, electronic settings to be adjusted, but still the number 29 was able to obtain the second position and defend it until the end of the session. There was an exit with the new rear solution of SC 1, but the laptime did not give positive feedback, thus returning to the “original” solution. Best time of the day, on the last lap, with tyres used beyond the race distance.

Free Practice 2:
P 1   N. Bulega  1.28.790
P 2   A. Iannone    + 0.406
P 3   T. Razgatlioglu  + 0.809

For the Australian Saturday the goal will be to test the qualifying tyre in the morning, here it is the SC 0, so as to be ready for the Superpole; starting in front with a flag-to-flag race is even more crucial. In the evening, there will also be an internal team briefing to fine-tune the pit stop, which tomorrow will be a moment of great tension and spectacle. For the moment, technicians are in-depth data analysis to understand where there is still room for improvement, and let’s see what tomorrow brings!

Andrea Iannone (Rider): 

“Today was a positive day overall, we are still second, we are not far from first place, but Nicolò Bulega is working very well. In the afternoon the temperature increased and we had to readjust the bike to the drop of the grip. My feeling is not yet 100% on the bike, I feel we can do a bit better. I got the best times with very used tyres, so I think we have a bit of margin. Tonight we will have a meeting to organize ourselves well for the flag-to-flag, then tomorrow we will focus on qualifying, it will be important to start at the front.”

WorldSBK Race One

On Saturday at Phillip Island, temperatures changed drastically compared to the previous days; heat and asphalt around 55 degrees affected performance. A day of two shades for the Go Eleven team; third in Superpole, on the front row, then in the Race a technical problem combined with a first rear tyre that did not work perfectly forced Andrea to fight for positions outside the podium. It’s a shame, given the positive weekend so far, but the number 29 did not give up and got important points despite the seconds lost in the first stint of the race. Perfect flag-to-flag for Go Eleven, managing to recover three positions.

In FP 3, Andrea entered with the new rear development solution, not feeling comfortable; quick tyre change to the standard SC 1 used, immediately finding good vibes. Last part of the session with the qualifying tyre; Andrea was able to make good use of it in the first sectors, then he found a bit of traffic, losing especially in the fast turn 12 that leads to the straight. Top 5 anyway, at the end of the session, certifying the good speed even with warmer asphalt.

Free Practice 3: 
P 1    N. Bulega   1.28.903
P 2    T. Razgatlioglu  + 0.203
P 3    A. Bautista   + 0.225
P 4    D. Petrucci   + 0.323
P 5    A. Iannone   + 0.405

Today’s Superpole was interrupted by a red flag due to Lecuona’s crash and consequent injury, forcing the teams to review their strategies; Andrea was able to complete only one lap on the first rear tyre, placing himself in the top three. Second attempt, the number 29 was doing a perfect lap close to the pole, only to then find a slower rider in the third sector; 1.29. 2 with an overtaking in the third sector was still a good lap for the front row. An important result to be able to better manage the races.

Superpole:
P 1   N. Bulega  1.28.824
P 2   T. Razgatlioglu    + 0.094
P 3   A. Iannone  + 0.442

In Race 1 the rider from Vasto had a good start, trying to follow a very fast Bulega trying to open the gap from the others. From the second lap, however, a technical problem slowed him down, forcing him to go straight several times, especially in turn one; this was combined with a rear tyre that did not work as well as the next one after the tyre change. 5 seconds lost in the first part of the race, 7.5 seconds the gap from the victory on the finish line. Pit stop at the right time, with perfect work by the guys, allowed Andrea to recover three positions on the Bimotas and then on Locatelli, also closing the gap on the fight for the podium. In the slipstream of Redding and Petrucci it was impossible to attack, but having finished the race in sixth position despite the problem encountered means great determination. It’s a shame because it was a possible podium missed but the points are important for the Championship.

Race 1:
P 1   N. Bulega  31’11.497
P 2   T. Razgatlioglu    + 4.811
P 3    A. Bautista  + 5.108
…
P 6   A. Iannone   + 7.548

Having identified and solved what happened in Race 1, tomorrow there are two more opportunities to get back on top and conclude the work done so far. Never give up, the bitterness is a further stimulus for the Australian Sunday!

Andrea Iannone (Rider): 

“Today the conditions changed a lot, the heat came out at Phillip Island and we felt it on the track. In Superpole I wasn’t able to do a completely free lap, in my Best Lap I had to overtake another rider. Third place on the grid, on the front row, is still a good result. In Race 1, I tried to follow Bulega, but right from the start we had a technical problem that slowed us down; furthermore, the first tyre didn’t seem to work as usual. From the pit stop onwards, everything improved, I managed to bounce back in the fight for the podium despite the problem, but in the end I finished sixth. It’s not the result we wanted, but I tried to get the most out of it. Tomorrow we’ll try to improve, with the aim of getting back to the positions we’ve been in since the start of the week.”

Denis Sacchetti (Team Manager):

“Today the race didn’t give us what we deserved, unfortunately a technical problem and a non-optimal rear grip in the first part of the race, which we are still analyzing at the moment, compromised what could have been a good performance following the excellent speed we have had from the tests to the qualifying. In any case in the race we managed to underline our pace, Andrea was really fast with the second tyre despite the difficulties and this gives us motivation for tomorrow. Thanks to the whole team that is doing a great job!”

WorldSBK Race Two

Great final day of Round 1 for Team Go Eleven and Andrea Iannone on the Phillip Island track. Second place in the Superpole Race, third place in Race 2 close to the two Factory Ducati, certify the excellent work done on the Island! More points earned than last year, but above all, Go Eleven leave downunder in third place in the World Championship!

Today’s temperatures dropped slightly compared to Saturday, forcing the teams to readjust their setups and electronics. Shakedown in the Warm Up to check that everything was ok, third final position in the standing.

Warm Up: 
P 1    N. Bulega   1.28.956
P 2    A. Lowes  + 0.347
P 3    A. Iannone   + 0.348

In the Superpole Race the strategy was one; try to follow Nicolo’ to open the gap and then try to fight for the race in the final laps. Andrea starts well, immediately overtakes Toprak when he releases the clutch, but at T 4, the famous Adelaide turn, both the Turkish and Bautista goes straight, luckily not touching the rear and front wheels of the number 29 Ducati by millimetres. There was no contact, but Bulega took a half-second gap that was impossible to close. Andrea was able to stay focused throughout the race, riding on the 29 and a half average, managing to break away from the fight for third. P 2, first podium of the season and great result for the whole Team!

Superpole Race:
P 1   N. Bulega  14’58.866
P 2   A. Iannone    + 2.324
P 3   D. Petrucci  + 4.923

For Race 2, following Andrea’s feedback in the SP-Race post debrief, some changes were made in order to improve the turning. At the green light Andrea defends P 2 and starts chasing the usual Bulega. He manages to follow the pace for the first laps, only to then drop slightly until the tyre change. Perfect flag-to-flag, again today, the mechanics were able to do it in an excellent way, allowing the restart close to the minimum time limit. In the second part of the race, Bautista shows a fast pace, even with 28 highs, managing to catch up and pass the Go Eleven rider. Third place defended until the finish line, second podium today, this time on the long race and great emotion in climbing on the third step.

Race 2:
P 1   N. Bulega  30’55.414
P 2   A. Bautista    + 2.603
P 3   A. Iannone  + 3.980

Two podiums, a sixth place and a third in qualifying is what Team Go Eleven takes home from the first race of the Superbike World Championship. From Saturday to Sunday there was an important step forward also in terms of feeling with the bike, and today the maximum possible result was achieved. Third place in the World Championship, momentarily, which gives good feeling in view of the way back to Europe!

Andrea Iannone (Rider): 

“It was a good Sunday for us in Australia; this morning I got a good start and tried to follow Bulega in the Superpole Race, but we were missing a couple of tenths per lap. For Race 2 we made some changes to the bike and my feeling improved further. In the first stint I had a good advantage over third place, then Alvaro managed to take me. We brought home a second and a third place, we are third in the championship and, above all, we scored more points than last year, which is important for us. Being close to the reference team and getting on the podium means we can be satisfied with the result. I thank Ducati and the whole team for all the work done!”

Denis Sacchetti (Team Manager):

“Double podium in Phillip Island’s Sunday! We have made up for what we missed yesterday. Second in the Superpole Race, third in Race Two, also closing the gap to Nicolò. Andrea rode very well, here he was very strong in the fast corners, where he was able to make the difference. The flag-to-flag was excellent again today, unfortunately Alvaro was a little faster than us in the second part of the race, but I am satisfied. Starting the Championship like this, third in the general classification, shows the good work we are doing. Now we will see what happens once we return to Europe, but for the moment we are in the game for the important positions!”