P3 in the morning, too tricky to ride faster in the afternoon

Further confirmation of Lorenzo Baldassarri’s speed and consistency aboard the Ducati V4-R WorldSBK: an excellent opening session saw him finish third, followed by an afternoon session marked by many crashes. With fourth place in the combined standings, it was a positive Friday for Team Go Eleven.

In FP1, the technicians opted to start with the base setup found during testing; the rider number 34 felt comfortable on the bike right from the start, showing consistency and clocking excellent lap times—consistently in the low 1:29 range. During his second run, Balda attempted a time attack— on used tires—and immediately improved his times, dropping to a 1:28.5 and moving up to third place.

Free Practice 1: 
P 1   I. Lecuona   1.28.278
P 2   N. Bulega   + 0.119
P 3   L. Baldassarri    + 0.304

In FP2, the track surface warms up slightly, but conditions change drastically; in the opening minutes, several riders go down at the circuit’s fastest sections, demonstrating the low level of grip. Balda sets his pace, but several laps—including his best, a high 1:28—are cancelled due to yellow flags. Crashes continue towards the end of the session, leading the number 34 rider to manage the run rather than pushing at 100% and taking unnecessary risks on a Friday. Upon returning to the pits, he complains of poor front-end grip, noting that he struggles to feel when the front loses grip.

Free Practice 2: 
P 1   I. Lecuona    1.28.108
P 2   N. Bulega   + 0.254
P 3   A. Surra   + 0.461
…
P 9   L. Baldassarri   + 0.904

Even though lap times didn’t improve in the afternoon, it was still a positive day for the yellow Ducati, which finished fourth in the combined standings—free of crashes or major issues on a particularly challenging day. Now, the focus must be on working when the track heats up, in order to regain the same confidence felt in the morning.

Lorenzo Baldassarri (Rider): 
“We started strong right away this morning; I felt really good on the bike—so much so that the lap time came easily. This afternoon, a few riders crashed just ahead of me, and I realized the conditions were tricky; riding right at the limit would have meant taking excessive risks for a Friday. We got our testing done and figured out which direction to take; we’re fast, and we still finished the day in the top five. I’m happy, and I hope the conditions are good tomorrow so we can push at 100%.”

Fourth place on Saturday, so close to the podium

A Saturday to remember for Balda and Team Go Eleven at their home track! It was a sensational race, a nail-biter decided by hundredths of a second right up to the final lap, with Balda chasing the podium really close for the entire 23-lap distance. They missed out by a whisker, but it certainly stands as one of the best races of the season for the “Yellow Ducati”!

In FP3, the team opted to first test a set-up change using used tyres, followed by a time attack run, aiming to be fully prepared for qualifying. He set a low 1:28—a solid time—but Balda still didn’t feel quite confident on the bike, leading him to decide to get back to the bike setup used in FP1 for the remainder of the weekend.

Free Practice 3: 
P 1   A. Surra   1.27.666
P 2   I. Lecuona   + 0.029
P 3   J. Dixon    + 0.271
…
P 8    L. Baldassarri   + 0.620

In Superpole, Balda employs the same strategy as in recent rounds: riding solo, without slipstreams or rider in front of him. His first attempt is astonishing—successfully avoiding the yellow flags to secure third place—but staying on the front two rows requires going faster than the 2025 track record. No sooner said than done: the Go Eleven rider works a miracle in the fourth sector of his second flying lap, clocking a 1:27.7 that earns him a spot on the second row. Mission accomplished—a great qualifying performance!

Superpole: 
P 1   I. Lecuona   1.27.253
P 2   N. Bulega  + 0.044
P 3   A. Surra    + 0.184
…
P 6    L. Baldassarri   + 0.538

In Race 1, Balda got off to a good start but was hit from behind at Turn 2, losing a couple of positions in the process. He immediately showed great grit, overtaking Gerloff and Alex Lowes at the final corner on the opening lap. This kicked off one of the most fiercely contested races; Surra, followed by S. Lowes and Balda, consistently lapped in the high 1:28 range, never giving an inch. Surra was the first to falter, crashing out at Turn 4, while Sam and Balda maintained a blistering pace, closing the gap to Bulega. Although the italian rider couldn’t quite launch a successful attack, he rode a superb race all the way to the finish line. He took fourth place, finishing less than eight seconds behind the winner and about three seconds off second place. Well done Balda—a great race in front of the home fans.

Race 1: 
P 1   I. Lecuona   16’26.38
P 2   N. Bulega   + 5.591
P 3   S. Lowes    + 7.247
P 4   L. Baldassarri   + 8.763

For Sunday, the goal is to replicate the speed and strong start shown in Race 1; there is still room for improvement in the bike-electronics package, so the technicians will work this evening to find that classic “Saturday night” tweak and shave off a couple of tenths—enough to contend for the podium. Credit also goes to Sam Lowes for making no mistakes despite the constant pressure.

Lorenzo Baldassarri (Rider): 
“I’m really happy today; we did a great job and scored important points in the race, maintaining an incredible pace from start to finish. I was chasing the podium the whole time—I was so close, and we were right up there with the factory Ducatis, too. Unfortunately, Sam rode really well today; the gap between us kept fluctuating in the third sector, and I never quite managed to make a move. I think I was consistently lapping in the high 1:28s right to the end—which is impressive—though in the closing stages, I focused more on managing the race and bringing the result home. We’re working to find that little bit extra and put on a great show tomorrow!”

Denis Sacchetti (Team Manager): 
“In my view, Balda finished one of the best races of the season today. He remained focused throughout and stayed right on Sam’s back—despite the pressure and the desire to perform well in front of the home crowd—without making a single mistake. Marc VDS did a better job than us today, but fighting for the podium is always fantastic, and we still need to fine-tune a few things in certain sectors. Let’s enjoy this great race, but we’re already hard at work with the team to improve for tomorrow.”

A Sunday of grit and determination in Cremona

Sundays at Italian circuits haven’t brought much luck this year; however, Balda managed to get back from a difficult start in Race 2, making up over ten places with a blistering pace. He fought hard to secure seventh place, effectively putting the morning’s crash—caused by contact—behind him.

During the warm-up, Balda approved a set-up change on the front and confirmed it for the race; his 1:28.5 lap time was excellent, despite some difficulties in the final sector.

Warm Up: 
P 1   I. Lecuona   1.27.790
P 2   N. Bulega   + 0.115
P 3   S. Lowes   + 0.419
P 4   A. Lowes   + 0.779
P 5   L. Baldassarri   + 0.793

The goal for the Superpole Race is clear: defend the second-row starting position and try to make up some grid places. The team choose for the aggressive SCQ compound to ensure better grip at the start of the race. Unfortunately, on the opening lap, a contact with Gerloff at Turn 7 sends both riders down; the exact sequence of events is unclear, but Balda was clearly on the inside and ahead, while the American Kawasaki rider tried to defend his line on the outside. They collided, and any hopes for a result vanished; it is a shame, as the number 34 rider’s pace was clearly faster, but anything can happen on the first lap. He lines up tenth for Race 2, visibly furious upon returning to the pits—plenty of fighting spirit to channel into the final race!

Superpole Race: 
P 1   I. Lecuona   14’42.411
P 2   N. Bulega    + 2.005
P 3   A. Surra    + 5.214
…
DNF   L. Baldassarri

At the start of Race 2, Balda finds himself…third from last! Rear grip is poor, and the opening laps feel like riding on ice; then he starts to find his rhythm, and from the third lap onwards, he ignites a spectacular comeback. Moving up from eighteenth, he overtakes half the grid with superior pace, clears Locatelli, and sets off in pursuit of the Bassani-Gerloff duo, who are battling for seventh place. He catches them around mid-race and passes them with clean moves—overtaking the American at Turn 7, the very same corner where the earlier contact occurred. With five laps to go, Balda keeps pushing and tries to catch Dixon; despite a three-second gap, he crosses the finish line just four-tenths of a second behind. Seventh place—a great result, considering the disastrous start to the race.

Race 2: 
P 1   I. Lecuona   34’02.443
P 2   N. Bulega   + 8.590
P 3   Y. Montella   + 12.724
…
P 7   L. Baldassarri    + 21.405

Today, a podium pace was once again within reach; in the second half of the race, the yellow Ducati was among the fastest on track—the only bike, alongside the two factory Reds, to keep high-28/low-29 lap times right up to the finish line. Moreover, Lorenzo never gave up; it would have been easy to lose control while bouncing back in the pack with riders to overtake ahead, yet he managed to secure the points needed to defend sixth place in the Championship. A total of 23 points for the weekend—finally, an Italian race that gives us reason to smile!

Lorenzo Baldassarri (Rider): 
“All sorts of things happened today; in the Superpole Race, I made contact with Gerloff and we both crashed. It’s a shame because I felt I had much more pace, and by my point of views it didn’t make sense to close hardly the line on lap 1, that was a last lap move. Starting from the middle of the pack in Race 2, I didn’t have a good feeling with the rear tyre; for a moment I thought there was a problem, but then I refocused. I didn’t give up, and I found my rhythm; I overtook everyone and could see I was really fast, though I didn’t want to override. Towards the end of the race, I managed things in a old style way—using the throttle—because grip was really low. On one hand, it’s a pity, because today we could easily have fought for the podium—perhaps even more so than yesterday—but we lost that chance at the start of the race. That’s the area where we need to improve, and we’ll all give 100% to make it happen. Now I’m looking forward to the final two races and bringing home some good results before the winter break. I want to thank all the fans and the guests—both mine and the team’s—who came here to Cremona; you showed me so much affection, and I hope I put on a good show for you!”

Denis Sacchetti (Team Manager): 
“All in all, it was a positive weekend for us; it was our home race, and we wanted to perform well in front of the crowd and the guests who came to support us. Balda was a bit unlucky in today’s Superpole Race; slight contact sent him on the ground, and he couldn’t save the bike. We know that starting from the back is a problem, and overtaking here at Cremona is even harder than on other tracks. However, I liked his reaction; making another mistake would have been costly, but instead, he fought hard and achieved the best possible result. We are in a good position in the championship, and I’m keen to finish in the top six. He was also really fast towards the end—half a second a lap quicker than the podium finishers. We’re leaving with a fourth and a seventh place—results that perhaps don’t fully reflect our potential—but we recognize that it’s still a positive outcome on a track that doesn’t particularly suit Balda’s style!”