Fourth place in FP1 at Estoril for Andrea Iannone and Team Go Eleven

The final standings from Friday’s Estoril session don’t really show the potential of Andrea Iannone and Team Pata Go Eleven; after an encouraging morning session, the #29 rider missed out on the best lap in FP2 due to a small mistake at Turn 6; his ideal time of 1:36.3 would have placed him in the top three. The speed is there, the pace is there, but the pieces need to be put together.

In FP1, Andrea immediately found a good feeling with the Portuguese track; he rode in 36 after the first laps, then improved a few more tenths towards the middle of the session, consistently staying among the top positions. The yellow Ducati performed very competitively and consistently in the second and fourth sectors, although it conceded a few tenths in T1 and T3. Fourth place and a good pace below 37. There’s still some electronic work to do on corner entry.

Free Practice 1: 
P 1    T. Razgatlioglu    1.36.054
P 2    N. Bulega  + 0.226
P 3    A. Lowes   + 0.566
P 4    A. Iannone   + 0.577

For FP2, temperatures rise significantly, with the asphalt reaching 40 degrees, causing a drop in grip and traction difficulties. Andrea’s sectors are reversed compared to the morning, with him being very fast in the first and second sectors, then losing a few tenths in the final section of the track. Entrance of the corner improved, but the Ducati V4R still felt nervous on corner exits. With the tyre change, all the other riders improved significantly. Andrea rode an incredible first sector, in line with Bulega, keeping then gap in the second, then went wide at Turn 6 and had to close the throttle. The new front compound still hasn’t convinced, but he’ll have to test it again tomorrow. It’s a shame because he would have been able to finish in the top three, but the positive aspect remains together with the knowledge that he has speed and a good race pace.

Free Practice 2:
P 1   N. Bulega   1.35.778
P 2   T. Razgatlioglu  + 0.232
P 3   A. Lowes  + 0.570
…
P 12   A. Iannone   + 0.951

Overall solid and positive day, but there are a few things to work on, both in terms of electronics, geometry and bike length. The goal for tomorrow is to get on the first two rows; the opportunity will be there, we must seize it!

Andrea Iannone (Rider): 

“Friday was a positive overall experience. Today, I immediately felt comfortable with the Estoril track. We have a good pace, but unfortunately we didn’t find the perfect lap in the afternoon, the ideal time says we could have been in the top four. The time doesn’t matter today; we need to get all the correct electronics settings for tomorrow, especially on corner exit, to make the bike repeatable. Let’s try to have a good qualifying session, which will be crucial for the weekend!”

Best Independent Team on Saturday at Estoril

Eighth place in Race 1 for Team Pata Go Eleven and Andrea Iannone; Best Independent at the end of 20 tight laps, coming back to the group battling for fourth place, tenth after tenth, but lacking the momentum to overtake. The race was slightly penalized by a not perfect qualifying session, but it was still a good performance that provides important data for tomorrow.

In FP3, Andrea tested the new Pirelli front solution, called the 672, achieving good times and feeling, with less movement and greater stability. The lack of grip, however, remained a key issue, slightly improving compared to Friday. In a final stint on the qualifying tyre to get ready for Superpole, the #29 rider dropped below the 36th position, with a time of 1:35.625, just a few hundredths outside the top three.

Free Practice 3: 
P 1    T. Razgatlioglu   1.35.202
P 2    S. Lowes   + 0.358
P 3    R. Gardner   + 0.368
…
P 6   A. Iannone   + 0.425

Superpole didn’t go according to plan; a positive first outing, an excellent first sector, then Iannone held his own in the second half of the track, finishing tenth, exactly two tenths off third place. It was a very tight qualifying session where every thousandth of a second can make a difference. His second attempt improved only in the second sector, but overall, he repeated the 35.6 of the first stint. Tenth place was expected, although a fourth row start didn’t completely compromise the race.

Superpole:
P 1   T. Razgatlioglu  1.34.203
P 2   N. Bulega   + 0.346
P 3   A. Bautista   + 0.960
…
P 10   A. Iannone   + 1.426

Race 1 starts with a dramatic turn of events. Right behind Andrea, who narrowly escapes, happened a big crash, with several riders down. The red flag comes out and new start of start; #29’s second start is better than his first, taking ninth place and chasing the pack battling for fourth. Tenth after tenth, he climbs back up, catching up with Vierge, and attempts an attack between turns one and two in the finale, but couldn’t get a good line. Eighth place is the final result, a decent race, but something is still lacking on corner exit and braking, especially in the fourth sector.

Race 1:
P 1   T. Razgatlioglu   32’07.301
P 2    N. Bulega  + 1.948
P 3    A. Bautista   + 14.729
…
P 8    A. Iannone   + 19.614

Best Independent today, knowing that starting further up the field would probably have led to a top five finish. Andrea came back several seconds, closing the gap, but here at Estoril, overtaking isn’t easy. Tonight, we need to find a solution to what we’ve been looking for all weekend: greater traction and a less nervous bike. The starting point isn’t bad, let’s see if we can make that step forward to fight in the pack!

Andrea Iannone (Rider): 

“I’m not too happy with Race 1. We weren’t able to exploit our full potential, but unfortunately we’re struggling to stop the bike and in some accelerations. We’re lacking rear grip. This makes it difficult to both overtake and definitively close the gap. We’ve been chasing this problem all weekend, but I hope that tomorrow we can find a solution to fight further up the field. We’re taking home an eighth place, but I know we can do better. Today I saw the podium up front and it wasn’t far away. The goal is to get even closer.”

Denis Sacchetti (Team Manager):

“Today we expected to be more competitive throughout the day. We finished eighth, which isn’t a bad result considering the close gap to the podium, but we’re having the same problems as the first day without being able to completely fix them. Our pace was to be in the top five, and unfortunately qualifying didn’t help us much either. We have a few ideas for tomorrow. Andrea wasn’t able to overtake, but he managed his tyres well and recovered towards the end. Best Independent is always nice, but here we have the potential to do better!”

P5 in Superpole and Best Independent Team in Race 2

Sunday began with an encouraging Superpole Race, climbing to fifth place with two amazing overtakes at Turn 6; in Race 2, unfortunately, the result was influenced by a jump start and consequent double long lap. A good comeback in the finale to secure Best Independent, but a top-five finish was in the hands.

In the warm-up, the usual check was made to ensure everything on the Ducati was in order and working perfectly ahead of the races. Minor electronics and setup changes confirmed!

Warm Up:
P 1   T. Razgatlioglu   1.35.033
P 2   N. Bulega  + 0.416
P 3   A. Bautista  + 0.711
…
P 12   A. Iannone   + 1.472

In the Superpole Race, the #29 rider immediately gained a position on Bassani, slipping into Gardner’s slipstream. Between laps four and five, he set two 35.9s, closing the gap on the Australian. On lap six, Andrea came into action; an overtake in Turn 6 secured eighth place, then the following lap he made the same move on Vierge. Thanks to two crashes in the group battling for the podium, the Go Eleven rider took fifth place. On the final lap, he closed on Locatelli, but was a few tenths short of attempting an attack. A great race, he finished one second off the podium and two rows got for Race 2!

Superpole Race:
P 1   T. Razgatlioglu   15’57.401
P 2   N. Bulega   + 0.545
P 3   A. Bautista   +  8.942
P 4   A. Locatelli   + 10.060
P 5   A. Iannone   + 10.122

Race 2 was compromised at the start, with a clear jump start, resulting in a penalty; further to this, Andrea went a bit wide in Turn 1, too. Overall, we’re talking about a loss of about 6-7 seconds. From the battle for the podium to P17; a shame, because in the early laps Andrea had managed to battle with Toprak and Alvaro, easily defending the top five and aiming for something more. Good pace in the finale, clinching Best Independent, passing Vickers for twelfth place. In the last stages of the race, the Vasto-born rider also suffered significantly the drop of the front tyre.

Race 2:
P 1   N. Bulega    33’40.088
P 2   T. Razgatlioglu  + 4.868
P 3   A. Bautista   + 15.331
…
P 12   A. Iannone   + 31.657

A light and shadow Sunday to end a positive weekend in terms of performance and speed; the team worked well, growing and improving the bike between Saturday and Sunday. There’s a bitter taste in mouths for missing out on the podium battle in Race 2, but the main thing is to prove competitive and fight at the front all weekend!

Andrea Iannone (Rider): 

“We got off to a good start this morning, and we had a great Superpole Race, climbing from tenth to fifth with some nice moves. Today we sorted out a bit of what we were looking for yesterday, but I still wasn’t completely comfortable on the bike. Unfortunately, I started early in Race 2, even though I didn’t gain anything, but that led to the double long lap. I had fun battling with Toprak and Alvaro in the early laps; we could have had a good race, even though I struggled a lot with the front drop towards the end. We’re moving on to Jerez, where I hope to finish the season on a high!”

Denis Sacchetti (Team Manager):

“We got off to a good start today, and between Saturday and Sunday we did a good job and gained a few tenths. In the Superpole Race, Andrea managed to make a comeback and finish fifth, which is also great for a second row start for Race 2. Unfortunately, a jump start in the afternoon compromised the race. This time it was a clear one, certainly a fraction of a second, and Andrea felt he could have had a big chance, but with the double long lap, the race was over. We managed to take home the best independent, even though we could have finished much higher. I’m happy with the team’s work here in Estoril, and we’ll move on to Jerez for the great season finale!”