Friday at Donington Park – Top 7 for Baldassarri

It was a positive Friday for Team Go Eleven and Lorenzo Baldassarri at Donington Park; they completed many laps on used tyres, enjoyed a good feeling on the bike, and improved the set-up with every outing. They finished in seventh place, four-tenths of a second to third place.

In FP1, Balda immediately felt comfortable on the bike and set some very fast sector times, though he never quite managed to put together the perfect lap. He faced some challenges in the first and third sectors but improved in both areas as the session progressed. His best lap came on the sixteenth lap, specially thanks to a superb final sector that ranked among the fastest on the track.

Free Practice 1: 
P 1   N. Bulega   1.25.780
P 2   I. Lecuona   + 0.085
P 3   S. Lowes    + 0.156
P 4   A. Lowes   + 0.232
P 5   L. Baldassarri   + 0.324

During FP2, the Donington Park track surface heated up further, reaching temperatures of around 50°C. Rider number 34 built on the morning’s work, confirming the set-up changes made to the front. On fresh compound, he immediately improved his FP1 best lap by a few hundredths of a second; he then settled into a solid pace in the low 1:26 range, improving his performance across the first sector of the track. During a the stop, the mechanics made an adjustment that seemed to provide immediate positive feedback, despite a quite important tyre drop. The rear slides for which Donington is famous are spectacular, though they increase the rear tyre temperature. There was no tyre change in the closing stages, as the team focused on race preparation.

Free Practice 2: 
P 1   N. Bulega    1.25.460
P 2   Y. Montella   + 0.207
P 3    I. Lecuona   + 0.250
…
P 7   L. Baldassarri   + 0.665

On Saturday morning, the focus will shift to chasing performance and using qualifying tyres; the gaps here at Donington are very tight, so explosiveness will be key to starting at the front.

Lorenzo Baldassarri (Rider): 
“I’m happy with how the weekend has started; we’ve worked well and managed to prepare for the races. I’m confident—there are still areas for improvement, and a thorough analysis and data comparison await us tonight—but I think I can fight for the top five and maybe for the podium. I feel competitive, and I know we still have a few tenths to put down on track. Now we’ll get to work, rest up, and come back fighting tomorrow!”

A great comeback to get into the top 6 for Team Go Eleven

Looking at the standings, it might seem like a quiet day for Team Go Eleven and Lorenzo Baldassarri—sixth in qualifying and sixth in Race 1—but in reality, tension was high from the very start of the day. He faced some difficulty finding the right pace in FP3, then managed to overcome the challenges posed by yellow flags in qualifying, and finally had to fight his way back up the field after a difficult start to the race. Rider number 34 battled hard and came out on top, securing the best possible result.

During FP3, Team Go Eleven tested the qualifying tyre over a ten-lap run with the Superpole Race in mind. He set a best time of 1:25.666—half a second faster than on Day 1—though he was still a few tenths off a spot in the top five.

Free Practice 3: 
P 1   S. Lowes   1.24.756
P 2   Y. Montella   + 0.202
P 3   I. Lecuona    + 0.369
…
P 11    L. Baldassarri   + 0.910

In qualifying, the Italian rider saved the weekend at the very end. His first attempt was solid, but running wide at Turn 8 forced him to abort the lap, and a yellow flag then wiped out his second time attack. Fresh tyres, same story—yellow flag, lap cancelled—but Balda went all out on his third attempt. He held his own pace in the first two sectors, attacked and improved in the third and fourth, and crossed the line in sixth place. It was a great result and an excellent handling of a tricky situation that could have ruined his weekend. He secured a spot on the second row—an excellent position for Race 1.

Superpole: 
P 1   N. Bulega   1.24.410
P 2   I. Lecuona    + 0.052
P 3   Y. Montella     + 0.198
…
P 6    L. Baldassarri   + 0.904

In Race 1, the start complicated Balda’s plans; he released the clutch too quickly, causing the Ducati V4RS to wheelie, and the number 34 rider lost a couple of positions, dropping to tenth. From there, he began a comeback filled with overtaking moves and spectacular action—especially at Turn 4—overtaking Bassani first, then Oliveira and Vierge, and finally Alex Lowes after a twelve-lap chase. His initial attack on the British Bimota rider at the Turn 11 hairpin was a heart-stopping moment, with the bike sliding sideways; he then completed the move on the following lap, once again between Turn 3 and Turn 4.

Race 1: 
P 1   I. Lecuona   32’58.594
P 2   N. Bulega   + 0.165
P 3   Y. Montella    + 6.711
…
P 6   L. Baldassarri   + 16.830

It was a positive day for Team Go Eleven and Lorenzo Baldassarri; both managed to overcome the day’s challenges and secure a solid Saturday at Donington Park. Furthermore, after several races without scoring, it was crucial to get back to earning points for the standings, despite the track not being ideally suited to rider 34 on paper. Tomorrow, a small step forward is needed to fight for a spot in the top five!

Lorenzo Baldassarri (Rider): 
“I’m happy with how the day went. Qualifying was tough because I had my best lap cancelled twice due to yellow flags, leaving me in last place with just few seconds remaining; however, I bounced back well and secured a solid sixth place. I had good pace in the race—not quite enough for the podium, but still fast—though it was a shame about the start, where I lost a lot of ground. That said, I think the team and I have found a solution for that. I stayed calm despite losing positions, and lap by lap I fought my way back up and overtook my rivals without making any mistakes. I even had some fun battling with Lowes! We’re struggling a bit with rear grip, but we’ll look to make some improvements tomorrow. The main thing was being fast here at Donington, and we’re on the right way.”

Denis Sacchetti (Team Manager): 
“I was really tense during qualifying today; we were close to starting last, but Balda did a great job reacting, even though his tyres were already quite worn. I’d like to take this opportunity to say, once again, that the rule regarding lap cancellation under yellow flags needs to be reviewed; the risk of starting at the back due to other riders’ mistakes is high, and it isn’t fair. As for the race, after a slow start, it was crucial to avoid errors and fight our way back up using our own pace, getting back to scoring tons of points. Sixth place brings us closer to some of the rivals ahead of us, so it was a positive day. Tomorrow, we’ll look to give Balda what he needs to be faster, and see where we can fight for!”

A double comeback after two complicated starts on Sunday

Two difficult starts and two races spent fighting back through the field marked Balda’s Sunday at Donington Park. He finished sixth and eighth, wrapping up a weekend with solid points in the bag, though there was a hint of regret regarding Race 2, where the pace wasn’t among the fastest.

For Sunday’s action, the team made little adjustments to the front and rear settings in search of better tyre grip; Baldassarri appreciated the changes to some extent, as he showed significant improvement in the third sector.

Warm Up: 
P 1   N. Bulega   1.25.052
P 2   I. Lecuona   + 0.142
P 3   S. Lowes   + 0.201
…
P 8   L. Baldassarri   + 0.956

In the Superpole Race, Balda got off to a good start but came under attack during the opening sequence of corners, losing a few positions. He settled into a fast pace, in the high 1:25 range, and kept improving, eventually managing to attack and overtake Bridewell at Turn 1 with a brilliant move from the outside, followed by a pass on Vierge at Turn 11, securing sixth place at the finish line. A great race—position defended!

Superpole Race: 
P 1   N. Bulega   14’16.787
P 2   Y. Montella    + 1.581
P 3   S. Lowes    + 3.346
…
P 6   L. Baldassarri    + 6.664

Team Go Eleven’s Race 2 was partly compromised at the start—the true weak point of this English weekend; Lorenzo got off to a quite slow start, crossing the line in thirteenth place on the opening lap. He began his personal comeback, overtaking the BMW duo and Rea before setting his sights on Vierge. His lap times were solid but not exceptional, and Balda lacked consistency due to a front brake issue he had to contend with throughout the race. This same problem forced the number 34 rider to wait until the final laps to make his move on Vierge, whom he overtook at the penultimate corner. He successfully defended eighth place, managing the race well and securing valuable championship points.

Race 2: 
P 1   N. Bulega   32’56.440
P 2   I. Lecuona   + 4.161
P 3   Y. Montella   + 6.850
…
P 8   L. Baldassarri    + 24.748

Upon arriving at Donington, a solid, error-free weekend was needed to put recent outings behind him; the English circuit promised to be a challenge for Balda. He wrapped up a positive weekend with two sixth-place finishes and an eighth, working well and showing the right level of grit; finishing the final round before the summer break on a high note was crucial. WorldSBK is now heading into the summer break, returning to action in September at Magny-Cours, France!

Lorenzo Baldassarri (Rider): 
“I have mixed feelings today; we had a great Superpole Race—I had the pace to fight for the top five and even managed to close the gap to the group in front of me. Then, conditions changed for Race 2; the wind picked up significantly, and that perhaps caused us some trouble with tyre management. I also struggled with the front brake, which prevented us from fully realizing our potential. Still, I managed to bring home a solid result without making any mistakes, despite the difficulties. We scored a lot of points over the weekend—which was crucial for heading into the break with peace of mind—and proved competitive throughout. Now, we’ll give it our all to close the gap and get back to fighting at the front!”

Denis Sacchetti (Team Manager): 
“We needed a solid, trouble-free weekend; it was crucial for boosting team morale and giving Balda a positive energy boost before the break. We made a significant step forward this morning and came very close to the Top 5—missing it by a few tenths—though we struggled a bit in Race 2 as we lacked strong pace. Nevertheless, we held our own and secured a prestigious result that keeps us in the top seven of the World Championship standings. However, we need to work with the rider on starts and the opening laps, as that is currently our weak point, forcing us to always comeback. I want to congratulate the guys and the whole team; we’ve done a great job so far and intend to keep that momentum going after the summer break!”