In the top 6 at the end of Friday

The first day of school is behind us; Friday at Phillip Island is a special moment. In the two minutes before the green light, the paddock become quiet and tension rises for the official start of the WorldSBK Championship. And what a start for the Go Eleven team! Sixth place overall, fifth in the afternoon session, a lot of work done on used tyres and a fully completed program.

In FP1, the goal was to accumulate laps to get ready for the end of the race; two stints of over ten laps each, the best time came on lap 20, despite a mistake in the second sector. Two tenths better than the ideal time, which would have guaranteed a further step forward in the standings. Breaking the ice of the first session on his return to WorldSBK with a sixth-place finish means an excellent session for the Italian rider.

Free Practice 1: 
P 1   N. Bulega   1.28.858
P 2   S. Lowes   + 0.524
P 3   A. Bassani    + 0.689
…
P 6   L. Baldassarri   + 0.811

In FP2, the team made a comparison between the two rear tyres available for the race. “Balda” found little difference between the 922 and the 829, managing to repeat similar times with a consistent performance; the more laps passed, the faster the tyre became. He struggled to find the right speed in the first two sectors, but in the second half of the track, he consistently placed himself among the best riders. A final setup change, the magic touch of the final ten minutes, allowed the number 34 to close the gap to Bulega, getting a 1.29.484, just a few thousandths of a second off third place. But above all, Baldassarri showed a lot of confidence in braking.

Free Practice 2: 
P 1   N. Bulega   1.29.101
P 2   A. Lowes   + 0.253
P 3   A. Bassani   + 0.367
P 4   A. Bautista   + 0.381
P 5   L. Baldassarri   + 0.383

Saturday at Phillip Island will be a very “close” day in terms of gaps, down to the last hundredth of a second, making the difference between starting ahead or behind. Tension is rising…but finally, we’ve reached the first Race Day of the 2026 season!

Lorenzo Baldassarri (Rider): 
“Today was a great day for us. We confirmed the speed of the test, completing our whole work program without problems. We improved every session, step by step. I think we have the right speed, especially in the race. I worked a lot on used tyres and I want to try to fight for the top positions. Now, however, we have to stay focused. We’re all very close, and qualifying will be very tight. Tonight I’ll try to understand the last things from the data, then I can’t wait to close my visor for Race 1!”

P3 for the first race with a thrilling finale

Balda took the podium in the first race of the season, at Phillip Island!

What Else?

Saturday morning began under cloudy skies, with cooler temperatures slightly challenging the yellow Ducati’s setup. A time attack attempt with the qualifying tyre (a derivative of the zero tyre for Round 01) showed in 1.29.0, but the feeling wasn’t the best. He still completed the lap alone, just a few tenths of a second off the top five.

Free Practice 3: 
P 1   N. Bulega   1.28.273
P 2   S. Lowes   + 0.302
P 3   A. Bassani    + 0.449
…
P 12   L. Baldassarri   + 0.767

In Superpole, the strategy was simple: find a good reference slipstream and get the first three rows. No sooner said than done; slipstreaming here on the island could give a couple of tenths, but Balda manages to take just a small advantage of Bulega. Seventh place, just a few thousandths off the second row. It’s a shame about the traffic on the third fast lap, where he could have improved in the fourth sector. Goal fully achieved, and a great qualifying!

Superpole: 
P 1   N. Bulega   1.28.244
P 2   Y. Montella   + 0.419
P 3   S. Lowes   + 0.485
…
P 7   L. Baldassarri   + 0.947

In Race 1, Balda started with one goal: full attack mode! No tyre management and full throttle from the first lap, confident he had shown a good pace even on used tyres. In the first three laps, he made spectacular overtakes, taking the lead of the group battling for the podium; Bassani and the Lowes twins have all been overtaken at Turn 1. He set his pace between 29.5 and 29 high, opening up a gap on the group behind. The final five laps were a different story: Bassani fought back, but the Go Eleven rider struggled with his left rear, but he didn’t give up. He defended himself, fought, and finished third by just 36 thousandths. 36 thousandths that made history; it was Balda’s first WorldSBK podium, and a great satisfaction for the whole Go Eleven Team!

Race 1: 
P 1   N. Bulega   32’56.857
P 2   Y. Montella   + 4.776
P 3   L. Baldassarri   + 6.147

A perfect weekend so far, but there’s still one more day to go, and the weather looks rather unstable for the Australian Sunday. Stay focused until tomorrow evening, then it’ll be time to celebrate, because no one can take this podium out of our hands!

Lorenzo Baldassarri (Rider): 
“I’m on the podium, my first podium in WorldSBK, in my debut race! It’s unbelievable to think that it’s my first time riding a Ducati here. We have fun with the team, there’s a great atmosphere, and today we were really strong. I pushed from the first lap, I felt good and was trying to recover to second place, but in the last five laps I had no more. I almost crashed several times at the end, my tyres were destroyed, but I gritted my teeth, I wanted the podium at any costs. And so it was. I want to thank everyone who believed in me, who is supporting me even in the difficult times, and the team that is working so hard. I can’t wait to get back on the bike tomorrow, we still have something to say about this spectacular track!”

Denis Sacchetti (Team Manager): 
“If you had told me a month ago that we’d be on the podium in Australia, I wouldn’t have believed it. Not because I didn’t believe in Balda, but simply because we didn’t have the chance to test over the winter due to bad weather, and Lorenzo arrived here knowing very little about this bike and these tyres. We had no idea what our potential would really be; however, his working method and his intelligence in working in the garage with the guys and on himself allowed him to quickly understand how to ride this Ducati. The guys in the garage gave him what he needed, and today he made us have fun. It’s a double satisfaction for us, and today we’re enjoying it to the fullest. I lost a few years in the final laps, but I can only congratulate him and keep him fired up for tomorrow!”

The weather takes a turn for Sunday’s races

Rain didn’t have to come this weekend! But after a crazy, almost unpredictable Sunday, with heavy rain, a half-and-half track, Baldassarri and Team Go Eleven emerged quite well, finishing eighth in the Superpole Race and ninth in Race 2, conditioned by an extremely close jump start. A podium finish on their debut, positions defended in mixed conditions, and fast in the wet; it means going back to Italy in fourth place in the World Championship!

The Warm Up was held in dry conditions after the overnight rain, with decidedly cooler conditions and little wind on the track. The feeling was good, and a small set-up adaptation on the rear approved.

Warm Up: 
P 1   S. Lowes   1.28.858
P 2   N. Bulega   + 0.003
P 3   A. Lowes    + 0.249
…
P 7   L. Baldassarri   + 0.558

For the Superpole Race, the track was dry, but from the first lap onward, drops of rain came. Balda started well, but a mistake in Turn Six opened the gap with the front group. His pace was good, and he was trying to climb back, but he couldn’t keep a clean and precise pace throughout the laps. Furthermore, riding slicks for the first time on wet asphalt wasn’t easy; however, he managed the situation, and in the final laps he rode 29s again, which gave him the eighth place. Third row for Race 2 confirmed, and the minimum goal achieved!

Superpole Race: 
P 1   N. Bulega   14’56.175
P 2   A. Bassani   + 2.752
P 3   A. Lowes   + 3.563
…
P 8   L. Baldassarri   + 8.178

On the grid for Race 2, heavy rain hits Phillip Island. Everyone goes on rain tyres, and once again for the Go Eleven rider, first time racing in the wet, without any laps before. Unfortunately, at the start, number 34 makes a slight move, resulting in an automatic Double Long Lap penalty. The race seems over: five seconds lost, an eternity, but Balda doesn’t give up. He gets back, rides incredibly fast, in line with podium times, and gains 10 seconds on fourth place. He finishes just behind Oliveira, in ninth place! There’s some disappointment over missing out on a top five due to the start, but what matters is the reaction and being fast in all conditions.

Race 2: 
P 1   N. Bulega   37’21.038
P 2   A. Bassani  + 11.336
P 3   A. Bautista   + 17.790
…
P 9   L. Baldassarri   + 33.241

Sunday in Australia offered less excitement for Team Go Eleven; with dry conditions, the results would likely have been different. Today, it was easy to score a zero, be slow, or make serious mistakes; yet, with today’s points, Go Eleven and Balda goes back to Italy in fourth place in the World Championship, one point to the third place. It’s only the first round, but a World Championship podium is already in the history books.

Before this round, how many would have said it? Keep it up, Balda, it’s just the beginning of a wonderful journey!

Lorenzo Baldassarri (Rider): 
“Today, in some ways, motivated me even more than yesterday. The conditions were unusual, the weather changed frequently, and it rained heavily in Race 2. I had to manage everything directly in the race for the first time, without any practice. I made a few riding mistakes in the morning, but I didn’t know how much I could push with the slicks in the wet, but we did it. In Race 2, I had an incredible pace, catching up with my rivals quite easily. It’s a shame I threw away a result at the start. The positive thing, however, is that I didn’t give up, and we were very fast. Here at Phillip Island, I found a special feeling with this bike, which I hope to bring to Europe as well. I want to thank the team, Ducati, and all the people with me for the results achieved. I can’t wait to get back on the bike!”

Denis Sacchetti (Team Manager): 
“The weather changed our plans a bit today, which is a shame, because we found something more for the dry during the warm-up. However, I’m really satisfied with the work done this Sunday, both by the team and our rider. Balda proved to be competitive in all conditions, which wasn’t easy, considering his inexperience with this bike. Now we’ll definitely be more prepared for the various situations that will come in the next races. Of course, I’m disappointed about the penalty, because it was almost nothing and didn’t bring us any advantage, while the time lost in the long laps is eternal. However, today I know that fourth or fifth place would have been worth it, and, combined with yesterday’s podium, I’d say that for a debut, it was difficult to expect more, and we should be more than happy about it. The guys in the garage are working well and harmoniously, let’s keep it up!”