A complicated day, this Saturday in Assen for the Pata Go Eleven Team and Andrea Iannone; double crash during the day, a heavy one at the end of qualifying, which forced the guys to work overtime, putting the second bike on the track for Race 1. Zero points, now it is essential to reset to restart with the two opportunities tomorrow.
In FP 3 the number 29 restarted with the used rear tyre, showing a good pace and approving the changes made between Friday and Saturday. Very cold temperatures, around 10 degrees of asphalt, which made the session not very useful for the rest of the day. Last stint with the SCQ, to test it with a view to Superpole, Andrea goes below the 34, but is unable to fully exploit the fourth sector.
Free Practice 3:
P 1 A. Locatelli 1.33.359
P 2 N. Bulega + 0.007
P 3 D. Petrucci + 0.161
…
P 9 A. Iannone + 0.598
Qualifying was the session that changed the fate of Saturday in Assen; solid first attempt, all the riders are within a few hundredths, but the 29 was able to obtain the seventh place momentarily. Second Q tyre, a small problem slows Andrea, who tries to finish the lap anyway, but can do nothing but defend the tenth final place; not the hoped result, but still a position that does not compromise the races. On the very last lap at turn 7, after the practice start, the rider from Vasto loses control of the Ducati Panigale V4R, falling at high speed. The bike goes high and the damage is extensive, not repairable in a few hours, so much so that the second bike is used for Race 1. Rider ok, despite the big scrape on the asphalt.
Superpole:
P 1 S. Lowes 1.32.596
P 2 N. Bulega + 0.164
P 3 T. Razgatlioglu + 0.219
…
P 10 A. Iannone + 0.676
Starting a race after such a heavy crash, and also with the spare bike, is never easy. After a promising start, where he manages to recover some positions, Andrea makes a couple of mistakes in the first and last sector, which lead him to take a few tenths of a gap from Van der Mark in front of him. On the seventh lap, while he is fighting for the final Top 5 (considering the final standing), he loses the front in turn 4 and is forced to end the race early. The feeling between the two bikes is never the same, but the first laps seemed promising, which can be positive in view of tomorrow.
P 1 N. Bulega 33’39.732
P 2 A. Locatelli + 7.801
P 3 D. Petrucci + 14.827
…
DNF A. Iannone
A heavy zero, which does not repay the work done in the garage to get the bike back on track, and above all because a Top 5 result was within reach. Now we must put this day aside and forget it as soon as possible, think about Sunday and take advantage of the two opportunities that Superbike offers; double race tomorrow, double chance to redeem today’s result!
Andrea Iannone (Rider): “A complicated day for us here in Assen; this morning I had a good pace with used tyres, then in Superpole, in the second attempt I had a problem, I tried to push and try to improve my time anyway, but I didn’t succeed, so I started tenth. With a few hundredths better I could have improved at least one row, then unfortunately on the re-entry lap I crashed heavily in turn 7. In the race I had to start with the second bike, but I didn’t have a great feeling and I lose the front in turn 4. I’m sorry for not taking points, I’ll give my all tomorrow to finish positively. I want to thank the whole team anyway, because they worked hard to get me back on track.”
 Nel Sabato di Phillip Island le temperature sono cambiate drasticamente rispetto ai giorni precedenti; caldo e asfalto intorno ai 55 gradi hanno condizionato le prestazioni. Giornata a due facce per il team Go Eleven; terzi in Superpole, in prima fila, poi in Gara un problema tecnico unito ad una prima gomma posteriore che non ha lavorato perfettamente hanno costretto Andrea a lottare per le posizioni fuori dal podio. Dispiace, visto il weekend positivo finora, ma il numero 29 non ha mollato ed ha conquistato punti importanti nonostante i secondi persi nel primo stint di gara. Flag-to-flag perfetto in casa Go Eleven, riuscendo a recuperare ben tre posizioni. ){kind=link}