Big step forward on Sunday at Donington Park. The changes made after Race 1 gave positive feedbacks, making the bike more agile when changing direction and improving acceleration. Superpole Race and Race 2 saw Andrea come back with a strong pace, with overtaking and hard brakings. Unfortunately, towards the seventh/eighth lap, his right arm locked up, due to an arm pump, and three laps later he was forced to retire, abandoning the pursuit of the Top 6.
The Warm Up immediately gave a positive feeling; Once he came to the box, confirmed the progress made, so much so that he almost repeated his best lap of the weekend on used race tyres.
Warm Up:
P 1 T. Razgatlioglu 1’25.582
P 2 A. Lowes + 0.586
P 3 A. Locatelli + 0.634
…
P 11 A. Iannone + 1.265
In the Superpole Race Andrea showed grit and determination. After a complicated first corner with some contacts, he started a spectacular comeback. One overtake per lap on average, sometimes even “taking” two opponents into the same corner. Once he closed with the group fighting for the Top 9 and the grid reversal, we missed a lap to complete the attacks and gain four rows for Race 2. Tenth place, but the motivation and shown upon returning to the pits underline that it could be possible to achieve a good result in the afternoon, too.
P 1 T. Razgatlioglu 14’23.681
P 2 N. Bulega + 4.826
P 3 J. Rea + 6.526
…
P 10 A. Iannone + 12.828
The start of Race 2 gave further strength and motivation to the rider from Vasto. Three positions gained and two more overtakings during the first lap. Nice exchange of position with Bassani and Van der Mark, then with the track clear he set a pace in the high 26s, similar to the fight for the podium, closing the gap on the group fighting for sixth position. Behind the two GRTs, he tried the attack on Aegerter first at the Fogarty Esses, then in turn 1. There suddenly Iannone felt strong pain in his right forearm, which then was completely blocked in the subsequent laps. He tried to resist, but had to give up; upon returning to the pits he couldn’t take his hand off the handlebars and his arm was very swollen and full of fluid. It’s a shame because the Top 6 was within reach, but the most important thing is to have found again the feeling with the Panigale.
Race 2:
P 1 T. Razgatlioglu 33’11.699
P 2 N. Bulega + 8.062
P 3 A. Lowes + 10.026
…
DNF A. Iannone
Next weekend we will race in Most, Czech Republic. In these three days of break, recovering energy will be very important, in the hope that the physical problem does not return. The arm pump came suddenly. Furthermore, Round 06 takes place on a new track for Andrea, recently included in the calendar, where he will have to take references again. Starting from the positive aspects of this weekend, on the road to Most morale remains high, aware of Go Eleven’s potential!
Andrea Iannone (Rider): “It was a very though Race 2, right from the start I felt pain in my right forearm which then eventually locked up and forced me to retire. I no longer had the strength in my hands and fingers to be able to push on the brake lever. It has never happened, but this time unfortunately I wasn’t able to continue. I’m sorry because in Race 2 I overtook many riders and I was recovering with an excellent pace. I would like to thank Ducati and the Go Eleven for the commitment shown and the progress made, I felt better on the bike today than yesterday. I know we didn’t reach our target but I’m confident and sure that we will be competitive again at Most.”
 Grande passo avanti nella domenica di Donington Park. Le modifiche effettuate dopo Gara 1 hanno dato i loro frutti, rendendo la moto più agile nei cambi di direzione e ne hanno migliorato l'accelerazione. Superpole race e Gara 2 hanno visto Andrea recuperare con un ritmo indemoniato, a suon di sorpassi e staccate. Purtroppo verso il settimo/ottavo giro, il braccio destro si è bloccato, a causa di un arm pump, e tre giri dopo è stato costretto al ritiro, abbandonando l'inseguimento alla Top 6.){kind=link}