SBK | GP Aragón: a convincing but unfortunate weekend at Motorland for Lorenzo Baldassarri

Lorenzo Baldassarri’s weekend at Aragón got off to a very promising start. After securing a place on the second row of the grid in qualifying, the rider finished Saturday’s Race 1 in sixth place; he might well have made it onto the podium had he not been locked in a fierce battle with Tom Bridewell. It was a trend that the GoEleven rider interpreted perfectly, building on the previous rounds in Eastern Europe, where his clear improvement in performance went hand in hand with the excellent work carried out by the team on the Ducati Panigale V4R, particularly during the latest tests.

After a good start in the Superpole Race, Lorenzo took a few laps to shake off the slower riders and begin to challenge the leaders’ lap times. Having overtaken several rivals, he joined the leading group, pushing hard behind the rider in third. A series of laps at the limit characterised the final stages of the race, during which ‘il Balda’ showed he had plenty of margin to aim for the podium. Unfortunately, with one and a half laps to go, he lost grip, bringing his race to an end with a simple crash. Nothing serious, but it’s all to play for in Race 2.

Starting from tenth on the grid, he found himself in the thick of the pack at the entrance to the first corner. Here, a risky manoeuvre by Xavi Vierge resulted in a skid that cut across Lorenzo’s line, sending both riders crashing to the ground. Left stationary in the middle of the track, after a moment of shock, there were no physical consequences for the riders. Once the field had dispersed, there was just enough time to wave to the crowd and postpone the challenge until Misano. A sequence of events which, however trivial, could have had dramatic consequences.

A real shame given the build-up, not least because at Aragón – unlike in previous races – there was now a palpable sense of confidence, the result of sacrifices and all the hard work put in. An asset that will come in handy at the next round in Misano, the seventh round of the series, scheduled for 12-14 June.

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