SBK | GP Misano: Lorenzo Baldassarri’s seventh round of the WSBK comes to an end; strong in practice but unlucky in the race

It was a mixed bag for Lorenzo Baldassarri in the Superbike World Championship, as he had been consistently strong at Misano right from the first free practice sessions on Friday. This form was confirmed in qualifying with a fifth-fastest time of 1’32.218, just a hair’s breadth away from the front row. In Race 1, the GoEleven rider made it clear just how fit he was and how determined he was to fight for the podium. He got off to a flying start when the lights went out, caught up with the leading trio (all on Ducati Panigale V4Rs) and began setting fast lap times matching those of the front-runner. As fast as he was aggressive, he suffered a simple crash, which took him out of the running with three-quarters of the race still to go. No physical injury and no damage to the bike, but the bitterness of having left the contest too early.

His chance for redemption came in the Superpole Race, where, after a lacklustre start that saw him drop several places, Balda laid into his rivals, first winning a heated duel with Andrea Locatelli and then closing the gap on the riders ahead, finishing in fourth place. Five points and a step forward on the grid for Race 2.

The second race, however, was decidedly more unfortunate. Lorenzo suffered another difficult start, which clearly forced him to mount a comeback from the first lap, pushing his body harder and wearing out the tyres. Unfortunately, in the midst of his comeback, a technical problem arose that forced the rider to drop back to last place, from where he then resumed his climb up the field, finishing in the points.

A mixed weekend that does not detract from the positives highlighted by the rider’s performance and the team’s work, with the team well in the running for the Independents’ title. There remains the disappointment of not having capitalised on all the potential on offer, but we are confident we have what it takes to achieve some good results as early as the next races.

The standings show us in seventh place, just a handful of points behind the leaders. Apart from the relentless battle at the top, for Lorenzo Baldassarri it will be an open contest until the end of the season and there are still plenty of opportunities to turn the situation around. We can’t wait to get back on track for the next round at Donington Park, scheduled for 10–12 July.

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