Friday focused on race pace. P5 at end of free practice 2.

The tough conditions at Motorland Aragon caused by the slippery track and the strong wind in the afternoon caused several problems for the riders. Andrea Iannone and Team Go Eleven had an intense day of work in view of the race, without making any mistakes, proving a solid pace. The yellow Ducati #29 was always placed in the top 6 in both sessions, without ever attempting a time attack with the softer tyres.

In FP 1 it started with the bike configuration made in tests carried out here at Motorland two weeks ago. From the very beginning the asphalt conditions seemed more slippery than expected, so much so that the riders stopped about a second from the references they had during the tests. The whole session with the same pair of tyres: SC1 front and SC0 rear. Great consistency of performance, so much so that the best lap came on the eleventh lap, finally the last five times settled on the high 49.

Free Practice 1:
P 1  T. Razgatlioglu   1.49.021
P 2   G. Gerloff   + 0.465
P 3   X. Vierge   + 0.472
…
P 6   A. Iannone   + 0.823

In FP2 the goal was to test the new Pirelli evolution at the rear, the 640. This compound offers similar behavior to the classic SC0 and, as the laps went by, Iannone managed to progress, setting his best time on the fourteenth lap. The reference was more than three tenths faster compared to the morning, with an ideal time even four tenths faster, despite the rider from Vasto never managing to complete a perfect lap in all sectors. Solidity and consistency were also shown in the afternoon despite conditions that were a little different from the first part of the day, with the wind reaching 50 km/h, bothering the protagonists on the track. Fifth place in the afternoon, achieved without using the SCX, the soft tyre, shows that the work done so far is good and that the focus can be on the final details.

Free Practice 2:
P 1   G. Gerloff   1.49.017
P 2   N. Bulega   + 0.136
P 3   A. Bautista  + 0.245
P 4   D. Petrucci   + 0.251
P 5   A. Iannone   + 0.525

The rest of the weekend is expected to be even more different, with the wind expected to decrease and temperatures expected to be colder. Now there is some time to compare all the data, both today and the test, so that we are ready tomorrow morning and try to get a good Superpole!

Andrea Iannone (Rider): 

“The free practice went quite well, but I had something to improve in braking area and corner entry. We are already working to try to find some solutions and get ready for tomorrow’s race. We have to try to improve some aspects, we hope to be able to return to the level achieved during the tests to be even more competitive.”

The Maniac is back! Andrea Iannone wins at Aragon!

Unforgettable day for Andrea Iannone and Team Go Eleven: victory in Aragon in Race 1 of the WorldSBK Championship! The last and only win in WorldSBK for the Italian team Go Eleven dates back to 2020 right here in Aragon. The last win of #29 is the sensational race in Austria in 2016 aboard the Ducati MotoGP. We can say, welcome back Maniac!

The press release can be summed up: 1.49. 040, Best lap of the race on the penultimate lap, (almost) pole, race, win and finally the podium turns yellow!

Free Practice 3: 
P 1   A. Bautista   1.48.332
P 2    N. Bulega  + 0.186
P 3    T. Razgatlioglu   + 0.442
…
P 6   A. Iannone   + 0.634

Superpole:
P 1   N. Bulega  1.47.840
P 2   A. Iannone   + 0.368
P 3   A. Bautista   + 0.418

Race 1: 
P 1    A. Iannone   31’09.154
P 2    T. Razgatlioglu    + 0.845
P 3    G. Gerloff   + 1.124

Andrea Iannone (Rider): 

“I am very happy with this victory, which has a very important meaning for me, it is a personal satisfaction, a revenge after the difficult moments we have gone through. I owe a lot to all the people who have been close to me and who have welcomed me. I thank Gigi Dall’Igna, Claudio Domenicali, Paolo Ciabatti, Marco Zambenedetti, Mauro Grassilli, the whole Go Eleven team and the WorldSBK family. Having won both in MotoGP and WorldSBK is incredible. It is a special moment. This year I have achieved 4 podiums, with this 5, and 1 victory. As a first year back it was difficult to ask for more than this. Now we look with confidence and optimism to tomorrow’s races.”

Denis Sacchetti (Team Manager): 
“I still can’t describe today, I don’t have the words, it was an incredible race, which Andrea managed and won with great intelligence. Seeing him ride here in Aragon is amazing, and today even in the garage a perfect job was done, the bike was fast and Iannone rode it perfectly. It was great to see him fight with Danilo and Toprak, I can’t wait for the races to start tomorrow. On the last lap my eyes were shining, because after everything Andrea has been through in the last 4 years, today he took a satisfaction that is worth more than anything in the world, and I was excited for both him and me. I want to thank all the people who support us, our staff, the sponsors and Ducati for this Saturday!”

Best Independent Team in Race 2

Solid Sunday in Aragon for the Go Eleven team and Andrea Iannone, two fourth places at the end of two hard-fought races reward the work done at Motorland with the Best Independent of Race 2. The #29 achieved the best possible result without making any mistakes.

This morning the conditions were very different from yesterday: lower temperatures, around 10 degrees, almost no wind and very slippery asphalt. Several riders, including Andrea, preferred not to take any risks and just check the bike.

Warm Up: 
P 1   A. Lowes   1.49.124
P 2   A. Bautista   + 0.246
P 3   N. Bulega   + 0.402
…
P 13   A. Iannone   + 1.113

In the Superpole Race the start is excellent, defending the second position behind Bulega who started in Pole. In the first three laps Toprak and Bautista gets closer the yellow Ducati of Go Eleven, managing to attack the rider from Vasto. The group of four slightly opens the gap on the riders behind, but Iannone arrives slightly long in turn 1 at half race losing about a second. From then on he defends himself from the return of Gerloff, achieving the maximum possible result, fourth place. The first three had too high a pace, which would have been risky and perhaps difficult to keep; good race and start from the second row for the race session.

SP Race: 
P 1   A. Bautista  18’07.997
P 2   T. Razgatlioglu   + 0.088
P 3   N. Bulega   + 0.172
P 4   A. Iannone   + 4.691

Race 2 saw a similar script to the Superpole Race. Alvaro and Toprak set a very fast pace, around 48, impossible to follow for Andrea. The #29 first tries to chase, then settles in third position. The overtakes ignites when Gerloff attacks, facilitating Bulega’s comeback; the latter, taking advantage of a pace about two/three tenths faster, takes third position and opens a slight gap with the pursuers. In turn 1 Andrea overtakes the American BMW rider and defends the final fourth place with a very tough battle during the last lap. At the final bend Garrett tries to overtake but ends up wide and Iannone takes the Best Independent of Race 2, close to the podium. Great race, excellent consistency, really fast pace, about a second faster than yesterday per lap, a more than positive weekend for the whole team.

Race 2: 
P 1   A. Bautista   32’39.243
P 2   T. Razgatlioglu   + 3.366
P 3   N. Bulega   + 10.800
P 4   A. Iannone   + 12.338

Second on pole, fourth in the Superpole Race, fourth in Race 2 and above all the victory on Saturday make round 10 unique and special, a unique feeling that the team and the rider have been missing for a long time. There are two races left to the end of WorldSBK: next stop Estoril, Portugal from 11th to 13th October.

Andrea Iannone (Rider): 

“Today we did the best we could with the conditions we found. The lower temperatures compared to yesterday affected the performance, but I still fought for the podium until the end and I’m happy with my performance. A very positive weekend that comes at the end of a season in which there were both moments of difficulty, but also great satisfactions. After yesterday’s victory I received a lot of affection from the people around me and the fans. I’m living a dream now, I want to live and enjoy this incredible moment.”

Denis Sacchetti (Team Manager): 
“I’m satisfied with this weekend, not only for yesterday’s win, today I think we got the best possible result, both the team and Andrea gave 100% of what we had available. We are definitely ready for a good end of the season, two great tracks await us and I think we can enjoy some great races!”