Incredible performance in Race 2, finally in “dry” conditions, Andrea Iannone rode his Team Go Eleven V4-R, coming back from eleventh position to fight for the podium, finishing fourth, best Independent rider. A weekend with a difficult start due to the weather and inexperience on the circuit, twisted to a completely positive result at the very end!
The day in Assen begins with a wet Warm Up, not useful in terms of ranking, in which the rider from Vasto completed a few laps with the Rain, to carry out a general check of the bike following the crash in Race 1. Everything ok, just waiting for the track to dry by 11.00.
The Superpole Race was a strange race, unlucky for Go Eleven from the first laps. Already on the second lap the rear qualifying tyre, chosen by the whole grid, suffered an unexpected and sudden drop, making the Panigale completely unrideable. Andrea completed the race, but was unable to fight. In the long turns to the right, he was almost unable to put his knee on the ground, proving how hard he was riding. The data is still being analyzed to better understand what happened.
SP Race:
P 1 A. Bautista 15’53.996
P 2 N. Bulega + 2.686
P 3 A. Lowes + 7.403
…
P 15 A. Iannone + 21.202
Race 2 proved to be a real turning point in a weekend that had previously been negative in terms of results. Incredible comeback, starting from the fourth row, Andrea immediately managed to get into the leading group, fighting with Van der Mark, Locatelli, Rea and Lowes. The Dutchman was hard in the fight, handing overtaking back to the number 29 for a couple of laps. Towards the last 7/8 laps, the riders started to see some drops appear on the visor which created further tension. At that time, the Ducati Go Eleven was one of the fastest bikes on the track. As the asphalt dried, the first three riders took a slight gap, Iannone completed the race by defending fourth position. He is Best Independent under the checkered flag.
P 1 T. Razgatlioglu 33’29.448
P 2 A. Bautista + 0.625
P 3 R. Gardner + 1.022
P 4 A. Iannone + 3.120
The next scheduled race is in Misano, June 14-16, home race, in what will be a warm welcome for the return of the number 29 to the track. The long break, however, will see two very important tests at the end of May; first Cremona, where we will have to evaluate a new track for everyone, then Misano, to be one hundred percent ready for the most awaited stage of the year!
Andrea Iannone (Rider): “It was a difficult race for everyone due to the lack of test on the dry done previously and the weather which was truly unpredictable and constantly changing. For us, added to this difficulty was the total inexperience on the Assen circuit, everything was new, to be discovered minute by minute, including the set up of the bike and the set up of the electronics. The balance of the weekend is still positive despite yesterday’s mistake, it helped us to be more aware and prepared. We ended the Dutch Round with a good feeling. In race two we managed to confirm our competitiveness and our speed, fighting until the end for the podium, staying very close to the riders of the official teams, gaining further experience. And taking home a good fourth place. We will continue to work in the coming weeks to improve and try to get better results. Let’s see in Misano.”
 Nuovo giorno ad Assen, stesse identiche condizioni del venerdì di pioggia e sole in alternanza fin dal mattino, con condizioni del tracciato miste sia durante la qualifica che in Gara 1. Purtroppo una caduta nel primo settore mentre si trovava in scia ad Alvaro Bautista, in lotta con il gruppo di testa, ha spento le speranze del pilota numero 29. ){kind=link}