Andrea Locatelli delivered a strong performance on home ground this Saturday, fighting back from P15 on the grid to seventh, at the Cremona Circuit in Round 10 of the FIM Superbike World Championship.
Saturday morning began cooler than the previous day, but as the hours passed the heat gradually took hold at the Cremona Circuit – with fans enjoying the atmosphere and passionate support ringing around the circuit.
The local rider started today’s FP3 by taking a step forward in pace from Friday. In Superpole, however, he crashed while on his last flying lap and ultimately qualified P15. Come Race 1, the #55 produced a superb start, climbing through the order and holding his form all the way to the flag to cross the line in seventh.
On the other side of the box, Vierge made a strong start to the morning – inside the top 10 in FP3 – and felt comfortable in Superpole, although he wasn’t able to put the ultimate lap together and qualified P12. He made a good getaway in the race but was forced wide after contact with another rider, leaving him with work to do to climb back towards the group battling for seventh. Unfortunately, a crash then brought his race to an early end, though he walked away unhurt.
Further action is guaranteed on Sunday, with Warm Up at 09:20 CEST, the 10-lap Superpole Race at 11:10 and Race 2 at 15:30.
FULL SUPERPOLE RESULTS
FULL RACE ONE RESULTS
Andrea Locatelli – SP: P15 / Race 1: P7
“Seventh from P15 – for sure it wasn’t easy, but I tried to do my best. After crashing at the end of qualifying, the team changed some settings and the feedback from the bike, from the very start of the race, really helped me: it gave me confidence and I could push hard. That’s a positive to take, and I’m already looking forward to tomorrow. In general I can’t be completely happy with the result, but I’m pleased we managed to fix some of the problems I had on the bike – from yesterday to this morning it improved, and in the race it looked better. We just need to keep believing and keep making steps, so let’s see what we can do tomorrow!”
Xavi Vierge – SP: P12 / Race 1: DNF
“I’m really sorry for the mistake. We gave everything, as always, to put in a good lap in qualifying, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough to start from the front rows, which we know is so important for us. Still, fourth row wasn’t too bad and I got a good start. Into the second corner a few riders ran wide, I was on the outside trying to hold my position, and I lost a lot of ground – that’s where our problems started. I tried to fight back, but it was really tough: the areas where we’re struggling, on drive and acceleration, make it hard to overtake. I was closing the gap and lining up a move on the exit of the corner when I lost the front on the way in. I feel bad for the team, but we’ll analyse everything, look at where we can improve, and come back stronger tomorrow.”
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