De Paul Gozzi / Corsedimoto.com
Michael Rinaldi dominates both Friday sessions with Go Eleven's 2019 Ducati. The old dragons are in pursuit for now, while the serious things begin tomorrow.
Michael Rinaldi took on the Superbike on Friday and shows himself to be an absolute contender for the moment of truth... Saturday at 11 a.m., the Superpole will define a fundamental grid for the race, then at 14 p.m. the first clash of the weekend will take place, the fourth of sharpened on the relief of Motorland. The 23-year-old from Rimini was the fastest this morning, with a new tire, repeating the operation in the afternoon despite a drastic rise in temperature. With the Ducati 2019 of Go Eleven, the revelation of this season, left behind the officials, but also His Majesty Jonathan Rea, second fastest. At times, Rinaldi and the Cannibal also crossed paths on the track, the number one setting the pace for the youngster in his wake, to unlock the secrets of the magician of tire management.
Rinaldi is also fast on the beat!
With 31° air and 46° on the asphalt, Jonathan Rea simulated the entire distance of the race (18 laps), with fantastic pace. Michael Rinaldi, however, is not far away: if he manages to qualify (in first place?), the Romagnol could also aspire to something... beautiful. Don't forget that his "personal best" in the world championship so far has been a fourth place, last Saturday here at Motorland. Chaz Davies also had a 14-lap run, with times close to Rinaldi's. Scott Redding's situation is inscrutable, the Briton having completed five "runs", but all with very few laps. From a world championship perspective, Rinaldi's outburst could be another thorn for Scott Redding...
Will Bautista be able to use the SCX rubber in warmer weather?
Will the increase in temperatures, expected for Saturday and Sunday, change the maps compared to the previous weekend? Friday, as expected, was difficult to interpret. No one needed to push for an all-or-nothing lap, but everyone had to check the settings and behavior of the tires. Which, by the way, are the same solutions as before. With a track 20° warmer, to name just one, will Álvaro Bautista be able to do 18 laps on the SCX, the very soft tire which, according to Pirelli, only lasts ten laps? Thanks to this solution, the Spaniard was able, last Sunday, to bring Honda back to the podium after four years of waiting.
Toprak, where are you?
Just like in the long races, Toprak Razgatlioglu fell to sixteenth place, too suddenly to be true. In the morning, Yamaha #54 fought back. On this track, Toprak simply does not get going, and the double round risks being a nightmare and permanently removing the Turkish talent from the top of the ranking. Marco Melandri reduces the gap to the top, but remains fourteenth.
