To Michael Rinaldi, the first race of the second round of the WorldSBK Superbike world championship lasted only 10 seconds, on the Mandalika circuit in Indonesia!
However, the weekend started well for the Ducati official who set the best time in free practice in 1'32.468, before qualifying 4th in 1'32.542 behind a front row made up of the two Yamaha R1s from Toprak Razgatlioğlu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) and Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK), and the Panigale V4R ofAlvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati).
When the red lights went out, the Rimini driver got off to a good start but was unable to contain the lightning acceleration ofAxel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing), and it was by wanting to double the latter when braking for the first corner that Michael Rinaldi found himself in the role of a bowling ball, hitting the rear wheel ofAxel Bassani and missing its leader's front wheel by only a few centimeters.
Fortunately, Themis was watching, and only number 21 collapsed, unfortunately hitting his head. Medical checks did not reveal any complications and Michael Rinaldi will be back on track tomorrow.
Michael Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati n°21): “ I'm sorry for this fall, especially because I couldn't imagine how things would turn out. Performing such a maneuver in the first corner was not a good decision. Given the way the race went, I think we could have fought for the podium, so my disappointment is twofold. Fortunately, the fall had no consequences for me or the other drivers on the track. The potential, after the tests yesterday and this morning, was high. Now we just have to think about having a good race tomorrow. »
Kind but careful, Alvaro Bautista warned his fiery teammate: “ I was lucky he barely touched me. Michael needs to calm down and be more patient. He is young and wants to show what he can do, but races like this are long, and you have to pay attention to the tires and your own energy: it's not a question of cornering. »
WSBK Superbike Indonesia Race 1: Standings
Classification credit: WorldSBK.com
