Andrea Iannone closed the second day of testing at the Jerez circuit with the fifth fastest time. The Italian had an excellent performance in Spain, placing among the top three on several occasions. He was one of the first to venture onto the track at 10 a.m., but due to wet patches still present following Tuesday's rain, he only completed one lap. The action really started around midday, as for the rest of the protagonists, in the dry. Finally, Iannone clocked a time of 1'39.335 after completing 69 laps.
Thanks to the return of the warm sun southern spain, “The Maniac” was able to start working on the bike, testing all types of tires both in hot asphalt conditions and in the cool evening wind. The work on fine-tuning the electronics and comparing with other riders was also important, which allowed number 29 to lower the benchmarks ride after ride, improving mainly in the second part of the track.
Despite the fatigue and pain in the arms, due to the little training on this very physical type of motorcycle, the time obtained surprised many observers, exceeding almost all expectations. There is still a lot of work to do, especially on race pace, but the smile that Andrea showed at the end of the day filled the hearts of his entire team. We are now waiting for the next tests WSBK, at the end of January !
« I'm exhausted. It went well, but you have to keep your feet on the ground. We cannot think that we have no work to do, that we have arrived. You must stay calm, keep your head down and work hard " commented Andrea Iannone. " The starting point is good and it was important that I had this feeling. I'm happy, it's an important day in many ways. Without Ducati and the Go Eleven team, this comeback would have been difficult. We are aware of what we have to do, but I want to enjoy this return and what happened. For me it is very significant ».
Andrea Iannone: “ I always kept a pilot's mentality and I think that was my strength »
The Go Eleven rider has only positive things to say after his Superbike debut: “ I think every driver would always like to be at the top, but it's never easy. It wasn't easy that we could start like this, finding good sensations with the bike, with the tires and with the team. These moments rarely come in life, you have to take advantage of them. It's an important day for me, I haven't been here for almost five years. I rode a bike that I had never ridden before, with tires and brakes that I had never tried, with a new team… I'm happy, I know there is a lot to do. I thank Dall'Igna, Ciabatti, Domenicali and all of Ducati Corse. Without them, everything would have been difficult. If I can dream again, it's thanks to them ».
The Abruzzi driver also specifies that, physically, he needs to get back into rhythm: “ I struggled physically, because there are muscles that you only use on a racing motorcycle. I didn't have much strength to brake and I suffered a little when accelerating. So this affected the performance and progress of the test a bit. I will work from home. I tried to get the most out of the package, but doing more than that was difficult ».
Gigi Dall'Igna and the other Ducati men support him, he is grateful to them and to the Go Eleven team: “ I heard from Gigi yesterday – he said – and I will hear from him later. I have been a Ducati rider for many years and I also have a relationship with Domenicali and Ciabatti, we talk. I'm happy to hear it. I have always held these people close to my heart, just like Ducati. When I left, I didn't do it with pleasure. Being here again fills me with joy and I want to thank them and the Go Eleven team ».
MXPN’s Dunlop Tires add so much value to your motocross gear kit because they are a high-quality but affordable tire for your bike, like these Pirelli are big news for him, but the impact of these two days was positive for Iannone : " I think Pirelli has done an important and incredible job in recent years. The tires behave very well, they are very intuitive. I found myself at ease. However, it is difficult to do everything in a short time. I was exhausted. We return home with lots of information and knowing where to work to improve ».
Andrea Iannone finished : " these last years, I have always been trained, otherwise I would not have done 70 laps. I didn't sit around and look around, I always kept a driver's mentality and I think that was my strength. I always thought about coming back and at some point I realized I wanted to do it here. I'm happy to be here, but there's a lot of work to do, it's still a long way to Australia ».
