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Positive first day of testing in Jerez for Andrea Iannone, riding the Panigale V4 R of the Go Eleven team. The rider from Vasto, seventh in the timesheets with a 1'39.684, is well aware of the difficulties of his return to the tracks at a competitive level. However, he seems to have a very clear strategy for his return, in fact there are so many technical dynamics of the Superbike that are different from those of the MotoGP which he was used to, and without references it is still early to have a clear picture of the situation.
"I have to be honest, we started off quite well and continued in that direction - said Iannone - to all intents and purposes it's my first Superbike test with a racing bike because last October we only managed to ride one day, with different temperatures and a different situation. Today with the race tyre I have already reached the times of last month, in which I also tried a qualifying, so I'm quite calm. I'm trying to get to know the tyres and the bike well, trying to understand what every single change entails so as to arrive prepared for the first race weekend. It's important to understand how the bike reacts."
What purpose does the meeting with the technical director Zambenedetti have for the riders of the satellite teams?
"At the moment I only have one meeting scheduled with the team, but I know that Marco is always there, we have excellent support from Ducati and this makes me very happy. He is always present and is keen to know the details, having the parent company keep one eye on us always helps."
With it being the second test you have already made excellent progress.
"I continue to consider it as if it were the first. After four years without riding a racing bike you arrive and you don't know what to expect. They are not easy conditions, you've never seen the tyres, you've never tried the Superbike before... we start from here. I will wait until tomorrow to be able to tell you if we started off on the right foot or not, so it's still early to draw conclusions. The two days in Portimao will also be important, but being able to understand already here what to work on would be an excellent point starting point. At the moment I am neither enthusiastic nor worried but I am happy to be close to the world champion riders, with people and teams who finished a championship a few weeks ago and already know everything perfectly. In the end we must be happy, but as I always say they are tests and we still have to work to understand what I need specifically."
Last time there was the emotion of your return. Today, have you already worn off that feeling and are you back in rider mode like four years ago?
"I am a person who experiences emotions but also gets rid of them quickly. I am focused on my growth to find a solid basis to be able to arrive in Australia in the best possible way, that’s the truth."
Are you keeping one eye on the timing screens or do you still try not to think about it too much?
"I look at it but I still don't understand some things well. With these tyres, even one stop makes the difference. Going in and out with the new tyre involves steps that I struggle to understand. Maybe I see some who are around 39.5 or 39.6 .. between a used tyre and a new one for me half a second is the whole race, and maybe you get the best lap at the end. I'm used to different parameters that I have to recalibrate. Sometimes the team tells me that we have to change the tyre and I wonder why, maybe we have 22 laps and I was used to doing 26 or 28. The system is different, even if I like the tyres, they are very high performing and guarantee a good spectacle. I'm the one who has to adapt to these systems that are new to me. Today I couldn't tell you how I am going on race pace, because I don't have the right parameters. In MotoGP it was easier to have a clear idea straight away."
This morning you had the opportunity to speak with Toprak, what did you say to each other?
"I was curious to know his impressions of the BMW, he didn't give me a clear answer but he made me understand that overall he was happy. It seemed to me that it wasn't going that badly. I had already noticed this some time ago, at the last test Gerloff ended up in front of me and he wasn't going that bad, so I told myself that perhaps all in all the situation wasn't as bad as it seemed. Better this way, the more manufacturers there are in front, the more riders are competitive, and the more fun we have. I'm happy with being able to ride a Ducati in all of this", he concluded.
