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Andrea Iannone has always been considered one of the most talented riders of his generation. There have always been very few, if any, doubts about this. But no one would have predicted that today, after a 4-year hiatus, he could immediately lap less than a second behind the best in SBK. Instead, that's exactly what happened today and the smile on Andrea's face at the end of the day is the most eloquent sign of how well this debut on the GoEleven Ducati went for him.
"I'm devastated. I haven't ridden a racing bike for many years and even though I've trained in recent years on production bikes it's different. On the track you find amateurs, people who ride for fun and it's complex for a rider to train well, have a track free. I have always trained to the maximum, but it is not enough for SBK or MotoGP. They are obviously different bikes. But there is a lot of power in both, braking is always difficult and I have had some problems with my arms , but it's normal. I'm happy."
You had fun as well as tiring yourself out.
"I had a lot of fun today, the sensations with the bike are good, and also with the tyres. This is the important thing, I certainly have to improve in some areas but we also have time for this. We started from an excellent level and I absolutely would not have expected it, I expected worse. Luckily we are ahead of schedule. I don't think anyone expected it."
Ducati is successful in both SBK and MotoGP, it can help.
"Ducati in recent years, especially since 2016, has started to work a lot. I think there has been an enormous effort, a lot of research, a lot of work at Borgo Panigale. They have worked hard every day and today they can have these results both in MotoGP and in SBK. It's good but for me it's normal, I'm not surprised. I say this because I saw with my own eyes what was happening in Ducati and how much strength they were putting in to get to this."
Now do you have to stay calm or can you enjoy the moment?
"You have to keep your feet on the ground, it's normal. You can't think that there isn't work to do, that we've arrived. You have to keep your head down and work, but the starting point is important. It was essential that I felt so today and I must say that I am happy. An important day in many respects. All of this if it had not been for Ducati, for GoEleven, for all those who worked on this return. Without them it would have been difficult. I must be aware of all that that's needed, but I also want to enjoy this day and this return. It's important and it wasn't obvious, for me it's really significant."
When you realized you could be fast, did your mouth water a little?
"Every rider would always like to be at the top, but it's never easy. So nothing was to be taken for granted. Maybe I might not have found the right sensations with the bike, with the tyres, with the team. This is why I say that when a moment like this comes this, you have to enjoy it because only things that happen a few times in life. Today is an important day for me. I haven't been here for 5 years. Coming with a bike I've never tried, with tyres I didn't know, brakes, team. I enjoy it and I want to thank Gigi, Ciabatti, Domenicali, all of Ducati Corse. Today I can dream again thanks to them."
From what point of view did you struggle the most?
"I struggled physically because there are muscles that you only use on a racing bike. So when I got to 2pm, and I was the one who had lapped the most, my arms were tired, I was suffering in acceleration. This had a bit of effect on performance, but I know it's an aspect I have to work on at home. I tried to bring out the best of me, I think anything more than that would have been difficult."
Did you hear from Dall'Igna?
"I spoke to Dall'Igna yesterday and I will speak to him later. I was a Ducati rider for many years and I have a relationship with Domenicali, with Paolo Ciabatti. It's nice, I've always carried these people in my heart. When I left I left sad, I wasn't happy at all. So for me to be here fills me with joy, for that I really thank them. It's them and the GoEleven team."
How did it go with the Pirellis?
"Pirelli has done an important job, the tyres behave very well and are very intuitive. I have to understand how I am with tyre management, but with just one day of testing it is difficult to do all these things. Today I lapped a lot, but I was exhausted I go home with a lot of information knowing where we need to improve."
Today you're back to being a real rider?
"I have never stopped behaving like a real rider, I've always trained. Otherwise I wouldn't have done 70 laps today. In short, I wasn't looking around at the view. I have always maintained a rider’s mentality and in my opinion it has been my strength. I never gave up, I always thought about coming back and at a certain point I realized I wanted to do it here and I'm happy to be there. We definitely need to work a lot, it's still a long way from here to Australia."
