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Second place in the first day of testing at Phillip Island is not enough to make Andrea Iannone happy. The GoEleven team rider knows that in testing the stopwatch doesn't tell the whole story and that he still has a lot of work to do. The speed is there, but not everything went as he would have liked.
"I didn't lap so much because we had so many problems in the box, I only did 25 laps in the afternoon," Andrea lamented, "We sorted the bike a little bit, but we lost a lot of time, there are a lot of new things and we have to put them in place. We couldn't work much on the setup, we only made some small changes to electronics and engine braking, but both bikes had problems. In the end we were able to manage the situation, do a good job, even with the tires. It's interesting because if everything goes well tomorrow, and I'll have a lot of things to try."
Assuming the weather is kind, he added. "I don't know, I hope it doesn't rain because we have so many things to test," Iannone crossed his fingers.
There's not only the new Panigale to fine-tune, but also finding the right chemistry with the new team members.
"It takes time - the operative word - I think everyone in the team is very good, the relationship is good, but the new electronics engineer has no experience in SBK, he worked in Supersport and before in Malaysia with road bikes, he was in Ducati for training in the winter, however, he still lacks practice. We are definitely not 100 percent yet, we all need time and I have patience. I am the most experienced racing person in the box, we are a small team with big ambitions and we will do our best."
He has to build the right foundation.
"Last year I was faster in the race than on this test day, but today I only did a few laps, half as fast as everyone else. The feeling is good, the bike is fast and we started from a good level again. I have one more year of experience, now I know what to expect, while in 2024 it was like I was a virgin - Iannone joked - I didn't know anything."
Now he knows what needs to be done, how to approach the season and which opponents will be the most dangerous. Starting with Bulega, who was half a second away from him on the dry lap today.
"I didn't see Nicolò's pace, I think we are close but I still have to analyze everything well. I am not worried, however, nor scared. Bulega is strong, but I'm no less than that," the rider from Vasto is convinced.
The last comment is on the flag-to-flag in making decisions for the races.
"For me we have everything to do the race without interruptions because the tires we compared are improved from last year, more resistant, today I did not have any problem - was Andrea's opinion - The Ducati does not stress them, I did 13 laps today and the rear still felt new. At the front there are some movements, but it's normal, you have them even with MotoGP on this track. I don't want to get into it and make disasters, Dorna and Pirelli know the situation better than I do, they have information from all the manufacturers, but for me there would be no problem doing the full distance. I think also for Alvaro, because he in the last 5 or 6 laps looks like Superman," he concluded with a quip.
