Still without an injured Lunetta - who's home recovering after his accident at the end of the Netherlands round - Sic58 Squadra Corse also struggled in the Czech Republic. The Italian team ended the first part of the season with some resentment, coming in only 17th with Nepa and forced to retire with the rookie, Lenoxx Phommara.
"I'm deliberately not going to talk about the team's results because, the truth is, they're simply not there. Or, rather, they don't live up to the dreams I've always had. But, if there's one thing that, over time, we've learned to do, it's being patient. I don't love racing in all the things I do. On the contrary ... I know when to wait. because waiting, sometimes, is the only way to get where you want to be," said the team's founder, Paolo Simoncelli, as he tried to look at the current situation philosophically in his personal blog.
Instead, regarding Luca's condition - as he dwelled on the name chosen to buffer the rider's absence - the manager complacently said: "He's recovering at full speed after the Assen accident. His surgery in Holland went well, judged perfect by none other than Dr. Costa. But, in the meantime, we had to find a replacement. I assessed several options, then ... followed my heart."
"Lennoxx Geronimo (yes, just like the famous Apache chief) is a young boy who caught my eye by chance while I was hanging around the paddock during a Rookies Cup race. Raised by the Pasini Mini Project ... young, determined, with a fighting look. I can't explain exactly what convinced me but something told me 'him'," Simoncelli explained regarding the Swiss rider's new commitment.
Although he didn't achieve much in his debut and, in qualifying, he closed the group, not everything is worth discarding about the performance of the rider from the class of 2006. "Don't look at the ranking, you don't need to. Look at the evolution. Step by step, with the 'elp of Marco Grana, he's been able to transform an immature, raw rider into something cleaner, more consistent. Last Sunday, he showed us that he can grow, and we're really happy to have helped him improve and have him with us on this short journey. A thank you goes to the managers of the Rookies Cup for 'loaning' him to us and, to him ... break a leg. May this be just the beginning," the manager concluded, before wishing for Lunetta's return in time for Austria, the first event after the summer break.