The brand-new track in Goiânia will be the first opportunity for Enea Bastianini and the entire Tech 3 team to turn things around after a very difficult weekend in Buriram. This round will be quite different from what the rider from Romagna would have expected after the preseason tests held at Sepang, where he had performed much better on his KTM RC16. For this very reason, regaining the confidence he had in Malaysia will be Bastianini’s primary goal this weekend in Brazil.
“In Thailand, it was very difficult for me to find the confidence needed to push, whereas in Malaysia I was in a good position on the bike and felt comfortable pushing, especially in the time attack. In Thailand, on the other hand, it was like last year: I tried to push, but in the end the time was the same or at least very similar to that with used tyres, ” he explained. “Here it will be different, because even last year at Balaton, when we arrived at a new track, we found ourselves in a different and slightly less difficult situation. I expect it will be the same in this case, but we’ll see. I don’t want to think about the results, but only about the sensations and the feedback on the bike, because I want to get back to having a good feeling with the bike. Right now, it’s important to have a good rapport with the bike and with the team to find something.”
The difference with Acosta at Buriram was significant.
“I think he was able to do something better in every part of the track, but in Malaysia it was completely different: he was stronger than me in only two or three sections of the track, and in the rest I was stronger,” noted Enea. “I can’t explain why nothing worked well in Thailand, because even during testing we changed the entire setup trying to find a solution that never came. It’s something that’s already happened a couple of times in the past, and I don’t know why.”
Could the harder tyre compound brought by Michelin be an explanation for the difficulties encountered in Thailand by the entire Tech3 team?
“The tyre’s structure probably doesn’t help us either,” he replied. “When you have everything under control, it’s much easier to find what you want, but when our weekend doesn’t start off so well, it’s very difficult for us to turn things around.”
Speaking instead about his first impressions of the Goiânia track, Bastianini said: “Yesterday I walked along the track; it was nice, and I think it’ll be fun to ride. To be honest, it’s very dirty—the asphalt was completely red—and the first practice sessions could be very difficult for us, but we have to enjoy ourselves and try to do our best right from the first session. Where could the KTM be competitive? I think we’ll be more competitive in the middle section of the track and probably in the final sector as well. I believe the first part is faster, and there it will depend on whether the bike can handle the corners well. That’s usually a problem for me, but I don’t want to think about it. I just want to focus on my riding.”