As expected, this weekend at Mugello proved to be much more challenging for Alessandro Delbianco and the DMR team than the one at Misano. After qualifying only 8th, the Yamaha rider seemed destined to spend the race playing it safe among the Italian curbs of the Tuscan track. Instead, he managed to turn his weekend around, securing a podium finish in Race 1 that had seemed out of reach, until this morning.
“The weekend was tough for us, but, like in every race, I can count on a great team. It was a difficult weekend, and, here, in the CIV, there isn’t much time to focus on the set-up. We weren’t quite on point, but we never did a time attack, because we wanted to prepare for the race. This isn’t an excuse, though. Today, I probably should've cut in front of Casanova to lap at 1’49”,” Alessandro emphasized, as he explained what allowed him to step up his pace after Qualifying. “Before race one, we made an adjustment to the bike the old-fashioned way. It worked, and I felt great right away. Then, there was a moment when I said to myself, ‘Maybe I’ll try pushing and see how far I can go', but I wouldn’t have made it. I was beyond my limit. My heart rate was at 205, with an average of over 190. I gave it everything I had, and I’m extremely satisfied with the team’s work, my own, and today’s race. I’m happier than ever!”
Today’s second-place finish is, after all, worth its weight in gold.
“For me, this result is worth more than the win at Misano,” the Yamaha rider said, explaining why he was convinced that Mugello would be much tougher than the last round. “Even though it didn’t seem that way in recent races, we’re very limited by our ECU. Unlike other manufacturers, we have a zero-one-two range on the control panel, and, since we can’t modify the maps this year, if you don’t feel comfortable within that range, you still have to make it work. Yesterday morning, I wasn’t comfortable with any of the three options, and I knew we were in a tight spot, because the maps we wrote at the start of the season were designed for other types of tracks, like Vallelunga, Misano, and Cremona. I had already mentioned at Misano that we’d struggle a bit, but somehow we managed to pull through.”
Fighting for the podium wasn’t a given, but the Yamaha rider soon realized he could fight for a top finish.
“I’m not saying we set out to be race leaders, because that would've been impossible, but to race aggressively. We knew our starting position was eighth, though with a lot of doubts, because there were few certainties,” he noted. “I pushed hard right from the warm-up lap to see how the change worked, and a slight smile came to my face. The feeling was good when I lined up on the grid, and I decided to give it a shot. On the first lap, it was pretty clear that I had the pace to at least be in the running for a podium spot, but fighting for it is always a bit complicated. In fact, I won it on the last lap.”
Race after race, the regret grows over the two rounds Alessandro will have to miss because they overlap with the World Endurance Championship.
“Call van der Straten to tell him I’m skipping a race? I don’t think that’s possible, but I have to be honest, I’m really sorry I can’t do the whole Italian Championship,” he concluded.