SBK | Misano tough for Iannone: “I did miracles in the first races”

In his first home race, there were high hopes for Andrea Iannone, who instead found himself facing the most difficult weekend since he returned to racing. Having crashed in Superpole, he started from seventh place on the starting grid, finishing Race 1 in seventh place. Sunday didn’t go any better, with a fifth place in the Superpole Race and even an eleventh position in the second heat.

“It was the most difficult weekend since my return,” the rider from Vasto told the media at the end of the Misano round. “I struggled in every practice session. We need to look at some details and work on certain aspects to understand why there is a lack of grip during acceleration. However, we were the best independent team of the weekend,” he continued, trying to look at the glass half full.

The Goeleven team rider tried every solution to improve performance by choosing the Pirelli SCX-A, the development compound going against the trend of the rest of the grid. A gamble that didn’t pay off, but the Abruzzo native revealed that when you’re not up to fighting with the leading riders, you experiment to gain experience: “In the race, this tire proved to be worse than the SCX, but this is an experience for us. When you don’t have the pace of the leaders, you try everything. That’s why we tried this tyre, but the situation was worse because it was my responsibility to choose the other tyre , I believed it. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.”

Summing up the weekend, Iannone cannot be considered fully satisfied, but if he looks back, he has come a long way in a short time. The four years of forced stop have not affected his talent nor his ability to manage situations. The Misano round was complicated for many and The Maniac he was able to bring home some valuable points: “I scored points for the championship and I managed it well, because I could have crashed very easily this weekend”.

“In the first three race weekends I worked miracles, because I was really close. But I don’t think this is normal”, reveals Iannone. Feet on the ground for the Goeleven standard bearer, who dampens the enthusiasm and lowers the expectations of those who believed he could win all upon his return to racing. The podium at Phillip Island at the beginning of the season had deluded the fans and even himself, who recalled what the situation is: “People forget, sometimes I forget too, that I’m back after being four stopped years.”

“I’m back and I’m doing it with a team that, although it’s made up of good people, is still private. We are not official, nor is it normal to be further behind. We give everything, but in this situation we were far away. The difference with an official team is enormous”, recognizes Iannone.