It was a bittersweet day on Saturday at Misano for Marco Bezzecchi. It started in the best possible way, with a much-appreciated special helmet and a front row that was perhaps even unexpected. Unfortunately, the ending was also unexpected, because his Sprint ended in the escape route of turn 2, after a slide that came after a start that immediately cost him several positions, because he was unable to release the front lowering device of his Ducati.
“The start wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t the best either. Unfortunately, since it was a bit closed, the front lowering device didn’t unlock. Binder overtook me on the right and caught me off guard. When I braked, he came towards me a bit and I had to release the brake slightly to move a bit more to the left. Unfortunately, the fork hadn’t had enough travel and the lowering device therefore remained engaged”, explained a dejected Bezzecchi when he met the journalists in the press room.
“I spent the whole first sector losing ground and being overtaken from all sides and this immediately complicated things a bit. The crash happened because I touched the white line on the inside a little, so a small mistake had a big consequence”, he added.
Even though we are now in the second part of the season, the Pertamina Enduro VR46 rider has not yet managed to find a way to exploit the new tyre, which always ends up pushing on the front of his Desmosedici GP23. Even if, at least in qualifying, he thinks he has made a step forward on his home track.
Special helmet by Marco Bezzecchi, VR46 Racing Team
Photo by: Media VR46
“There were some good improvements this morning with the new tyre. But when I have the new tyre and a full tank I still struggle quite a bit: I’m constantly fighting with the risk of crashing in every corner and it’s not easy. However, I’m optimistic for tomorrow, because I’ll still be third on the grid. I’ll try to get a better start, to secure a better position at the beginning and then we’ll see what we can do.”
This weekend in the garage there is also his mentor Valentino Rossi, but the key to this small step was not only linked to the advice of the “Doctor”: “It’s a mix. Valentino always gives me great advice and then in the time attack we managed to find an improvement, but I still don’t feel right with the new tires. In qualifying in the end I always manage to get something out of it, but in the Sprint the only laps I did were really difficult. It was a fight to survive, but it’s okay”.
Despite problems at the start, he initially had the chance to battle with Marc Marquez, even though only eighth place was up for grabs: “He just overtook me, but then it wasn’t like there was a great fight because after three corners I went down.”
If nothing else, there is the consolation of the nice third time in qualifying, which can still be useful in tomorrow’s long race, in addition to having given great satisfaction to the VR46 Riders Academy, given that in front of him are his “classmates” Pecco Bagnaia and Franco Morbidelli: “I’m very happy for the front row. Even if it’s just a qualifying, you have to be happy about it. Then it was nice to do it here in Misano and together with two other Academy riders. But I’m very sorry for today’s Sprint, because I hoped to do something more”.
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