A dark day for VR46 Racing, which saw both its riders end up on the ground. The worst was for Fabio Di Giannantonio, who started fourteenth and found himself with an even more compromised shoulder than before on Saturday afternoon.
“At the start I overtook several bikes and thanks to some changes we made to my Ducati I felt comfortable, so much so that I was lapping at 1’31”9 or 1’32”00. It’s also a shame because after the crash, with the adrenaline, I lifted the bike with my left arm and I felt something. I continued for another three laps, but then I gave up because of the pain. Even now my shoulders feel very heavy”, he said.
But not everything is to be thrown away: “We’ve made a big step, so I’m happy. Yesterday I couldn’t slow down and the bike was very nervous when exiting corners, but during the race it proved to be more stable and more linear when cornering. Without the accident I could have finished fifth or sixth. We hope to make a good comeback in the GP and stay close to the guys in the lead. Could the rain help? On one hand it would be better, but there are risks. However, we are ready in any condition”.
Regarding the possibility of surgery, the Roman rider said: “We still have several days of rehabilitation ahead of us. Personally, I would like to honor the commitment with the team and their trust, so I will try to give 300% to finish seventh overall. Eventually we will evaluate together”.
No less unlucky was Marco Bezzecchi who started from third position. “The start wasn’t bad, but not the best either because my fork blocked and I was overtaken by several colleagues. The fall? I touched the inside line a little at turn 2. Unfortunately a small mistake led to big consequences”, his regretful words.
“With new tyres I improved, but with a full tank of fuel I still struggle and I fight with the risk of falling at every corner. Tomorrow I will start third again and I will try to secure a better position right away. Will I try something new in the warm up? No. I must say that in the time attack I can do good laps, but then in the race it is tough. In any case I am happy with the front row and it is nice that I arrived on this track together with two other Academy riders. It is a shame about the race because I would have liked to do more. As for the problem at the start related to the lowering device, it happened that Binder passed me on the right and caught me unprepared, so when I braked he got closer and I had to move to the left. The fork had not had enough travel to disengage it and I took the first 3 corners with the front locked”, he then declared before dedicating a few words to Rossi who was present in the garage to give support.
“Valentino always gives me great advice. The duel with Marquez? He just overtook me, no fight, also because after two corners I fell down”, he concluded, promising a GP without strategy in which he will only try to give his best.
