The Barcelona weekend was tough for the Nolan Group riders, struggling with grip problems and a lot of bad luck when they were close to the podium.
In Superbike, an interesting double performance for Lecuona, a truly surreal disqualification for Petrucci, followed by a race with grip problems.
In Supersport, a top 5 and a top 6 for Caricasulo and two growing races for Spinelli, always aggressive and concrete in his apprenticeship in the cadet class.
The next Round is the home one, in Misano. It goes without saying that we are waiting for you. We want to see many Nolan helmets in the parking lot dedicated to motorcyclists.
SUPERBIKE
IKER LEUCONA RACE1 6th
"Overall I’m happy with what we did today but not completely satisfied, of course. On the positive side I rode alone during qualifying, feeling confident, and was generally happy with my performance. It would have been better to be on the front row of course, but a small mistake through sector 3 meant I lost a fraction of a second and finished P5. I was happy with that anyway, but then we had the same problem as always, the start, which saw me lose the race through the very first corners basically. I dropped right down the field and then recovered to P11 but when the race restarted we lost even more ground early on. I’m quite frustrated and know I need to find more at the start, because the pace we have is quick enough for the podium. I finished P6 but could have done more had I not lost all that ground. The fact of the matter is that we have the level and the speed to be able to fight with the frontrunners. I want to thank the team because they’re doing a good job, but we need to find a solution for the start, because it’s an issue we already had last year too."
IKER LEUCONA RACE2 9th
"We changed something on the front of the bike in warm-up, adjusting things after a little issue we had yesterday, but I still felt I was missing something during the Superpole race. Having said that, thanks to those drops of rain I realised it was time to try and take a chance. I had a good battle with different riders and then Locatelli in the last lap and only just missed out on the podium. So P4 in the end, but I was pleased with that, and also with my grid position for race 2. My feeling with the bike was completely different in race 2 to be honest, and from lap eight onwards I found myself struggling with the tyres and realised I couldn’t do any better. Anyway, it is what it is, and we must now check all the data and understand why this was the case today, because the weekend was actually positive overall. I think the team did a good job, so it was a pity we didn’t better exploit our potential at this track. I’m a little frustrated with how today went, but I think we are on the way and will now focus on next week’s test where we hope to keep improving."
DANILO PETRUCCI RACE1 DNF
"We are doing all we can to solve the problem that is conditioning us in the first part of the race. With fresh tyres, I’m unable to feel the rear and have no traction, it’s as if I’m riding in the wet… Today I messed up the start too. I’m sorry because the team and I are really giving it our all and working on the bike incessantly, but the improvements are not enough. This tenth place finish doesn’t reflect our potential, so it’s heads down as we carry on working.
As for the disqualification, according to them I didn't have a chest protector.
They checked it on the grid and then I took it off at the end of the race to weigh myself and I didn't weigh it with me so they think I didn't have it but I did, Filippo, my assistant, was holding it in his hand.
They told me go go and I went thinking 100 grams would make no difference but they didn't see it I took it off so it's my word against the FIM stewards and the FIM stewards decided so."
DANILO PETRUCCI RACE2 12th
"I really struggled to accept yesterday’s verdict because it was all a misunderstanding with the marshals. I didn’t have it with me when I went to be weighed but I raced with the chest protector. I don’t want to talk about it, but it’s another reason why I really wanted to do well today. I had good feeling with the bike, particularly in braking. I had to push hard to stick with the second group, but we were there and could have finish as the best of the independent riders, but just as I was about to go on the attack, I suffered a drop in tyre performance and lost two positions. I’m sorry because the team and I are really working hard, but the results don’t reflect this. We look ahead anyway and will keep working step by step."
SUPERSPORT
FEDERICO CARICASULO RACE1 5th RACE2 6th
"A complicated weekend. We struggled with rear grip, both yesterday and today. Yesterday went a little better but the "X" tire ran out with 5 laps to go.
Today with the "zero" tire (the temperature was lower) we made some changes but we lacked grip right from the start. I tried to fight as much as possible at the start so as not to lose my opponents but once I was passed I was no longer able to react. Since they closed our throttle body we've been struggling a lot and we also suffer on the straight, especially from the MVs who go very fast. We really lack speed."
NICHOLAS SPINELLI RACE1 9th RACE2 7th
“The weekend started uphill, we didn't know the track with this bike. We managed to improve further on Saturday, especially in race one, although it was difficult due to the heat, we managed to make a good pace. Too bad we lost a lot in the first laps, but in the end I managed to get a good top10. In race 2 there was a contact in the first corners, losing many positions. Also in today's race I had a good pace and I managed to climb up to 7th position, but I still had some, so maybe we could aim for something more, but that's okay. I thank the team and all the sponsors for their support. See you at Misano!"
