Vierge top 5 in SBK Race 1 at Cremona, Lecuona crashes out from fourth

"I’m happy with today, I think we put together a very solid Saturday. Already this morning, compared to yesterday, we found a good direction with the setup and I felt really good on the bike. Our first goal was to set a strong lap in qualifying, and we managed to do that. I think we were fast, not on the same level as the top three, but quite strong overall, and starting from the second row always helps for the race. I made a decent start and stuck with the second group. I felt like I had a bit more pace than I was able to show, but we struggled a little with acceleration out of the corners, which made overtaking very difficult, so I decided to manage the tyres, especially the front, and wait until the final laps to see if I could make some moves once tyre wear came into play. At that point, Iker attacked and we had a good battle, and we’ll check the data to see if we can learn something from that, because in a few corners through the third sector he was slightly better than me. Anyway, I stuck to my strategy, which worked to a certain extent, in that I was able to pass Remy, but on the last lap I made a small mistake and lost the chance to attack Iannone and fight for fourth. Still, I think we were quite strong today. We had good pace during the race and better understood where we are still lacking. Tomorrow we’ll try to improve, not solve the problem entirely, as it will still be there, but reduce it as much as possible, and then we’ll see what the day brings, also in terms of temperature and track conditions."

“Overall, it was a good day, despite the crash. In FP3, I felt comfortable on used tyres. Then we tried a "Q" spec and I didn’t feel so good anymore, so we made a few small adjustments, just a couple of clicks, to improve the balance. Then the temperature started to rise and the track got much hotter, which made things a bit more difficult, honestly. There was a big group of guys fighting for top positions, and just a few tenths could really make a difference in the standings. I ended up P9 in qualifying, which became P8 following a penalty for another rider, so not too bad in the end. I made a decent start to the race and didn’t lose any positions, which was already positive. My goal was to begin overtaking the riders ahead, but Xavi was right in front of me and I wanted to be safe, you know. I felt I had more speed than the group, but Alvaro was already ahead, and I knew I couldn’t pass everyone quickly without taking risks or damaging the tyres. So I tried to manage the situation, staying behind or in the middle of the group, waiting for the right moment to make a move. At one point I started overheating the front because I was trying to save the rear, so I was pushing more with the front. I tried to balance that and when I finally felt ready, I began overtaking. I had a small battle with Xavi, then passed Remy quite easily. Iannone was a bit trickier, but within one lap I managed to open a small gap. I was really feeling good on the bike, confident and comfortable, when I made a very small mistake in Turn 3. We checked the data—the speed was the same as the lap before, the braking point was almost identical—but I leaned just two degrees more into the corner, trying to carry more speed, and I lost the front. Honestly, I didn’t expect the crash because I was feeling so good. I was enjoying the race. So yeah, I’m frustrated, because that P4 was in my hands, and I want to apologise to the team, as this result was important for us. Anyway, the key thing is that we have the speed, the performance is there. Let’s see tomorrow if we can make a small step to improve the front feeling and get closer to the podium. Physically, I’m fine, I didn’t suffer any consequences and feel perfect."