Andrea Iannone : Remember, I’m a Rookie. Please Don’t Set Your Expectations Too High

RiderTua.com – 4 years of being banned from racing hasn’t made Andrea Iannone slow down. His debut in the World Superbike Championship at Phillip Island Australia, was amazing and promising. Finished in 3rd place in the first race, finished 14th in the Superpole race due to problems and finished 4th in the second race. Overall, the rookie from the Go Eleven Ducati team is in 4th place in the standings and has 29 points, the same points as Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha) who is in 3rd place overall.

In the Superpole race (10 laps), Iannone, who had been leading for several laps, suddenly slowed down and continued to fall back. “It was out of my control, I had a chance to win this race. The rubber grip on the left handlebar was loose. On the straight track, I tried to put it back on. Put it on again, but it failed. In the end it came off,” said the 34 year old rider.

Andrea Iannone : Remember, I’m a Rookie. Please Don’t Set Your Expectations Too High

Finishing 14th in Superpole, meant Iannone was moved from 2nd on the grid to 10th for the second race. But after a good start, the rider with starting number #29 was again at the forefront of the race.

When the race was stopped after Jonathan Rea crashed, Iannone was already in 3rd position and was back in the front row when the restart took place. The race was shortened to 11 laps, with Andrea finishing 4th 1.275 seconds behind winner Alex Lowes (Kawasaki) and only 0.097 seconds behind 3rd place taken by former MotoGP teammate Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Ducati).

Andrea Iannone explained, “I came back strongly and was at a good level, but was unlucky at the weekend. Something always happens. On Saturday I had problems with the engine brake and lost grip in the Superpole race. And when we changed the rear tire for restarting the second race, suddenly my grip was no longer there. Finishing 3rd and 4th in two long races was a good comeback, a strong start. I enjoyed it.”

After a hiatus of 4 years, the 13-time GP winner (1 time in MotoGP) admitted that he was still not used to routines, including with his new team, Go Eleven Ducati. “But it gets better every day by riding the motorbike and going through every training session. This also applies to my crew chief and electronics technician. But we are making progress. I’m not completely happy, but I’m happy,” said the Italian rider.

Iannone said that if his team had told him before the weekend that he would finish 3rd and 4th, he would have signed his contract without being asked. “After 4 years, this is extraordinary. However, if we feel we can achieve better, but for various reasons we can’t, then we see it as a defeat. But we are on the right track,” he said.

Iannone received a lot of respect for his achievements, including from his rivals. But they also know that he raced very well at Phillip Island, where he finished 2nd behind Maverick Vinales (Yamaha) in the 2018 MotoGP race on a Suzuki.

Iannone dreams that everything will be normal in Barcelona. “But please, don’t set expectations too high. I want to enjoy it and not stress myself out, this is my first year. I’m a rookie in the World Superbike Championship, we all have to remember that. After a few “The first race, I knew more about tires and how they work. The positive thing is, I had a very good feeling,” concluded Iannone.