A strange, complicated weekend, full of unknowns. Le Mans has confirmed that it is one of those places where anything can happen, and this time was no exception. We come out of it with a few points, a lot of reflections and – as always – the desire to go back to work even stronger.
From the first free practice I had a pretty good feeling. The work done in the post-Jerez tests showed: the bike was responding better, and we were able to get straight into Q2. That’s not little, considering how much we were struggling just a couple of weeks ago. Of course, the balance of the bike is still not perfect, especially when I try to push in the time attack, but something is moving in the right direction.
Qualifying did not go badly – seventh time, which allowed me to start in a good position for the Sprint. But then, again, a slip compromised everything: I went long in Turn 8, ending up in the gravel. It’s frustrating, because the pace wasn’t bad, but when you make a mistake like that, the result goes out the window.
I’m realizing that the bike tends to move a lot when I’m in the slipstream, especially when braking. When I’m alone, I can ride it better. It’s something we have to work on, but I also have to figure out how to adapt. It’s part of the game.
The race was a merry-go-round. Crazy conditions: rain coming and going, track drying out and getting wet again, decisions to be made in seconds. I started with rain, then decided to come back in and put on slicks, but as soon as I made the change … it started raining again. And that’s when it became even more complicated.
I tried to stay in with slicks, then I crashed, got the bike back in, got the second bike back in with rain. And for a while I was even running well. But when the asphalt started to cool down, the grip disappeared and I couldn’t keep up the pace anymore. In the end I finished 14th, which is almost a miracle the way it went. I can’t be happy, though.
Le Mans tested us in every aspect. It was a weekend where every lap you had to deal with something different. I made mistakes, but I also gathered important information. And if there’s one thing I take away, it’s that we’re understanding this bike more and more.
Now head down and back to work. More competitions lie ahead, and I have no intention of staying where we are. One step at a time, as always.
