How one Ducati rider suffered “big hole in my fairing” at French WorldSBK

Lorenzo Baldassarri was back to contending for top-four positions at Magny-Cours after the WorldSBK summer break, despite a “big hole” in his fairing in Race 2.

Baldassarri was down in the back end of the top-10 at the start of Race 2, but recovered to fourth by the finish – helped slightly by a crash for Alex Lowes as he was closing down the Bimota rider.

It was the kind of finish Baldassarri had been making fairly regularly in the opening rounds of the WorldSBK season, but fourth in France was his highest finish since he was fourth in Race 2 at Most almost four months ago.

The Italian made the comeback to that position despite contact on the first lap at the Imola Chicane that cost him one of his front wings.

“[Race 2] was nice because for me the last races [...] something is always happening,” Lorenzo Baldassarri told WorldSBK.com after Race 2 at Magny-Cours.

“In Misano I was losing my boot after a contact, I had to stop, close the boot and continue the race, Race 2 was compromised for that.

“Race 1 [at Magny-Cours] I had a crash in the warm-up lap so my footrest was turning and it was such a difficult race for me. 

“[In Race 2] I lost one wing and I was close to a retirement because [there was] a big hole in my fairing so we had a risk to retire, but then I managed to do the race.

“It was quite strange on the wheelie, but I managed to do a great comeback and also fight a good fight.”

Baldassarri explained that he had contact with Xavi Vierge that caused the damage.

“Before overtaking Xavi [Vierge] – also with him I have the first laps always something, also in Misano it was the same – I touched him before overtaking and I lost the wing,” he said.

“So, the first laps was a really strange feeling – braking, in the downhill, strange movement. Also in the wheelie, turn five, in the acceleration [the bike] was wheelieing differently. S

“So, I had to adapt about that, and then I could go quite fast.”