Yari Montella: “After a few laps, Bulega dashed my hopes”

Yari Montella proved once again at Donington that he is currently the number 3 rider in the Superbike World Championship. After finishing third in Race 1 on Saturday, the Barni Ducati rider secured second and third places on Sunday.

In the Superpole Race, Montella benefited from a crash by Aruba.it rider Iker Lecuona on the second lap. Following Lecuona’s retirement, Montella led the race for ten laps. Did he see this as his chance for his first Superbike victory? “I thought it was my moment. But after a few laps, Bulega dashed my hopes,” laughed Montella during Sunday’s press conference. “It was great fun – I pushed hard and my pace was good. I’ve never been this fast before.”

In the end, the Italian finished second in the Superpole race behind World Championship leader Nicolo Bulega. “I’m very proud. Of course, it would be nice to win a race, but before I can think about winning, I need to close the gap on the frontrunners. I’ve never been as close as I am here at Donington. I’m proud and happy with the work we’re doing with the team.”

Willkommen in Donington Park

Foto: Gold & Goose

Paddock

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Xavi Vierge

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Yari Montella

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Fans

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Nicolò Bulega

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Sam und Alex Lowes

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Pirelli

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Pirelli

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Andrea Locatelli

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Iker Lecuona

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Start des Rennens

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Lorenzo Baldassarri

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Danilo Petrucci

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Sam Lowes

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Iker Lecuona

Foto: Kiril Ianatchkov

Bulega und Montella

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Alex Lowes

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Iker Lecuona

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Yari Montella

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Nicolò Bulega

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Axel Bassani

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Yari Montella

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Iker Lecuona

Foto: Gold & Goose

Willkommen in Donington Park

© Gold & Goose

In the second main race on Sunday afternoon, Montella managed to stay close behind Bulega for a long time. However, Lecuona, who had to start the race from 10th on the grid, was closing in from behind. In the final corner of the 16th lap, the Spaniard then overtook Montella. Montella crossed the finish line 6.850 sec behind winner Bulega and 2.689 sec behind Lecuona.

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“It was more or less like the Superpole race. I got off to a good start and tried to stay on Nicolo’s tail. I gave it my all,” the 26-year-old explained. “I was a bit surprised, though, because at the start I was able to follow him quite easily – we were on the same pace. But then I didn’t expect to have such big problems with the tyres. Towards the end, I tried to maintain the gap to Iker. But without the right tools, it was difficult. In the end, I had to accept that. The weekend was positive. I think we’ve taken a big step forward here at Donington following Misano.”

How did he find the battle with Bulega? “It wasn’t a battle, I was just following him,” Montella smiled. “But it was nice, and it was the first time I’d been so close.”

Are Bulega and Lecuona currently on a different level in terms of riding ability, or do the Ducati factory riders have a clear advantage on the technical side? “I think it’s a mixture,” mused Montella. “Ultimately, we’re closing the gap and improving. Those two are already at the very top level. If they’re at 100 per cent, I’m at about 94 or 95 per cent. I’m working on it every weekend to take another step forward. As for my riding style, I look at their data – to understand how they handle the tyres or the bike. My team and I are working on the bike to improve. Today, the only thing I was lacking was the right approach to tyre management. The pace was there, but only until halfway through the race. After eleven laps, I ran into problems – more than I’d expected. But when I think of Iker at the start of the year – he always struggled towards the end of the race too. We’re riders and we need the kilometres on the bike to understand how to ride it. I hope that from now on, right up to the final races, I can battle it out with these two lads.”