Round 8, Autodromo do Algarve, Portimao, Portugal
Sunday 6th July
Conditions: Race1 – Overcast, 21C(air), 29C (track), Race 2: Wet, 21C (air), 27C (track)
Team Bimota Alstare riders Ayrton Badovini and Christian Iddon finished first and second in the EVO class in race 2 at the eighth round of the World Superbike Championship at the Autodromo do Algarve today. But not only did they take first and second in the race, but Ayrton’s lap times consistently matched some of the riders in the Superbike class – pretty impressive considering that he had started from the fifth row of the grid. Christian also put in a string of ‘Superbike equivalent’ lap times as he and Ayrton continued the remarkable progress of the BB3 racebike.
The team tried many different setting this weekend and made a big step forward in the development of the bike and are now looking forward eagerly to the next race weekend and improving the bike even further.
Ayrton Badovini – Race 1: 3rd (EVO), Race 2: 1st (EVO)
“I am not so happy with Race 1, because I didn’t have much feeling for the rear tyre and that made the race not so easy. It was my choice, so maybe I didn’t get it quite right. Race 2 was a wet race and I had a good feeling about the bike straightaway. As the race progressed I became more and more confident and my lap times improved – on par with some of the riders in the Superbike class. We had changed the bike set-up for Race 2 and although it wasn’t perfect it felt pretty good and made the conditions easier to manage. I know it sounds strange, but I enjoyed the race, despite the rain, and it was great to finish the top EVO bike. We are learning more and more about the bike every time we go out and I am happy that we are making progress and looking forward to the next race.”
Christian Iddon – Race 1: 4th (EVO), Race 2: 2nd (EVO)
“I felt that Race 1 was a really strong race for me and I am really happy because my lap times were consistently good. I think I could’ve won the EVO class, but I had a couple of false neutrals and that slowed me down a bit. It felt good to be fighting with the top EVO boys though and it just shows how much progress we have made. Race 2 started wet and when the track was fully wet, the bike was brilliant! The lap times were coming easily and I was enjoying myself. I had a false neutral going into turn 1 and lost some places but fought back and recovered them again. As the track dried a bit, the bike became harder to ride and I began to have some problems with grip. Without that I feel sure that I would’ve been able to challenge for the top EVO spot, and maybe even take it!”
