Only three points from three races, although there was a lot of potential: Philipp Öttls gets punished for mistakes in Superpole at the World Superbike Championship in Most
The WSBK weekend in Most was a kind of home race for Philipp Öttl. However, the German was not particularly lucky in the Czech Republic, as he only scored three points in the three races. But Öttl had a lot of potential. In FT3 on Saturday morning he showed his speed, but after that a lot of things went wrong.
After P5 in the final practice Öttl went into Superpole with a lot of confidence, which is particularly important in Most as there are only a few places to overtake. But already on the first flying lap Öttl crashed in turn 20. His team worked quickly to make another attempt possible. But again Öttl came to a crash. He went off the track in turn 15.
He started the three races from last place on the grid. A rain shower before the first main race on Saturday afternoon upset everything. Öttl made the wrong tyre choice on the grid and retired early, which did not go down well with the GoEleven team.
Criticism from the team after Philipp Öttl’s race retirement on Saturday
“The tyre choice on the grid was an attempt. We might or might not have been rewarded for the risk,” noted team manager Denis Sacchetti. “But I am not happy with the decision to pit two laps before the end of the race. Races should always be finished.”
“There is not much to say about Saturday,” said Öttl. “In the morning we were fast. Then I made two mistakes in Superpole. I had to start last and decided to use the wrong tyres. In the race I couldn’t do anything. The front rain tyre was a disaster. “
“It made no sense to finish the race,” Öttl is convinced. Before retiring, Öttl was riding in P16 outside the points, but Lorenzo Baldassarri’s retirement would at least have made a point possible. “I am really disappointed,” Öttl explained. “The team deserves good results and I know I have the potential. But Saturday was a day to forget. “
Pitch in sprint race: Philipp Öttl gets involved in crash
Sunday started with another setback for Öttl. At the start of the sprint race, Öttl was involved in a collision with Baldassarri and lost the connection to the field as a result. “Mixed feelings on Sunday,” Öttl remarks.
“In the Superpole race we had another incident. I couldn’t do much more to avoid the collision because it happened in the second corner.” Team manager Denis Sacchetti confirms, “Philipp couldn’t do anything to avoid the collision. “
Great recovery in the second race is rewarded with points
In the second main race, he fought his way through the field to finish P13. “My main race was not bad,” reported the German. “From last place on the grid to P13 is okay. “
“We scored three points, but after FT3 we expected more. From that session on, everything went in the wrong direction. After the summer break we will have a fresh start and try to finish the season in a good way,” said Öttl.
Team manager Denis Sacchetti blamed the mistakes in Superpole for the results: “The races were affected by qualifying. Because the lap times were so close, it was difficult to finish in the top 10.”
It remains open whether Öttl will also ride for the GoEleven Ducati team in WSBK 2024. Father Peter Öttl was on site in Most and looked around for potential places. However, there are no concrete ideas yet. Ex-MotoGP rider Andrea Iannone as well as Michael Rinaldi are being linked with a move to GoEleven-Ducati.
