Before the start of the sprint, Enea Bastianini deactivates the front holeshot system – In the Grand Prix, he bites his teeth out at Maverick Vinales and inherits second place
A year ago, Enea Bastianini broke his shoulder blade in Portugal. This injury and a lengthy recovery break ultimately affected the majority of his season. Now the Ducati factory rider has returned to the front of the field in Portimao
Bastianini took pole position on Saturday. It was only his second pole ever in the premier class after Spielberg 2022. But then things went wrong at the start of the sprint race. It was clearly visible on the TV images that his front fork was not compressed.
He therefore had to start without the front holeshot system. “The system was activated, but I had braked too hard and it deactivated,” Bastianini blamed himself for the mistake. He had simply braked too hard before the start line.
What is it like to start without a front holeshot system? “Strange,” explains the Italian. “The bike has a strong tendency to wheelies. The electronics are also set up for these starting systems.” That’s why he had to close the throttle when accelerating.
Bastianini ultimately finished the sprint in sixth place. On Sunday, the start worked much better with all systems activated. “My start was good, but Jorge [Martin] was better and took the lead.”
That was the key to Martin’s victory. Following close behind the Pramac-Ducati were Maverick Vinales on the Aprilia and Bastianini. There were no overtaking maneuvers. “I tried to close the gap to Maverick, but it was impossible because he was riding perfectly,” said Bastianini.
“I was thinking about victory in the last six or seven laps. The problem was that Maverick was really fast in the last sector. He always took some time off me there. Otherwise, I was a bit faster, but overtaking was difficult.”
Bastianini was only able to overtake Vinales at the start of the last lap after the Aprilia’s gearbox finally broke down. “I heard a strange sound from his bike,” he said about the scene on the home straight.
Bastianini crossed the finish line in second place. It was his first podium finish since his victory in Malaysia last fall: “It was a great race for me. It was very nice to be on the podium again.”
“Jorge rode perfectly and didn’t make any mistakes. Congratulations to him. I’m happy,” Bastianini sums up with satisfaction. He is now in third place in the world championship after two race weekends.
The action continues in three weeks’ time at the Circuit of The Americas in the USA. The last time Bastianini rode there, he won. That was in 2022, and he did not compete in Texas last year due to his injury in Portimao.
“I missed last year’s race due to my injury, but I have good memories of 2022. It was my best win of the season. It will be nice to be back on this track,” he looks ahead.
