The ninth WorldSBK round at the Cremona Circuit in Italy continued today, an event in which the Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team is fielding two riders, with Bradley Ray joined by Italian Alessandro Delbianco.
The pair was out on track for free practice yesterday, Ray placing seventeenth and Delbianco nineteenth.
This morning, after the third free practice, the riders tackled the Superpole, which establishes the grid positions for the first two races. Bradley Ray put in a strong performance, qualifying ninth with a time of 1’28”883. Alessandro’s session was compromised by an early crash unfortunately, which meant the Italian finished in twenty-second position (1’30”295).
With these results, Ray lined up on row three and Delbianco on row eight for the afternoon’s 23-lap race.
Bradley made a very fast start which allowed him to gain ground. A strong race pace meant that the Brit was able to remain part of the chasing group and ultimately cross the line in eleventh place to score five precious championship points.
Alessandro also started well and worked his way up the field as far as the points zone. The Italian concluded the race P15, earning one point for his efforts.
The race was halted six laps ahead of time due to a technical issue with the video cameras.
Tomorrow Ray and Delbianco will be back on track for the Superpole Race and Race 2.
Sandro Carusi - Team Principal
“It was a great day for our team. I’m really pleased that we’ve fielded two riders and scored points with both. A special thanks goes to my team and to Yamaha Italia for making all this possible.”
Bradley Ray #28
“I’m really happy with our performance today. We were fast in qualifying and then put together a really good race. I tried to hold my position as long as I could, especially down the long straight, and am pleased to have taken points today. Now I can’t wait for tomorrow’s races.”
Alessandro DelBianco #52
“It was a very intense day. I’m pleased with the work we’ve been able to do with the team in such a short time. Unfortunately, Superpole didn’t go well and so I started the race from further back on the grid. I made a good start and started to push hard right from the early stages, which allowed me to move up as far as fifteenth.”
