Bradl tenth in shortened opening WorldSBK race at Imola

The first race of the Italian WorldSBK round has been contested today at Imola’s ‘Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari’ under sunny skies and in high temperatures. Stefan Bradl was 10th at the end of the encounter, which was brought to an end on lap 14 by a high-speed crash involving Eugene Laverty that left Race Direction no choice but to stop the race prematurely. Unfortunately, Bradl’s Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team mate Nicky Hayden was forced into early retirement on lap five.

After bouncing back from a morning tumble in FP3 and advancing to Superpole 2, Bradl gained one position at the start of the race as he completed the opening lap in 11th. The young German rider battled throughout the race with Ramos for tenth until the red flags were deployed.

Nicky Hayden lined up on the 13th spot on the grid and was one position lower when the World Superbike field started the second lap. The 35-year-old American rider, who also had a tumble in this morning’s Free Practice 3, had to return to the pits three laps later and could not get back out again.

Stefan Bradl

In one way I must say it was an exciting race here in Imola, because of the beauty of this track and also for the great crowd! To get into Superpole 2 was something positive, especially after the morning crash. The race, though, was a big challenge because it was my first time here. The tumble also affected my confidence a little bit, because it was quite a big one, but fortunately I didn’t hurt myself. A top-10 result is acceptable for today as I made some mistakes during the race – when I was on my own after the start – and had a couple of issues in getting the bike stopped, and that’s when I realised that maybe my riding style was not quite good enough for here. When Ramos passed me, I found a better rhythm, but it still took me too long to find my pace. However, I have learned a lot so I hope my speed can improve tomorrow.

Nicky Hayden

It hasn’t been a good day. I had a small crash this morning which cost me some important track time and then, in the race, we had an electrical problem so there was not much I could do. The dashboard went off and I didn’t know what was going on, so it was impossible to stay out. It’s a shame, really, not just for me but for the team as well. I hope we can have a better day tomorrow.

Pieter Breddels

The morning crashes set the tone for the whole day, because Nicky lost some valuable track-time and in some ways Stefan’s confidence was affected a little. The guys did an amazing job in making sure both bikes could take part in Superpole, despite the little time available to get them fixed. Stefan did well in getting through Superpole 1, while in the race he paid with his inexperience at this track, which is unlike any other on the calendar. After making a couple of mistakes, though, he found his rhythm and was able to lap in the 1’48s before the red flags came out. Nicky, unfortunately, had a completely unexpected electrical issue with his dashboard, which worked fine all the way up until the lights went out. It hasn’t been an easy day, for sure, but I hope we’ll have better luck tomorrow.