Gino Rea showed that he is making progress with the Suter chassis with an impressive fifth place in qualifying at Sachsenring at the weekend but now the challenge for the British rider is to secure a top race result, with his next opportunity coming within a matter of days at Mugello. It is a circuit the British rider with Italian parentage has yet to visit but he is excited about racing in his family's home Grand Prix for the first time.
Gino Rea “It was nice to qualify fifth but that was in the wet. Unfortunately I couldn't capitalise on the second row start and that's a bit disappointing. There are some positives though, there were corners where I had similar speed as the front runners but a few corners where I was losing a lot of time each lap. We have to improve in our weak areas to finish higher, although making that step is not easy. Like Sachsenring, I haven't raced at Mugello before either so it will be another learning curve. We've now completed three full races on the Suter chassis with the Showa suspension and the bike is improving each time. My lap times were more consistent at Sachsenring but we had to improve in certain areas. If we can do this at Mugello, I hope to be in the points. I really want to reward my team with a strong result. I have been watching last years Mugello race as much as possible and it looks like a long and technical circuit. Because of the long lap, there are many sections to learn so the first sessions will be difficult to be fast. There are many fast corners, long corners and fast changes of direction too so it will be crucial to get a good set up before qualifying."
Fausto Gresini “Gino went really well in practice at Sachsenring but wasn't able to repeat that level of performance in the race. He is very close to taking that final decisive step forward and the team are trying everything to help him. I am convinced that persistence will pay off because there is no shortage of quality. Mugello is a track that should suit his riding style and I am confident that this can be a good weekend for Gino and the Suter.”
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