|
For the sole time prior to last year’s French Grand Prix, Ducati’s satellite competitors both achieved the
factory lineup at Donington Park on Sunday. Niccolò Canepa and Mika Kallio made different choices to Casey Stoner and
Nicky Hayden when it approached tyre choice for the ‘wet’ run, racing polished wheels and adding the pair to the
top ten alongside for the first time this year.
Canepa was the highest placing Ducati competitor in the difficult
race, riding his Pramac Racing Desmosedici GP9 to a career high of eighth place. It was his toughest event to date in the
elite class.
“At one point it was difficult just to stay upright, and I didn’t have the advantage that
the other riders had in terms of experience. You need to have a lot of patience and sensitivity with the bike in these conditions,”
he says, though colleague Kallio was less than impressed with a tenth placing.
“I’m not very happy,
because I expected more from this race,” explains the Finn, who arrived into the pits to swap bikes in a move he later
regretted.
“I was fighting for sixth before heavier rain came down, but as soon as I switched machines it
became less intense and I couldn’t do times like my first one on slick tyres.”
Kallio will have further
surgery for his damaged finger this Tuesday, after which both competitors will rest up before the next round of the series
at Brno.
|
