Gran Prix of the Americas: an original weekend, concluded with a comeback.

Friday, April 12th - Practices

The 2024 championship kicks off again in the United States at the Circuit of the Americas (also known as "COTA"), a long Texan track with a variety of corners.

On Friday, the first free practice session marked David Almansa's return to the track, where he managed to maintain a good pace in the early laps, placing himself in the top positions. For David, this is also his debut on this track, which allows him to slightly improve his fastest lap. Matteo Bertelle, on the other hand, confirms a good result, finishing in 6th position as the top Honda rider, maintaining pace with the frontrunners throughout the session.

In the second Friday session, both drivers manage to set a good lap, momentarily placing them both in contention for Q2. Matteo maintains the 10th fastest time, while David improves his feeling, placing 14th, just on the cusp of those advancing to Q2.

Saturday, April 13th - Practices and Qualifying

In Practice 2, the first session of Saturday, the track conditions allow for a significant improvement in lap times compared to Friday.

Matteo manages to confirm his direct qualification to Q2, concluding with the 9th fastest time in the combined P1 and P2 sessions.

Despite improvements in lap times from David as well, unfortunately, he does not qualify directly to Q2. He will have to go through Q1 during the qualifiers after closing the combined practices with the 17th fastest time.

The qualyfing session start off with a setback for the team; David loses control of the bike at the end of the first flying lap of Q1, crashing and having to withdraw from the session, unable to set a useful time for the starting grid.

Following this crash, David Almansa does not take part in the GP due to a reopened wound, which however does not compromise his presence at the next GP in Spain. Q2, on the other hand, brings encouraging results on Matteo's speed, confirming his pace when riding solo and also his ability to follow the riders ahead. He secures the 7th position on the starting grid for the race.

Sunday, April 14th - Race

A race that starts uphill due to Almansa's absence. Making the situation even more uncomfortable, Bertelle was penalized with 3 Long Lap Penalties to be served during the race, compromising his race even before it began.

Due to another rider's withdrawal, Matteo starts from the 6th position, with a fantastic start that immediately places him in 3rd position after the first corner, concluding the first lap in 2nd position. In the second lap, he serves the first of the 3 penalties, dropping out of the top 10, then serves the second penalty in the following lap, placing himself in 18th position. After a couple of laps, he serves the last Long Lap, without further compromising his current position.

Once the 3 penalties are served, Matteo begins his comeback, feeling confident on his bike and maintaining a considerable speed. He quickly overtakes few riders, positioning himself around the 14th position for a few laps. He maintains a great pace throughout the race, making further overtakes and capitalizing on opponents' mistakes.

Despite everything, Matteo manages to finish the race in 10th place, with a remarkable comeback.

Riders Comments

Matteo comments on his performance with ups and downs: "I'm happy because I had a good start and a great first lap, but I still struggle with the tires. We still need to work with the team on that. Overall, though, the race was positive."

David's words at the end of the weekend: "We were having a very good weekend, I felt comfortable on the bike even though I was physically a bit sore. The team supported me a lot. I'm very sorry for my mistake in qualifying because we could have done very well."