Gino Rea - Photo Credit: Gresini Racing
Gino Rea saw his maiden British Grand Prix come to a disappointing conclusion after finishing outside the points in 24th position. The Londoner was up in the top ten after a superb start but couldn't stick with the midfield group, something he put down to an incorrect change in set-up.
“It’s a frustrating end to an otherwise positive weekend for us. We’ve been running in the top fifteen throughout practice but the conditions were quite different for the race so we changed a few things with the setting of the bike and I really struggled. I kept losing the front in the first part of the race so I tried to compensate by opening the gas earlier on the side of the tyre, which cost me a lot of grip from mid-race onwards. Hopefully we can use the data to improve from here because we certainly needed it after the last couple of races.”
Gresini teammate Ratthapark Wilairot succeeded where Rea failed and claimed the final point for 15th. The Thai rider felt he could've achieved an even greater result but the lack of running with the new Suter chassis caught up with him late on.
“I didn’t make a great start but the setting wasn’t so bad and I was able to push. I felt comfortable with the bike, it turned well and I am pleased with the way it is progressing although we need to work on keeping it balanced when the fuel tank is empty. That small aspect cost me the chance to finish a couple of places higher up but anyway I am happy.”
Team Manager Fausto Gresini is encouraged by the progress being made by the team and expects Rea's luck to change soon.
“Gino made a good start to the race but it wasn’t enough to carry him to a good result. He gradually lost positions and it wasn’t what we were hoping for at his home race. It is a shame because the progress is being made but so far it is not bearing fruit. I am pleased because “Feem” had a good race and improved his pace from practice. Even though it was just one point it is still an important result because we can see that with more and more confidence in the bike we can challenge for much better in the future. This is a boost for the whole team and it will be important for the races to come.“
