Gino Rea’s luckless weekend at Misano continued with a faulty tyre causing him to crash during Saturday’s qualifying session. The British rider lost control at turn six for the second successive day after showing promising pace and will subsequently have to start the race from 23rd position.
“Frustrating really because we had a faulty front tyre and the first time I went to throw it into a left-hander it just washed out before I even tipped in. When I got back to the garage the team did a great job to fix the bike and get me back out there but we didn’t know why I’d crashed so we kept the same tyre in and it just kept wanting to throw me off in every left-hand turn. It’s a shame because we were competitive in free practice and I was expecting the top fifteen at least, maybe top ten. We have been let down by something out of our control so it’s unlucky but hopefully we can get a good start and fight for points tomorrow.”
Team Manager Fausto Gresini was encouraged by Rea’s pace throughout the weekend and hopes he can have a clear run tomorrow.
“It’s a shame because with the pace he has shown this weekend I was hopeful that Gino could qualify in the top ten. Unfortunately he has run into another problem that has prevented him from performing to his full potential so hopefully he has better luck tomorrow.”