WorldSBK Most: Rinaldi rages at Locatelli

Aruba Ducati’s Michael Rinaldi completed a frustrating Saturday in seventh position having kicked off WorldsBK race one on the front row.

In the post race interviews Rinaldi is always unerringly polite, happy and takes any question given to him with good grace. But he had his own questions to ask after Saturday’s action, when he was almost pinged by an errant Pata Yamaha of Andrea Locatelli on the warm-up lap, then was barged out of the way into turn two by the same rider, who shortly after ran across the grass and rejoined in front of a chasing pack, which also contained Rinaldi somewhere in there, albeit lower than his front row starting place.

Rinaldi was quietly spoken but deeply unimpressed by paying a price in a race result of seventh. “Actually, on the sighting lap, Locatelli made a huge mistake,” said Rinaldi. “In turn one, he almost crashed Toprak, Jonny, and me. That made me very angry, so I wasn’t maybe in the right mindset when the race started. Then again, Locatelli turn two made a really… He pushed too much for the second turn. I picked up the bike. If not, I crash.

“I lost, I think, four positions, something like this. So, that affects my start. Since there, I was with the mindset quite upset, so it was my mistake that I can’t handle that situation. I don’t want to complain about no one, but sometimes it’s better to use the brain because we are risking our lives.

“Then start a little bit the rain and was a little bit more confidence. Then I start to take my confidence eight, seven laps to the end, but it was too late. For sure, I’m upset. Nothing more to say. Just that this is not the race I want, especially in this moment of the year. I cannot change the past, so I will try to give all or nothing