WorldSBK Phillip Island: Rinaldi’s ‘sacrifice’ pays off

Michael Rinaldi maintained his pre-season strength on Sunday at Philip Island by assisting Aruba.it Ducati to two WorldSBK one-two results.

For a rider who secured two podium finishes at the opening round, after a winter laden with general self-improvement, a spartan new training regime and increased focus to be champion even this year, Rinaldi was still not satisfied with his overall showing in Australia. The wet Race One was an early reversal, so his Sunday runner-up places - behind only the miniature steamroller that was triple winner Bautista - were very pleasing but… it was not quite full mission accomplished in the personal satisfaction stakes.

“Overall no, because after the tests, after the practice, I think on Saturday I could have had a second place, like today,” said Rinaldi, winning the race to be the first rider to the Sunday media scrum. “But when the rain came, I said ‘OK, it’s a different race but usually I’m not that bad under the rain’. I finished on the podium in Catalunya. I made sometimes first in the practice when it was wet but the feeling yesterday in the rain was really, really bad. I tried many things, changed all the settings with electronics, but didn’t help the feeling with the bike. So yesterday, during the race, I tried everything I could, but I said, ‘OK, it’s the first race. I don’t want to injure myself’.

“I was risking a crash ten times. It’s bad that I start the season in this way, but I cannot control the weather.

“We need to understand why I don’t have this feeling with the bike for the next races on the water and the rain, but I can do nothing right now to improve my position. So I bring the bike to the box and try to understand with the team.

“For sure, I was upset. I was really