Andrea Iannone bullish after ‘real WorldSBK debut’: ‘Maybe I didn’t lose a lot, I’m confident’

Andrea Iannone was a consistent presence inside the top seven during day one of the Jerez WorldSBK test, and as a result, the former MotoGP rider is feeling confident about his chances.

The Italian was quick to admit that testing is not always accurate, but after four years away, the GoEleven Ducati rider was beaming with happiness after a solid opening day.

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“It’s really a first test for me because in October the conditions were a little bit more complicated,” Iannone told WorldSBK.com. “It is colder and I was really excited because I didn’t ride the bike for four years. I was really enthusiastic.

“But I think we started well. We are close to the top riders. I’m a little bit surprised.

“In the end, I only started today and this is really good for us. But like always, testing is testing and races are another story. It can sometimes be a completely different situation.”

Asked if he was surprised by how close he was to the top riders, Iannone said: “In general, yes, because after four years I didn’t expect this speed.

“Talent is talent, training, it is everything. But sometimes, when you lose something you don’t recover it. I’m happy because maybe I didn’t lose a lot. I’m confident.”

Iannone was not the only Ducati rider to show potential, as fellow Superbike rookie Nicolo Bulea stole the show.

The WorldSSP champion was the only rider who set a sub 1m 39s time, although that was set on an SCQ tyre, whereas Alvaro Bautista had a difficult day as he searched for solutions to the new weight limit rule.

Speaking about the performance of other Ducati riders, Iannone said: “I don’t know what tyre Nicolo used, maybe the qualifying tyres, which is unique, but in any case he is fast.

“Alvaro, for sure will be at the top. Today is normal, he tried many things on the bike with the weight story.

“For him, it is important to understand in which area he needs to use the weight. Alvaro was not on the game because he had different problems than us.”