Rinaldi: Our best at the moment is not enough, I could not be happy

Michael Rinaldi’ WorldSBK podium in Sunday’s Superpole race has done little to solve the lack of consistent pace shown. 

Rinaldi finished fourth after being overtaken by both Pata Yamaha’s in the final two laps, however, Toprak Razgatlioglu and Andrea Locatelli were both demoted one position for exceeding track limits. 

Nonetheless, Rinaldi’s pace tailed off quite considerably - happened again in the second feature race after initially running second. Rinaldi went on to finish that race eighth. 

Except for Misano where he took two wins and a second place, the Italian has struggled for much of the season to be consistently at the front, which is baffling the 25 year-old as ‘I don’t feel that slow’. 

"It’s many races that we’ve struggled in, except Misano. We have the speed sometimes, like in the Superpole Race but only for the first part of the Superpole Race," added Rinaldi.  

"I finished fourth. My opponents went on the green, so they got penalised, but I finished fourth. I could not be happy about this and especially in the afternoon, we know we struggle with the used tyre. 

"I’m not so positive because we couldn’t find our way to win or to stay just there. 

"We sometimes are good, I feel good with the bike and I’m there, and it makes me angry when it’s not like this I’m so far away and I don’t feel that slow. 

"We will need to work harder than what we have. Everybody inside the team, and me, we are doing our best but our best at the moment is not enough."