(La traduzione in italiana e le foto saranno disponibile a breve).
Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia - Monday, August 11, 2008- The NCR-Ducati team travelled to the beautiful east coast for the important final double header before heading back to Shannonville, Ontario.
The Atlantic Motorsport Park is a twisting and bumpy technical track that stresses the suspension to the extreme. With the successful NCR-Ducati 848, work began to try to get the suspension dialed in early in order for the team to feel comfortable to start pushing the limits of the motorcycle and rider. NCR-Ducati factory riders Andrew Nelson and Valter Bartolini had smiles in their faces at some of the wild corners and heart stomping parts of the track. It was Valter?s first time on the track but he managed to turn the second fastest time with a 1:11.389 and Andrew toped the class with a blistering 1:09.695 which was over 2 seconds ahead of third place. Qualifying went very well for the team by securing pole and second place. Andrew topped the charts with a 1:09.277 and Valter second with a 1:10.631.
Race 1 was a heart breaker for the team since both riders got a good start but then Andrew?s shift lever broke after the first lap unfortunately leaving his bike in neutral. Had it broken when he was in second or third he could have nursed it to finish the race for points but it wasn?t the meant to be. Valter kept his eyes ahead and kept a safe distance ahead of second place finishing 9.7 second gap over second place Michael Leon (KTM) and 11.2 seconds ahead of third place Michael Ferrera (BMW).
Race 2 saw both riders get a good start with Michael Ferrera (BMW) with an early lead and Valter and Andrew in close pursuit. By the start of the second lap, Valter Bartolini took the lead and with Andrew sitting impatiently in third. By the third lap, Ndrew passed into second and the close team battle quickly had the riders distancing themselves away from the war for third behind them. By lap 7, Andrew passed his teammate for the lead and never looked back. Andrew broke the class track record with a 1:09.173 while Valter managed his series points and finished 2nd, 9.4 seconds ahead of third place Eric Beausejour. Valter commented that ?Andrew was riding very well this weekend and he was very fast in all areas of the track. I was happy with second and thought of the series points (translated)?. This leaves Walter Bartolini with 256 points, Andrew Nelson with 209 points, Dave Estok (Buell) 198, Michael Ferrera (BMW) 196, Darren James (Buell) 189 and Eric Beausejour (KTM) 181. With 50 points for a win, 4 points for pole and 2 points for leading the most laps, Walter has clinched the championship for NCR-Ducati leaving the final round to determine if the championship is won by Valter Bartolini or Andrew Nelson. The final round is on August 28-31 at Shannonville Motorsport Park in Shannonville, Ontario. Join us there for what will surely be an exciting time.
For more team information or to explore sponsorship and marketing opportunities, visit www.ducatiusa.com, www.ncrfactory.com or contact Joe Ippoliti at 613-936-3579 or Jim McKenna at 404-394-2094.
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