It wasn’t a great Sunday for Lorenzo Baldassarri, who had to settle for seventh place in Race 2 at Portimao and witness Dominique Aegerter take the win, which means the Italian is now 45 points behind in the general standings.

The Evan Bros rider’s race was clearly compromised by a contact with Niki Tuuli four laps from the end, which caused the Finn to crash while Lorenzo was handed a long lap penalty after being deemed responsible for the incident. Something that Balda finds hard to accept.

“I’m really sorry to see how this sport is changing” comments Lorenzo, “in that there are more and more rules but in reality things are just getting worse. I wouldn’t want motorcycling to become like football, where they call out every penalty or whatever”.

Baldassarri: "Incorrect behaviour often goes unpunished"

The Italian continues with his consideration, using what happened in the race as an example.

“I know it’s not easy to make decisions, but doing so in a rush is the worst thing. I’ve always been a correct rider, and I received an unfair long lap after a hurriedly made decision. Other riders have a history of behaving incorrectly, and often don’t respect the other riders, but they sometimes go unpunished.”

Lorenzo draws a clear conclusion, one that is on point consider the continual need to make motorcycling safer.

“None of this sets a good example, particularly for kids who grow up wanting to do this sport. I don’t think seeing riders who behave incorrectly and go unpunished will help them to understand, and the same goes for decisions made in a rush. All I can do is refocus on the championship now, but I’m disappointed about what’s happened.”

Traslated by Heather Watson

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