It's Friday, and I'm heading out for free practice totally focused, ready to smash all my expectations. What had been making me progress since the start of the season—along with several other factors—was managing to lean the bike over further than before, and on Friday, I tried to push those limits to the absolute max.
Turn 4, my elbow catches on the tarmac, I lose the front—session over. In the afternoon, Turn 4 again, my front tyre suddenly slides away as if slipping right through my fingers—day over… Just 5 minutes of track time in total today, and it's too tough to get things repaired in time.
With a knot in my stomach and having watched all my rivals make steps forward, I head into qualifying. Step by step, I build back my confidence without forcing it, but inevitably, it leads to a frustrating result: P16.

For Race 1, I'm convinced I've figured out what I was missing to get back that edge I had before, but once again, I go down—my footpeg clips the deck, sending the bike sliding into the gravel trap. No major damage, but impossible to rejoin (mind you, nearly a third of the grid crashed out that day—unbelievable!). As for Race 2, I finish with a lot of resilience, just focusing this time on making sure I cross that finish line.

I've learned that sometimes you have to know when to back off a bit and work on other, more crucial aspects of your riding. I absolutely cannot wait for the next round of the championship! I can never thank my partner Dainese Paris Grande Armée enough for keeping me safe all weekend with gear that took those hits like a champ.

See you on track very soon!