The beginning of the day
I arrived at the track long before the race, traveling to the service area to greet the riders. I immediately saw a big difference between the main figures of the day. Briton Leon Jeacock is completely relaxed and in high spirits. Meanwhile, when I went to say hello to Šarūnas Pladus, I saw an absolutely different picture. He appears friendly, talks freely about the effect of the approaching heat on the result, but as always, he seems serious.
In the morning training session, Š. Pladas recorded a time of 1:11.562 min. lap time (about 1.2 seconds better than L. Jeacock). When I went to interview Šarūnas, he appeared very focused, as if he was completely focused on the main goal of the day – victory in the main race.
Qualifications
The first fireworks seemed to go off already in the first minutes of the session. L. Jeacock recorded a competitive 1:10.485 min. time
In the next round, Š. Pladas responded with 1:10.446 min, which is just 0.039 seconds faster.
Then the British principle worked and he regained the position of “pole” after a couple of laps, surpassing the icon of Lithuanian motorsport by only 0.030 seconds. (recorded a time of 1:10.416 min). When they saw the almost identical times, people standing around the results screen gasped. Is Š. Will Pladas still go to the track to regain the first place or not? As it turned out later, he did not leave.
Below is Leon Jeacock’s post-qualification comments:
Race
As both masters of motorsport showed almost identical lap times during qualifying, you practically could not meet people in the approaches to the track who did not discuss the possible results of the race. After incredibly close results in qualifying, the intrigue reaches its peak. Right before the start of the competition, the atmosphere seemed electric.
In the final moments before the start of the Superbike class, the two athletes behaved differently. Don’t worry about Leon Jeacock’s face. In general, the Briton, who removed his helmet, spoke as calmly as possible with Donius Bravo, who took him to Lithuania on his own initiative.
Meanwhile, Šarūnas Pladas seemed to be the exact opposite. Sitting on his motorcycle, Šarūnas seems to have completely ignored the team members buzzing around him. The ice in the helmet of the famous athlete is almost completely down. Outside, it appeared that he avoided any distraction that could distract him. It seemed that Šarūnas was absolutely focused on the goal he set for himself on the day of the race to win. At that time, it appeared as if the Lithuanian motorsport star moved somewhere in another dimension in his thoughts.
At that moment, looking at him, I realized that he was like a king, watching from his balcony the crowd that was going to throw him. Instead of panicking unnecessarily, he just laid out in his mind the action plan he would need to keep the crown in his hands.
Last moments before the start of the race:
After all the traffic lights went out, a terrible rush of roaring engines – the racers started.
Both athletes started without problems, L. Jeacock entered the first turn in the first position, but at the end of the right, in the second turn Š. In the next laps, there was a difference of about a second between the riders, but the British was constantly blowing the back of Š.Plada and did not let us breathe. The situation started to change around the fifth lap, when Š. Pladas began to slowly move away from his competitor.
While the British speed began to drop in 1 min. 11 sec., and then up to 1 min. 12 sec., Š. Pladas stable stamping one after the other for 1 min. 10 sec. times further and further away from the British horizon. After a distance of fourteen laps, Šarūnas was the first to cross the finish line.
Shortly after the end, Š. Pladas simply could not contain his joy, he held the crown of Lithuanian motorsport in his hands.
Šarūnas Plada’s comments after the finish:
“He deserved the victory and he made a fantastic race. Šarūnas just once again showed his great ability on this track”, Leon Jeacock, who was interviewed after the finish, praised Š. Plada.
Race results and fastest lap times recorded:
To give you a better idea of the phenomenally stable speed that Š. Pladas demonstrated, we publish his times below:
Š. Plada’s pace in the race:
- 1 rata – 1:12.994 min.
- 2 laps – 1:10.312 min.
- 3 laps – 1:10.306 min.
- 4 ratas – 1:10.395 min.
- 5 ratas – 1:10.599 min.
- 6 laps – 1:10.640 min.
- 7 laps – 1:10.736 min.
- 8 laps – 1:10.667 min.
- 9 laps – 1:10.585 min.
- 10 laps – 1:10.329 min.
- 11 laps – 1:10.625 min.
- 12 laps – 1:10.667 min.
- 13 laps – 1:11.398 min.
- 14 laps – 1:10.982 min.