"He knows everything about the bike!" – Neila on working Andrew Pitt during the Cremona test
The Spanish rider had an experienced pair of hands on site at Cremona as she worked with Jonathan Rea's Crew Chief, Andrew Pitt
It was a strong FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship test for Beatriz Neila (Ampito / Pata Prometeon Yamaha) after the Spaniard ended the test inside the top four, finding huge time as the day progressed. The Spaniard’s best time came in the sixth session om Friday after spending the day working with Andrew Pitt, who ventured down to the test for the second and final day to speak to Neila.
Running the #36 machine, Neila had a strong test at Cremona, finishing the second and final day in fourth overall after setting a 1’43.124s in the penultimate session of the day. The Spaniard was just over a second away from pacesetter Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team), who edged closer to the 1’41s after setting a 1’41.446s in the final session that Neila set her best time in. Her time in the second session – the first she went out in – was a 1’47.431s, with the Madrid-born rider finding more than four seconds as the day went on.
Neila had a key WorldSBK figure by her side on Friday, with Andrew Pitt – a two-time WorldSSP Champion and now crew chief to Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) – with the 22-year-old at Cremona. The Spanish star explained the benefits of having Pitt working with her, emphasising his knowledge was a massive help. Neila is the Pata Prometeon Yamaha’s rider in WorldWCR, and the link was proven by having Pitt at the test.
Explaining how she felt working with Pitt, Neila said: “Andrew is a really good person. He’s a man that knows everything about the bike! I love working with him because he knows everything so he’s amazing. I hope to have him with me in the whole season so I can work with him. I’m super happy working with him. It’s the first time working together and it’s amazing.”
Pitt also gave his view on working with Neila, saying: “The idea today was, because I’m not so far away, to come over on one of the two days. Today was the best day because of the weather. It was to meet her, say hello. We could see how they were doing, just get a basic picture of where the bike is and just sort of make sure that it’s kind of where it should be, and the gearing and tyres are right.”
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