Repsol Moto3 riders end Day 1 in fourth and ninth place, respectively, as the Rio Hondo circuit debuts in the World Championship.
For the first time in 15 years, the World Championship returns to Argentina this season, where the Rio Hondo circuit debuts on the calendar. Alex Rins and Alex Marquez opened the track with the fourth and ninth fastest times, respectively, on a day dominated by Jack Miller.
At first, the aim was to memorise corners, find the ideal lines for the track and make the first adjustments to the setup of their Hondas. To do this, Alex Marquez completed 18 laps in the first session –placing sixth– and many more in the second, improving by almost two seconds and stopping the clock in a final time of 1’51.234. This time placed him fourth.
Alex Rins experienced more difficulties and, after 19 laps, finished twenty-second in the first session. However, he improved by more than 3 seconds in the second session and ended the day ninth –with a time of 1’51.550.
Tomorrow sees a final practice session before qualifying, which will decide the grid for Sunday’s race.
Alex Rins >> Audio >>
9º, 1:51.550 sec, 37 laps, 178 km
“The truth is I found it difficult to adapt, first off. Maybe I was a little laid back and so I finished further back in the first session. In the second I came out more determined, and I rode looking to find the limit. It did not go badly. In addition, we made a big step forward with the setup compared to the first free practice; it is always difficult to find the best configuration for the bike first time out. I think tomorrow we can do much better.”
Alex Marquez >> Audio>>
4º, 1:51.234 segundos, 36 vueltas, 173 km
“As usual and as we saw last year in Austin, the first day at a new circuit –like Rio Hondo is for us– means a lot of sliding and a trickier situation for all the riders. However, the track cleaned up with every session and got more rubber laid down, which will improve the grip levels. Lap by lap we have been finding the best line, improving the bike and especially polishing up my riding, which was what I needed to do after the first session. Tomorrow I have to keep improving, especially on the third and fourth sectors which are proving tough. I’ll try to take that little step that we need to be on the first or second row.”
