Quartararo sets second fastest time of the day, with Navarro fifth and Herrera twenty-fifth.
Following the summer break, the Repsol Moto3 riders returned to action today in positive fashion at Indianapolis. The morning session was used by Fabio Quartararo and Maria Herrera to learn a new circuit for them, whilst Jorge Navarro already had experience of the track from last year. Quartararo adapted quickest to the American track, clocking the seventh fastest time – 8 tenths off quickest rider Danny Kent. Navarro suffered a crash at the start of the session, opening the throttle too soon with the asphalt still slippery. Despite the pain he was in, he still set the sixteenth fastest time. Herrera finished twenty-second in her first runout at Indianapolis.
In the afternoon, both Quartararo and Navarro chose the final minutes to set their fastest time of the day. Times dropped by almost a second and Quartararo concluded second behind pacesetter Vazquez, with a lap of 1:41.434. Navarro was fifth, 0.252s off the top spot. The first twelve riders in the session were separated by less than 1 second. Herrera, progressing every lap, finished the day with the twenty-fifth fastest lap.
Fabio Quartararo
2nd – 1:41.434, 35 laps, 146 km
“I liked the track, but the most positive thing is that I managed to set the bike up very fast and now we can continue working, but without changing many things and putting a lot of laps in to find the limit of this base we have found. At this circuit I have really enjoyed the last corners, especially the chicane, which is the fastest I’ve ever ridden, but there are also the esses from Turns 6 to 9”
Jorge Navarro
5th – 1:41.518, 29 laps, 121 km
“This morning we started on the wrong foot. I had a crash straight away and I did myself some damage. At first it seemed that the crash could have been worse than it was in the end, but with the help of the Clinica Mobile I felt better in the second free practice. We have worked with the team on the setup; we have been improving every time out on track, and the feeling for tomorrow is good. Tomorrow there are still things we can improve, so if my fitness holds up, I think we can take a step forward”
Maria Herrera
25th – 1:42.854, 36 laps, 150 km
“In the morning I took things calmly, because the asphalt was slippery. I’m enjoying the circuit, I’m adapting well and I think tomorrow we can improve the bike and my lines. Today I rode alone and know where I am making mistakes and where I can improve by a few tenths, so if I can find a slipstream tomorrow my times will go down a lot. The circuit is quite fun and is not particularly difficult, but there are some chicanes that you have to link up well to avoid losing time”
