Repsol places sixth on difficult first day at Brno, with work focused on bike setup.
Things are never as easy as they seem in the Moto2 World Championship, and whilst just four days ago Marc Márquez took a dominant victory at Indianapolis, adjusting to the Brno has become a new challenge for the Repsol rider. After the first two practice sessions for the Czech Republic Grand Prix, the Repsol rider set the sixth fastest time of a day in which he had to work hard on the setup of his Moto2 bike.
The intermediate category leader went out on track with the aim of adapting as quickly as possible to a track that last year a big effort to finish in second place. After the improvements implemented in summer testing in Portugal and the momentum gathered at Indianapolis, the Repsol rider experienced firsthand that there is no room to relax. He completed 19 laps in the first session, setting a best time on his final of those. His 2’04.641 time was 0.577 down on fastest rider Pol Espargaró.
Focusing on tyre choice and suspension settings, work in the Repsol rider’s garage continued in the second free practice session, in which Márquez put in another 15 laps. The Spaniard has tested different solutions and set his fastest time on his 5th lap —0.142 quicker than his morning marker.
With the data from today’s outings, Márquez and his team will use tomorrow morning’s free practice session and afternoon qualifying to set up their Moto2 machine for a good spot on the grid for Sunday.
Marc Márquez >> Audio
FP1 – 2:03.641, 19 laps, 103 km
FP2 – 2:03.499, 15 laps, 81 km
“Today we had some problems and I never felt fully comfortable on the bike, but that is what practice is for —looking for the best setting. We are slowly finding our way, although we have to make a few changes to reach those at the front. Bearing in mind how the bike was going, sixth place makes us think that we can be amongst the frontrunners with a little improvement. The bike has a lot of potential, but the setting is always critical.”
