Second and third, Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez adapt well to Assen circuit after first two practice sessions of Dutch TT.
The eighth round of the 2014 season started well for Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez. At a track where a year ago Yamaha took the initiative, this season the Repsol Honda Team riders were only bested by “Open Class” rider Aleix Espargaro on Thursday. Marquez was 2 tenths off in second, with Pedrosa third and a further 2 tenths down.
In the first session Marquez was fourth on the timesheets, behind the Espargaro brothers and Jorge Lorenzo. Pedrosa was eighth in that session. In the afternoon, the Repsol Honda Team riders took a step up. The defending champion and championship leader led much of the session, in which he finished second with a time of 1’33.864. Behind him, Pedrosa was third with a time of 1’34.069.
Using all the data gathered today, tomorrow Marquez and Pedrosa will have two further free practice sessions in which to keep adjusting their setups, ahead of the 15 minute qualifying session that will decide the grid for Saturday’s race.
Marc Márquez >> Audio
2nd, 1:33.864 sec, 37 laps, 168 km.
“Today went pretty well and I’m happy, because last year we suffered a lot at this track. I think is a good track for both Honda and Yamaha; they were better here last year but maybe this year we have taken a step forward and I feel very comfortable and happy with the pace that I have. We’ll see tomorrow, because it seems that we’re not so strong in the low temperatures, but I am convinced that we can match the competitors level”.
Dani Pedrosa >> Audio
3rd, 1:34.069 sec, 38 laps, 173 km.
“Today we were fortunate to have two dry sessions here in Assen. In the morning the track was cooler but in the afternoon we had a very good track temperature, which allowed us to improve our feeling a little and in general we had good conditions for riding. We’ll have to wait until tomorrow to see what condition the track is in, and then hope for a good qualifying session”.
