Reigning MotoGP World Champion tops both practice sessions at scene of first premier class victory. Dani Pedrosa sets third fastest time.
The first day of practice at the Grand Prix of the Americas followed a script that had been expected but never ceases to be spectacular. Marc Marquez –the current MotoGP World Champion and the winner of the first race of 2014– was victorious in Austin last year and picked up from where he left off this Friday. He topped the opening two sessions of the weekend at the Texan track. Teammate Dani Pedrosa finished the day with a good feeling, third on the timesheets.
After completing 15 laps in the first session, Marquez was the only rider able to go round in under 2:05. His best time was a 2:04.704 lap, putting him 0.887 ahead of Aleix Espargaro and 0.972 up on Pedrosa. In the second session, Marquez improved by more than a second and, after another 16 laps, ended the day with a quickest time of 2:03.490. He was over a second faster than second-placed Andrea Dovizioso, who was second. Dani Pedrosa, who was again third, set a time of 2:04.623.
Tomorrow sees the second day of practice. Marquez and Pedrosa will have another 75 minutes at their disposal, split into two sessions, before a 15-minute qualifying shootout. The grid-deciding session will take place at 2:45pm local time, setting the starting order for the Grand Prix of the Americas.
Marc Marquez >> Audio
1º, 2:03.490, 31 laps, 171 km
“This first day of practice in Austin went really well. Obviously I’m happy with the time I set, and also with the gap of a second between myself and the next quickest rider. However, the most important thing for me is that my leg feels ok – much better than it did in Qatar. The injury was bothering me a little, but I was able to participate in both Free Practice sessions without taking any painkillers. Now I just have to wait for tomorrow and see if things go better or worse for us then; we know that we have a small advantage and we will try to manage it well, but I am aware that the rest of the riders will also make improvements.”
Dani Pedrosa >> Audio
3º, 2:04.623, 30 laps, 165 km
“Today we did a good job with the tyres. We tried the hard compound and it went fairly well for us. Although we didn’t go very fast, we have a good feeling and I think that with a few tweaks to the setup we can take a big step forward and improve considerably tomorrow. Today was a positive day for us.”
