Repsol rider sets third fastest time of the day at Phillip Island. Maria Herrera has a good performance on her first contact with the Australian track in 22nd. Fabio Quartararo, still recovering from injury, finishes 32nd.
Cold, rain and wind welcomed the riders of the Moto3 World Championship on their visit to Phillip Island. With difficult and ever-changing weather conditions, the Moto3 field came up against strong winds this morning that are of particular hinderance to the lower cylinder class. Keeping this in mind, Jorge Navarro chose to be prudent, setting the thirteenth fastest time of FP1 –just over half a second off top man Miguel Oliveira. In the afternoon, the Repsol rider took a step forward, lowering his previous best time by just over 1 second –1:37.531– and heading the FP2 timesheet, albeit third in the combined standings for Friday.
Maria Herrera had a very good first day of practice at Phillip Island. On an unfamiliar track, the Repsol rider made great progress between the first and the second session, finishing in a praiseworthy twenty-second and just 1.8s off Oliveira.
Fabio Quartararo, still struggling for fitness due to an injury to his right ankle, finished the opening day in thirty-second position.
Fabio Quartararo
32nd – 1:39.783, 27 laps, 120 km
“This track is amazing. It’s a shame that we could not make the most of the second session. I am feeling some improvement with my foot, but I still can’t put much weight on it and now it is beginning to hurt. I think it will gradually improve. I will also try to increase my pace. The second session was a bit difficult, because we could only put in a few laps and that did not help us to improve. I still do not have the same confidence as when my foot is in good shape, and I’m finding it hard to regain my feeling on the bike, but I’m sure it will return gradually. Now we have to see on the telemetry where we can continue to improve tomorrow.”
Jorge Navarro
3rd – 1:37.531, 26 laps, 116 km
“We did a good job this morning. We decided to run the harder rear tyre option, knowing we were going to sacrifice the first session in part, but it helped me to work more with a tyre that I did not like. In the afternoon, when we went out with the medium option, I felt better; although we could not spend much time on the track, I think I set a good time given the conditions. I’m happy, but we must continue working to further improve tomorrow.”
Maria Herrera
22nd – 1:39.021, 31 laps, 138 km
“In the first stint I had to adapt to the wind. It was something I had already been warned about, so I didn’t think about if it bothered me or not and I concentrated on learning the racing line, by watching how other riders with more experience here were riding. I think I’ve adapted quite well and in the second session, although it rained a bit, we waited until the track was in better condition. Then I went out and lowered my times from the start, and I felt more comfortable. I think that tomorrow we can improve a fair bit, and that this track suits my riding style quite well.”
