Repsol Honda riders finish second and ninth, respectively, on the first day of Free Practice at Phillip Island.
Marc Márquez topped the timesheets in the first session on Friday and was second in the afternoon run, only 5 thousandths of a second off the fastest time.
Dani Pedrosa finished the day in ninth position, less than half a second off the top and improving his times by 7 tenths from FP1 to FP2,
Whilst there was sun and cool temperatures at Phillip Island during the first day of action, rain is expected for the rest of the weekend.
Marc Márquez – 2nd
“I’m happy with today because we started with a good base setup in FP1 and I immediately felt good on the bike. Our pace was fast and we were able to do some good work with the tyres. Anyway, I think for tomorrow we can try and further improve the setup, especially the stability of the bike in the fast corners. There are a few places where we could be quicker if we can manage to take another step in that area. The temperature was cold and the wind was quite strong, and sometimes it almost made the front fold. But that’s normal here at this track, and you must try to find a compromise with the setup in order to minimize these factors.”
Dani Pedrosa – 9th
“I’m happy with today because we started with a good base setup in FP1 and I immediately felt good on the bike. Our pace was fast and we were able to do some good work with the tyres. Anyway, I think for tomorrow we can try and further improve the setup, especially the stability of the bike in the fast corners. There are a few places where we could be quicker if we can manage to take another step in that area. The temperature was cold and the wind was quite strong, and sometimes it almost made the front fold. But that’s normal here at this track, and you must try to find a compromise with the setup in order to minimize these factors.”
