Repsol riders contest initial practice sessions in wet conditions, with Fabio Quartararo 12th, Maria Herrera 24th and Jorge Navarro 34th.
The first day of practice for the Grand Prix of the Americas in Austin saw rain play a key role and cause numerous crashes. The three Repsol riders faced the challenge of a completely unfamiliar track under less-than-favourable conditions; Fabio Quartararo was the best of the trio in acclimatising to the new circuit, setting the tenth fastest time in the morning and the twelfth best in the afternoon. He was 1.895s behind the fastest rider of the day: Qatar racewinner Alexis Masbou.
Maria Herrera had a good start at the Austin track, although in the morning she preferred to remain cautious and not risk crashing. After completing 11 laps in the first session, in the second she moved up from the penultimate position to 24th –four seconds off the best time of the day. Jorge Navarro crashed at the start of the second session, keeping him in the garage for most of the remaining time as he watched his mechanics repair his bike. He was able to complete only six laps, finishing 34th and 5.524s off Masbou.
Tomorrow sees the third free practice session and qualifying to decide the grid for the Grand Prix of the Americas.
Fabio Quartararo
12th – 2:31.162, 27 laps, 149 km
“The morning practice was a little tricky, because it rained a lot and that’s not the best way to learn a circuit. But this afternoon the conditions were better and at the end of the session the asphalt began to dry out. I toyed with putting slick tyres on for the second exit, but it was too dangerous. I had a good feeling with the bike in wet conditions and tomorrow we will see what kind of weather awaits us.”
Jorge Navarro
34th – 2:34.791, 17 laps, 94 km
“Today was a difficult day. In the morning I found it hard to pick up the pace and, at the end of the session, the conditions worsened because it was raining again. However, the feeling with the bike was not bad and gradually we improved. In the afternoon I went out more convinced about myself and on the first lap I already rode close to my best time from the morning. On the second lap out I made a mistake and I crashed, and that made me miss a lot of the rest of the session. I have to thank the team, as they fixed the bike in time and I was only able to do three laps. Although these laps did not allow us to draw too many conclusions, they were useful for taking away the bad taste in my mouth from the crash and for us to start tomorrow with a clean slate.”
Maria Herrera
24th – 2:33.302, 24 laps, 132 km
“I took the first session fairly calmly, because it was raining and it was quite windy. Maybe I was too cautious, but I focused on starting to look for the best lines as it was the first time I had ridden here. In the second session we knew we had to push harder, although the conditions were not very favourable; it was not raining but the asphalt was still wet at most points on the track. I was able to tag along with another rider and that allowed me to lower my times and enjoy myself. I think I could still have improved my times considerably, but it is the first day and it was important not to make any mistakes and put in a lot of laps.”
