Repsol riders come close to top time in afternoon session and place in top five, with Alex Marquez third and Alex Rins fifth.
The first day of practice for the Catalan Grand Prix began well for the two Repsol Moto3 riders. In the morning session, Alex Rins clocked the sixth fastest time and Marquez the seventh best, in a runout led by Luis Salom.
In the second free practice session of the day, improved track conditions allowed the majority of riders to lower their times –the Repsol duo included. Marquez completed 18 laps of the Catalan track and was amongst the top three from the beginning of the session. In the end he was second quickest, with a 1’52.349 best time on his 15th lap.
Teammate Rins was fourth quickest in the afternoon session, with a best time of 1’52.711. He took that lap on his fifth time around, of a total of 17. Both riders shaved a second from their morning times, allowing them to take third (Marquez) and fifth (Rins) overall.
Alex Rins >> Audio
FP1: 1:53.655, 16 laps, 76 km.
FP2: 1:52.711, 17 laps, 80 km.
“We have improved a lot, compared to last year. In the morning we struggled to pick up the pace and we could fix a few things with the bike in the afternoon that allowed us to get closer to the top. Perhaps we lacked a final hot lap, but we can be happy that we were a few tenths off first. All we need to improve a bit are the last few laps and finding a good race pace. Tomorrow should be a tough day, with the heat and with many strong riders in front, so we will have to work hard.”
Alex Marquez >> Audio
FP1: 1:53.894, 16 laps, 76 km.
FP2: 1:52.349, 18 laps, 85 km.
“We are happy with this first day, even though in the morning we went off and struggled a bit as the track had little grip. In the afternoon we knew we could improve, both myself and the bike, and that was what we did. The team did a great job today. We tried different setups and we were able to solve a problem that came up in the morning, but we still have a little way to go in order to have the perfect bike for the race. In the second session we set the second fastest time, but this does not really mean anything. We must continue working to have a good qualifying session tomorrow. We have had good races so far this season. I’m not obsessed with getting on the podium, but if I can do so here, then all the better.”
