The first hour of practice for the GP de Catalunya was an authentic taste of things to come this weekend: very high temperatures and with the Repsol riders in with a chance of putting in a good race. Tanto Márquez, as well as Redding & Rabat set times among the five fastest, but in the end finished 7th, 8th, and 14th respectively, in a session dominated by Julián Simón.
The KTM number 93 ridden by Márquez led the session when the halfway mark was reached, a practice that helped the young Repsol rider to recover his sensations on a track where he was able to practise all winter. The rider from Lerida gradually got better, adjusting the set up on his chassis and suspension step by step so as to be able to tackle the fast corners at the Circuito de Catalunya with complete confidence in the front end of his motorbike.
His teammate, Cameron Beaubier, was able to get back on a bike after cancelling his attempt in Mugello, when he was still recovering from the injury he got at Le Mans four weeks ago. He slowly got back into the swing of things and found his competition pace, finishing 25th, three seconds and a half behind the leader.
In the BQR pits, Scott Redding was very consistent during the 60 minutes the riders had today, and he took advantage of this time to adjust his suspension and to prepare for the selection of the tyres for the race. The Repsol rider showed that he is one of the fastest in this category, but a couple of mistakes on his final laps meant that he could not improve on his times, and he had to make do with 8th position.
After the difficulties he had in the previous GP, Esteve Rabat spent the first day of practice on his “home” circuit trying to make the right tyre selection. The Repsol rider was also regularly among the fastest today, up with the fastest ten, although in the end he fell back to 14th position.
Tomorrow the forecast is for more very high temperatures during the second free practice and qualifying sessions, when the grid positions for the race on Sunday are decided.
Marc Márquez, 1’53.316 secs, 23 laps. 109 km. >> Audio
“We have started well, getting a good pace, although we still have to improve quite a bit because we have had several problems. It is normal on the first day, but the important thing is to work tomorrow so that we can do a good qualifying session. On this circuit it is important to have good control when braking, and above all, the right set up for the fast corners, which is precisely where I had the most difficulties, because the front end was moving around a lot. We hope to solve this problem tomorrow; we have data from the practice we did here a few months ago which we hope can help us improve and to go faster.”
Esteve Rabat, 1’54.095 secs, 23 laps. 109 km. >> Audio
“Today we concentrated on testing different tyres for the race, because it was what let us down a fortnight ago in Mugello. We tried different alternatives on both the front and rear, some compounds we had never used; especially the hardest of all. We did not try to do a fastest lap, but just to get a good set up on the chassis and the right tyres. The engine went very well again, so tomorrow we will see if we are capable of taking a step forward. I tried the best I could and could not get a better time, but I was riding alone, concentrating on the work we wanted to do today.”
Scott Redding, 1’53.374 secs, 23 laps, 109 km. >> Audio
“The weekend has got off to a good start. The track was a bit dirty at the beginning, but it was the same for us all. As it got cleaner we improved, trying different tyres, changing the set up on the suspension and the engine configuration a little. On the last two laps I tried to improve my time, but I made a couple of mistakes and I lost a few tenths of a second. Luckily the weather here is fine, and even though it is very hot, I am pleased.”
Cameron Beaubier, 1’55.798 secs, 19 laps, 90 km. >> Audio
“The track was a little slippery during this practice, but the important thing was to recover my pace after a four week break without riding, apart from the two laps of Mugello. My hand feels fine, a little painful, but I can ride well. We have to try a harder front tyre, because it is very hot and the aim is to get a bit more stability. The harder compounds are those that respond better in such extreme conditions, so that will be our work for tomorrow. I hope that I can improve.”
