The last round of the season already started with the first free practice day. The Grand Finale is being hosted by Ricardo Tormo Circuit, a Spanish track in Valencia which is hosting the last Grand Prix since few years. Even if it presents different layouts, the world championship is actually racing in the big one which includes five right corners and nine left ones.
As every weekend, the Moto3 class is the first one to go out on track in the morning for the FP1. During the forty minutes, our riders completed three runs each, where they have been able to improve every time their lap times. Even if track conditions are pretty good, the low asphalt temperature was making all the work more complicated to find the right setting and right tyres to use during the race.
Although during FP1 there has been more difficulties for both our riders to set a fast lap time as the very firsts riders have made, FP2 went better since the first laps. Unfortunately, Makar Yurchenko suffered a crash when he was signing very fast lap times to stay in the first group. On the other hand, Kazuki Masaki kept on improving also during FP2, to end up only one second far from the best lap time.
It has been a good first day overall, and all the team already knows where they have to improve to make a step forward tomorrow.
#76 MAKAR YURCHENKO P.20
“Today we suffered a little bit track conditions, most of all because track temperature was so low during FP1. We come from the hottest race of the season, which is Malaysia, and it is always difficult when you have completely opposite conditions and setting of the bike. I really like this track because of its layout, but unfortunately today I have not been able to adapt my style and ride my bike like I always do. My feeling during FP2 was improving, and finally I was signing very fast lap times. The high side I suffered, kept me for a while stop in the box, by waiting my bike to be set up again. In the last minutes all the other riders were improving their respective lap times, but I couldn’t been able to follow then. Tomorrow we will try to make a strong start of the day to try get the chance to go directly to QP2.”
#22 KAZUKI MASAKI P.26
“Today I had a good feeling even if track conditions were quite difficult due to the low asphalt temperature. During FP1 it cost me a lot to find the right setting, most of all the right balance between braking points. In the afternoon track temperature was getting higher and also the lap times were improving. I was trying every lap to make a step forward, and even if finally we have not been able to sign a lap time like the first ten riders, my ideal time based on my fastest sectors, would have been in top10. Now we have to analysed all the informations we have from today in order to sign that ideal lap time tomorrow. “
