Terol aiming high for home GP

Bright sunshine and warm conditions welcomed the 125cc riders onto the track as the Grand Prix of Spain got underway today and not even a faulty timing system, which meant nobody could see any lap times until halfway through the session, could stop the local domination of free practice. The ‘Spanish Armada’ were immediately on 2009 lap record pace today, setting the standard for what looks likely to be a highly competitive weekend.

Bancaja Aspar riders Nico Terol and Bradley Smith both have plenty to play for, the Spaniard making his home debut for the team as the series leader and the Brit keen to confirm that the technical problems from Qatar are now behind him. That proved to be the case for Bradley although a lack of front grip compromised his performance slightly today as he lapped seventh fastest, with Nico fifth and both riders with work to do ahead of tomorrow’s qualifying session.

5th Nico Terol 1.48.592 (21 laps): “we put a hard front tyre on today that I hadn’t been able to test all winter and I took a while to get used to it. I needed a few laps before I was confident enough to get a good feeling in corner entry but it was only the first session and this is the time to test things that are going to help us go faster tomorrow. I finished fifth and to be honest the pace was pretty quick for the first session. I’m happy with engine performance and as far as the chassis is concerned we just need to improve a bit more in corner entry. The bike is moving around a little in the fast corners, probably in part due to the fact I did the whole session on used race rubber, which was an important way to get us prepared for Sunday.”