Terol happy to have found good feeling with the bike in wet conditions

Free practice for the 125cc class was put back two hours from its original slot of 12:40 local time this afternoon following a heavy rainstorm at Phillip Island. Standing water on and around the track, particularly at turn eleven, gave race officials little alternative but once the action got underway there were still several crashes – eight in total – and many more off-track excursions. However, thankfully there were no injuries to report and Bancaja Aspar rider Bradley Smith was able to dominate the session by almost a second over his closest rival, Marc Márquez.

Both Smith and his team-mate Nico Terol made a cautious start to the session as they looked to establish a feel for the conditions and gradually improve their pace. The pair were consistently the quickest riders on track, with Bradley stepping up the pace on the final two laps to confirm his dominance. Terol did not ride for the final eight minutes of the session but still lies fifth on the provisional time sheets.

5th Nico Terol 1.55.920 (18 laps): “This is a difficult circuit in the wet so today was just an opportunity to get a feel for it. I am happy because my feeling is really good and my pace was consistent. With eight minutes left I was happy we had enough so I decided to stop. We are clear about our wet setting if it rains again tomorrow. The conditions today weren’t the best but they are the same for everybody so it is up to us to adapt as best we can. I feel strong in the wet and hopefully I can keep this up through until Sunday. If it keeps raining we will have to ride smart and make sure we don’t crash either tomorrow or on Sunday because the track is quite slippery.”

Source: Bancaja Aspar Team