Simon happy about slick tyre decision on first day, securing him second spot on the grid

The clouds hanging over Estoril refused to budge as the Grand Prix of Portugal entered its second day, with incessant rain making conditions difficult for the Moto2 riders in this morning’s final free practice session. After a host of crashes in the intermediate class and with the downpour intensifying over lunch, flooding the track in several corners, there was little choice but to cancel qualifying for all three categories in the afternoon.

The gird positions for tomorrow were therefore decided by the best lap times from the three free practices combined, leaving Julián Simón in second place thanks to his effort yesterday morning. His team-mate Mike Di Meglio was one of the riders to crash this morning and although he escaped uninjured the Frenchman did not manage to register a quick enough lap to qualify.

2nd Julián Simón 1.51.304: “It seems our decision to get a couple of laps in on slick tyres at the end of the session yesterday paid off – not just because I felt comfortable on the bike but because we have ended up in second place on the grid thanks to that gamble. I am really happy and it is good for us to be on the front row at what has been a crazy GP so far. We’ll have to wait and see what the weather holds tomorrow but I hope it doesn’t rain this much because it would be dangerous. If it’s a dry race we will have to improvise because we haven’t tested anything but it’s the same for everybody.”

Source: Mapfre Aspar Team