Terol tops the field again, Faubel good 4th, Martin happy with 14th
The Spanish Grand Prix got underway for the 125cc class with a first free practice in perfect weather this morning followed by a wind-affected second session in the afternoon. The conditions meant that the majority of riders lapped faster in the morning than they did in the afternoon, with the standout riders from preseason and the opening round in Qatar again making their dominance felt. Nico Terol and Sandro Cortese were the two pacesetters today, using their experience as they prepared to fight it out for pole position tomorrow.
BANKIA Aspar Team rider Terol continued with his excellent early season form, clocking what proved to be the fastest time of the day this morning and lapping second fastest in the afternoon. The Spaniard’s advantage over his rivals is not as significant as it was in Qatar but he is happy with his progress so far and knows he has room for further improvement. His team-mate Héctor Faubel went back to basics with the set-up of his bike after numerous problems in Qatar and he is also shaping up for a podium challenge on Sunday. Adrián Martín made similarly gradual improvements throughout the day and was one of the few riders to improve his lap time in the afternoon, despite the wind.
1st Nico Terol 1.48.384 (32 laps): “It was more hard work this afternoon than this morning – the wind picked up and in the fast corners it was practically blowing us off the track. That is why the pace was quite slow and I almost crashed a couple of times. Anyway, we started out with a good set-up this morning and my pace was good so I am satisfied with that. It was great to dominate and to win like I did in Qatar but I knew things would be different here and everything would be much closer. I am happy because we are working in the same way as at Losail and everything is working so far but we have to keep it up tomorrow.”
4th Héctor Faubel 1.49.539 (31 laps): “Today we changed quite a few things with respect to Qatar and it all seems to have worked. At the end of the day the lap times were good despite the fact the bike still isn’t running 100% down the straights. This afternoon’s session was spoilt by the wind but I am happy with the result today and I think we’ve made a good start on preparing our bike to challenge for the win on Sunday. Tomorrow I will grit my teeth and go for it because I want a front row start.”
14th Adrián Martín 1.50.788 (25 laps): “I am satisfied because we have improved quite a lot from one session to the next. The wind bothered us a lot this afternoon and it was a particular problem for me because of my weight and size but also because of my riding style, which is quite aggressive and probably could do with being smoother. I lost the front in a few places this morning but we have worked well and improved little by little. We have taken a small step but we still have a lot of room for improvement.”
Source: Bankia Aspar
