Fores And Rosell Hampered By Oil Spill Crash And Cancelled FP2

A crash strewn morning free practice kicked off the Dutch TT in chaotic style for the Moto2 class at Assen, with the complications of a wet circuit were then added to by an oil slick caused by the machine of Alex Baldolini. As several riders crashed the red flag was waved four minutes from the end of the session, which was immediately declared over as Race Diretion struggled to clear the track over lunch. Their efforts proved in vain however and all action this afternoon was also cancelled.

MAPFRE Aspar riders Xavi Forés and Elena Rosell were unable to avoid the carnage, thankfully both escaping injury in their respective crashes. Xavi lost the front after riding straight through the oil slick whilst Rosell, the first Spanish woman to appear at Grand Prix level, crashed twice – once at turn five and once at turn one – in both cases due to the poor state of the track surface. Despite a lack of track time she is happy with her first experience of Moto2 and looking forward to more hard work tomorrow.

20th Xavi Forés 1.57.468 (16 laps):
“Up until the crash today had gone really well. We made some big changes to the bike from the last round and the effects were good. The bike was behaving completely differently and we changed a lot of things to make it handle better. I was finding it much easier to ride than in previous races so it was a real shame about the crash at the end. I am happy because the bike is working much better and I think it can help us be much more consistent.”

39th Elena Rosell 2.05.708 (10 laps):
“Today was tough for me. I was really keen because everything was new to me and the most positive thing is that I love the bike, it felt so agile compared to what I am used to. I had two crashes because of the conditions but thankfully I am not hurt. The cancellation of the afternoon session makes it harder for us but I am upbeat and looking back positively on everything that happened today. The team know exactly how the bike should behave in any circumstance virtually without me saying anything. It is hard to enjoy yourself in conditions like this but even so I loved the track and the bike. The position on a Moto2 machine is much more comfortable and compact and it feels easier to handle.”

Source: Aspar Media