Busy Day 1 For New Aspar Moto2 Line-up
Unlike recent Grands Prix the Moto2 riders were the luckiest category today as mixed weather again hit free practice. The intermediate riders had two full dry sessions with Márquez, Bradl and De Angelis setting the pace in both. As expected the demanding Mugello circuit saw increased gaps in the lap times compared to usual but the fight for positions was just as eagerly contested.
The task for the MAPFRE Aspar riders today was to complete as many laps as possible, with Raffaele de Rosa making his debut with the MAPFRE Aspar Team and on a Suter chassis, whilst Jordi Torres, who rides a Suter in the Spanish Championship, had never ridden at this circuit before on a Moto2 bike. This is Jordi’s second outing with the team after also competing at Silverstone three weeks ago and he marked his return with the 28th fastest time, De Rosa finishing the day in 21st.
21st Raffaele De Rosa 1.54.679 (28 laps):
“Today was my first time on a Suter chassis and it is a lot of fun. It is easier to ride but like anything it needs a lot of working on. Even though it was the first day I felt comfortable and we improved my feeling this afternoon. I am sure we will improve more tomorrow. I am really happy to be riding this weekend because we weren’t sure up until the last minute. I want to thank the MAPFRE Aspar Team for the big effort they have made to get me out on track. It is a while since I have worked with such a professional team and I also want to thank the race organisers for making it possible. It is exciting to be racing at Mugello because it is my favourite circuit and my home Grand Prix.”
28th Jordi Torres 1.55.224 (30 laps):
“The day went well and I didn’t find it too hard to get my pace together. The team works very effectively and that helps too. I am happy because little by little I learnt the corners and halfway through the session I was in a good position. In this category everybody pushes hard at the end and we had made a change that didn’t work as we wanted. We weren’t looking for a fast lap today, we needed to get laps under our belt and get our reference points for this circuit, which is not an easy task. Let’s see if we can improve tomorrow and qualify in the top twenty.”
Source: Aspar Media