Simply Superb Simon 5th On Grid On GP Return
Moto2 at the Sachsenring has seen a field almost inseparable on the timesheets. Lap times on Saturday were just as close as on Friday. Twenty-six riders were within a second of each other, and the top spot in qualifying changed hands frequently in the early stages. Bradl, Espargaró, Neukirchner and Simón all stated their case for the pole position that eventually went to Marc Márquez.
The MAPFRE Aspar riders were on form today at the Sachsenring, in particular during qualifying. Julián Simón was simply superb as he qualified fifth for the Sunday race, in a performance doubly impressive considering the condition of his recently-broken leg. The Spaniard took tenth in free practice on Friday, indicating that he wasn’t in Germany merely to make up the numbers. Saturday was more of the same from the gutsy Moto2 rider, as he gave his all in the afternoon session and clocked the fifth fastest time of the day. He doesn’t rule out playing a part in the fight for victory on Sunday.
Teammate Jordi Torres also had a noteworthy day, entering into the top five at the halfway mark of qualifying. He tried to make further improvements, and managed to record his fastest time on the last of his 25 laps. Claiming sixteenth on the grid, Torres has a goal of a points finish firmly in his sights.
5th Julián Simón 1.25.189 (20 laps):
“I am happy with the result. I will start from fifth and have the chance to match onto the lead group if I get a good start. I am very motivated and delighted to have returned to action so positively, so I hope that I can round off the weekend with a good result. We have a good pace, even with worn tyres, and the bike is ready for tomorrow.I had a few problems in the qualifying session, because the higher temperatures meant that my leg swelled up and I got more tired -leading to it becoming more difficult to turn the bike in. The race takes place in the morning, so I hope that this works to my advantage. The only doubt that I have is how my leg will hold up on the final laps. I think that it is possible to get a good result and maybe even opt for the podium or a win, should my leg be up to the task. You have to be very alert on the opening laps at this track, in order to avoid surprises. There will be very little space and plenty of riders wanting to overtake however possible. The main objective is to finish the race, and to place as high up as my leg allows.”
16th Jordi Torres 1.25.465 (25 laps):
“I intend to finish in the points in this race, and I think that I should try to do so at all costs. It is an ambitious aim, but I am adapting very well to this circuit. Today I had a lot of fun out there. My feeling with the bike gets better with every session this weekend, and things are going well for me. I am very optimistic, because every time that we try something out, it works. The setup is very good, and we obviously intend to finetune it even more in tomorrow morning’s warmup session. Generally speaking, the bike is ready to go. I think that we have a good race pace, and that with a good start I can have a great race. I am sure that the race will be tough -especially at the beginning- but you have to learn to find spaces on the opening laps. I reached as high as fifth this afternoon and I couldn’t believe it. It is really positive for me, because it helps me to demand more of myself and see if I can finish well.”
Source: Aspar Media