Terol Takes Control On Day One At Brno
The 125cc teams and riders returned to work today following a three-week break with two free practice sessions at the Czech Republic Grand Prix. BANKIA Aspar rider Nico Terol’s dominance of the opening session this morning was so convincing that his lap time remained unbeaten in the afternoon, when only Sandro Cortese and Johan Zarco threatened the Spaniard’s superiority at a circuit where he has celebrated victory for the past two seasons.
Terol’s early effort of 2’08.456 was enough to leave him in control overnight, despite the fact that he was unable to improve in the second session as he experimented with a host of set-up adjustments. It was an intense day of work in the BANKIA Aspar box as Héctor Faubel also returned to action following his victory last time out in Germany despite still suffering from the effects of an intestinal illness over the summer break. The Spaniard finished eighth fastest, a second off the pace of Nico. The team’s third rider Adrián Martín suffered a crash in turn two at the end of this morning’s session when he lost the rear of his bike but he was uninjured and will look to improve tomorrow.
1st Nico Terol 2.08.456 (30 laps):
“I felt good this morning and my feeling with the bike was magnificent. This afternoon we tried to improve the set-up but instead of taking a step forwards we took two backwards. In certain areas of the track I was running wide and these things happen when you try new things but we know what we need to be fast here. Tomorrow we’ll go back to the set-up from this morning and I am sure we will be back on the pace. I had a great weekend here last year and the year before but every weekend is different and we cannot take our eye off the ball. We want to prepare properly to be fighting for the win again.”
8th Héctor Faubel 2.09.538 (28 laps):
“The day went quite well. From one session to the next we made a few changes and I could feel a difference. I am happy because we have tried a lot of things without really pushing 100% and we are not far from the front. The track wasn’t in the perfect condition and I think people we playing it safe. We will continue to test things tomorrow and I am sure we will be closer to the top. I feel a little tired and groggy from the effects of the infection but they are looking after me between sessions in the Clinica Mobile.”
13th Adrián Martín 2.10.286 (24 laps):
“I am quite satisfied with the work we have done today. We have improved step by step and that has allowed me to find my limits. I got a few laps behind Nico and Héctor, who are both very fast, and that gave me an idea of where I should be on the track. Maybe the crash this morning came because I was pushing too hard in certain areas but I think it is important for me to push and break through limitations. Tomorrow we will work more on the set-up to make up positions.”
Source: Aspar Media