Julian Simon & Jordi Torres Optimistic Despite Initial Misano Setup Struggles
Suffocating heat throughout the opening day of the San Marino Grand Prix gave way to spots of rain at the start of the second free practice for the Moto2 class this afternoon, although it only last five minutes. Marc Márquez dominated most of the afternoon session although he was challenged in the final minutes by home favourites Iannone, Pasini and Pirro before series leader Stefan Bradl established a 0.4 second advantage. Lap times are already faster than last year and tomorrow promises to be a close battle for grid positions.
For the second Grand Prix in a row a cautious approach was the order of the day for the MAPFRE Aspar riders, with Julián Simón struggling through the many direction changes here due to pain in his right leg. The Spaniard also struggled for front grip through some of the slower corners and was only able to lap 21st fastest with a best time of 1’40.120. Jordi Torres came through his first test unscathed this morning as he aimed to learn a completely new circuit without hiccups, the Spanish rookie pushing harder in the afternoon but also suffering from a front-end issues as he lapped just 0.001 seconds shy of his experienced team-mate.
21st Julián Simón 1.40.120 (29 laps):
“We’re struggling more than usual to get on the pace here at Misano. It is quite a slow circuit with a lot of direction changes and it is not good for my leg. Apart from that I am staying calm because I want to avoid any more crashes at all cost. I need more confidence in the front end because it is running wide in some of the slower corners. It has been a tough day but we made an improvement towards the end and I was able to enjoy the last few laps. I am sure if we keep working in the same way tomorrow we can be up there. I like the circuit, I have good results here for the last two years and I am sure we can respond tomorrow despite the physical problems.”
22nd Jordi Torres 1.40.121 (42 laps):
“I took things easy this morning because I wanted to get to leanr the track without any setbacks and then in the afternoon I started to push. I got a good feeling and tried to get behind another rider to help my lap time, which I manage to do. After that I came in and we made a slight modification to try and reduce some front chatter. After that I went back out and improved again riding on my own, which is a good sign because it shows I have the potential to improve. The day ended well so I am looking forward to building on that tomorrow.”
Source: Aspar Media