Elias and Terol happy with bike improvements
A slight change to the Ruskenhoek corner at Assen reset the lap records to zero for this year’s Dutch TT but there is no doubt the Moto2 class has stepped up a notch, with today’s pacesetter Pol Espargaró lapping a full second quicker than last year’s poleman Stefan Bradl (1.39.305). Marc Márquez started the session on top but in the end it was his compatriot and closest rival Espargaró who struck the first blow of the weekend and with sixteen riders inside the same second it promises to be another exciting and unpredictable weekend in the intermediate category.
MAPFRE Aspar rider Toni Elias is amongst the hunting pack, lapping tenth fastest this morning and taking an impressive step forward this afternoon to position himself in third place until his progress was halted by Scott Redding. With 18 minutes remaining of the second session the British rider unwittingly crashed into the Spaniard from behind and Toni was forced to spend the remainder of the day’s action watching from the pit garage. His team-mate Nico Terol was tired but happy after completing 45 laps over the two sessions, working on reducing rear chatter and finding a way forward with his set-up for tomorrow’s qualifying session.
7th Toni Elías 1.39.160 (30 vueltas): “I am happy because the bike gets better every day and we have been making good progress over the last few races – we just haven’t had a result to show for it yet. We have worked well on the first day here at the Dutch TT and it was just a shame about the crash. It happened just after we changed to a soft tyre, which could have been worth four or five tenths and a few positions. They say the soft tyre gives you a boost but I didn’t get chance to see for myself. Redding took me out from behind and I couldn’t do anything to save it. We were unlucky but we can’t afford to think about that. Instead we have to be satisfied with the geometry and suspension settings we have found today. Every day takes us closer to our objective and now we just need a bit of luck.”
19th Nico Terol 1.39.824 (45 laps): “I am happy because we improved my lap times and my feeling with the bike this afternoon. I am satisfied with our pace and consistency but we need to work more on the rear chatter issue, which comes in after the first few laps when the tyre heats up. It will be difficult to solve it completely but if we can reduce it tomorrow I’ll be pleased. That would help me to ride more comfortably and shave a few tenths off my lap time. Overall I am happy that we have improved from Silverstone and I think we’ll take another step closer to the front tomorrow.”
Source: Aspar Team Press Release
