Espargaro, Rabat and Pons struggling with bike setup and grip issues

The weather made the setup work difficult for the three riders of the Tuenti Móvil HP 40 Team on the first day at Motorland Aragón as the rain took center stage in both practice sessions.

Pol Espargaró, Tito Rabat and Axel Pons finished the day in positions far behind, with 12th, 21st and 26th respectively and they have to work hard on the setup of their bikes to be more competitive for the qualifying tomorrow to get good positions on the grid.

12. POL ESPARGARÓ, 2.09.413 “I couldn’t go fast in the third sector of the track where I couldn’t brake like I needed to and I went off the track a couple of times. It’s strange, because I go fast in the final part of the circuit and in others the bike doesn’t let me go fast. The forecast for tomorrow is again rain, so we have a chance to improve and prepare the bike for the race in case the weather doesn’t improve. We don’t have to worry, although I don’t like to see myself so far behind, not even on the first day of practice.”

21. TITO RABAT, 2.10.724 “A day to forget. I like riding in the wet and I’m sure I can go fast, but today we couldn’t find the right setup and we ended up very behind. The rear tyre doesn’t get up to temperature and it’s impossible to get the bike into the corners. I tried to follow other riders and it was impossible for me, so tomorrow we’ll change the setup to try to improve and get a good position on the grid.”

26. AXEL PONS, 2.11.771 “I don’t have any grip on the front or the rear and without any confidence it’s impossible to go fast on the bike. We’re working to find solutions and I hope tomorrow we are able to make a step forward. I’m confident to get a good result with this team, in front of the fans and our sponsors, but first we have to get the setup of the bike right tomorrow and everything indicates we’ll continue in the rain.”

Source: Pons Racing Press Release