Best session of 2013 for Aleix Espargaro, running sixth on Assen day one

Whilst the opening free practice for the Dutch TT took place in dry conditions under heavy skies at Assen the heavens opened for the afternoon session, giving the CRT riders their chance to shine.

It was an opportunity the dominant rider in the category had already taken, however, Aleix Espargaró leading the morning dry session before finishing up sixth fastest. The headlines, though, were set in both sessions by Jorge Lorenzo, who clocked the fastest time of the morning only to crash in the wet this afternoon and break his collarbone, leaving him out of action for Sunday’s race.

Sixth place for POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar rider Espargaró represents his best day of the season so far even though it ended in less than ideal style with a crash. The Spaniard has been in fine form this season and after making improvements to his ART package in recent tests following the Catalan Grand Prix he took another impressive step forwards today. Unfortunately he was unable to back up his dry pace due to a crash in the wet.

6th Aleix Espargaró 1.36.430 (29 laps):
“I love this circuit and I had a great feeling with the bike this morning in the dry conditions. The new chassis is working perfectly here and I can change direction really quickly. I have finished up sixth fastest, my best result in any session so far this season, and I am really happy with that. I also had a good feeling in the wet this afternoon and I was high up on the timesheets but as the track started to dry I came in to make some changes and when I went back out I lost the rear and crashed. Thankfully I wasn’t hurt so we can take the positives from the day.”

Source: Aspar Media