Aleix Espargaro continues top form on opening day at Laguna Seca

If there is one thing Laguna Seca is famous for other than the legendary Corkscrew corner it is the dramatic change in conditions from morning to afternoon and the opening day of the 2013 USGP was a typical example.

A misty morning first free practice that took place in 15 degree temperatures was followed by a warm and sunny afternoon second session that saw Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa back on track together for the first time since ruling themselves out of the last race in Germany with respective collarbone injuries. As they continue to recover it was left to Marc Márquez, the new championship leader following his victory at Sachsenring, to set the pace on the opening day.

It may be true that the top two riders in the championship are not at the peak of their powers and it may also be true that this is the shortest circuit on the calendar but it would be unfair to take anything away from POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar rider Aleix Espargaró after another stunning performance here. The Spanish rider continued his fine recent form to rub shoulders with the fastest riders in the category and clock a best lap of 1’22.531, leaving him seventh on the timesheets and less than half a second shy of pacesetter Marquez.

7th Aleix Espargaró 1.22.531 (39 laps):
“I am really happy with the job we have done on the first day here at Laguna Seca. Last season both Sachsenring and Laguna Seca were circuits where we struggled but this year things are working for us. We’re inside half a second from the fastest lap today and the bike is working perfectly again. This circuit is not like any other, it has a lot of bumps and elevation changes and you need to adapt your riding style accordingly. The strong point of our bike is its handling and we are finding it a little harder to get the front end turned here than at other tracks. We made big improvements in the second session so hopefully tomorrow we can pick up where we left off.”

Source: Aspar Media