Australian is fastest in the morning session and tenth on the combined timesheet, after using worn tyres in the afternoon. Hanika places eighteenth.

This morning the Red Bull KTM Ajo riders put in their opening laps of the weekend at MotorLand Aragon. There were positive results for Jack Miller and Karel Hanika on this first day, with the Australian posting the fastest time in the morning session. Both the Moto3 World Championship leader and the Czech rookie dedicated the second session to their setups and pace for the race on Sunday.

Jack Miller started the Grand Prix weekend very strongly, taking the fastest time in the first free practice session with a 1:59.625 lap, more than half a second faster than his nearest rival and also setting the second and third quickest laps of the morning. Teammate Karel Hanika spent forty minutes trying out new settings for the afternoon, clocking a 2:02.058 for 21st.

With asphalt temperatures of 32ºC, the Red Bull KTM Ajo rookie showed the good work done in the morning when it came to FP2, lowering his previous best time by almost two seconds for a 2:00.153 and 18th place. Miller, tenth with a 1:59.355, also improved on his morning times and was using worn tyres for the session.

Qualifying takes place tomorrow from 12:35pm, and Jack Miller will try to claim his eighth pole position of the year in the Moto3 class. Meanwhile, Hanika will seek a grid position that allow him to latch onto the front group come raceday.

Results (Combined practice time FP1-FP2)
1. Alex Rins (Honda) 1:58.788
2. Alex Marquez (Honda) 1:58.806 +0.018
3. Niklas Ajo (Husqvarna) 1:58.885 +0.097
4. Juanfran Guevara (Kalex KTM) 1:58.932 +0.144
5. Enea Bastinini (KTM) 1:58.985 +0.197
10. Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:59.355 +0.567
18. Karel Hanika (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 2:00.153 +1.365

Jack Miller >> Audio (solely for radio use)

“Today we focused on the bike setup. We did virtually the same amount of kilometres as are scheduled for the race, with the same tyre. Then we used worn tyres again. It went really well, I am very happy with the lap we did, because we were completely alone and were only half a second down. We did not use a slipstream, even though there is a long straight here. We could have suffered on the straights, but that has not been the case.

In short, I am very pleased with how the bike is going and how the team is working. I think we have a good strategy -a little different than usual- trying to focus more on the race than on getting the fastest lap. Anyway, tomorrow it is clear that we will fight for pole position.”

Karel Hanika >> Audio (solely for radio use)

“The first day was not too bad. The result may not look the best, but I’m very happy about the second session. In the first we used a bike with very different characteristics to what we have been using all season so far, and I liked it. I was able to ride alone and put in many kilometres. I think the time is not bad, considering I rode alone. I’m sure that in the morning, with new tyres, we can be quite a bit faster and closer to the top. Today we tried to ride with worn tyres and I think tomorrow we can do better, so now I can’t wait to get back on the bike.”