Positive practice sessions for Oliveira, Hanika and Binder, concluding the day with the eighth, ninth and twelfth best laps, respectively.

Oliveira, British Moto3 2015

The always unpredictable British weather was atypically pleasant on Friday at Silverstone, without a trace of rain and only wind making things difficult for the Moto3 riders. After showing a strong pace in the morning practice session, the Red Bull KTM Ajo riders all completed the opening day of the twelfth round of the year in the Top 15. Miguel Oliveira was eighth, with Karel Hanika ninth and Brad Binder following close behind in twelfth place.

Binder and Oliveira got onboard their KTM bikes willing to work for the top positions from the start, alternating at the head of the timesheet  before their first and only pit stop. In the second stint, the Red Bull KTM Ajo duo again lowered their times. Binder took second place in FP1 -2:15.778- and fourth place went to Oliveira -2:16.082. Karel Hanika, sick throughout all of the past week, had a positive first 40 minutes on track and ended the session with the eleventh best lap -2:16.471.

The second session did not start in the best way for Binder, as a mechanical problem with the rear shock forced him to return to the garage after his opening lap. This did not prevent him from getting back on track, and he lowered his lap times for twelth -2:15.543. Hanika improved by more than a second at the end of FP2, setting a time of 2:15.297 for ninth. He was just behind Oliveira -2:15.246- who was pleased to set his time riding by himself.

Tomorrow at 12:35 local time, the Red Bull KTM Ajo riders will fight to return to the front row in qualifying -after missing out at the last round.

Results (Combined practice time FP1-FP2)
1. Romano Fenati (KTM) 2:14.459
2. Niccolo Antonelli (Honda) 2:14.569 +0.110
3. Alexis Masbou (Honda) 2:14.890 +0.431
4. Jorge Navarro (Honda) 2:14.895 +0.436
5. Isaac Viñales (KTM) 2:15.089 +0.630
8. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 2:15.246 +0.787
9. Karel Hanika (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 2:15.297 +0.838
12. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 2:15.543 +1.084

Miguel Oliveira,
“I am happy with this first day at Silverstone, because it is a circuit where the weather is always uncertain and quite windy. After a good first session, in the second we again improved our times, always riding alone. That is very positive, particularly when there are gusts of wind blowing through. There are few things we can improve in terms of the bike; just small details that will be discussed this afternoon. The first sector is one where we have more rome to improve, because you have to take the corners very well in order to not lose tenths. Overall, I am satisfied with the work today -because we were fast without the help of slipstreams.”

Brad Binder,
“The truth is that I felt pretty good in both sessions. The only thing is that in the second session we had a mechanical problem with the rear shock right at the start, and that is where we lost some time and I could only put in two good laps. It’s a shame. The rest of the day went pretty well. The morning session was very good, I felt comfortable from the opening laps and we pushed much as we could. If we return to the setup from the first session, I think we can do well. I’m confident.”

Karel Hanika,
“I couldn’t wait to get back riding. I’ve been sick all through the past week and I’m still on medication, but when you get on the bike you forget everything and you are only focused on doing your job.

We are trying to find the best setup for this circuit but it is not easy, because it’s quite windy. Furthermore, in FP1 we lacked a lot of grip, so we did not want to risk too much. We  tried to focus on the fast corners that are not easy to take in the wind. In the last session we took an important step forward; I tried to change some aspects of my riding and we also introduced changes to the front end that proved positive.

In the end, we have found the right way to go and we must continue like this tomorrow.”