Reigning Moto2 World Champion sets the pace on first day at Termas de Rio Hondo, after heading the opening two practice sessions.

Johann Zarco could not have asked for a better Friday at the Argentinian GP. The Ajo Motorsport rider started the weekend dominating the two Free Practice sessions, always at the head of the timesheets. Despite high temperatures and a dirty track, the 2015 World Champion improved lap after lap at the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit to complete the day with the fastest time in Moto2: 1:44.533.

Even a slightly dirty track was not a problem for the reigning World Champion in FP1. The Frenchman led the way from start to finish, leaving his rivals far behind on the timesheet and setting his best time -1:45.037- with 2 minutes left. Improved track conditions meant that Zarco actually went faster than some riders in the premier class in his first practice session.

Johann Zarco needed only four laps to ride in the 1:44s in the second session. The Ajo Motorsport rider followed the same path as in the morning, heading the timesheets from the beginning. Without allowing his rivals time to react, he made continuous improvement during the afternoon. Right at the end, he capped things off with his best lap of the day.

Saturday will see the starting grid for Sunday’s race decided. In the two previous editions of the Argentinian Moto2 round, Johann Zarco has always occupied a place on the front row -taking pole position last year.

Results (Combined practice time FP1-FP2)
1. Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport) 1:44.533
2. Takaaki Nakagami (Kalex) 1:44.723 +0.190
3. Sam Lowes (Kalex) 1:44.768 +0.045
4. Jonas Folger (Kalex) 1:44.873 +0.340
5. Alex Marquez (Kalex) 1:44.921 +0.388

5 JOHANN ZARCO

“I’m happy with this first day in Argentina. It is very good to finish as the fastest rider of the day; it is important for confidence and to make sure we are on the right track with the setup. After the mistake in Qatar, I have come to this circuit that I like lot and I am very focused on doing well. Overall the day went very well, although it was very hot compared to last year and that prevented us from being as fast. We have to stay calm, improve our times tomorrow and feel even more comfortable riding in order to get as prepared as possible for the race.”