The Ajo MotoE Team rider was fastest in FP1 and fourth in FP2 before crashing on his quick lap in the E-Pole.

It was a day of mixed fortunes for the Ajo MotoE Team and Niki Tuuli, as the third round of the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup got underway at Misano on Friday. After demonstrating his rapid pace in free practice, the Finnish rider suffered a crash in the E-Pole session when he was setting the fastest lap. Hence he will start from 15th on the grid in the two races taking place this weekend.

Niki Tuuli kicked off the day in a good shape, lapping towards the top of times in the early stages of FP1. The Ajo MotoE Team rider soon took the provisional lead in the session and would maintain the top spot until the end of the practice, completing 10 laps in total and setting a personal best of 1:45.071.

In FP2, the 24-year-old Finn confirmed his good feelings from the morning, riding amongst fastest contestants and leading in the first few minutes. Niki Tuuli then managed to beat his best morning time with a 1:44.910 lap, which saw him finish the practice in fourth place, after completing a total of 9 laps.

In the E-Pole, Tuuli went out on track determined to get his second pole of the season. The Finn was riding below the provisional pole time in the first three sectors, before he suffered a crash – without any serious physical consequences – at turn 14, dashing his hopes. The Ajo MotoE Team rider will therefore start from 15th place on the grid in both races this weekend.

Tomorrow the first of the two races at Round 3 will take place at 4:15 pm local time, with the riders set to do battle over a total of 7 laps.

Combined practice times (FP1 – FP2)
1. Matteo Ferrari 1:44.709
2. Xavier Simeon 1:44.819 +0.110
3. Hector Garzo 1:44.831 +0.122
4. Niki Tuuli (Ajo MotoE Team) 1:44.910 +0.201
5. Niccolo Canepa 1:45.176 +0.467

Results (E-Pole)
1. Alex De Angelis 1:44.660
2. Matteo Ferrari 1:44.708 +0.048
3. Xavier Simeon 1:44.769 +0.109
4. Jesko Raffin 1:44.878 +0.218
5. Niccolo Canepa 1:44.913 +0.253
15. Niki Tuuli (Ajo MotoE Team) –

66 NIKI TUULI

“In the morning, I felt strong despite it having been a while since I last rode the bike. In FP2, we found some improvements in the set up and I was able to ride very well. I was ready for qualifying, but the E-Pole is difficult, as you only have one lap and you need to push, so you don’t really know if you are going too fast. In this case, I made a mistake, as I went wide on the corner. It’s a shame because it was a quick lap. The important thing is that we have a consistent pace, so tomorrow we will have to work hard and push if we want to get into the Top 5. Starting from the back of the grid with this machine is hard, but I think it’s possible to get to the front.”