The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 riders earn provisional access to Q2 after strong performances in FP1 and FP2.

Just 5 days on from the Spanish GP, the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 riders were back at Jerez on Friday for the first two Free Practice sessions of the Andalucia Grand Prix. The duo enjoyed a solid opening day, with Tetsuta Nagashima finishing second fastest. Jorge Martin was 2 tenths off the top spot, in 8th place on the combined timesheets.

Nagashima pushed hard from the opening session, and only 28 thousandths of a second separated the Japanese rider from the fastest time. His personal best was a 1:41.553, on his seventh of 18 attempts. Martin was one of the riders to put in the most laps in the morning (19). The Spaniard stopped the clock at 1:41.757, enabling him to finish the session eighth.

In the afternoon, track temperatures of over 50ºC made it difficult for the Moto2 competitors to improve their morning times. Despite the heat, Tetsuta Nagashima was once again amongst the fastest riders in FP2, placing third. His best time in this practice was a 1:42.132, from 16 laps. Martin was fourth, with a 1:42.235, and felt comfortable onboard his bike.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 pair are provisionally into Q2, and have one final Free Practice tomorrow. In the afternoon, Q1 will start at 3:10 pm followed by Q2 at 3:35 pm.

Results – FP1 & FP2
1. Marco Bezzecchi (Kalex) 1:41:525
2. Tetsuta Nagashima (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:41.553 +0.028
3. Jorge Navarro (Speed Up) 1:41.590 +0.065
4. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Kalex) 1:41.678 +0.153
5. Nicolo Bulega (Kalex) 1:41.735 +0.210
8. Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:41.757 +0.232

88 JORGE MARTIN

“It was a good day overall. In the morning I felt very comfortable, although in the afternoon the increase in temperature made our work more difficult. Even so, we improved our time compared to the FP2 we had last week at this same track. We know the points in which we are losing a little time, and where we must continue working. I am happy and ready for tomorrow.”

45 TETSUTA NAGASHIMA

“I feel very positive after today. We experienced high temperatures in both sessions, but it is not a problem for me. Today we also tried out various things, and it seems that we have taken a step forward. Tomorrow we will keep pushing to improve our performance in the qualifying session compared to last week.”