Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 duo complete two solid Free Practice sessions, with the Spaniard heading the combined timesheets on Friday.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 team once again demonstrated their perseverance and good work in practice for the San Marino Grand Prix, with Raul Fernandez setting the fastest time on Friday. The Spaniard was the quickest rider in FP1, with a personal best that gave him a provisional place in Q2. Kaito Toba continued to take steps forward, overcoming several setbacks – especially throughout FP2.

Raul Fernandez easily adapted to the new track surface at Misano, dominating the first Free Practice from start to finish. The Spaniard lowered his own fastest lap six times in a row, clocking a 1:42.501 on his 15th of 16 laps. On the other side of the box, Kaito Toba continued to take steps forward and, thanks to a solid showing in the final minutes of the session, he ended 11th with a 1:43.651. The Japanese rider put in 16 laps onboard his KTM over the course of FP1.

In the afternoon, Raul Fernandez was also one of the fastest riders, continuing at the top of the timesheets for most of the session. Eventually the Spaniard placed third with a 1:42.854, from 15 laps. Kaito Toba had a tough FP2, which he started 10 minutes in due to a penalty for slow riding in the morning. The  Japanese was working well but, a crash late on at Turn 1, hindered his progress.

Tomorrow morning the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 duo will participate in a final Free Practice session. Q1 and Q2 will take place at 12:35 pm and 1 pm, respectively.

Results – FP1 & FP2
1. Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:42.501
2. Gabriel Rodrigo (Honda) 1:42.735 +0.234
3. Tatsuki Suzuki (Honda) 1:42.783 +0.282
4. Albert Arenas (KTM) 1:42.833 +0.332
5. Andrea Migno (KTM) 1:42.884 +0.383
21. Kaito Toba (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:43.651 +1.150

25 RAUL FERNANDEZ

“I’m very happy with how the day went. We needed to improve a little in the afternoon session, but I am satisfied with the work that we did. The important thing is that we know which aspects we have to improve and I am sure that tomorrow we will take a step forward. I want to thank the team once again; we must continue in the same way.”

27 KAITO TOBA

“This first day of practice at Misano was quite difficult for us. We had several problems, so now we have to analyse the data and see what we can improve for tomorrow. In FP3 we will try to take further steps forward that will allow us to be a little higher up the order.”