The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 rider progresses from FP1 to FP2 and earns a provisional spot in Q2.

Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 and Tetsuta Nagashima completed the first two Free Practice sessions for the San Marino Grand Prix on Friday. The Japanese rider was able to lower his lap times by more than 3 tenths from morning to afternoon, finishing the day 12th – provisionally into tomorrow’s Qualifying 2.

Tetsuta Nagashima looked to make solid and steady strides forward in FP1. The Japanese made a long run on his first outing to test out his feelings with the new asphalt at Misano. His work paid off, as the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 rider cut more than two seconds off his times over the course of the session for seventh place. His personal best of 1:37.889 was set on his 18th and final lap.

In Free Practice 2, Tetsuta Nagashima was able to ride 3 tenths quicker almost immediately, and was amongst the frontrunners early on. The Japanese rider concluded the afternoon in 12th position, with a 1:37.555 lap from his fifth attempt of 20.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 rider will have a final Free Practice on Saturday morning, before Q1 and Q2 take place at 3:10 pm and 3:35 pm, respectively.

Results – FP1 & FP2
1. Enea Bastianini (Kalex) 1:36.933
2. Sam Lowes (Kalex) 1:36.992 +0.059
3. Augusto Fernandez (Kalex) 1:37.048 +0.115
4. Nicolo Bulega (Kalex) 1:37:181 +0.248
5. Luca Marini (Kalex) 1:37.211 +0.278
12. Tetsuta Nagashima (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:37.555 +0.622

45 TETSUTA NAGASHIMA

“Today was a fairly good Friday. We tried several things that worked well and that allowed us to improve at certain points. We need to keep working, because if we can take a step forward in some aspects I know that we can be further up the order. For tomorrow, we will look to continue progressing – with the aim of reaching the second row of the grid for the San Marino Grand Prix.”