Martin and Nagashima experience mixed conditions at European GP
06/11/2020The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 riders complete two solid Free Practice sessions on the first day at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia.
The European Grand Prix began today with the FP1 and FP2 sessions, in which the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 riders had to face mixed track conditions. In the morning, Jorge Martin and Tetsuta Nagashima rode in the wet, whilst in the afternoon the rain stopped and the circuit only had isolated damp patches. The Spaniard set the 7th fastest time overall on Friday, provisionally making the cut for Q2, whilst his teammate was 23rd.
FP1 was in wet conditions, due to rainfall throughout the morning in Valencia. Nagashima was calm and collected throughout the session, concentrating on not making any mistakes. The Japanese was 18th after stopping the clock at 1:50.727, putting in 15 laps. Martin favoured a cautious approach and focused on improving his feeling, gathering as much data as possible. The Spaniard finished in 20th position with a time of 1:50.804, set on his 14th of 17 attempts.
The rain stopped before the start of FP2, and the afternoon session was declared dry despite small puddles on the track. Martin placed seventh, with a 1:37.146 on his last attempt that was just 3 tenths off the top spot. The Spaniard was one of the busiest riders in the practice, with a further 21 laps of the Ricardo Tormo Circuit. Nagashima experienced difficulties and finished in 23rd, with a time of 1:38.197 from his 20 laps.
Tomorrow morning the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 team will have 40 more minutes of practice, although FP3 is expected to be run in the wet. In the afternoon, Q1 will start at 3:50 pm and Q2 at 4:15 pm.
Results – FP1 & FP2
1. Enea Bastianini (Kalex) 1:36.804
2. Sam Lowes (Kalex) 1:36.861 +0.05
3. Joe Roberts (Kalex) 1:36.956 +0.152
4. Lorenzo Baldasarri (Kalex) 1:36.965 +0.161
5. Fabio Di Giannantonio (Speed Up) 1:37.066 +0.262
7. Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:37.146 +0.342
23. Tetsuta Nagashima (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:38.197 +1.393
88 JORGE MARTIN
“This opening day was a bit strange for me, since in the morning we had wet conditions and in the afternoon the track was not yet completely dry. However, we did a good job and improved from the first to the second session, which is very important. I hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow and that we can continue working, as I still need to do a few more laps. Even so, I know that this weekend we can have a positive performance.”
45 TETSUTA NAGASHIMA
“It was a tough day for us, due to the weather. In the morning it rained and in the afternoon there were still some patches of water on the track. However, the feeling we had was not at all bad. We have to work to find a way to take a step forward tomorrow. We will do our best to achieve that.”