Okubo is fast and competitive in the rain at Le Mans

15/05/2021

The Avant Ajo MotoE rider qualifies on the fourth row for the Round 2 of the 2021 FIM MotoE World Cup season, at the French Grand Prix.

 

Despite adverse weather conditions, Hikari Okubo and Avant Ajo MotoE showed that they are in good shape in qualifying for the French Grand Prix. The Japanese rider led the morning session, which was held in mixed conditions. In the afternoon, rain forced a change in the format of the qualifying, in which Okubo was 10th, after his last hot lap was cancelled. Finally, he will start from Row 4 on Sunday’s race, the second round of the 2021 FIM MotoE World Cup season.

The day started well for Okubo, and the Japanese rider was the fastest man in FP3. On his fifth lap of a total of 10, the Avant Ajo MotoE rider set his best time of the weekend: a 1:44.036, second fastest on the combined timesheets for Free Practice. Okubo continues to adapt well to the team and to the electric racing competition.

Heavy rain that fell at Le Mans early in the afternoon forced a change in the E-Pole format, which was replaced by a 12-minute qualifying session in which all riders were given a maximum of four hot laps. Amidst difficult conditions, Okubo ran a great pace and was competitive. However, he finished in 10th position after his last lap was cancelled out by a yellow flag.

The 8-lap FIM MotoE World Cup French Grand Prix race changes its schedule and will be held tomorrow at 3:30 PM, local time.

Results (Qualifying session)

1. Eric Granado 2:00.315
2. Miquel Pons 2:00.416 +0.101
3. Matteo Ferrari 2:00.655 +0.340
4. Xavi Cardelus 2:01.437 +1.122
5. Alessandro Zaccone 2:02.197 +1.882
10. Hikari Okubo (Avant Ajo MotoE) 2:05.861 +5.546

78 HIKARI OKUBO

“It was a very strange day. Due to the rain, E-Pole was replaced by a 12-minute qualifying session. We had a limited number of fast laps, but these were affected by the constant crashes by other riders, which made it difficult to improve. We finally got 10th position, even though my last attempt was cancelled. Tomorrow we will try to do our best to achieve an optimal race result.”

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