Raul Fernandez dominates both Free Practice sessions on Friday in Austin, with Remy Gardner second overall.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 started the Americas Grand Prix in great form, with their two stars topping Friday’s combined timesheets. Raul Fernandez was the fastest competitor of the day, topping both FP1 and FP2. Remy Gardner took a step forward from morning to afternoon and achieved second place overall. Both riders provisionally earned a spot in Q2.

After the rain that fell early in the morning, the track was in mixed conditions for FP1. Fernandez proved to be one step ahead of the rest of the field, and his 2:13.589 time on his 13th and final lap gave him the top position in the session. Gardner approached the practice calmly and finished 11th, stopping the clock at 2:14.521 and completing a total of 13 laps.

In the afternoon, the track dried out and the Moto2 riders enjoyed a FP2 in completely dry conditions. Fernandez was quickest again, being the only rider capable of breaking the 2:10 barrier. The Spaniard did so with a 2:09.880 on his 12th attempt from 15. Just behind was Gardner, who set the second best time of 2:10.079 on his 9th lap.

Gardner and Fernandez will use FP3 to finish setting up their bikes. Moto2 Q1 follows at 3:10 PM local time, followed by Q2 at 3:35 PM.

Results (Combined practice times FP1-FP2)
1. Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 2:09.880
2. Remy Gardner (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 2:10.079 +0.199
3. Sam Lowes (Kalex) 2:10.534 +0.654
4. Tony Arbolino (Kalex) 2:10.673 +0.793
5. Aron Canet (Boscoscuro) 2:10.709 +0.829

87 REMY GARDNER

“Overall, it was a good day. In FP2, we got a provisional place for Q2, even though we couldn’t be on the track for as long as we wanted, since a small incident with another rider forced us to go into the pits for a while. The track was a bit bumpy, but we managed to finish the day in the second place. I am happy with how things went. Everything indicates that it will be a fun weekend.”

25 RAUL FERNANDEZ

“Today was quite positive. COTA is a very nice circuit, although we struggled a little to carry out the work we had planned, because the track was quite bumpy. However, this is the same for everyone. Tomorrow we will continue to push and see what conclusions we draw, although everything indicates that the weather will be bad. We will do our best even if it rains and, above all, we will try to enjoy ourselves.”