The Spanish rider finishes third and the Dutchman eleventh in Practice in a great opening day at ValenciaGP round.

There was a great Friday for Red Bull KTM Ajo at the Valencian Grand Prix, as Daniel Muñoz finished third in both Free Practice 1 and Practice, whilst Veijer also made Q2 by placing eleventh in the afternoon session. Great job for the pair after having ridden the Moto2 bike for the first time today at the Ricardo Tormo circuit.

The Valencian track was very wet for Moto2 FP1, which was quickly interrupted by a crash that brought out the red flag. After waiting more than half an hour for the asphalt to improve, the riders resumed the session with track temperatures of just 16°C, and 74% humidity.

Muñoz was the first to go back out after the green flag waved. Running in the Top 10 during his first stint, The Spaniard worked alone, focused on finding his pace and getting a good feeling with his bike. After a pit stop and tyre change, Muñoz took another step forward, setting a 1:33.310 that placed him third – just 2 tenths of a second behind the pacesetter. In total, he completed 22 laps -more than anyone else in Moto2–, making the most of his first Moto2 session at the Valencian track. Veijer steadily improved throughout his first run, starting inside the Top 15 and ending up joining his teammate in the Top 8. The Dutchman picked up pace before his pit stop, then made modifications with his crew to come back out stronger, working on his pace. His best time was a 1:33.617 that put him 14th, albeit just 6 tenths of a second off the fastest rider in his first experience at the track with a Moto2 bike. He racked up a total of 21 laps.

Practice began with much more favourable conditions than the morning session, with track temperatures reaching 24°C and humidity at 49% -almost half of that encountered in FP1.

Muñoz went for a three-stint strategy in the session. He dedicated the first half of Practice to honing his race pace for Sunday, and was in 20th position on used tyres. When he switched rubber and the Time Attack began, he reemerged to set a new circuit record and practically guarantee his place in Q2. Once he had completed four flying laps, Muñoz went back to the pits again to fit his second soft tyre, which he pushed to the limit, and finished third with a best time of 1:32.584. He was 8 tenths quicker than in FP1, less than 2 tenths off the pacesetter, and equalled his best result in a Moto2 session to date. He also accumulated 19 laps, standing him in good stead for the rest of the weekend. Veijer followed his usual procedure in Practice, opting for three short runs, the first of which focused on working on used tyres. Running inside the Top 20 but outside the cut for Q2, he went back out to improve his time before fitting his second soft tyre and undertaking his final time attack. When needing an extra boost to secure his spot in Q2, Veijer clocked a 1:33.822, which was enough for 11th place -just 4 tenths of a second behind the fastest rider. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rookie shaved 8 tenths of a second off his morning time, and completed 17 laps.

In short, it was a successful first day for Dani and Collin at the Valencia Grand Prix, marking one of the best Fridays of the season for Red Bull KTM Ajo in Moto2. With both riders going directly into Q2, they will be in action on Saturday at 2:05pm local time. Before that, they will get prepared from 9:25am in Free Practice 2.

Practice Results
1. Daniel Holgado (Kalex) | 1:32.408
2. Jake Dixon (Boscoscuro) | 1:32.531 (+0.123)
3. Daniel Muñoz (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:32.585 (+0.176)
4. Izan Guevara (Boscoscuro) | 1:32.636 (+0.228)
5. Alex Escrig (Forward) | 1:32.662 (+0.254)
11. Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:32.822 (+0.414)

#95 COLLIN VEIJER

“I’m happy with how the first day here went. This morning was a little bit strange because the track was slippery, especially at Turn 6. We needed to be very careful, but in general, I felt quite confident and we managed to stay in the Top 14. In the afternoon, we worked as we had planned and I was able to set a lap that allowed us to go through to Q2. Now we need to focus on tomorrow to find a little bit more and improve as much as possible, to qualify with a good position on the grid.”

#17 DANIEL MUÑOZ

“It was a very positive first day for us, at a track I love. It’s always a pleasure to ride here, so I’m looking forward to continuing to improve throughout the rest of the weekend. The asphalt was very wet in the morning, but I felt great in the afternoon and we managed to get up to speed in the space of just a few laps. Even so, we’ll have to take another step forward tomorrow, as I’m convinced that everyone will be able to lower their times. Now it’s time to analyse the data and see where we can shave off a few tenths of a second to be faster on Saturday.”