The CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team has secured a place in Q2 with Máximo Quiles in third and Marco Morelli in fourth, despite the changing track conditions on Friday
Máximo Quiles and Marco Morelli will compete in Q2 of the San Marino Grand Prix following a positive Friday at the Misano – Marco Simoncelli circuit. The Moto3 championship leader, who continues to recover from his collarbone injury, set the third-fastest time of the day, despite not taking to the track in the first session. His team-mate Marco Morelli was also one of the standout riders of the day, finishing fourth. David Almansa made the difference on the day, setting the fastest time – four tenths of a second quicker than Joel Kelso, who finished second.
The first day of the San Marino Grand Prix began with a wet track following rain overnight and the previous day. Although the session was declared a dry one, the Moto3 riders completed their first few laps on wet tyres. In the CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team garage, only Marco Morelli took to the track, whilst Máximo Quiles watched the session from the pits with his team to avoid the risk of a crash that might affect his recovery. In the afternoon, improving conditions allowed the riders to significantly improve their lap times. Marco Morelli was one of them and, after making some set-up changes, he saw a significant improvement in his riding feel and finished the day amongst the fastest riders in the category. With a time of 1:41.398, Morelli finished fourth, just 29 thousandths off third place. That position was occupied by his team-mate Máximo Quiles who, despite not having taken part in the morning session, needed only a few laps to close in on the top spots thanks to his 1:41.325. The Spaniard continues to work on his recovery from a collarbone injury and, although he is feeling much better than he did at the last round in Aragón, he is not yet back to his best; however, he is getting closer every day.
3rd Máximo Quiles 1:41.325 (+0.558): “I feel much better than I did in Aragón, but I’m still recovering. I can’t exert as much force as I’d like, so we’re taking it step by step. This circuit is much more demanding, with heavy braking and right-hand corners, but it’s a lot of fun. We decided not to go out on track this morning to avoid taking unnecessary risks. In the second session, with the track dry, I felt good. The surface is very slippery and there are some bumpy sections, but that’s the same for all the riders. There’s always room for improvement, and we’ll gradually push harder and harder. If the track isn’t wet, we’ll see how the tyres behave tomorrow, though I recall they didn’t wear out much last year. I hope no one follows me during qualifying tomorrow, because I’m not exactly the strongest rider out there. I’m just going to keep doing my job and stick to my own pace.”
4th Marco Morelli 1:41.398 (+0.631): “We couldn’t do much work in the morning to prepare for the afternoon session because track conditions were quite different, so I didn’t feel entirely comfortable at the start of the second session. We made some changes, and I went back out on track with a lot of confidence. I was able to be fast and achieved my goal of making it into Q2. I finished fourth, but I think there is still plenty of room for improvement. I’m happy with the work done and feel calm heading into tomorrow’s qualifying session.”
