Dani Holgado, third and fourth respectively, are closing in on the fastest time in Moto2 and will battle for pole position tomorrow at Phillip Island
The first day of the Australian Grand Prix has concluded with positive results for the CFMOTO Power Electronics Aspar riders, who will contest Q2 in the intermediate class tomorrow. David Alonso set the third-fastest time on Friday, two tenths of a second off the day’s fastest time. Two of the main title contenders occupied the top positions: Izan Guevara continues to dominate, whilst Senna Agius was second. The category leader, however, finished in eighth place. Dani Holgado also had a positive day of practice, finishing fourth, thirty-two thousandths of a second behind his team-mate.
The first day of the Australian Grand Prix was affected by strong gusts of wind, which made the bikes difficult to handle and increased the risk of crashes, as was evident across all categories. The CFMOTO Power Electronics Aspar team had a good free practice session, with both riders in the top 10 and laying a solid foundation for a bid to secure a place in Q2. In the afternoon, David Alonso was one of the most consistent riders and managed to lap half a second faster to move into the top three. His best time, 1:30.288, was the third-fastest of the day. His team-mate Dani Holgado followed a similar pattern. The Spaniard went from strength to strength and, although he suffered a crash whilst in the top 10, he was able to return to the track for a final attempt (1:30.320) and secure fourth and final place. CFMOTO Power Electronics Aspar thus ends a very positive day and secures its place in Q2 to fight for pole position in the race that will mark Phillip Island’s farewell to the championship.
3rd David Alonso 1:30.288 (+0.272): “Today we went from strength to strength. On this circuit, with so much wind, speeds of 300 kilometres per hour really take their toll on your body and you have to get used to that sensation. I’m confident I can ride fast and, although I need a few more laps to be more consistent, it’s been a positive first day. I’ve really enjoyed it so far, thanks to the good weather. This morning I woke up and, seeing how windy it was, I thought an extra kilo or so would have been just the thing, but then it didn’t seem so bad, especially as this is my second year in Moto2 and I’ve got a better handle on everything. I’ve noticed a few bumps, particularly the one at the first corner, as it’s a key braking point, so we’ll have to bear that in mind. It looks like tomorrow will be a wet day, so we’ll have to dance in the rain and get the tyres up to temperature properly. I’ll try to start strongly so that it’s a bit easier later on. If it doesn’t rain, I’m very confident I can fight for pole; I’ll just have to maintain my form and we’ll see what happens.”
4th Dani Holgado 1:30.320 (+0.304): “We’ve finished the first day in Australia with a good feeling. Things were a bit different this morning, but we did a great job in the afternoon to make improvements. It’s a circuit where conditions change a lot —especially the temperature, due to the wind— so you have to be able to adapt to this weather. I’m happy with how the team worked, especially after my crash while I was pushing to find my limits. I was able to get back out on track and set the fourth-fastest time. I’m pleased with that; now we need to keep working, as there’s still a long weekend ahead.”
