Ryusei Yamanaka closes the first day in eighteenth position

Jaume Masià has kicked off the Malaysian Grand Prix as the fastest rider in Moto3. After a day in which the heat has been intense, the World Championship leader has closed the first practice sessions with a time of 2:12.065. The Spanish rider has set his best lap in the morning, in a session in which the heat has not been as strong as in the afternoon. Deniz Öncü, who has not been able to improve in the second session, and Taiyo Furusato, who has been the strongest rider in the second practice, have completed the top 3. Gaviota GASGAS Aspar rider David Alonso has finished more than four tenths off Masià's time, while the other title contenders, Dani Holgado and Ayumu Sasaki, have ended more than half a second off.

Gaviota GASGAS Aspar rider David Alonso has closed his first day in Malaysia in fourth place. The Colombian had finished the first practice session in ninth position, but in the afternoon, on his last lap, he has been able to improve his time by more than eight tenths and ends the day in Sepang among the strongest riders. Alonso has kicked off the Malaysian Grand Prix on a good note and tomorrow he will try to keep adapting to the track in order to be well prepared for the race. His teammate Ryusei Yamanaka has finished in eighteenth place. The Japanese rider has suffered a crash without consequences on his last lap when he was trying to get a better time. Yamanaka will try to push hard tomorrow in the last practice session to get directly into Q2 and fight for a good grid position.

4th David Alonso 2:12.555 (+0.490): “At the beginning I have ridden on my own and it has been difficult to adapt to the circuit. Despite this, I have kept working on my pace and when I have been able to complete a good lap, I have been competitive. We have finished the first day in fourth position, although we can still improve. We have done a good job and tomorrow we will try to make another step forward.”

18th Ryusei Yamanaka 2:13.536 (+1.471): “In the first practice session the track conditions have been difficult and I have not had a good feeling. In the afternoon I expected to improve my time, but I have crashed in the last moment. We need to get a better acceleration and tomorrow we will have another opportunity to achieve it. Our goal will be to get directly into Q2 and fight for a good grid position.”