ALEIX EIGHTH IN VALENCIA AT THE END OF THE FIRST DAY OF PRACTICE
ANDREA IN DEFICIT WITH HIS FEELING ON THE BIKE
At the end of the first day of practice in preparation for the Valencia GP which will be held on Sunday, Aleix Espargaró rode his Aprilia to a solid top-ten spot, finishing eighth with a time of 1’31.305, just 570 thousandths from pole position. Aleix did his best time in the second session, lapping alone and turning several flying laps, maintaining an average pace of 1’31. And so, the weekend that concludes the 2019 MotoGP season has started well for the number 41 Spanish rider who had proven to be competitive on this track last year too.
On the other hand, although improving his performance between FP1 in the morning and the second session in the afternoon, Andrea Iannone was unable to stop the clock at a time faster than 1’32.568, which leaves him far from the top ten at the moment. His poor feeling with the bike kept Andrea from getting closer to the top areas of the rankings, a situation he aims to rectify in FP3 on Saturday morning.
ALEIX ESPARGARÒ
“Here in Valencia I felt at ease straight away. The characteristics of the RS-GP adapt well to this track, as we had already confirmed in recent years. Despite the good performance, it was not a simple day. It is very cold and that is especially problematic for the front tyre. The goal now is to aim for the best possible result in qualifying tomorrow. On a track like this, overtaking is not easy, so starting at the front is fundamental.”
ANDREA IANNONE
“There isn’t much to say about today. Unfortunately, I didn’t find the right feeling with the bike on this track. It is a general feeling. Right now, I’m struggling to think of a solution off the top of my head. What I can do is keep working with my team, analysing the data and trying to sort the rest of the weekend.”
