Di Giannantonio Just 0.4 Seconds Off Pole Position In Le Mans Qualifying
Gresini Racing Team Moto3 rookie Fabio Di Giannantonio enjoyed a great Qualifying session this afternoon at Le Mans, home of the French Grand Prix, fifth round of the 2016 Moto3 World Championship.
At his first visit on the historic French track, the 17-year-old rider from Rome has taken a big step forward today, improving his performance by 1.2 seconds compared to yesterday and stopping the clock at 1’43”198, just 0.4 seconds off pole position.
However, tomorrow Di Giannantonio will start from the fifth row of the grid in 13th place, following the penalization of three positions imposed by the Race Direction for having slowed during the third and final free practice session this morning.
FABIO DI GIANNANTONIO (10th – 1’43”198)
“I’m very happy with my Qualifying! Today we hit our target of getting into the Top 20 and also our race pace is good! The bike is going very well, but we can still improve some areas ahead of the race, so we’re confident we can do well tomorrow. Our goal remains to score points, but if we get something more, it will be welcome!”.
FAUSTO GRESINI
“Di Giannantonio has taken a big step forward, with a very good Qualifying. He showed a good potential and we know that he could also get something more today. Fabio is definitely growing, meeting our expectations, and he’s obviously happy to be in a position to fight for a good result and to collect points. However, he’s still very young and this morning in the last free practice session he paid his lack of experience, slowing down and being penalized with three positions on the grid. Anyway, it happens: during this season Fabio needs to gain experience and find the right balance to show his potential; he’s starting to do so, therefore I’m happy for him and for the team”.
