The first track sessions of the French round of the 2012 MotoGP World Championship were played out with dark clouds looming over the Le Mans circuit, but fortunately without the rain.
Pramac Ducati sole rider Hèctor Barberà spent the morning and afternoon free practice sessions working through different set-up changes and tyre options in preparation for Sunday’s Grand Prix.
The Spanish rider wrapped up the day in eighth position having taken just over two tenth of a second off his morning time with improved set-up and claimed the highest speed on the Le Mans circuit for the sessions, clocking 309.2 km/hr aboard his Ducati GP12.
Tomorrow the Monster Energy Grand Prix de France will see the final free practice session and the qualifying practice in the afternoon, a decisive session for the grid line up, which may take place on a wet track.
Hèctor Barberà - Rider Pramac Racing Team -
“Today has been a satisfying free practice session, confirming my liking of the French track. I can say that I really enjoyed myself riding on this surface. We started this weekend with the right foot and compared to the morning session, we have improved our lap time also in the afternoon. I've had a good feeling with my Ducati GP12 and I hope tomorrow doesn't rain, because that would mean starting all over again.”
Francesco Guidotti - Team Manager Pramac Racing -
“I share Hèctor's feeling: this has been a positive day. We started at the beginning this morning with clear ideas, arranging heights, rigidity and choosing the right tyres. We are also very happy to be the fastest Ducati on the field in the combined free practice timesheet, but now we are focusing on tomorrow's qualifying practice.”
Pramac Racing Press Release
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