A tight qualifying session saw 17 riders close within a second on the Assen TT Circuit. The Italian riders showed promise but were slowed down towards the end by the traffic.
Alessandro Tonucci, after a little issue due to a sensor yesterday, constantly bettered his times today. He was in the Top 10 until the very end, and closed with a 1'44"541, +0"896 behind poleman Cortese, which puts him on 5th row.
Right behind him, Romano Fenati fought at the top for most of the session but could not find a 'clean' lap and closed on 6th row with a 1'44"561 (+0"961).
Both Team Italia riders showed a strong race pace and, if they can withstand the early fight carefully, will be able to have yet another good GP.
Alessandro Tonucci (Team Italia FMI FTR Honda#19) 15th, 19 laps with a 1'44"541
"I had some problems with my setup during FP3, which I solved in the afternoon. I had a really strong first half of the qualifiers, then the traffic slowed me down a bit. A good start will be the key for tomorrow's race, where I can have a good rhythm."
Romano Fenati (Team Italia FMI FTR Honda#5) 17th, 19 laps with a 1'44"561
"Slipstream is very important on this track and the traffic toward the end prevented me from improving my best time. That said, the bike works well and we have the pace for tomorrow's race."
Roberto Locatelli (FMI Technical Coordinator)
"The team worked well and, if the riders get a good start tomorrow, they can fight at the front. There 17 riders within less than a second, it will be a great show."
Team Italia FMI Press Release
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