The work done during free practice paid off, and the Italian duo improved significantly during qualifiers. Fenati stopped the clock on 1'49"324, seven tenths behind poleman Cortese (1'48"545).
The youngster, who adapted well to the flat American track, showed his grit posting his best time with a few minutes to go.
His pace and work done on tyre consumption leave him hopeful ahead of the race.
Alessandro Tonucci also had a strong showing, constantly improving his lap times and closing with a 1'49"605, nearly a second behind the pole position, which granted him the 13th position on the grid.
Romano Fenati (Team Italia FMI FTR Honda#5) 20 laps with a 1'49"324
"It was a good day. The team and I worked well to improve the setup and find better trajectories. We have a good pace, too, and I think we can have a strong race tomorrow especially because the gaps are thin. We'll try to move further during warm-up."
Alessandro Tonucci (Team Italia FMI FTR Honda#19) 18 laps with a 1'49"605
"I'm happy. I had a good qualifying session and found good solutions for the suspensions and frame. I can do well with my current pace tomorrow. I'm just eager to have a strong result and bring home some points."
Roberto Locatelli (FMI Technical Coordinator)
"Great teamwork. Romano confirmed his talent and Alessandro finally showed what he's capable of. We are close to the front, and tomorrow we can score points with both riders."
Team Italia FMI Press Release
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