Randy De Puniet was so happy today that he did not want to get off his bike, and by the end of the day had racked up no fewer than 45 laps. After getting back on form with his setup at Sepang last Sunday, today he began the Australian GP a good feeling from the first minute. Ninth in the morning and eighth in the afternoon, the POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar rider closed the day 1.2 seconds off the fastest time. Conversely, his teammate Aleiz Espargaró was not as competitive as in recent rounds. The lack of feeling with the front end forced him to slow down in the opening session, and an incident with the engine of his first bike prevented him from improving in the afternoon. Nevertheless, the POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar rider finished in thirteenth place, just over two seconds behind Lorenzo.
Randy De Puniet
"I am very happy because today went great. Right from this morning everything worked perfectly. It’s been several races since we’ve looked so competitive, and I really enjoyed riding today. The team did a great job, and this allowed me to set good times. I believe that today the position obtained was also optimal. Besides all these satisfactions, I am happy that we have already worked with the race in mind, and it makes me very optimistic that we have been consistent throughout the day. The goal tomorrow will be to maintain the same performance level, to get prepared for qualifying and achieve the best possible position on the grid. In my opinion the new asphalt is very good with fewer bumps, and that increases our sense of security. Phillip Island is one of the best circuits in the world and with this new surface is even better."
Aleix Espargaro
"The truth is that today the day did not go as expected. In the first session I did not feel comfortable on the bike, so we planned some changes for the second session. We tried to improve the feel of the front end, in order to allow us to brake later. At the start of the afternoon we had an issue with the engine that forced us to go out on track with the second bike, but the feeling was different so I did not go as fast as intended. Today we had a repeat of what happened last season; the first day at Phillip Island was a strange one for us."
Power Electronics Aspar Press Release
