As predicted by the local weather forecasts it was a wet and windy afternoon at Sachsenring although the MotoGP teams and riders were able to at least enjoy some dry track time in this morning's opening free practice session. Alvaro Baustista worked feverishly on the set-up of his bike and his lap times were solid around the tight and twisty track. Michele Pirro made a competitive start to the weekend amongst his CRT rivals, proving that the FTR could be adapted to the unique demands of this particular track.
Alvaro Bautista ( 8th 1’ 23” 203 ) “We lapped in wet and dry conditions today, which gave us the chance to work on the suspension setting for the dry this morning and then try to gather confidence in different conditions this afternoon. It was difficult, especially in the final part of the session when it started raining again. Anyway, with the changes we made my feeling was quite good. Now we just have to hope for better weather tomorrow because I definitely prefer the dry conditions.”
Michele Pirro (14° 1’ 24” 659) “It has been a good day because this morning we were running consistently with the best CRTs and here at Sachsenring we have closed the gap even further. We had some stuff to try this afternoon and unfortunately the rain spoiled our plans but we found a good compromise with the wet setting so I am happy. Hopefully we get dry weather tomorrow and on Sunday.”
Fausto Gresini “Alvaro did a good job this morning and he was fast and consistent. In the afternoon the session was interrupted by the rain and we weren't able to complete the work we had planned. It's a shame but we will try to make up for lost time tomorrow, providing the rain stays well clear. We have seen again today that our project with Michele Pirro is closing the gap to the top CRT and our bike has adapted well to the Sachsenring circuit, which is a very unique track. The rain was a setback because we had some new things to try so we just have to hope for better weather tomorrow.”
San Carlo Honda Gresini Press Release
You can give your opinion on our Facebook page here
Get the latest update on our Twitter page here
