If there is one thing predictable about the weather at Phillip Island it's its unpredictability and there was a traditional welcome for the paddock today as equal measures of cold, wind, rain and sunshine signalled the start of the Australian Grand Prix. Sandro Cortese completed his first laps as 2012 Moto3 World Champion and Maverick Viñales returned to action after his well-publicised walkout in Malaysia but it was MAPFRE Aspar rider Jonas Folger who stole the headlines with the fastest lap of the day.
After lapping third fastest this morning Folger went on to dominate in the afternoon, just as he did at Sepang a week ago, a best effort of 1'39.213 leaving Cortese and Viñales trailing. The German was particularly impressive through the final two sectors of the Phillip Island circuit and it was there that he made up the majority of his advantage when he secured the fastest time of the day on his fifteenth lap. His team-mate Luca Amato battled through the windy conditions as he tried his best to learn the circuit, gradually shaving three seconds off his lap time to stop the clock at 1'43.753.
1st Jonas Folger 1.39.213 (31 laps):
“We have change the angle of the front suspension here, which is something we have wanted to try for a while. At first I wasn't keen but we tried to push the pace a bit more in the afternoon and my feeling was a lot better. The bike feels more stable and it is easier to get it turned. The lap times are good, I am happy and I can see we are on the right track so tomorrow we'll keep it going. The team did a great job today, we even had time to try two different exhausts and a different tyre compound but the biggest step was with the front end. We have started well so hopefully we can continue like this and fight for pole tomorrow.”
29th Luca Amato 1.43.753 (32 laps):
“I honestly haven't enjoyed the circuit, it's too bumpy. This morning I focused on getting to know it and then tried to set the bike up. The wind made it even more difficult to stay on the right line and I was getting out of shape in every braking zone. The good thing is that we improved a lot from a 1'46 this morning to a 1'43 by the end. After a lot of work we have found a better set-up that gives me more stability. Tomorrow we have to keep working and I have to get used to the track.”
Mapfre Aspar Moto3 Press Release
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