Austin Moto2 FP1: Oliveira announces formidable KTMs

The Moto2 grid is found at Austin after a getaway to Argentina which devoted a Mattia Pasini celebrating his hundredth Moto2 start in the most beautiful way. This time, it is Romano Fenati who will honor a hundredth, that of his Grand Prix starts. And the Texan track has already seen him triumph twice, but it was in Moto3. Austin is also a land that brings back good memories to one Sam Lowes who opened his victory counter there in 2015. While this Friday, Fabio Quartararo will celebrate his 19th birthday...

While waiting to know if anyone will have something to celebrate at Texas lunchtime, here is the summary table of facts which helps with memory…

 

Austin Moto2™	2017	2018
FP1	2'11.606 Miguel Oliveira
FP2	2'10.601 Alex Marquez
FP3	2'10.164 Alex Marquez
Qualification	2'09.379 Franco Morbidelli
Warm Up	2'10.089 Takaaki Nakagami
Course	Morbidelli, Lüthi, Nakagami
All time lap record	2'08.850 Alex Rins 2016

 

It will be noted that Brad Binder discovers Austin riding a Moto2 since he was out due to injury last year. Overcast and windy weather greets the plateau which will ride on a track at 21°, the air being at 17°. In 2'13.997, Olive tree sets the first benchmark of the session on his KTM. Last year, the Portuguese was the fastest in FP1. It is followed by an astonishing Mir while Pasini, the championship leader, takes his bike back to the pits with his stroller.

Mir makes us forget that he is making his debut in Moto2 by taking control of operations in 2'13.680. His teammate Alex Marquez answers him, but only three thousandths better! But it's Olive tree who spent the first quarter of an hour in the lead with a performance in 2'12.824.

The KTM official drives home the point in 2'12.689, more than seven tenths better than Mir et Lowes, his pursuers. A hunt that Dominique agitated integrity, also with a KTM, identifying himself as a candidate for the top three. The Swiss finished on the podium at the Grand Prix of the Americas in 2014.

A pack which does not impress the Portuguese hare who indicates that, to overtake him, he will have to do better than 2'12.260. Alone Lowes follows him under the 2'13 per lap mark, twenty minutes from the end. Which gives us a KTM double.

As we approach the last quarter of an hour, Mattia Pasini, twenty-fourth, is betrayed again by his motorcycle. At Kalex, we count on bagnaia, Alex Marquez et Mir to pick up, before the checkered flag drops, the two competitors from Mattighofen in great shape.   

The Italian from VR46 tries hard and arrives in the 2'12 zone, but he then falls at turn 3, leaving the initiative to Alex Marquez who signs a 2'12.342, one tenth ofOlive tree. Sensing the danger, he posted a 2'12.104 in the last minute. Fortunately because Alex Marquez's last assault fails by only 41 thousandths.

The third man is lecuona who is therefore ahead of his teammate Lowes, and bagnaia closes a top 5 where there are three KTMs. Quarterly is twenty-second behind Baldassarri, the second in the championship. Gardner is nineteenth with the Mistral610. Danilo is thirtieth.

Austin Moto2 FP1: Chronos

1	44	Miguel OLIVEIRA	KTM	2'12.104
2	73	Alex MARQUEZ	Kalex	2'12.145	0.041	0.041
3	27	Iker LECUONA	KTM	2'12.372	0.268	0.227
4	22	Sam LOWES	KTM	2'12.510	0.406	0.138
5	42	Francesco Bagnaia	Kalex	2'12.549	0.445	0.039
6	32	Isaac VIÑALES	Kalex	2'12.576	0.472	0.027
7	41	Brad BINDER	KTM	2'12.597	0.493	0.021
8	36	Joan Mir	Kalex	2'12.940	0.836	0.343
9	97	Xavi VIRGIN	Kalex	2'13.034	0.930	0.094
10	77	Dominique AEGERTER	KTM	2'13.072	0.968	0.038
11	24	Simone COURSES	Kalex	2'13.119	1.015	0.047
12	23	Marcel SCHROTTER	Kalex	2'13.168	1.064	0.049
13	52	Danny Kent	Speed ​​Up	2'13.192	1.088	0.024
14	45	Tetsuit NAGASHIMA	Kalex	2'13.239	1.135	0.047
15	40	Hector BARBERA	Kalex	2'13.396	1.292	0.157
16	9	Jorge NAVARRO	Kalex	2'13.503	1.399	0.107
17	10	Luca MARINI	Kalex	2'13.580	1.476	0.077
18	5	Andrea LOCATELLI	Kalex	2'13.621	1.517	0.041
19	87	Remy GARDNER	Tech 3	2'13.645	1.541	0.024
20	13	Roman FENATI	Kalex	2'13.668	1.564	0.023
21	7	Lorenzo BALDASSARRI	Kalex	2'13.716	1.612	0.048
22	20	Fabio QUARTARARO	Speed ​​Up	2'13.740	1.636	0.024
23	62	Stefano MANZI	Suter	2'13.758	1.654	0.018
24	16	Joe ROBERTS	NTS	2'14.161	2.057	0.403
25	64	Bo BENDSNEYDER	Tech 3	2'14.500	2.396	0.339
26	51	Eric GRANADO	Suter	2'15.276	3.172	0.776
27	54	Matthias PASINI	Kalex	2'15.348	3.244	0.072
28	4	Steven ODENDAAL	NTS	2'15.453	3.349	0.105
29	89	Khairul Idham PAWI	Kalex	2'15.847	3.743	0.394
30	95	Jules DANILO	Kalex	2'17.598	5.494	1.751
31	63	Zulfahmi KHAIRUDDIN	Kalex	2'18.176	6.072	0.578
32	21	Federico FULIGNI	Kalex	2'19.891	7.787	1.715