Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS drivers Tom Lüthi and Franco Morbidelli began testing for the Grand Prix of the Americas on a dirty, dusty track lacking grip.
Despite these difficult conditions, the two rookies in the MotoGP championship did not hesitate to take the 5,5 km of the difficult Texan track.
The condition of the track having improved somewhat in the afternoon, Lüthi was able to drop his best time by 1.6 seconds in FP2. The Swiss driver thus finished in 19th position with a lap of 2'06.625.
Morbidely finished just behind his teammate, in twentieth position, with a time of 2'06.640.
The work carried out on the Austin circuit to reduce the bumps that the drivers complained about last year has now meant that they have to spend the first two free practice sessions cleaning the track.
Tom Lüthi: 19th – 2’06.625
« My biggest problem today was lacking grip with the rear tire. It was slippery a lot. The problem is that when the rubber hangs up when the tire is at the maximum angle, it causes a lot of movement on the bike. The motorcycle becomes nervous and tiring to ride. To best prepare for the race, we must find more grip and stability. Consistent sliding in fast corners is one thing. But for tight turns you need more grip to get out of them »
Franco Morbidelli: 20th – 2'06.640
« We work a lot on tuning, both on the bike and the electronics, and we took a step forward this afternoon by gaining 1.7 seconds. You can win almost anywhere but for my part I have to try to do the best possible in these conditions. There are fewer bumps than last year and even if the track is dirty I don't think the grip is that bad »
Gilles Bigot: Team Leader of Tom Lüthi
« It’s a very physical circuit in MotoGP. Tom did a good job today as it was his first outing here in the premier class. We did a long run this afternoon on racing tires and Tom made good progress despite the fatigue. We are concentrating on tuning up for the race without focusing too much on the times because rain is forecast tomorrow and we therefore need to be quickly ready for Sunday. Last year, Tom placed second here behind Franco, but this year it's a different story with all these horses in control. »
