Esteve Rabat could he be the Tito who reveals himself late in life? We were convinced of a future in the form of a dead end for the Moto2 World Champion who seemed to have already failed in his quest for a place in the sun in MotoGP. But since Le Mans, and especially after his performance at Mugello, the Spaniard from Marc VDS Racing seems transformed. And it seems to be here to stay. Here he is sixth and second of the Hondas at the end of this Friday of the Catalan Grand Prix. But that was before sanction...
We don't know if this turnaround will change his destiny in MotoGP, but what is taken is no longer up for grabs. Eleventh at Le Mans and Mugello, Rabat seems today on the upward slope. With a lap in 1'44.933, the former Moto2 world champion initially thought he would finish the day in sixth position, just two tenths of a second behind Jorge Lorenzo, second on the timesheet.
The teammate of a Miller far behind and who went as far as get lost on the reworked Montmélo track comments on his voucher 1'44.933: " I was able to ride here a few days ago and I'm happy to have been able to improve my feeling on the bike today. I'm faster than in the test and it's a good start to the weekend. The settings for the race will be decisive because there is not much grip on this track and the weather forecast is very hot. ».
He finishes : " making the tires last will be critical, as will being able to finish the race at a good pace. However, I think we can get closer to the top ten again this weekend ».
Alas, he did not escape the race direction which Rabat had not complied with the safety requirements imposed by a double yellow flag. His performance was therefore canceled. This evening, the MarcVDS driver is twentieth…
#CatalanGP J.1: MotoGP Chronos
Rankings for the first day of free practice revised:
1 Marc MARQUEZ-Repsol Honda Team-Honda 1'44.478
2 Jorge LORENZO-Ducati Team-Ducati 1'44.700
3 Jonas FOLGER-Monster Yamaha Tech 3-Yamaha 1'44.839
4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO-Ducati Team-Ducati 1'44.883
5 Danilo PETRUCCI-OCTO Pramac Racing-Ducati 1'44.890
6 Johann ZARCO-Monster Yamaha Tech 3-Yamaha 1'45.063
7 Dani PEDROSA-Repsol Honda Team-Honda 1'45.098
8 Alvaro BAUTISTA-Pull&Bear Aspar Team-Ducati 1'45.116
9 Valentino ROSSI-Movistar Yamaha MotoGP-Yamaha 1'45.118
10 Hector BARBERA-Reale Avintia Racing-Ducati 1'45.311
11 Scott REDDING-OCTO Pramac Racing-Ducati 1'45.375
12 Andrea IANNONE-Team SUZUKI ECSTAR-Suzuki 1'45.465
13 Aleix ESPARGARO-Aprilia Racing Team Gresini-Aprilia 1'45.554
14 Loris BAZ-Reale Avintia Racing-Ducati 1'45.755
15 Sam LOWES-Aprilia Racing Team Gresini-Aprilia 1'45.760
16 Maverick VIÑALES-Movistar Yamaha MotoGP-Yamaha 1'45.810
17 Jack MILLER-EG 0,0 Marc VDS-Honda 1'45.868
18 Karel ABRAHAM-Pull&Bear Aspar Team-Ducati 1'45.932
19 Cal CRUTCHLOW-LCR Honda-Honda 1'45.967
20 Tito RABAT-EG 0,0 Marc VDS-Honda 1'46.229
21 Pol ESPARGARO-Red Bull KTM Factory Racing-KTM 1'46.946
22 Sylvain GUINTOLI-Team SUZUKI ECSTAR-Suzuki 1'47.002
23 Bradley SMITH-Red Bull KTM Factory Racing-KTM 1'47.892
