Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS drivers Franco Morbidelli and Alex Marquez coped well with the cold and rain that disrupted the first day of testing in Motegi.
This morning, when the air temperature did not exceed fourteen degrees and the rain was falling continuously, Marquez showed off by setting the best time with a clear lead over his adversaries.
No longer suffering from the pain that had forced him to throw in the towel in Aragon, Marquez clocked a time of 2'05.460 to finish first, almost half a second ahead of Tom Lüthi.
Only four drivers managed to slip into the same second as the Spaniard. Marquez continued to progress this afternoon but this time it was the Swiss driver who took the lead.
If Lüthi obtained the best time combined with the two sessions, Marquez who lost by two tenths of a second perfectly launched this overseas tour which will take the championship from Japan to Australia, then to Malaysia, in just three weeks.
Still fighting at the forefront, Morbidelli also got off to a good start to his weekend in Motegi. The championship leader finished the first day of testing with the fifth fastest time and a lot of optimism.
While keeping a lot of margin to avoid making any mistakes, the Italian showed himself to be as fast as he was consistent and he is convinced of being able to reduce his delay tomorrow, the conditions having to remain the same.
Alex Marquez: 2th – 2’06.220
“The rain made my task easier today because in these conditions there is less physical strain. I am still satisfied with the work we did because we did not take too many risks in order to avoid another fall. Since then I feel confident and comfortable on the bike, which is positive. We must continue to progress because those behind will drive faster tomorrow. It's up to us to focus on our work to build on what we have achieved today. »
Franco Morbidelli: 5th – 2'06.220
“The conditions were tricky today, but you have to deal with it because everyone is subject to the same things. It was especially important not to make any mistakes so as not to fall, and that's what I did. Our goal today was to improve the behavior of the bike in the rain and I think we did pretty well. We made progress throughout the day and I think we can continue to do so tomorrow in order to improve the times. »
Pete Benson: Chief Engineer of Franco Morbidelli
“The conditions today presented us with a real challenge because rain is not Franco's strong point. When the bike is set up well in the wet it can go fast, but our performance this year hasn't been great. Besides that, Tom Lüthi has always looked better in the rain. He demonstrated it again today. It was therefore important for us to be fast today because the rain may still be present. We can't afford to lose too many points in the championship, and so we have to finish ahead of him or not too far behind. Franco learned a lesson when he crashed at Misano while leading the race in the rain. This means he won't make the same mistake again. At this time of the season you have to be smart and that's what we're doing for now. We improved the bike during FP2 and we found a good direction which should allow us to catch up tomorrow if the rain persists. »
