After five months of winter break, Sam Lowes and Iker Lecuona returned to the track on Friday for the opening event of the 2018 season at the emblematic Losail.
Despite the high temperatures of the Qatari desert, the Briton, who took advantage of the second session to prepare for the race, still managed to end the day in second place in the combined ranking thanks to a time of 2'00.970.
Absent due to injury last year, Iker Lecuona discovered the Qatari track. After a few adaptation laps, the youngest driver entered in the intermediate category quickly found his feet. Credited with the 23rd time, the Spaniard intends to progress further to get closer to the front.
Sam Lowes (2nd – 2'00.970) :
" It was a good day. I achieved my time during a long run. I mainly focused on the race without worrying about my place in the standings. This weekend is strange, because the two sessions take place in different conditions. This is the case for everyone, but the third one won't really help. During qualifying, I think we will have to spend the first half preparing for the race. Overall, I feel good and we started the event on the right foot. »
Iker Lecuona (23rd – 2'02.200) :
“I'm not really happy with this first day. I couldn't get any grip. It's my first time on this circuit and I'm not that far behind in terms of times. It was possible to go faster, but I lost a little time. This evening, Matthieu and I will analyze the data and we will see what we will be capable of tomorrow. »
Fred Corminboeuf (Team Manager) :
“It’s a very good introduction. Sam finished second in the most important session since we will have similar conditions on Sunday. He worked without forcing with the worn tires and the results are rather positive. Concerning Iker, the place is not truly representative. This is the first time he has played on this track. He finished 1.2 seconds behind, which is already very good. It will now be necessary to confirm on Saturday to approach the race in the best conditions. »
1 73 Alex MARQUEZ SPA EG 0,0 Marc VDS KALEX 2'00.932 15 17 283.1
2 22 Sam LOWES GBR Swiss Innovative Investors KTM 2'00.970 19 20 0.038 0.038 278.4
3 42 Francesco BAGNAIA ITA SKY Racing Team VR46 KALEX 2'00.985 4 18 0.053 0.015 283.6
4 23 Marcel SCHROTTER GER Dynavolt Intact GP KALEX 2'01.055 15 18 0.123 0.070 283.0
5 7 Lorenzo BALDASSARRI ITA Pons HP40 KALEX 2'01.060 19 19 0.128 0.005 279.7
6 44 Miguel OLIVEIRA POR Red Bull KTM Ajo KTM 2'01.106 16 17 0.174 0.046 283.3
7 32 Isaac VIÑALES SPA SAG Team KALEX 2'01.226 3 15 0.294 0.120 281.1
8 10 Luca MARINI ITA SKY Racing Team VR46 KALEX 2'01.317 12 16 0.385 0.091 281.3
9 41 Brad BINDER RSA Red Bull KTM Ajo KTM 2'01.324 8 20 0.392 0.007 285.6
10 13 Romano FENATI ITA Marinelli Snipers Team KALEX 2'01.409 7 16 0.477 0.085 281.9
11 9 Jorge NAVARRO SPA Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 KALEX 2'01.451 19 19 0.519 0.042 283.9
12 87 Remy GARDNER AUS Tech 3 Racing TECH 3 2'01.629 10 18 0.697 0.178 280.8
13 36 Joan MIR SPA EG 0,0 Marc VDS KALEX 2'01.682 5 18 0.750 0.053 284.7
14 52 Danny KENT GBR Beta Tools – Speed Up Racing SPEED UP 2'01.689 17 17 0.757 0.007 283.3
15 97 Xavi VIRGIN SPA Dynavolt Intact GP KALEX 2'01.721 13 15 0.789 0.032 281.3
16 45 Tetsuta NAGASHIMA JPN IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia KALEX 2'01.872 11 19 0.940 0.151 277.2
17 40 Hector BARBERA SPA Pons HP40 KALEX 2'01.890 17 18 0.958 0.018 282.5
18 89 Khairul Idham PAWI MAL IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia KALEX 2'01.906 7 14 0.974 0.016 279.5
19 64 Bo BENDSNEYDER NED Tech 3 Racing TECH 3 2'01.980 17 18 1.048 0.074 277.8
20 77 Dominique AEGERTER SWI Kiefer Racing KTM 2'01.989 18 18 1.057 0.009 281.2
21 24 Simone CORSI ITA Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2 KALEX 2'02.084 12 17 1.152 0.095 280.5
22 16 Joe ROBERTS USA NTS RW Racing GP NTS 2'02.119 14 18 1.187 0.035 278.2
23 27 Iker LECUONA SPA Swiss Innovative Investors KTM 2'02.200 17 19 1.268 0.081 281.2
24 20 Fabio QUARTARARO FRA Beta Tools – Speed Up Racing SPEED UP 2'02.267 14 15 1.335 0.067 275.3
25 4 Steven ODENDAAL RSA NTS RW Racing GP NTS 2'02.291 18 19 1.359 0.024 280.0
26 54 Mattia PASINI ITA Italtrans Racing Team KALEX 2'02.595 9 14 1.663 0.304 280.1
27 5 Andrea LOCATELLI ITA Italtrans Racing Team KALEX 2'02.622 16 19 1.690 0.027 281.4
28 62 Stefano MANZI ITA Forward Racing Team SUTER 2'03.158 12 13 2.226 0.536 277.4
29 95 Jules DANILO FRA Nashi Argan SAG Team KALEX 2'04.318 6 17 3.386 1.160 279.7
30 63 Zulfahmi KHAIRUDDIN MAL SIC Racing Team KALEX 2'04.357 17 18 3.425 0.039 279.0
31 51 Eric GRANADO BRA Forward Racing Team SUTER 2'04.404 6 7 3.472 0.047 275.5
32 21 Federico FULIGNI ITA Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2 KALEX 2'04.986 12 17 4.054 0.582 278.2
