Thailand Grand Prix Buriram Moto2 FP2: Luca Marini contains a boiling Somkiat Chantra!

It is the Moto2 category which closes this first round of free practice sessions on the Chang circuit in Buriram in Thailand.

With 5 more races to go before the engines die down for this year, everything remains open in the championship, even if Alex Marquez (Kalex, EG 0,0 Marc VDS) has taken a serious lead over the competition and is in the lead with 213 points.

Behind him, the young shoots that are Jorge Navarro (Speed ​​Up, HDR Heidrun Speed ​​Up) and Augusto Fernandez (Kalex, ) took the best of the experienced Tom Luthi (Kalex, Dynavolt Intact GP) and the fiery and latest winner, Brad Binder (KTM, Red Bull KTM Ajo).

These direct opponents ofAlex Marquez are respectively 38, 42, 44 and 53 points behind Marc's brother, while there is still a maximum of 125 to distribute.

This morning, Tetsuta Nagashima set a new track record in 1'35.969, taking advantage of this expected dry Friday before an apparently rainy weekend.

The sun is now partially out and temperatures are starting to drop, with 31° in the air and 47° on the ground.

Buriram Moto2™	2018	2019
FP1	1'37.757 Mattia Pasini	1'35.969 Tetsuta Nagashima (new record)
FP2	1'36.839 Mattia Pasini	1'35.956 Luca Marini (new record)
FP3	1'36.670 Fabio Quartararo
Q1	XXX
Q2	1'36.374 Lorenzo Baldassarri
warm up	1'36.649 Miguel Oliveira
Course	Bagnaia, Marini, Oliveira
All time lap record	1'36.374 Lorenzo Baldassarri 2018

Lorenzo Baldassarri (Kalex, Flex-Box Pons HP 40) is the first to take advantage of the opening of the track. The one we saw already almost titled after winning 3 of the first 4 Grands Prix is ​​now 75 points behind Alex Marquez and symbolizes a slight disappointment.

Remy gardner (Kalex, Onebox TKKR SAG Team) set the first reference in 1'36.795 but this was quickly undermined by Tetsuta nagashima (Kalex, Onebox TKKR SAG Team) who, in 1'36.234, reminds us that he set the new circuit record this morning (admittedly, with a Triumph engine instead of the Honda).

The stage location Somkiat Chantra (Kalex, Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) delights the public by temporarily placing second behind the Japanese, before Iker Lecuona (KTM, American Racing KTM) and Brad Binder (KTM, Red Bull KTM Ajo) do not surpass him.

Luca marini (Kalex, SKY Racing Team VR46) then took the lead in the counter-offensive, just 6 thousandths behind Tetsuta Nagashima, while the Thai Somkiat Chantra experiences a mechanical problem and stops on the track.

Midway through the session, Nagashima therefore precedes Marini, Binder, Márquez, Manzi, Lecuona, Navarro, Chantra, Lüthi, Martin, Gardner, Pasini, Bastianini, Lowes, Bezzecchi, and Schrötter.

Temporary disappointments for Augusto Fernandez (15e) and Fabio DiGiannantonio (25th) from which we expected better.

Mattia Pasini (Kalex, Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2) makes a minor mistake in turn #3.

Seven minutes from the checkered flag, Alex Marquez, who had only just stopped to put on a new tire, made his effort and achieved the best time in 1'36.033 despite having been hampered by Xavier Cardelus (KTM, Angel Nieto team).

Augusto Fernandez (Kalex, Flex-Box Pons HP 40) also shows its best profile by moving up to 3rd position.

The final rush sees around ten pilots lighting the first sectors in red and Luca marini (Kalex, SKY Racing Team VR46) set the best time of the day in 1'35.956.

Marco Bezzecchi (KTM, Red Bull KTM Tech3) enters Q2 while Xavier Cardelus is evacuated on a stretcher without seeing the fall, probably following an incident with Sam Lowes.

Once your machine is repaired, Somkiat Chantra (Kalex, Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) finally comes within 8 thousandths of the new record of Luca marini.

 

 

FP2 Moto2 ranking on the Chang circuit in Buriram:

FP1/FP2 Moto2 ranking on the Chang circuit in Buriram:

Credit rankings: MotoGP.com