#MalaysianGP Moto2 FP3: Morbidelli gets his Saturday off to a good start

A dry track heated to 37° was available to the Moto2 riders for a final test gallop before their qualifying session. In these conditions, yesterday, Friday, Olive tree had made the talk with a KTM that he had placed on the first step of the podium, last weekend, near Phillip Island. Was the Portuguese going to do it again and thus start his second day in Sepang for a Malaysian Grand Prix which marked the penultimate stage of the calendar?

Before answering this question, but also closely follow the ongoing duel for the title between Morbidely et Lüthi separated by 29 points in favor of the first city, here is the situation in table:

 

#MalaysianGP Moto2™ FP1	2016	2017
FP1	2'10.121 Tom Lüthi	2'06.856 Miguel Oliveira
FP2	2'08.816 Franco Morbidelli	2'24.074 Marc Marquez
FP3	2'07.283 Takaaki Nakagami
Qualification	2'18.621 Johann Zarco
Warm Up	2'09.750 Franco Morbidelli
Course	Zarco, Morbidelli, Folger (see here)
All time lap record	2'06.383 Tom Lüthi 2015

 

From the first minutes, Morbidely announced the color in a 2'06.819 which was the fastest performance since the start of the meeting. He was ahead Lüthi, Olive tree et Pasini, who remained in the 2'07 zone. After the first quarter of an hour, Brad Binder, on the second KTM, recalled that he had just finished second in the Australian Grand Prix by moving into the leading trio by joining the exclusive club of 2'06 per lap.

A clan that expanded with the arrival of Lüthi at the top of the timesheet in 2'06.764. Halfway through the session, things remained as they were in mind while Quarterly was twelfth and first driver in 2'08, ahead Virgin et Gardner on their Mistral 610.

At the start of the last quarter of an hour, Morbidely carried the blow in a 2'06.690, which was the new reference.  Olive tree followed at 30 thousandths, pushing back Lüthi in third place ahead Binder. Pasini, fifth, was responsible for leading the hunt for the two Kalexes and two KTMs. The championship leader pushed his advantage to a time of 2'06.605. At this stage, we began to look at the evolution of performances with the track record held since 2015 by Lüthi in 2'06.383.

Virgin, fifteenth, fell at turn 12 and was unable to restart his Mistral 610. This was ten minutes from the checkered flag. The last five minutes launched the final packaging, signaled by bagnaia who was fifth with a time of 2'06. The VR46 driver even joined the leading trio in his momentum.

Nakagami, seventh, fell at turn 15. Nothing to worry about Morbidely who completed the exercise in the lead in front Olive tree, bagnaia, Lüthi et Binder. Quarterly was fifteenth.

#MalaysianGP Moto2 FP3:

1	21	Frank MORBIDELLI	Kalex	2'06.605
2	42	Francesco Bagnaia	Kalex	2'06.679	0.074 / 0.074
3	44	Miguel OLIVEIRA	KTM	2'06.698	0.093 / 0.019
4	12	Thomas LUTHI	Kalex	2'06.764	0.159 / 0.066
5	41	Brad BINDER	KTM	2'06.872	0.267 / 0.108
6	73	Alex MARQUEZ	Kalex	2'07.097	0.492 / 0.225
7	54	Matthias PASINI	Kalex	2'07.252	0.647 / 0.155
8	30	Takaaki NAKAGAMI	Kalex	2'07.266	0.661 / 0.014
9	7	Lorenzo BALDASSARRI	Kalex	2'07.533	0.928 / 0.267
10	45	Tetsuit NAGASHIMA	Kalex	2'07.570	0.965 / 0.037
11	55	Hafiz Syahrin	Kalex	2'07.639	1.034 / 0.069
12	11	Sandro CORTESE	Suter	2'07.648	1.043 / 0.009
13	32	Isaac VIÑALES	Kalex	2'07.680	1.075 / 0.032
14	23	Marcel SCHROTTER	Suter	2'07.910	1.305 / 0.230
15	40	Fabio QUARTARARO	Kalex	2'08.014	1.409 / 0.104
16	24	Simone COURSES	Speed ​​Up	2'08.036	1.431 / 0.022
17	97	Xavi VIRGIN	Tech 3	2'08.064	1.459 / 0.028
18	5	Andrea LOCATELLI	Kalex	2'08.104	1.499 / 0.040
19	49	Axel PONS	Kalex	2'08.121	1.516 / 0.017
20	37	Augusto FERNANDEZ	Speed ​​Up	2'08.222	1.617 / 0.101
21	87	Remy GARDNER	Tech 3	2'08.269	1.664 / 0.047
22	2	Jesko RAFFIN	Kalex	2'08.284	1.679 / 0.015
23	10	Luca MARINI	Kalex	2'08.335	1.730 / 0.051
24	62	Stefano MANZI	Kalex	2'08.338	1.733 / 0.003
25	57	Edgar PONS	Kalex	2'08.345	1.740 / 0.007
26	27	Iker LECUONA	Kalex	2'08.488	1.883 / 0.143
27	89	Khairul Idham PAWI	Kalex	2'08.585	1.980 / 0.097
28	26	Dimas EKKY PRATAMA	Kalex	2'09.419	2.814 / 0.834
29	15	Alex DE ANGELIS	Kalex	2'09.473	2.868 / 0.054