If Misano was a weekend to mark a milestone in terms of Michelin tires, the Motorland Aragón circuit could well present a slightly less heavenly weekend, particularly in terms of wear on the rear casings. At least this is what emerges from the comments of several pilots, including Johann zarco who nevertheless shone by achieving the third time of this first day of the Aragón Grand Prix 107/1000 behind his teammate George Martin.
The French rider, who used a new chassis already tested in Misano during post-race MotoGP testing, however hopes to challenge for the front row provided he takes a new step tomorrow.
« A good first day! It's important to be among the fastest. It's a different circuit from Misano, and so is the behavior of the bike. The rear tire wears a lot and many riders are having more trouble than in Misano. I still struggle, but a little less. There is a big difference with Misano, especially this rear tire which is not consistent. It offers some performance for three laps and then it loses performance. It starts up quickly and I was able to do it this morning, which ensured I had a correct position.
Afterwards, I tried to have rhythm and it's not easy. The others aren't easy either. I'm trying to work to find that easy rhythm as I would like, to have fun in the race and to be ready to fight with the others. This afternoon things got better. Then, we did two fairly decent laps, in 1'47.8 and 1'47.5, which helped ensure something. But I hope that tomorrow, with calm, I will take another step.
It's more the rear that's the problem on this track, because the front, I find it manageable. We manage to use the hard tire, so that's a sign that it's holding up well, but as soon as you push on the rear, the bike stalls. We have the electronics to manage this but the problem is that we are no longer moving forward. That's the difficulty. If you don't want to stall, you have to go through the corner slowly, but then you're no longer a MotoGP rider! I hope to progress on Saturday to be even more competitive, hoping to fight for the front row. »
In the image of fabio quartararo on his Yamaha M1, Johann zarco today used a new chassis already tested during the test in Misano.
« Yes, this is correct information. As I said in yesterday's debriefing, I had difficulties and perhaps a change could benefit me more than for someone who does not want to change a good balance. They always want to try to win on motor skills and as I am quite sensitive in this area, I am able to provide information on it to try to develop this for the end of the year. »
Apparently the Pramac pilot was unaware of thefuture arrival of Gino Borsoi as team manager of the Pramac team, replacing Francesco Guidotti who left this season for KTM. It therefore reacts hot.
« I didn't know that yet, so I have no opinion at the moment. I know that our Claudio is going to leave, but Borsoi, in terms of motorcycle racing, is someone who has experienced it closely for so many years that it could also bring something nice. Fonsi (Nieto) has also always remained in motorcycling, but working with smaller teams, more focused on the performance and balance of the rider to make the difference, that can perhaps bring a little extra. He's a guy who breathes racing, and I like that. »
MotoGP Aragon Grand Prix FP2 results:
Classification credit: MotoGP.com
