If it was undeniable that the star of the Tech 3 team this Saturday evening was Jonas Folger, superb third time behind Maverick Vinales and Valentino Rossi, Johan Zarco, on the fourth Yamaha M1 in the field, was in tenth position 0.899 behind the leading Spaniard, and just under half a second behind his German teammate.
Compared to the day before – when he had clocked 1'55.705 – Johann had improved during the second session to 1'55.354. It was not the great leap forward, but a regular and solid progression which characterizes the style of the double World Champion so well over the years.
This was also the way of seeing things of the Tech 3 team, which concluded “Johann Zarco concluded another very constructive day where he increased his speed before finishing in 10th place just 0,158 behind Marc Marquez. Along with Folger, both our riders will aim to complete the test by producing two positive performances on Sunday with the 2017 MotoGP season just 11 days away ».
According to Johann Zarco, « The second day was interesting and positive overall. Again, I worked on the Yamaha as well as I did on myself, but things went better than Friday because I felt more comfortable, which allowed me to ride faster and achieve more consistent lap times, which was encouraging.
“Step by step I can improve and I understand how I can achieve this. This is important and I now know that to do a fast lap I need to be able to get the most out of the tire on the first few laps. Sometimes I don't always do it, and although I feel good after the tire has covered a little distance, I know I have to push as soon as I hit the track.
“Therefore, if we work well on Sunday and if I can put in a fast lap at the start when the tires are fresh, then I am sure I can finish the third and final day in a very positive way. »
Second day results:
1- Maverick Vinales – Movistar Yamaha MotoGP – Yamaha YZR M1 – 1’54.455
2- Valentino Rossi – Movistar Yamaha MotoGP – Yamaha YZR M1 + 0.277
3- Jonas Folger – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 + 0.462
4- Cal Crutchlow – LCR Honda – Honda RC213V + 0.577
5- Aleix Espargaro – Aprilia Racing Team Gresini – Aprilia RS-GP + 0.666
6- Marc Marquez – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC213V + 0.741
7- Alvaro Bautista – Pull&Bear Aspar Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP + 0.790
8- Jorge Lorenzo – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP + 0.889
9- Scott Redding – Octo Pramac Racing – Ducati Desmosedici GP + 0.898
10- Johann Zarco – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 + 0.899
11- Karel Abraham – Pull&Bear Aspar Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP15 + 0.965
12- Andrea Iannone – Team Suzuki Ecstar – Suzuki GSX-RR + 1.090
13- Andrea Dovizioso – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP + 1.128
14- Danilo Petrucci – Octo Pramac Racing – Ducati Desmosedici GP + 1.225
15- Loris Baz – Reale Avintia Racing – Ducati Desmosedici GP15 + 1.353
16- Dani Pedrosa – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC213V + 1.420
17- Alex Rins – Team Suzuki Ecstar – Suzuki GSX-RR + 1.655
18- Tito Rabat – EG 0,0 Marc VDS – Honda RC213V + 1.759
19- Jack Miller – EG 0,0 Marc VDS – Honda RC213V + 1.796
20- Sam Lowes – Aprilia Racing Team Gresini – Aprilia RS-GP + 1.821
21- Pol Espargaro – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – KTM RC16 + 2.193
22- Bradley Smith – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – KTM RC16 + 2.812
23- Mika Kallio – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – KTM RC16 + 3.233
