Mike Jones, Australian rider born in Brisbane 22 years ago, is impressing the MotoGP paddock.
Arriving in Motegi to replace Hector Barbera who was going to replace Andrea Iannone, the Avintia driver had everything to discover; from the Japanese circuit to carbon brakes, including Michelin tires and electronics.
Results of the weekend, a qualification only one tenth behind a Loris Baz in search of confidence, and an 18th and last place during the Grand Prix, although having the privilege of being one of the 5 drivers not having tested the Japanese bitumen.
This morning, on a circuit that he knows well but with disastrous weather conditions, the slender rider simply ranked 13th in FP1, ahead of Loris Baz and even Hector Barbera on the official Ducati, and 2nd in an FP2 which only saw 6 drivers take to the track.
So of course, we obviously don't pretend to discover the future Rossi or Marquez of tomorrow, but let's admit that the 2015 Australian Superbike Champion is fulfilling his contract really well and deserved this little spotlight!
Mike Jones: “It was incredible to go out on a MotoGP in front of the Australian fans at Phillip Island, and even more so since I know this circuit very well and already had a little experience on the bike when this opportunity presented itself. The morning session was good for me, because I got to know how the bike behaves in wet conditions. It was a real surprise because it was much easier to ride in the rain than I expected. After just a few laps I had a good understanding of what the tires were doing and felt immediately comfortable. I'm a little disappointed that the conditions were much worse in the afternoon and we weren't able to improve. It's important for me to do a lot of laps to understand the bike more, but we can't control the weather. It is what it is, and I can only hope that it improves for the rest of the weekend so that we can improve as well. »
