Elías at the forefront in first session

Eager to delight a strong home support this weekend at Montmeló and with a Championship lead to maintain, Toni Elías set off on the right foot on Friday afternoon by topping the opening practice session with a best time of 1’48.425. The Gresini Racing Moto2 rider posted his effort on the 23rd of 25 laps, placing him 0.107s clear at the head of the timings.

Following him was Sergio Gadea (Tenerife 40 Pons) who is looking to return to the scoring positions this weekend after his run of registering points in every race so far was broken at Assen. At just over a tenth off Elías, Gadea was 0.09s faster than Shoya Tomizawa (Technomag-CIP), and it is the Japanese rider who lies second in the Championship standings ahead of Sunday’s race.

Interwetten Moriwaki Moto2 rider continued to impress with the fourth fastest time, just eight-thousandths off Tomizawa. The Swiss rider, who has rode in the last two races (and finished on the podium in each) with a damaged collarbone, only had surgery last Saturday after Assen but was again on the pace here in Catalunya, as he attempts to defend third place in the Championship. In fifth was Andrea Iannone (Fimmco Speed Up) who comes into this weekend off the back of his second win of 2010 at Assen.

Completing the top-eight positions were Gabor Talmacsi (Fimmco Speed Up), Yonny Hernández (Blusens-STX) and Julián Simón (Mapfre Aspar), with Jules Cluzel (Forward Racing) and Scott Redding (Marc VDS Racing Team) both within 0.534s of Elías as they registered top-ten times as well.

Vladimir Leonov (Vector Kiefer Racing), Iannone, Redding, Cluzel, Alex de Angelis (RSM Team Scot) and Raffaele De Rosa (Tech3 Racing) all had minor slip ups, none of which were serious or prevented them from completing the session.