After the highs of the Qatar GP, Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) had a less memorable Friday Free Practice session at the Gran Premio Motul de la Republica Argentina. The Championship leader, along with Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team), failed to make it into the top ten - meaning both factory Ducatis could have to go through Q1 in qualifying tomorrow if the weather moves in for FP3 and laptimes don’t improve.
“Today we found a few negative things and I didn’t have the feeling,” begins the number 04. “In the afternoon there was a lot of wind and it was even harder. But I think we have to be calm, and study every detail, and I think if we put a few things together we can be in front. I don’t know which position but for sure Marquez is, like always, on a different level on this track but the point is a lot of riders are often fast in practice so if your feeling is not 100%, it’s easy to be at the back.
“I hope to have minimum one practice in the dry tomorrow because we have to try other things and I have to work on the track so let’s see the weather tomorrow.”
With the factory riders finding it tougher going, It was instead Tito Rabat (Reale Avintia Racing) who put in a stellar ride to end the day fourth and top Ducati as he gains more and more confidence on his Desmosedici. The 2014 Moto2™ World Champion was nearly four tenths ahead of the next Borgo Panigale machine – Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing) – who squeezed into the top 10 having been fifth quickest after FP1.
"I feel very good because we make very good day, we work well and I feel very good on the bike with these conditions," Rabat says. "The important thing today is I enjoy, we go fast and now we have some very important work for tomorrow to make a good qualifying and for Sunday it's most important make good race."
The Spaniard added "I like this bike, I like this bike and my team a lot."