ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team’s Remy Gardner found well over half a second from free practice yesterday to slide his way to the front of the Moto2™ field at the Gran Premio Red Bull de España. The Australian was a tenth clear of anyone else thanks to his 1:41.393 but the field is super tight, with the top 23 covered by less than a second.
The biggest surprise of the session came from the Red Bull KTM Ajo camp, where both riders will have to fight in Q1 despite sitting second and third quickest overall prior to FP3. Brad Binder was the only man in the field who failed to improve on yesterday's laptime meaning he ended 15th overall and his teammate Jorge Martin crashed out unhurt at Turn 10, leaving the Moto3™ World Champion a place behind in 16th.
But at the front, despite a couple of characteristic, all-action moments from the Argentina GP podium man, it’s Gardner who is the man to beat before the fight for pole position gets underway ahead of EG 0,0 Marc VDS’s Alex Marquez and Federal Oil Gresini Moto2’s Sam Lowes.
KTM's #Moto2 woes continue as @88jorgemartin crashes out! ????
— MotoGP™ ???????? (@MotoGP) May 4, 2019
He's up straight away and walking back to the pits! ⚠️#SpanishGP ???????? pic.twitter.com/u9h24rp5C2
Yesterday’s quickest man Jorge Navarro eventually improved on his FP1 time to end fourth quickest, making him the fastest Speed Up rider aboard his HDR Heidrun machine. SKY Racing Team VR46’s Nicolo Bulega is fifth overall on his return from arm pump surgery, the Italian a hundredth of a second clear of Gardner’s teammate, Tetsuta Nagashima.
Second of the Speed Up bikes was Navarro’s teammate Fabio Di Giannantonio in seventh, ahead of Augusto Fernandez (Flexbox HP 40) and Marcel Schrötter (Dynavolt Intact GP). Championship leader Lorenzo Baldassarri had his third crash of the weekend, again at Turn 2, but the Flexbox HP 40 rider recovered to get inside the top ten and straight into Q2.
I wonder if @alexmarquez73's knee slider is happy about being repeatedly hit off the kerb's here at Jerez? ????
— MotoGP™ ???????? (@MotoGP) May 4, 2019
Almost 60 degrees of lean angle, elbow on the floor, sliding the rear tyre, leaving dark lines and 100% committed to getting a fast lap time ????#SpanishGP ???????? pic.twitter.com/SBt6QlbqCc
COTA winner Tom Lüthi (Dynavolt Intact GP) ended eleventh followed by Enea Bastianini (Italtrans Racing Team), Luca Marini (SKY Racing Team VR46) and Simone Corsi (Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2), who all hung on to secure Q2 spots.
Top 10 (combined):
1. Remy Gardner (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) – 1:41.393
2. Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) + 0.109
3. Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) + 0.166
4. Jorge Navarro (HDR Heidrun Speed Up) + 0.253
5. Nicolo Bulega (SKY Racing Team VR46) + 0.260
6. Tetsuta Nagashima (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) + 0.277
7. Fabio Di Giannantonio (HDR Heidrun Speed Up) + 0.311
8. Augusto Fernandez (FlexBox HP 40) + 0.345
9. Marcel Schrötter (Dynavolt Intact GP) + 0.351
10. Lorenzo Baldassarri (FlexBox HP 40) + 0.353
Click here for the full results!