The final session of the day at the Monster Energy Grand Prix České republiky for Moto2™ took place with dark, threatening clouds looming over the Automotodrom Brno. With Tetsuta Nagashima (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) topping the opening session in the morning, it was Fabio Di Giannantonio (Beta Tools Speed Up) who took over the top position, ahead of Nicolo Bulega (SKY Racing Team VR46) and third place Nagashima.
Two rookies storm to the top! ????@FabioDiggia21 and @nbulega top the times with @tetsuta45 rounding out the top 3! ????#CzechGP ???????? pic.twitter.com/LhiGm24bCC
— MotoGP™ ???????? (@MotoGP) August 2, 2019
Incremental improvements saw riders steadily climb the order, although it wasn’t plain-sailing for all. Mattia Pasini (Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2) suffered a sizeable crash at Turn 13, with his Kalex tumbling through the gravel trap. In a separate accident, Steven Odendaal (NTS RW Racing GP) found himself in bother at the same corner at exactly the same time. Unfortunately, Odendaal hit the ground for a second time later on in the session, with a violent highside on the exit of Turn 7.
As @MattiaPasini's bike goes bouncing through the gravel ????
— MotoGP™ ???????? (@MotoGP) August 2, 2019
It appears that @ODEND44L has also taken a tumble! ????#CzechGP ???????? pic.twitter.com/cEazkllt5W
Giving Speed Up something to shout about, Fabio Di Giannantonio completed the opening day on top. The Italian, who took a career-first Grand Prix win in Moto3™ last season, came good in the final ten minutes to see off the opposition. Nicolo Bulega rocketed up the order on his final lap to end the day a strong second, whilst Tetsuta Nagashima confirmed his podium pace in third. All three riders demonstrated a strong pace that will make them a strong force for the remainder of the weekend.
It was a pleasant leap to the leading positions for Marcel Schrötter (Dynavolt Intact GP), as the German rider elevated himself from a disconsolate 22nd after FP1 to lead for the majority of the session. The German rider was fourth by the end of the session, marginally ahead of Augusto Fernandez (FLEXBOX HP 40) who completed the top five, and Tom Lüthi (Dynavolt Intact GP) in a steady sixth having won at Brno back in 2017.
Championship leader Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) improved from his 19th in FP1 to go seventh come the end of Moto2™ action, whilst Jorge Navarro (Beta Tools Speed Up), Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) and Luca Marini (SKY Racing Team VR46) – the Italian completing the top ten. All in all, just 0.407s covered the entirety of the top ten, with a second covering the first 18 riders, making for an exciting weekend of tight action.
Notable names outside of the top ten included Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo), who was just 11th after being second in FP1. Lorenzo Baldassarri (FLEXBOX HP 40) was only able to finish 13th after the opening day of action, whilst Mattia Pasini and Remy Gardner (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) were 14th and 15th respectively.
Moto2™ will be back on track at 10:55 local time (GMT+2) on Saturday morning for FP3.
Combined top 10:
1. Fabio Di Giannantonio (Beta Tools Speed Up) 2:01.695
2. Nicolo Bulega (SKY Racing Team VR46) + 0.035
3. Tetsuta Nagashima (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) + 0.063
4. Marcel Schrötter (Dynavolt Intact GP) + 0.190
5. Augusto Fernandez (FLEXBOX HP 40) + 0.191
6. Tom Lüthi (Dynavolt Intact GP) + 0.207
7. Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) + 0.268
8. Jorge Navarro (Beta Tools Speed Up) + 0.278
9. Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) + 0.283
10. Luca Marini (SKY Racing Team VR46) + 0.407
For full results, click here!