Augusto Fernandez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) struck late in Moto2™ FP1 at the Liqui Moly Grand Prix of Teruel to top the first session of the weekend, denying Aragon GP winner and teammate Sam Lowes with a late 1:52.623 to pull 0.134 clear of the Brit. Behind the EG 0,0 Marc VDS duo dominion at the top, Fabio Di Giannantonio (MB Conveyors Speed Up) kept his pace rolling from last weekend to complete the top three, another two tenths down.
The morning began with a few familiar names from the Aragon GP fighting it out for first as Lowes, Di Giannantonio and Marco Bezzecchi (Sky Racing Team VR46) proved the fastest out the blocks, with Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46) also very much in touch. The two Sky Racing Team VR46 riders were leapfrogged by the flag, however, with Jake Dixon (Petronas Sprinta Racing), Joe Roberts (Tennor American Racing) and Lorenzo Baldassarri (Flexbox HP 40) all leaping up the timesheets later in the session. They locked out fourth to sixth in that order, leaving Bezzecchi down in seventh.
Navigating the bus stop chicane before the back straight! ????@Luca_Marini_97 and @FabioDiggia21 have it sussed ????#Moto2 | #AlcanizGP ???? pic.twitter.com/KzYS5ttPt2
— MotoGP™???? (@MotoGP) October 23, 2020
Jorge Navarro (MB Conveyors Speed Up) was eighth in FP1 and just lost out to Bezzecchi by 0.010, the Spaniard also recovering from an early crash to bounce back. Navarro in turn got the better of ninth-placed Remy Gardner (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) by an equally tiny gap of 0.014 as it closed up throughout the tight top ten.
Luca Marini ultimately completed that top ten in FP1, denying Championship leader Enea Bastianini (Italtrans Racing Team) by a smidge as the ‘Beast’ finished the morning in P11. Aragon GP podium finisher Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo), meanwhile, took P17… and will most definitely be looking for more in the afternoon.
The top 10:
1. Augusto Fernandez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) 1:52.623
2. Sam Lowes (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) +0.134
3. Fabio Di Giannantonio (MB Conveyors Speed Up) – +0.365
4. Jake Dixon (Petronas Sprinta Racing) + 0.388
5. Joe Roberts (Tennor American Racing) + 0.554
6. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Flexbox HP 40) + 0.559
7. Marco Bezzecchi (SKY Racing Team VR46) + 0.667
8. Jorge Navarro (MB Conveyors Speed Up) + 0.677
9. Remy Gardner (Onexox TKKR SAG Team) + 0.691
10. Luca Marini (SKY Racing Team VR46) + 0.724