Celestino Vietti (SKY Racing Team) tops the combined timesheets following Friday’s Free Practice at the Gran Premio de Europa, with the Italian stealing P1 on his final flying FP2 lap thanks to a 1:45.356. It meant he edged out Sergio Garcia (Estrella Galicia 0,0) by two tenths, with Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) completing the Top 3.
FP2 in the lightweight class took a while to get going, with weather conditions proving tricky early in the session with nobody able to better Jaume Masia’s (Leopard Racing) morning time, but eventually the track allowed for slicks which saw a flurry of time attacks come in in what could be the riders best opportunity to secure their place in Q2, with rain a strong possibility on Saturday morning in Valencia.
In the final 10 minutes, the battle for P1 intensified with Vietti, Garcia and Alonso Lopez (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) exchanging the lead multiple times, while Garcia was at the centre of the only crash of the session.
Moments after getting himself to the top of the timesheets, his Estrella Galicia teammate Ryusei Yamanaka hit the brakes late and went crashing into the back of the Spaniard and sending himself flying off the front of his Honda. It looked like Garcia had managed to stave off the challenges of the others after removing Fenati from P1 as they took the chequered flag, but Vietti wasn’t done yet as he finished the day on a high. Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) left it late to get himself into the Q2 spots, while Filip Salac will surely be delighted with his run as he beats out Rivacold Snipers teammate Tony Arbolino to complete the Top 5.
Moto3™ will have one more opportunity to earn their place in Q2 on Saturday morning, with action underway at 10:00 (GMT +1).
Top 10 combined:
1. Celestino Vietti (SKY Racing Team VR46) – 1:45.356
2. Sergio Garcia (Estrella Galicia 0,0) + 0.201
3. Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) + 0.219
4. Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) + 0.494
5. Filip Salac (Rivacold Snipers Team) + 0.516
6. Tony Arbolino (Rivacold Snipers Team) + 0.628
7. Carlos Tatay (Reale Avintia Moto3) + 1.214
8. Andrea Migno (SKY Racing Team VR46) + 1.218
9. Kaito Toba (Red Bull KTM Ajo) + 1.280
10. John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) + 1.404
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