Aron Canet bounced back in style on Friday at Catalunya Grand Prix, taking to the top to head Augusto Fernandez and Jake Dixon as just 0.079 covered the top three by the end of Day 1.
FP1
Canet put his Mugello frustrations behind him early doors by topping FP1, ending the session 0.024 clear of compatriot Fernandez. Dixon made it an incredibly close top three, just 0.079 seconds adrift in third, with the top three not set to change. Incredibly, yhe top 19 riders were split by just under a second.
Elf Marc VDS Racing’s Sam Lowes sat 0.125 seconds adrift of Canet, Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team’s Bo Bendsneyder completed the top five. Last weekend’s record-breaking race winner Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) was eighth, ahead of Lightech Conveyors Speed Up’s Alonso Lopez and Idemitsu Honda Team Asia’s Ai Ogura sat ninth and tenth.
FP2
Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team) struck late to deny Canet the chance to top both the day’s sessions. The Americas was just over a tenth clear of the Spaniard, with Mugello winner Acosta in third and only another 0.076 off.
Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Italtrans Racing Team) impressed in fourth, as did Lopez in fifth as the rookie newcomer continues to impress.
Provisional Q2 places
It’s FP1 that sets the combined timesheets from first to seventh, so that’s Canet, Fernandez, Dixon, Lowes, Bendsneyder, Inde GASGAS Aspar’s Albert Arenas and Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP). Next up comes Roberts thanks to his FP2 best. Acosta and Lopez complete the top ten.
Championship leader Vietti was pipped by Ogura as they are both currently set to move through, with Dalla Porta in P13 and Filip Salac (Gresini Racing Moto2) the last on to join them as it stands.