The first and second test session for FIM Enel ended today at the Red Bull Ring in Austria MotoE World Cup. The pilots have regained familiarity with theirs Energica Ego Corsa and, for many of them, with the Austrian circuit.
Good feelings at Trentino Gresini MotoE for Matteo Ferrari placed sixth at only 2 tenths from the first virtual row. Riminese number 11 is a candidate to be one of the protagonists for tomorrow. Following his statements at the end of FP2.
Matteo Ferrari
“I'm happy because already in fp1 the gap with the best was smaller than in the first race in Germany. In the second round I improved and many didn't, and I honestly think Tuuli doesn't make sense in this case because he had a new bike with a fresh battery. We are two tenths from second place, we have tried two different ratios and with the fp3 we will do some more tests. The feeling with the bike is good, even if the circuit is not easy at all: it is more difficult than the Sachsenring. "
The day is more complicated Lorenzo Savadori, thirteenth today, which has not yet found the best set-up of the bike, but which tomorrow will be able to count on a third and exceptional (currently scheduled only for the Austrian appointment) free session to be held at 8: 30 Italian time.
Thus Lorenzo Savadori commented his Friday:
“Honestly it didn't go very well. I had never raced here, but this morning we went faster than in the afternoon. Maybe we dared with some set-up changes that didn't favor us in the afternoon, but tomorrow we will have the fp3 to review something and try to do a good qualifying. "
Also at home Octo Pramac MotoE on the first day of free practice, Alex De Angelis e Josh Hook they became familiar with a circuit they had never filmed. Both riders worked a lot on their set up Energica to find the best feeling for tomorrow's SuperPole. Here are the statements of the two pilots.
Alex De Angelis
“I focused mainly on familiarizing myself with a new circuit. We also tried to make a lot of changes on the bike. Some have given positive results that help us understand in which direction to work. Fortunately we also have the FP3s that I can use to improve. "
Josh Hook
“It was my first time on a circuit which I think is very easy to understand. We have worked a lot on the set up compared to the previous races and the feeling is that we are going in the right direction. The feeling with the bike is still not at its best but we are not very far away. "
Good progress for Niccolò Canepa, LCR E-TEAM, which closes the FP2 seventh after working on the setting to improve the feeling. Here his words.
Niccolò Canepa
“I'm really happy, I finished 7th in FP2 and 8th in the combined times, so a nice improvement and a good step forward. We changed a lot on the bike and my feeling was immediately better. I hope we can continue in this direction for tomorrow and for Sunday's race. "
Randy de Puniet he did not have the chance to improve in FP2 due to some technical problems, although he and the team remain determined to work hard and improve tomorrow. The further free practice session tomorrow morning will give precious time to gain positions and make an excellent performance in the Epole.
Under the comment of Randy at the end of the day:
Randy De Puniet
“The morning was normal because I needed to find a rhythm, it was fine, then we decided to make some changes for the afternoon. Unfortunately in the afternoon I was not comfortable with the front tire due to some vibrations and I only did one lap, so I lost the session. It's not ideal to miss a session because I need rhythm and more confidence with the bike, but we'll see what happens tomorrow. "
The one who is definitely smiling is the Ongetta SIC58 Squadra Corse team with Mattia Casadei second at the end of the day. FP1 had already been extremely positive, with Casadei 4th immediately behind Mike Di Meglio, but the driver from Simoncelli was able to improve further in the afternoon, dropping below 1:36 and getting behind Bradley Smith. Here the words of the Italian driver.
Mattia Casadei
“I'm very happy, the bike is good here and I have a good feeling. We were able to push both sessions. My goal for tomorrow is the front row. As soon as I tried the bike on the track, the set-up was already going well, while at the Sachsenring it wasn't like that. Here I can ride the bike as I want and that makes me very happy. "
