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Jesús Gutiérrez
Viernes, 18 de octubre 2024, 11:20
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A practice session was canceled due to a downpour, a red flag was raised because a goose crossed the track (earlier, a group of the same species had done the same in Moto2, causing another temporary stop), and a hare narrowly escaped being run over by the Ducati of the MotoGP leader. A typical scene at Phillip Island on the craziest Friday of the year.
The intense rain had forced the cancellation of the first free practice of the premier class. Moto3 and Moto2 sessions could take place, but in the final minutes of the intermediate category, the storm intensified, keeping all MotoGP riders in the pits with uncertainty about whether the day could proceed. Finally, the sun came out, and the saying that you can experience all four seasons in one day at Phillip Island came true.
The afternoon session started with the track almost dry, as the smaller class bikes had dried the asphalt, although there were still water patches and threatening clouds on the horizon. The instruction from the pits was clear: seek the best time from the first minute in case the storm returned. The Friday afternoon practice is crucial as the top ten times go directly to Q2, while the rest face the Q1 repechage.
These changing conditions are where Marc Márquez makes a difference, and from the first moment of the session, he set the pace. "As soon as I went out, I decided to push to qualify well in case it rained again. Taking risks in those first laps has always been one of my strengths. I usually do well because I adapt quickly to the conditions, but now we have to see how the weekend evolves because my margin for improvement is less than the others who will be catching up, and I saw Martín very strong with used tires."
It didn't matter how much the track improved because Marc led the practice almost from start to finish, except for brief moments. The Gresini team and the Márquez family celebrated an excellent day with Álex in second place, just a tenth behind his older brother, thanks to a last-minute lap. Regardless of Saturday's qualifying, his Sunday will be affected by a long lap penalty from the last race in Japan. "It hurts more here because it's a place where I can do well, but I have to serve that penalty, and that's how it is."
In championship terms, neither Martín nor Bagnaia had a smooth Friday. The day started badly for the Madrid rider with a harmless crash on his first formation lap. This incident affected much of the session, but fortunately, it remained an anecdote as he finished fourth, behind Marco Bezzecchi's Ducati. "A busy day," defined the MotoGP leader, satisfied with the fourth position. "Not riding in the morning already affects, but crashing on the first lap... it was the culmination. A lot of stress, but I managed to get through it, and we are in the top 10, which was the goal."
Pecco Bagnaia also completed the task, finishing fifth, recovering from a turbulent session start as he had to return to the pits to change bikes due to problems with his first Ducati. Thus, it happened that in the first minutes of practice, the only riders without a time were the two contenders for the MotoGP crown. And if it had rained at that moment...
Elsewhere, Maverick Viñales had a good start with sixth place, being the first non-Ducati on Friday and staying with the best throughout the practice. Binder, Di Giannantonio, Morbidelli, and Álex Rins completed the top 10 that qualify for Q2. Pedro Acosta was left out due to an untimely crash in the final minutes, and the Murcian will have to go through the Q1 repechage, where only the top two times qualify.
In Moto2, there was a Spanish festival occupying the top four positions of the day: Fermín Aldeguer, Arón Canet, Alonso López, and Manu González; with leader Ogura, who has a title shot this weekend, in a modest 13th position. And in Moto3, where there is nothing at stake beyond the runner-up position, rookie Ángel Piqueras was the fastest, followed by champion David Alonso.
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