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Italian GP – 02/07/11 – Mugello Circuit – Moto2 Qualifying Practice
HIGH HOPES FOR NEW LOOK MAPFRE ASPAR TEAM AT MUGELLO
Jordi Torres and Raffaele De Rosa adapt quickly to qualify inside top twenty
A wet qualifying session followed by what hopefully will be a dry race should make for an exciting Moto2 Italian Grand Prix tomorrow, with the likes of Bradley Smith and Alex de Angelis qualifying near the front of the grid alongside free practice pacesetters Marc Márquez and Stefan Bradl. Slipstreams will be crucial in what promises to be a close race, with Márquez starting from pole position for the first time in the class.
For the MAPFRE Aspar Team it was a second day of adaptation but this morning both Jordi Torres and Raffaele de Rosa were a little over a second off the fastest rider. Whilst the Spaniard continues to learn a completely new circuit to him the Italian gained further confidence with his new bike despite a crash at the end of this morning's session. After qualifying in the wet Jordi will start from eighteenth place, just ahead of Raffaele in nineteenth.
18th Jordi Torres 2.07.919 (19 laps): “We worked well in the dry this morning and thanks to that I was able to get more used to the Dunlop tyres. I was able to learn from the other riders and see where they brake, which I have no picked up but I need to improve my corner speed. We had a couple of changes planned for the afternoon but the rain changed all that. It was a case of getting a feel for the bike in the wet and by the end I felt confident. I am inside the top twenty and looking forward to the race. I still need to learn to put one crazy lap in and make the most of a tow but even so I am super happy. If I could score a point tomorrow I would go home on cloud nine but the most important thing is to finish.”
19th Raffaele De Rosa 2.08.118 (18 laps): “We improved the bike a lot this morning and I was getting faster when I crashed. It helped us understand what we need and I am happy because the team are working well and in the same way. The feeling in the wet isn't perfect but the bike is working really well in the dry. I think we are ready for the race and if it is dry and I am confident we can finish off the weekend in a good way.”
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