DRY & WET DAY 1; BOTH CONDITIONS SHOWED GOOD FEELING!

DRY & WET DAY 1; BOTH CONDITIONS SHOWED GOOD FEELING!

 

Changeable weather to say the least on Friday in Assen; rain, sun, wind, heavy rain again and temperatures around ten degrees “welcomed” the WorldSBK protagonists on the first day of Free Practice. The track has never been in optimal conditions, the wet patches present along the track limited the riders in their work through the optimal lap-time and set-up. Today’s references are around three seconds slower than the record, proving that the day was not so useful for the teams.

In FP 1 Andrea was able to regain contact with the Cathedral of Speed; he didn’t ride here for over four years, and for the first time in the season he had to face a weekend without previous tests. The feeling with the bike immediately seemed good, so much so that it required few changes and the team choose not to change the tyre until the end of the session.

Free Practice 1:
P 1   T. Razgatlioglu   1.35.684
P 2   A. Lowes   + 0.290
P 3   A. Bautista   + 0.587

P 9   A. Iannone   + 0.851

The afternoon session started with mixed track conditions; a lot of water came, then a cold sun slowly dried the Dutch asphalt. Rider number 29 started the session with the morning tyres and then switched to a softer solution for a few laps. Halfway through the session, unfortunately the rain came back and we had to move to the wet configuration. First laps for Andrea Iannone with the Rain, useful in the event of a Superpole or a wet race, with which he immediately found an excellent feeling, confirming himself among the fastest on the track.

Free Practice 2:
P 1   A. Bautista   1.35.473
P 2   T. Razgatlioglu   + 0.277
P 3   R. Gardner   + 0.354

P 10   A. Iannone   + 0.776

It’s difficult to make predictions or have an expectation for tomorrow. Much will depend on the weather conditions, which predict another day halfway between dry and wet. Fingers crossed we’ll catch up tomorrow night!

Andrea Iannone (Rider): 

“I’m very happy to be back at Assen, it’s a track that I like. It’s more difficult to lap in these weather conditions with low temperatures and rain but I think I can be competitive on this circuit. Overall I’m satisfied with today, the feeling and the grip of the tyres, especially with the Rain, surprised me positively. I hope I can have a good qualifying tomorrow!”

FRIDAY PICTURES: CLICK HERE