Gonzalez Shows Fierce Pace on Argentina GP Friday

2023-04-17 07:21
Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp enjoyed a solid start to the Gran Premio de la República Argentina. Manuel Gonzalez ended P1 in first place, underlining his intentions to fight for the podium again this weekend. Focusing on his bike‘s set-up in P2, he ended the day in 11th place in the combined results. It was a day full of new experiences for replacement rider Soichiro Minamimoto. He used the two Friday Moto2 sessions to get familiar with the Moto2 bike and ended the day in 29th place.

Gonzalez arrived at the Autódromo Internacional de Termas de Río Hondo confident that he can have another good round. The Spaniard had to be patient before pushing hard, as the track was still wet at the start of the morning 40-minute practice session. It didn‘t slow him down though. He made his mark early on in the weekend, ending P1 in first place with a 1‘44.185s, set on lap 11/12, 0.058s ahead of his closest rival.

Manugasss started P2 off showing the same form. He featured at the top of the rankings in the early stages. He then focused on improving his bike‘s setting to make up for the dry track time lost in the damp P1. His 1‘43.655s, set on lap 4/18, held him in 11th place in the P2 and the combined session times, firmly inside the provisional selection of riders promoting straight into Q2 tomorrow after P3.

Minamimoto was unlucky that rain fell at the end of Moto3‘s P1, making the start of the Moto2 P1 slightly wet. The team‘s replacement rider, filling in for Kohta Nozane, still opted to go out early on in the session, keen to gain as much experience on the Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp bike as possible ahead of Sunday‘s race. He navigated the tricky drying conditions well and ended the session in 29th place, with a 1‘48.915 best time set on lap 13/15.

The Japanese rider was finally able to see what his Moto2 bike was really capable of in the afternoon. He used the dry P2 wisely, setting a total of 20 laps to get familiar with the, for him, completely new Moto2 package as well as the Termas track. Though he didn‘t improve his placement compared to the morning session, he clocked a best lap of 1‘46.814 on his final try, showing great improvement.



GELETE NIETO
GELETE NIETO
SPORTS DIRECTOR







We brought a lot of confidence over from Portugal to Argentina. It contributed to Manu‘s positive result in P1 this morning. He and his team are working very well. He has a great relationship with his crew chief, Luca Capocchiano, and that‘s very important.

In P2, Manu did his first run with an old tyre, but he set a good lap time. He used a new tyre on the second run, thinking he could do very well, but he had some difficulties. In general, his rhythm is very good, and we are feeling confident for tomorrow.

Soichiro‘s first day on a Moto2 bike was good! Of course, it was extremely difficult for him to jump on a Moto2 bike coming from an R6, but he did a good job. He's hard working, he follows all our suggestions, and he knows it‘s important for him to ride as much as possible. He is very concentrated.





MANUEL GONZALEZ
MANUEL GONZALEZ







It was a positive Friday at Argentina. At the beginning of P1, the track was wet, and we had to wait in the garage for it to dry. When we exited with the slick tyres, I felt fast immediately from the first lap. I had confidence with the bike and the track. P2 was a bit up and down, because my pace with used tyres was good, but when trying to do a fast lap, I was not feeling that good. Keep an eye on us in tomorrow´s qualifying.






SOICHIRO MINAMIMOTO
SOICHIRO MINAMIMOTO







Today was my first time ever riding a Moto2 bike, and I started the day with a wet practice. My feelings on the bike were completely different from usual, because I normally ride an R6, but I expected that. The other riders are extremely fast. This is the highest level of motorcycle racing in the world. I knew it would be difficult, but I enjoyed it a lot. Lap after lap I was gaining confidence, and I was learning how to ride a Moto2 bike. I‘m studying a lot, and step by step I can improve more. I‘m really thankful to Yamaha and VR46 for one of the greatest opportunities I‘ve ever had!

Source: Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Moto2 Team

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