MotoGP GP of the Czech Republic – Brno
Reale Avintia Racing rider Tito Rabat returned from the short summer break of MotoGP racing highly motivated and started the Grand Prix of the Czech Republic with a bang. In the first free practice session on Friday morning, Tito climbed into the Top 10 and was only six tenths of a second behind the fastest rider on the track. In the afternoon, with track temperatures in excess of 50 degree, he was also fast and consistent over the whole 45 minutes. Rabat concentrated on working with the hard rear tyre compound, but took to the track with the softer option from Michelin for his last run and scored the eighth fastest time of the day. For Saturday, his aim is to make a direct move to the Q2 qualifying session of the fastest riders, in order to secure the best possible place on the starting grid for the race.
Team-mate Xavier Simeon also had a productive day, even though this didn’t reflect in his position in the time sheets yet. The Belgian rider had a very consistent rhythm and, most importantly, felt comfortable with his bike. Tomorrow, he expects to make another step in the right direction.
“I really wanted to get on my MotoGP bike again, because even though I was riding bikes in the past two weeks, nothing compares to this feeling. We put in a solid day of work with the bike and we were very competitive in both sessions. But we have to keep our heads down, it’s just Friday and we have to keep improving. Michelin did a great job for this race, because the tyres worked really well. Now I need a good night’s sleep, so I can give my maximum in FP3, maybe make the move directly to QP2 and give everything in qualifying.”
“It was a very positive first day for me, much more positive than at the last two races. From morning to afternoon, we made a good step forward, I felt much, much better on the bike and I had the right feedback. This gives me confidence that we can improve further tomorrow. I wasn’t able to string a faultless fast lap together, which means that there is still room for improvement. I had a consistent rhythm and I hope that I can make another big step when it counts in qualifying”.
