MotoGP GP of Qatar – Losail International Circuit
The 2018 MotoGP World Championship started today under the floodlights of the Losail International Circuit. Spanish Reale Avintia Racing rider Tito Rabat, found a very strong rhythm immediately and finished the first session of 45 in the top 10. But in FP2, he couldn’t maintain his position, even though he improved his best lap time by more than seven tenths of a second. Tomorrow he hopes to take another step in FP3 and go straight to Q2.
His teammate Xavier Simeon took too much time to find the pace during the free practice sessions. But he is not worried, because he is conscious about the fact that this is only his first weekend in MotoGP. He still has a lot to learn and today was a valuable lesson.
“I felt very good today and I was immediately faster. We made several changes to the set-up of the bike that I liked a lot and I think that considering it was just the first day, we can’t ask for more. We missed Q2 by just a few tenths, but tomorrow we’ll have another chance and we’ll push hard to use it. To be honest, I think that we are doing a good job and I’m confident about tomorrow. The team is helping me a lot and I have a great feeling with the bike”.
“Today I didn’t have the same feelings that I had during the test, but this doesn’t worry me too much sine we know what we have to do next. It was the first day in real Grand Prix conditions and we could see that with just two 45-minute sessions, I have to be on the pace much faster and that’s what cost me the most today. We need to improve braking and the point where lean the bike into the corner, but above all I have to concentrate on going out and go fast from the start. That’s what we will try tomorrow”.
