Reale Avintia Racing – GP of Catalunya– Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
Tito Rabat shone at his home Grand Prix today, clocking the eighth fastest lap in qualifying in front of his Spanish fans.
This weekend has been one of the best ever for the Catalonian rider this season so far. He moved straight up to Q2 with a lap time of 1’39.256 in the third free practice session. In qualifying, he battled his way into the Top Ten even though he didn’t find the best feeling with the front of his Ducati. With a best lap time of 1’39.504 minutes, he will now start the race from the third row of the grid. He is ready to race at 100% and he is determined to push hard and to ride the best possible race at his home GP.
It was an unlucky day for Xavier Simeon. After making a step forward and improving his pace in free practice, he did the last exit in FP4 with the hardest front tyre and he crashed in the final minutes. When he crashed again in Q1, his crew repaired the bike in record time and Simeon went out again, improving his lap time. But unfortunately, he exceeded the track limits on his hottest lap and his lap time was cancelled. On Sunday, Simeon is determined to recover and to show his real potential in the race.
“Today has been a positive day, because we did a good practice and this morning we went straight in Q2. In FP4 we also had a great pace and I’m confident for the race. But in Q2 I struggled in the braking areas. Nevertheless, we are ready to race, we just have to wait and see what the weather will be like and if it’s cooler or warmer than today, because this will be crucial for our tyre choice. Needless to say, we will give our best in the race tomorrow. If I have a good start, I’ll be able to fight for a strong result.”
“Qualifying was really difficult for us today. I was very happy with the bike and in FP3 I was 1.3s from the fastest rider, which is the closest we have ever been this season. But in FP4 I tried the hardest front tyre and I crashed in turn 2. In Q1 I crashed again and thanks to the quick work of my mechanics I was able to take to the track again. It was a strange session, because honestly we expected to qualify better. Tomorrow I’ll try to recover, because I think my pace is better than my position on the grid.”
