MotoGP GP of San Marino – Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli
Reale Avintia Racing team rider Xavier Simeon will start the Grand Prix of San Marino on Sunday from 22nd place of the grid. Despite suffering a small crash during the qualifying session, Simeon is quite satisfied with the progress made. On his second day on the Ducati GP17, the Belgian rider enjoyed his ride and concentrated on the race set-up. Tomorrow he hopes to be able to be fighting within the top 15.
Losing FP3 due to the damp conditions of the track was a problem for Christophe Ponsson on Saturday morning. The French rider needs time on the bike to continue learning and improving. But due to the rain overnight, the circuit was not dry enough to go out with Michelin slick tires, but also was not wet enough for rain settings. In FP4, he was able to do many consecutive laps and in qualifying he improved his best time from yesterday by a full second.
In the race on Sunday, he hopes to improve lap after lap and, above all, to enjoy his first Grand Prix in MotoGP.
“It has been a positive day despite the crash at the end of the session. It was a shame because I did not manage to get the best out of the bike. However, I was able to start again with the second bike and the lap time was not bad in the end. Today we tried some different settings on the bike and I was able to improve a bit, but in such a short time it is difficult to get used to everything. But it’s important that I enjoy riding and I’m happy. Tomorrow I hope to be consistent and get the best out of me and the bike to make a good race”.
“Today I felt much better on the bike. Our only handicap was the track was not in the best condition this morning and I could only do six laps. Without a doubt, this wasn’t good for me because those kilometres that I missed out on would have been crucial to improve my times in qualifying. I used FP4 to confirm yesterday’s work and continue with my adaptation to the bike. In qualifying I improved by one second. Every time I go out, I am more comfortable and feel more things on the bike. If I could have had more time this morning, the improvement would have been more noticeable. Tomorrow I hope to finish the race. Also, I’m sure I’ll improve my pace during the race”.
