Monster Yamaha Tech3 rider Johann Zarco initiated Friday in Motegi with a stunning third fastest time, after getting up to speed quickly this morning. In mixed conditions during FP2 the fast Frenchman was leading away most of the session and eventually changed to slicks towards the end. However, he concluded the day superbly as the best Yamaha rider, just 0.125 seconds off the top.
On the other side, Hafizh Syahrin had to learn the Twin Ring Motegi aboard the Yamaha YZR-M1 for the first time today. In doing so, he rode in changing conditions in the course of the first day and improved his feeling this afternoon to finish the second Free Practice as the sixth fastest rider of the highly competitive MotoGP field, eager to get back on track tomorrow at 9.55 local time (2.55 CET) for FP3.
Hafizh Syahrin
Position: 24th – Time: 1’47.726 – Laps: 23
“During this first day, I didn’t do many laps in the dry, but I felt really good with the bike. In the last run this morning, we had some small issue with the brakes, therefore we couldn’t continue improving and I stopped the last run. Later in FP2, I had very good sensations, but it wasn’t enough time to use the dry time really well. Overall, I have a great feeling and I’m convinced that we can lower our lap time tomorrow morning.”
Johann Zarco
Position: 3rd – Time: 1’45.483 – Laps: 35