Julián Simón and Jordi Torres approach Misano with caution

In the intermediate class, many Italian riders are looking to learn their way around, they are racing at home and that’s not something to overlook, motivation is high and they are fired up, Iannone, Pasini and Pirro have topped the timesheets throughout practice, although in the end the fastest time went to Bradl.

The pace is much faster than last year, which speaks to the developments the Moto2 bikes are undergoing and how, in very little time, they have reached an outrageously competitive level.

Following on from last weekend’s race in Indianapolis, at Aspar’s Moto2 team, they are moving forward step by step, with great caution. The priority now is to finish races for both of their riders.

Julián Simón, who is dealing with physical problems due to his right leg, where several of the screws implanted to aid his recovery have broken, managed to complete 29 laps and place himself in 21st position. It’s not where we like to see the 60, but above all we want to see him on track, and if he has to take it easy, we know it’s for his own good. Who could be more eager to see him at full speed than himself?

Jordi continues to learn, adapting to the Italian circuit, seeking out other riders to show him the reference points, but he has problems with the front end: vibrations, chattering, many riders have complained about this movement, which greatly hinders braking. In the end he finished 22nd, just behind Julián.

The riders’ comments are as follows:

Julián Simón (#60)

Here at Misano we are finding it harder to get into rhythm. It’s a fairly slow circuit, with many direction changes, which are not agreeing with my leg. Apart from that I’m taking it easy, because I see that I’m struggling to get a feel for the bike, and I want to avoid crashes at all costs. I lack a bit of confidence in the front of the bike; I notice that in some slow corners it pushes me towards the outside.

It has been a strange day, but at least in the last laps of this afternoon’s practice I managed to enjoy myself, thanks to an improvement. I’m sure that if we keep working along these lines tomorrow we will manage to move further up.

I like this circuit; I’ve had good results here for two years, and I’m convinced that on the second day we will bounce back despite the physical difficulties.

Jordi Torres (#18)

This morning I went out cautiously so as not to make any mistakes, I wanted to get to know the track well without suffering any incidents. I felt out the circuit well, so in the afternoon I was able to start pushing.

The feeling was good, so I decided to try to follow another rider, to make a quantum leap in my times. I managed it and it was positive, I have certainly improved. Afterwards I stopped in the pits and we made a small modification, to try to eliminate the front wheel bounce in some corners. Then I went back out and managed to improve my time on my own, which is a good sign, and I can see that I have the ability to progress by myself without too many difficulties. We finished the day well, which motivates me to try to achieve a better classification tomorrow in the official session.