Kent Continues Untouchable Pace In FP2
- Jul 10, 2015
- 2 min read
Danny Kent set a blistering pace in the opening session of the German Grand Prix weekend for the Moto3 World Championship, and continues that form into FP2 this afternoon.
The Leopard Racing Honda rider was quick from the off, going top of the pile on a worn soft/medium combination before fitting the medium/medium combination and going even quicker, setting a new lap record of 1:26.937. The Briton was nearly seven-tenths clear of the rest as he aims to claim his fifth win of the 2015 season.
Niccolo Antonelli ended the day 2nd quickest with a 1:27.615 with Alexis Masbou completing the top three. Masbou has been desperate to rediscover the form seen at the season opening Qatar Grand Prix in March, and in front of the team's home crowd he seems to be doing just that. Team-mate John McPhee had an equally promising session in 9th having towed his way to 2nd earlier in the 40-minutes.
Germany aren't massively represented this weekend in all three classes, so the weight of a nation has poured onto the shoulders of a handful of individuals. One of them is Philipp Oettl, and he has taken this in his stride. The Schdl GP rider ended the afternoon 4th on the time sheets after setting a lap without traffic to go 2nd briefly.
Red Bull KTM Ajo's star rider has been taken out of the game after a crash in the morning session rendered Miguel Oliveira unfit to compete. Now Brad Binder and Karel Hanika have to step up and deliver for the team at a circuit that does suit the KTM. The Czech rider was 5th quickest and looks rather strong, clearly feeding off the confidence boost redeemed in Assen with his front row qualifying spot. Binder's afternoon wasn't as prosperous however. The South African crashed at turn three right at the start of the session and could only manage 11th with the limited running he had.
The attrition rate was high in FP2. Wild card rider Jonas Geitner crashed in the opening minutes of the session, while we lost Enea Bastianini eight-minutes later at the final corner. Both EG 0,0 Honda riders also took trips into the Sachsenring gravel traps, as did Niklas Ajo.
FP2 Top 10:
1st Danny Kent, Leopard Racing Honda, 1:26.957
2nd Niccolo Antonelli, Ongetta-Rivacold Honda, 1:27.615
3rd Alexis Masbou, Saxoprint-RTG Honda, 1:27.658
4th Philipp Oettl, Schedl GP Honda, 1:27.790
5th Karel Hanika, Red Bull KTM Ajo, 1:27.805
6th Efren Vazquez, Leopard Racing Honda, 1:27.940
7th Andrea Locatelli, Gresini Honda Team Moto3, 1:28.001
8th Francesco Bagnaia, Mapfre Mahindra Team, 1:28.006
9th John McPhee, Saxoprint-RTG Honda, 1:28.066
10th Isaac Vinales, Husqvarna Factory Laglisse, 1:28.126
Comments