AMONG DELETED BEST LAPS AND A GRID PENALTY IN RACE 1, IT WASN’T THE BEST FRIDAY POSSIBLE!

A slightly below expectations Friday complicated Philipp Oettl and Team Go Eleven’s plans for Saturday at the San Juan track. There are areas for improvement, especially in some parts of the track, and the Team will work on it in view of the important Saturday, when the first points of the South American Round will be awarded.

In FP 1, the German rider set a good pace for over twenty laps, trying to understand the references and lines of the El Villicum track, riding the Ducati V4-R. Right from the start, Turn 17 was a critical point, where Philipp hit the green several times, seeing several fast laps deleted. Same fate for what would have been the Best Lap of the day in 1.39.274 which would have placed him in twelfth place in the standings. During the Free Practice 1 Team Go Eleven opted to work with used tyres, without trying to attack the time at the end.

Free Practice 1:
P 1   T. Razgatlioglu   1.37.511
P 2   J. Rea   + 0.322
P 3   A. Locatelli   + 0.571
…
P 15   P. Oettl   + 1.953

At the beginning of FP 2 Philipp hit the track with a new SCX tyre, in order to test it for the race. The conditions in the afternoon were very hot, with over 50 degrees as asphalt temperature. Probably due to a lower grip caused by the heat, the number 5 rookie was unable to find a good lap, stopping the clock just below the morning reference. The feeling, over the 45 minutes of the session, has never been the best, encountering difficulties mainly in sectors 1 and 3. Towards the end of the session, a misunderstanding with Iker Lecuona generates a penalty of three positions on Race 1 grid for the German rider.

Free Practice 2:
P 1   J. Rea   1.37.707
P 2   T. Razgatlioglu   + 0.071
P 3   A. Bautista   + 0.279
…
P 15   P. Oettl   + 1.698

In the evening the technicians of the Italian team will find out new solutions to help Philipp in riding on this track; here in Argentina the asphalt conditions greatly affect the feeling and riding of the riders, especially on the first day. In any case, the distance from the reference group is not high, and tomorrow we can take an important step forward.

Philipp Oettl (Rider):
“Today the first practice was quite good, our best lap had been deleted, but it was good for a twelve position. We had a solid pace and consistency through the morning. In FP 2 it was a little bit more difficult, I couldn’t make a step on the bike as I would like. The feeling was not so great, too. I also took a three grid position penalty for tomorrow, due to an incomprehension with Lecuona. Definitively, it wasn’t the perfect day, but we try to analyse everything and get ready for tomorrow!”

FP 1 PICS: CLICK HERE
FP 2 PICS: CLICK HERE