The free practices for the Argentinean Round concluded today with Scott Redding and Michael Ruben Rinaldi in 2nd and 4th place, respectively.
Despite the frightening sandstorm that hit the San Juan area on Thursday afternoon, the track was immediately in good condition – thanks to the effectiveness of the circuit staff; in fact, the times of the first free practice, are not far from the pole position of 2019.
- FP1
P2 – Scott Redding takes a few laps to get familiar with the new track (first time in his career at San Juan). The feeling with his Ducati Panigale V4R immediately seems excellent, allowing him to push steadily to finish second.
P7 – Michael Ruben Rinaldi is still sore on his right ankle after the crash during the SPR at Portimao, but he grits his teeth and closes with the seventh-fastest time.
- FP1 Results
P1 – T. Razgatlioglu (Yamaha) 1’38.524
P2 – S. Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.501
P3 – J. Rea (Kawasaki) +0.544
P4 – A. Lowes (Kawasaki) +0.774
P5 – I. Vinales (Kawasaki) +0.940
P7 – M. Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +1.112
- FP2
P2 – Scott Redding confirms the positive feelings of the morning session: after working on the choice of tyres he reduces by three-tenths of a second the gap to the leader of the day Razgatlioglu (Yamaha).
P4 – A decisive step forward for Michael Rinaldi who improves his morning lap-time by over a second and finishes fourth despite a T3 that still needs to be improved.
- Combined Standings
P1 – T. Razgatlioglu (Yamaha) 1’37.872
P2 – S. Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.246
P3 – A. Lowes (Kawasaki) +0.548
P4 – M. Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.561
P5 – J. Rea (Kawasaki) +0.629
Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #45)
“I’m satisfied with what we did today, as it was my first time on this circuit. I have to say that I had a lot of fun because the track is really nice. We worked on the tyres ahead of tomorrow’s race and got some important data. Maybe in Race 1, I’ll struggle more than the others who have already raced here but the sensations are really positive”.
Michael Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #21)
“It was a positive day, not only for fourth place but also for the fact that we are all very close. Unfortunately, after the crash at Portimao I still have a lot of pain in my ankle and I can’t use the rear brake properly. Obviously, this is a limitation but I will try to find other solutions tomorrow that will help me in breaking areas”.
