Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team Find Pace on Mandalika Friday

18-03-2022

Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team Find Pace on Mandalika Friday

The Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team‘s Manuel Gonzalez and Keminth Kubo had a solid start to the Grand Prix of Indonesia. They completed the Friday in 10th and 24th place respectively in the combined free practice results.

Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team‘s Manuel Gonzalez and Keminth Kubo jumped back into action for Round 2 of the 2022 Moto2 World Championship in Indonesia. Despite a wet start to the race weekend, the teammates didn‘t let the FP1 conditions dampen their spirit, and even shone brightly in the sunny FP2. They had good feeling in both sessions, finishing Day 1 in 10th and 24th place respectively in the combined timesheets.

Gonzalez was the only Moto2 rider who had already ridden at Mandalika before FP1 and therefore had the luxury to wait a little at the start of the 40-minute session, letting his rivals ’clean‘ the tarmac for him before joining them on track. About 15 minutes in, he started his first run. He gradually upped his pace before putting the hammer down on lap 7, briefly moving up to sixth place before the track started drying very quickly in the final stages. Opting not to switch to slicks, Manugass still improved his time to a 1‘52.576s on lap 8/9, to wrap up the session in 26th place, 8.137s from first.

Nevertheless, the Spaniard‘s brief top 6 placement in FP1 was a telling sign of things to come in FP2. Using his previous WorldSSP Mandalika experience, the Yamaha bLU cRU talent featured at the top of the timesheets on more than one occasion. His 1‘36.971s best time, set on lap 11/20, earned him 10th place in the FP2 and combined results, 1.074s from first.

Kubo had only one goal for FP1: to get familiar with the Mandalika track. The Thai rider took the job seriously, making full use of the first 40-minute session to get as many laps in as possible. He completed his mission by riding 16 laps on the at first dirty and later quickly drying Indonesian circuit. Similar to his teammate, he completed the full session on wet tyres unlike many rivals who switched to slicks. His best time, a 1‘53.439s set on lap 14, put him in 28th place in the FP1 results.

Kubofumi had to adapt to different conditions in the afternoon. With the track fully dry, the temperatures measuring 31°C, and the high humidity, the challenge for the afternoon was to get used to the physically demanding circumstances. The number-81 rider set a best time of 1‘37.944s, on lap 15/17, to finish the day in 24th place in the FP2 and combined results, 2.047s from the top.

Gelete Nieto

Sports Director

"We started the day in a difficult way because the track was wet. We thought that it could dry quicker than it actually did. We started later with Manuel because we were studying other riders, also because we noticed from Moto3 practice that the track was very dirty. With Kubo, instead, we started at 9h50 because he didn‘t know the circuit, so it was important for him to complete as many laps as possible.

Manu immediately had a great feeling with the bike in FP1, we found a good final ratio. We entered the pit in 10th position and decided to stay in because we were near the end of the session. At the end he was 24th, but the situation was under control because we knew that we were ready for a dry FP2.

On the other hand, Kubo‘s side of the garage tried different things that didn‘t work as expected. The rider didn‘t like the setting of the bike, so he had a quite difficult first experience at the Mandalika circuit.

I‘m very happy for Manu‘s result in FP2, he started on time, alone, with no reference. The lap timing was good, he was always in the top 10. His team is satisfied because he is in the provisional Q2 today. We know where we can improve for tomorrow, and it motivates Manu even more.

Keminth‘s bike was moving a lot in FP2, his final ratio was a bit long. That made the bike difficult to ride. For tomorrow we will change the ratio and the setting, so we are confident that we can improve, and we are sure that Kubo can make a big step."

Manuel Gonzalez - P10 (1'36.971)

Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team

"I had a very good day. During FP1, I didn't do many laps because the weather conditions were uncertain. The track was dangerous, especially in the firsts corners. It was wet and had a lot of sand on it. We worked hard during FP2. We tried the tyres for the race, that will be the most challenging part of the weekend. I‘m happy with the work we did and with the result, and I think we can make a big step also tomorrow. We will keep working for the race."

Keminth Kubo - P24 (1'37.944)

Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team

"We've completed the first day at the Mandalika Circuit. There was a heavy rain storm in the morning, it stopped before the practice started, but FP1 was still wet and the weather was a bit uncertain. I knew we could do better even if it was the first time I was riding here in Indonesia. Actually, during FP2, I improved a lot compared to the morning, and I‘m satisfied. I'm confident for tomorrow, I think I can continue improving during FP3 and qualifying and get a better result for the grid standing."