Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team’s Manuel Gonzalez and Keminth Kubo used the first day of riding at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit to adapt to the tricky windy conditions. The duo were unhurt after their individual crashes and took 19th and 27th place respectively in the combined FP rankings.
The FP1 session saw many riders get into problems in the first four minutes. Gonzalez was among them after a strong gust of wind pushed him onto the grass between Turns 3 and 4, resulting in a fast crash. Soon after, the session was red flagged due to track conditions as the Master Camp rider’s crash had dragged mud onto the track. After a quick clean-up operation, the morning session was restarted with 36 minutes remaining.
Gonzalez was unhurt and quickly back onto his feet after the crash. The team managed to do a swift repair job and had his bike ready for him to rejoin the session with 18 minutes to go. He immediately started to climb up the rankings to 11th place right before the rain started to fall with 12 minutes left. He ended the session in 12th place with a 1’35.476s best time set on lap 6/10.
The Spaniard showed his resilience and further picked up the pace in the afternoon. He really liked the Phillip Island track in his WorldSSP days in 2020 and was keen to show it by carrying forward his top-10 speed from the Thai GP here this weekend. He spent a large part of the dry afternoon session inside the top 10 and ultimately ended the FP2 in 18th position. His 1’35.148s best time, set on lap 10/18, also earned him 19th place in the combined FP results.
Kubo was excited to start getting familiar with the iconic Phillip Island track. Even the tricky morning conditions couldn’t keep the Thai rider from enjoying himself. The cold and wind didn’t bother him as he got in 17 laps in total. His best time, a 1’36.938s set on lap 12, earned him 24th place in the FP1 timesheets.
The number-81 rider was taking a liking to the Australian circuit and its flowing track lay-out. However, his enthusiasm got the better of him in the afternoon. A crash early on in the FP2 session in Turn 2 meant he lost a significant amount of time. Once he resumed his mission, he suffered a second crash, this time in Turn 1. Nevertheless, Kubo managed to keep hold of 27th place in the FP2 and combined results thanks to a 1’36.167s best time set on lap 3/6.
