Gerloff got the day off to a strong start, immediately improving his best time to go fourth in Free Practice 3 (1'37.764). The American then qualified eighth in the following Superpole session (1'38.337), having been slowed down by a yellow flag on his final attempt.
At the start of the race, Gerloff could not extract his Yamaha R1’s full potential and soon found himself in 11th place, but his impressive pace in the second half of the race allowed him to make several passes on his way to a seventh-place finish. In the closing stages of the race, the Texan was the fastest rider on the track, a strength that he and his team can build upon to achieve even better results tomorrow.
Nozane enjoyed a smooth day and came home in the points in Race 1. The Japanese rider continued improving his fastest lap during the morning’s FP3 session, in which his 1'39.611 gave him 15th position. He followed it up with a 17th place in qualifying, having caught the same yellow flag as his teammate.
In the race, Nozane immediately climbed into 12th place thanks to a good start, but his pace was not strong enough to keep his direct rivals behind him and the #3 rider eventually finished 15th. For the first time this year, though, Nozane was able to set his fastest laps of the race in the closing stages, which demonstrates his growth in confidence with the Yamaha R1 and the Pirelli tyres.
For Race 1 results, click here.
