Heading into this weekend second in the championship standings, Garcia continued his strong start to the season with the fastest time in Free Practice 1. Track temperatures rose above 40°C in the afternoon session, but the Spanish rider’s 1’51.428 lap time from the morning was still enough to ensure he claimed top spot on combined times.
Garcia Abella was quick to get to grips with the Portuguese track in FP1, following his teammate to go third fastest at the end of the session. The 17-year-old was unable to improve in the afternoon, but still ended the day fifth overall.
Championship leader Alvaro Diaz was 10th after Friday’s running, with Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Cup graduates Fenton Seabright and Humberto Maier going 17th and 19th respectively. Meanwhile, current Cup leader Enzo Valentim Garcia, replacing the injured Ton Kawakami this weekend, improved by 1.2s between FP1 and FP2 to end the day in 26th.
For Friday’s combined times, click here.
