125

Kent Gives Terol a Fright in Third Practice

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There was no surprise to see Nico Terol at the top of the timesheets yet again but Danny Kent gave him more than a run for his money in final practice at Estoril.

At one stage it even looked as if the Chippenham rider was going to end the session as the fastest man but Terol showed his class in the final minute to go 0.378s quicker than the Briton.

Overnight rain saw the riders greeted with a slippery circuit as FP3 got underway, and despite the improving conditions, none of the riders were able to sample the slick tyres.

The British contingent seemed to enjoy the damp conditions as Taylor Mackenzie set the early pace, becoming the first rider to go beneath the two minute barrier.

The times continued to tumble as first Miguel Oliveira, and then Maverick Vinales took turns at the top before Efren Vazquez lowered the benchmark time to a 1:55.756.

With five minutes to go, Kent came alive, setting a 1:55.189 on the Red Bull Ajo Motorsport Aprilia. This signalled an instant response from Terol, as the Championship leader went fourth tenths quicker.

Kent hit back on his next lap to usurp Terol by 0.216s and as countless riders, including his teammate Jonas Folger, failed to match him; it appeared as if the Briton was going to end the session on top.

Terol's final effort of 1:54.280 was enough, meaning the Bankia Aspar rider had set the pace in all three practice sessions ahead of qualifying.

Behind Kent, Hector Faubel claimed third on the second Aspar Aprilia ahead of Vazquez and Folger with Alberto Moncayo completing the top six.

Former pacesetter Vinales dropped back to seventh with the third Aspar entry of Adrian Martin making a rare appearance in the top eight.

Danny Webb was 15th for Mahindra Racing while Taylor Mackenzie finished 18th and Harry Stafford stayed out of trouble on his way to 26th.

The same couldn't be said for Sergio Gadea who was forced to stop out on track early on with mechanical problems. The Spaniard did get back out on track but could only manage 20th.

 

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