Danny Webb demonstrated his wet weather prowess on Friday as led Mahindra to their most competitive performance of the season so far.
The Kent youngster was in fantastic form in the afternoon's second free practice session to go second fastest, and was only denied top spot by Johann Zarco's blistering lap three minutes from the end.
The improved performance wasn't entirely down to the rain as Webb was eighth quickest in FP1 which was run in dry conditions and the 20-year-old is confident of continuing his impressive start to the weekend.
“The whole day's been very positive. We were going really well this morning in the dry, the bike's fast and I'm feeling good. The weather was strange: on one half of the track it was pouring down and the other half was still dry. But the grip was quite good, and I was enjoying myself. If we can keep up this good feeling, we'll have a great weekend.”
Marcel Schrotter also had a positive day after going 14th in the afternoon after getting into the top twenty in the morning. The German feels there is still more speed to unlock from the GP125 and knows where he can find it.
“We're not making many suspension adjustments now: we have found a good base setting for me and I'm getting much more confident. I think I could have been in the top five in the wet, but my engine was running too cool and down on power, so I had to stop to get some tape on the radiator. Then the rain really came down, and it was difficult to get up to speed. In the morning, I know where I was losing time, so I can improve in the dry.”
With dry weather expected tomorrow, the third practice session will be crucial as the riders look to perfect their set-ups ahead of qualifying. The race on Sunday could be as unpredictable as any so far this year, with rain a distinct possibility.
