Moto2

Redding On Top In Friday Practice At Le Mans

2 Mins read
Scott Redding - Photo Credit: MotoGP.com

Scott Redding - Photo Credit: MotoGP.com

 

Scott Redding will feel a maiden Moto2 pole position is getting closer and closer after he topped Friday practice for the second race in succession. The Briton was an encouraging fourth in the first session but broke the circuit record on his way to setting the pace in the second.

Simone Corsi was top of the timesheets previously after clocking a 1:38.364 on the IodaRacing FTR but Redding raised the bar on his second run of the afternoon. The Marc VDS rider initially went a tenth faster than Corsi but two more scorching laps extended the lead to half a second.

Corsi couldn't respond but Thomas Luthi had more pace in hand. The Swiss rider was the fastest man in first practice and got to within 0.078s on his final lap of the session despite giving away four tenths in the first sector of the lap. Corsi hung on to third while Mika Kallio delivered his quickest lap in the dying seconds to pip Marc Marquez to fifth.

The Spaniard finished five thousandths ahead of championship rival Pol Espargaro while Andrea Iannone, Julian Simon, Dominique Aegerter and Randy Krummenacher completed the top ten. Bradley Smith had a disappointing day on board his Tech 3 Mistral, finishing in 20th while Gino Rea was ten places further back on his first day with the Suter chassis.

Johann Zarco has been one of the stars of 2012 so far but didn't make a good start to his home grand prix. The JIR rider lost control of his bike at Garage Vert, taking out Max Neukirchner in the process, and the unlucky German went on the crash again later on, compounding a miserable day for him.

 

Moto2 Monster Energy Grand Prix de France: Combined Friday Practice Times

Pos Rider Bike Team Time/Gap
1  Scott Redding Kalex Marc VDS Racing Team 1:37.869
2  Thomas Luthi Suter Interwetten-Paddock +0.078
3  Simone Corsi FTR Came IodaRacing Project +0.495
4  Mika Kallio Kalex Marc VDS Racing Team +0.525
5  Marc Marquez Suter Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol +0.617
6  Pol Espargaro Kalex Pons 40 HP Tuenti +0.622
7  Andrea Iannone Speed Up Speed Master +0.828
8  Julian Simon Suter Blusens Avintia +0.855
9  Dominique Aegerter Suter Technomag-CIP +0.908
10  Randy Krummenacher Kalex GP Team Switzerland +0.959
11  Toni Elias Suter Mapfre Aspar Team +0.989
12  Alex De Angelis Suter NGM Mobile Forward Racing +1.035
13  Claudio Corti Kalex Italtrans Racing Team +1.064
14  Mike Di Meglio Speed Up S/Master Speed Up +1.107
15  Nicolas Terol Suter Mapfre Aspar Team +1.232
16  Angel Rodriguez Bimota Desguaces La Torre SAG +1.245
17  Xavier Simeon Tech 3 Tech 3 Racing +1.297
18  Esteve Rabat Kalex Pons 40 HP Tuenti +1.310
19  Johann Zarco Motobi JIR Moto2 +1.334
20  Bradley Smith Tech 3 Tech 3 Racing +1.528
21  Axel Pons Kalex Pons 40 HP Tuenti +1.570
22  Takaaki Nakagami Kalex Italtrans Racing Team +1.661
23  Anthony West Moriwaki QMMF Racing Team +1.691
24  Ricard Cardus AJR Arguiñano Racing Team +1.801
25  Yuki Takahashi Suter NGM Mobile Forward Racing +1.826
26  Max Neukirchner Kalex Kiefer Racing +1.890
27  Ratthapark Wilairot Suter Thai Honda Gresini Moto2 +2.071
28  Roberto Rolfo Suter Technomag-CIP +2.281
29  Alexander Lundh MZ FTR Cresto Guide MZ Racing +2.515
30  Gino Rea Suter Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 +2.817
31  Marco Colandrea FTR SAG Team +5.000
32  Elena Rosell Moriwaki QMMF Racing Team +5.084

 

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