McPhee tops soaked Moto3 FP2
Peugeot Saxoprint rider John McPhee ended a very wet free practice two for the Moto3 class at Phillip Island fastest by an impressive half a second, though it was Sky VR46 KTM’s Nicolo Bulega who finishes the day top overall.
McPhee’s pace in these torrential conditions is no surprise. The Scotsman took his maiden Grand Prix victory in the Czech Republic earlier in the year in similar conditions, and will be keeping his fingers crossed for more of the same weather for qualifying and the race. The Saxoprint rider shot to the top of the pile early on with a 1m54.692s, McPhee opting to sit out the final 10 minutes of the session.
Japanese rider Tatsuki Suzuki made it a Mahindra one-two this afternoon, five tenths of a second adrift of McPhee on his CIP machine. Wet weather sensation Khairul Idham Pawi had a steady start to the day, ending FP1 down in 19th, but came alive in FP2. The Malaysian was third quickest on his Team Asia Honda.
The RBA Racing duo seem to be a very versatile pair, putting in impressive performances in all conditions. This afternoon at Phillip Island was no different, Gabriel Rodrigo leading Juanfran Guevara to complete the top five.
World Champion Brad Binder took things easy this afternoon down in sixth spot, the South African joining McPhee in sitting out the closing stages of the increasingly worsening FP2. Niccolo Antonelli was just two tenths adrift in seventh despite an early fall at Turn 4. The Italian grabbed a little too much throttle exiting the corner and found his Honda spitting him into the scenery. Thankfully, he was unhurt and managed to get back out in the final few minutes to give his bike a quick shakedown.
Twitter: Maybe staying fully tucked behind the screen isn’t the best option today…
OB with @FabioDiggia21 #AustralianGP https://t.co/9c7LbeONDU (@MotoGP)
Lorenzo Dalla Porta was eighth fastest on the first of the Sky VR46 KTMs ahead of the luckless Hiroki Ono, who’ll be determined to put the bad luck of his home race behind him this weekend. Jakub Kornfeil completed the top 10, the Czech rider always a strong contender in wet conditions.
Nicolo Bulega ended FP2 down in 16th, but his best time from this morning’s session sees him head into Saturday’s action fastest on the combined time sheets. Estrella Galicia 0,0 Honda’s Jorge Navarro sat out FP2 in order to avoid potentially damaging his recently-dislocated shoulder. Darryn Binder and Albert Arenas joined the Spaniard in pit lane after both suffered minor crashes.