Xavi Vierge and Isaac Viñales ready to take on Le Mans

Tech3 Racing Team rider Xavi Vierge will begin the team’s home Grand Prix from the head of the 8th row of the grid, after a determined effort in what was a challenging qualifying session today.

The young Spaniard, who is making his first race appearance at the stop and go circuit, got straight into action in qualifying and posted a fast lap on his fourth as he looked to improve further, yet he was unfortunate to fall shortly after.

By the time the team had repaired the bike, there was under ten minutes left in the session but Vierge determinedly returned to the track and upped his speed. However, he was unlucky again as he took evasion action to avoid making contact with another rider and he fell.

Nevertheless, Vierge resolutely intends to undertake a strong start in the GP and then finish in the points.

Meanwhile, Isaac Viñales will begin his Le Mans campaign from one position behind his teammate as he looks to follow up his debut point scoring result in Jerez with another solid performance in France.

The Spaniard leapt into gear when the 45 minute session commenced and he increased his pace before setting a personal best on the 9th lap.

Despite continuing to push, this time confirmed his grid placement on the 8th row and tomorrow he intends to finish strongly whilst obtaining more experience in the fiercely competitive intermediate class.

Xavi Vierge
“The qualifying session was tricky today, but we have some positives to take and I will still do my best in the race. Yesterday went well for me because I improved my riding style a lot and we also made some constructive adjustments to the bike. This left me confident for the qualifying and I went out and set my fastest time on my fourth lap, which was with an old tyre. We then put in the new compound and we knew that I could ride a 1’37.7. I was pushing hard and running at this pace, yet, unfortunately I fell. The team did a great job to repair the bike and I managed to get back out on track for the last nine minutes. During the first few laps I felt good, but then my confidence fell again and on the 4th lap I was pushing hard when suddenly another rider appeared in front of me. So to avoid contact with him, I had to run wide and I fell again. I am sorry to the team because it was a real shame that this happened. However, the big event is tomorrow and I’m ready to give it everything I’ve got.”

Isaac Viñales
“It was a complicated qualifying session for me today but I did my best and now we will have to see what we can achieve in the GP. This afternoon, I was lacking confidence with the front tyre, which limited our progress. So we need to work on this issue for the race in order to make another step. Having said that, I am sure that I can still have a positive time at the Tech3 Racing Team’s home Grand Prix and I will try my hardest to give them a good result.”