Joan Mir in control at Jerez on Friday

In FP2 the Moto3 championship leader set the best time of the day after having kept dry during the morning’s wet session.

Just 24 minutes left of the session saw Joan Mir, “the landlord”, show his opponents that he will be the man to beat in Andalusia. The 19-year-old from Mallorca reiterated his strength as a run later in the session saw him cement himself as the fastest rider in the class on the opening day.

The weekend of the Gran Premio de España 2017 began on Friday morning with very low temperatures (18° C) compared to the ones that we are often accustomed here in Andalusia at this time of year and dense clouds during FP1. Rain fell off and on throughout the session and saw many of the main protagonists of the class remain inside, including the Leopard Racing Team riders, choosing to avoid any unnecessary risk so early in the weekend.

The Mir-Loi duo stayed in the box until midway through FP2, when the technical manager Christian Lundberg gave the signal to remove the tire heaters and put the NSF 250 RW into pit-lane. The riders hit the track with gusto and rapid speed, quickly moving to the first positions in the timesheets.

Joan Mir, the talent of Palma de Mallorca, was driven by the support of fans who line the Circuit de Jerez, and pulled a rabbit from the cylinder, setting the best time of the day overall.

Tomorrow, Saturday 6 May, the protagonists of the Moto3 class will be engaged in the third and last round of the FP3 free, anticipating the official qualifying show.

#36 Joan MIR – 1st (1’49.564):

“It was a strange day. This morning we did not go out on the track because of the rain. In FP2 then we did a few laps, but I’m very happy because I felt comfortable at first. I’m regaining those positive feelings of the first two races. I hope to continue in this direction until Sunday.”