Mixed fortunes for Moncayo and Rodriguez first time out at Assen
The first day of practice for the Dutch Grand Prix has been brief and not very intense. Minutes after the start of the first free practice the rain made an appearance, forcing the riders to change their setups and greatly complicating the initial contact with the Dutch track. Moreover, due to an oil spill in the Moto2 practice, race direction has been forced to cancel the second session for all classes today. Tomorrow the track action will resume with modified schedules and more practice time to compensate for the cancellation today .
It’s been a difficult start to the Dutch GP for Alberto Moncayo and a difficult first contact with Assen for Josep Rodriguez. Alberto was able to get out on track and make some adjustments on his bike, looking for a good setup of the Aprilia, but when his work had barely begun the track conditions deteriorated rapidly and logically it wasn’t advised to risk too much and maybe crash.
For Josep Rodriguez his debut with Team AndalucÃa – Banca CÃvica – Diputación de Cádiz has not been easy. Today he had to adapt to a new bike, an unknown circuit, difficult weather conditions and a new team, although he says he feels like at home with a team he had not worked with before. In addition the luck was not on his side and after getting on track for his first laps, he came upon an area which was wetter than the rest of the track while he began to push his pace and ended up on the ground.
Alberto Moncayo, 13° (1’50 .275)
“It was a pretty short practice in which, although we could try some things, we didn’t have time for much. In any case, despite the complicated condition of the track I have a good feeling and tomorrow we’ll have more time than initially planned for the third free practice session, I hope we can do a good job.”
JOSEP RODRIGUEZ, 32° (1’53 .816)
“Well, to be honest that wasn’t a good start. I did a few laps and I crashed. I spent the first few laps to run in the engine and get to know the track a little. Then we changed the tyres because the track was already wet and when I went out, little by little, I gradually increased the pace. I improved by three seconds a lap! But I reached a very wet area and I went to the ground. Then I didn’t have time to get back on track, so today’s practice wasn’t worth much.
I like the circuit a lot, it’s very fast and technical. Tomorrow we will take advantage of the practice and try to get to grips with the track, but I’m sure I will!”
Source: Team Machado
