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Frenchman Johann Zarco headed the field on the first day of free practice with his Ducati. He finished FP2 with a time of 2m02.542s, closely followed by Miller's factory Ducati at two tenths of a second. Quartararo wrapped up the provisional first row.
"In FP2 the feeling on the bike was excellent - explained Johann - and I tried to keep that feeling throughout the session. My pace came almost by itself so I was surprised by the fast lap time. I didn't expect to improve so much compared to the first session. Tomorrow it won’t be easy to try and push to do even better. "
You were the only rider to test the device on the front, did you also use it during the fastest lap?
"Yes, I have been working on it since Indonesia to continue developing it, I think it can work well here because it gives us even more acceleration. By now I am used to using it and once you have the automatism it is natural to use it at every opportunity. ".
It looks like this new bike has lost some speed in improving the whole package. If you had to compare it with last year's bike, has it improved on the front at this track? What are your impressions?
"With the new asphalt the track has fewer bumps in the first sector than last year. With our bike when you go over the bumps you lose a lot of stability and it forces us to slow down a lot to recover it. Not having bumps is a big advantage for us. if I had to point out the biggest difference compared to last year here in Austin I would say this is it. I think the bike has great potential, it has good agility in the corners. "
It often happens that the Pramac riders act as testers, and it's the same for you. Is this a disadvantage or an advantage?
"I think a rider has to know how to adapt. When new parts arrive, it is part of Pramac's philosophy to try them first. Basically both strategies are valid: you can work to improve what you already have, or try different things and test them first. After all, trying something new is always a gamble, and if it works you are the first to reap the benefits. "
