Gauloises TT Assen Practice.
AFTER THE DISAPPOINTMENT AT MONTMELO, A GREAT START
AT ASSEN
Eleven days after the fall at the Grand Prix of Catalunya
that required him to undergo surgery on a broken collarbone,
Jorge Lorenzo today got back on his RSW at Assen – a
circuit where he won in the 125 class last year and performed
superbly. His Fortuna Honda team-mate Hector Barbera also
showed that he has forgotten past problems. Barbera was particularly
impressive at a circuit where he managed to make the podium
two years ago. Second in the free session and seventh in the
qualifying session, he encountered a lot of traffic on the
circuit which prevented him from posting an even better time.
However, he showed a very consistent rhythm and demonstrated
he has fully adapted to the 250 class.
Jorge Lorenzo (48):
(Free session 1: 2.06.498, 3rd + 0.300 – 20/20 laps)
(Qualifying session 1: 2.05.665, 2nd + 0.135 -15/16 laps)
“I want to thank everyone for the interest they have
showed in my recovery after the fall at Montmelo. In these
last few days I have felt real affection from the fans, the
media and even some of my rivals so I want to thank everyone.
I also want to express my gratitude to the surgeons who have
helped me, especially Dr. Xavier Mir. The collarbone still
hurts quite a bit, above all when I put the leathers on which
ars very tight. Each lap I do hurts a little more and I know
it will hurt during the race as Assen is a very demanding
circuit. It is a bit slower than before, but nothing is impossible
and I hope to win.”
Héctor Barberá (80):
(Free session 1: 2.06.434, 2nd + 0.236 – 20/20 laps)
(Qualifying session 1: 2.06.255, 7th + 0.725 -17/18 laps)
“I think we have made the leap we need to be amongst
the top riders in the 250 class. I feel happier on the bike
each day, but today I could not do as much as I wanted and
I found a lot of riders ahead of me on the track and was not
able to improve my times. It will be a very important race,
I have everything in place to be up at the front and I must
take advantage of it. I feel very comfortable and have the
necessary confidence and that means we should do well here.”
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