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Marco Simoncelli staked his claim to be one of the leading performers at the Grand Prix of France from the first session this morning, the Team San Carlo Honda Gresini once again proving that he is ready to join the MotoGP elite with an impressive effort. “Super Sic” was second only to Casey Stoner in FP1, improving his lap time in FP2 this afternoon by a second to finish the day in the same position. His pace and feeling with the bike suggest he can be a contender for victory on Sunday, especially with another full day to make further adjustments and improvements to his bike. Hiro Aoyama also enjoyed a good day despite struggling somewhat this morning, the Japanese rider improving by a second and a half in the afternoon. The hard work continues for him tomorrow as he continues to improve his feeling with the Honda RC212V.
Marco Simoncelli (2nd 1’ 34” 186) “I am happy because we have taken a positive step from the morning to the afternoon. We have improved by almost a second and that is a lot. It is partly down to improving the set-up but also the fact that this morning I was using a soft front tyre and that is not the best option for me. After a quick look at the data we can see that we need to make a small change to improve my confidence under braking, which is the area we struggled most in today. Overall we haven’t made a bad start although we will probably have to make some changes related to fuel consumption given that lower temperatures are predicted for tomorrow and Sunday. Anyway, I am confident and we have started out on the right foot.”
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MotoGP: Casey Stoner Fastest in First Practice at Le Mans
MotoGP: French Grand Prix - First Practice Results
MotoGP: Casey Stoner Fastest in Second Practice at Le Mans
MotoGP: French Grand Prix - Second Practice Results
Hiroshi Aoyama (8th 1’’ 34” 959 ) ”We tried two differeent bikes today with different set-ups and tried to define a path to follow tomorrow and Sunday. We are happy we found the right one and we don’t have much more work to do. We just need to improve grip and find more stability under braking but we have some ideas. I am confident because the team are working well and we are not too far off the front guys.”
Fausto Gresini “Another fantastic day of practice for Marco Simoncelli. He was fast from the start this morning and after making a few changes to the set-up in the afternoon he improved by almost a second. He has a good feeling and the work he has done has been excellent. Obviously we have a few small changes to make for tomorrow and with the way we have gone with the bike Marco will have an opportunity to improve further. I have to compliment the team because once again they have shown the progress they are making and they have provided Marco with a bike that allows him to ride at such a high level. Aoyama also went well today, lowering his best lap from the morning by a second and a half. He is eighth at the moment and not far from the front after being sixth for most of the session. I am happy and satisfied to have such a competitive team.”
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