Honda HRC Castrol got back up to speed in Argentina after a year away from South America, Joan Mir and Luca Marini just missing out on the top ten by three tenths despite big steps forward during the day.
Overnight rain was no obstacle for the Honda HRC Castrol team as the MotoGP World Championship returned to the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit, lap time quickly falling to record pace. A strong start to proceedings for both Joan Mir and Luca Marini primed them for another positive Friday as the steady improvements continue for all Honda riders in the premier class.
Like his Honda HRC Castrol teammate, Joan Mir began Friday with his usual focus and detirmination, ending FP1 in the top ten with a best time of 1’39.894. Improving by almost two seconds to set a quickest lap of 1’37.975 in the afternoon, Mir was still left wanting more as he missed out on a spot in the top ten. Ending in 13th overall there was just over 0.1s between him and a repeat trip to Q2. Emulating his performance from Thailand is Mir’s chief target for Saturday.
Starting the day in sixth and just a few tenths back from the leaders, Luca Marini’s off-season work started to bear fruit as the strong base setting of the Honda RC213V shone with the Italian. A best time of 1’38.136 in the afternoon had Marini on the cusp of a 1’37, a clear and achievable goal for Saturday. Good amounts of data from today will help to propel the #10 forward as he and his team look for more rear grip and another step forward.
The 12-lap Sprint is set to begin at 15:00 Local Time on Saturday, March 16.
