Hot temperatures and hot laps were in abundance in Buriram on Friday as practice for round 18 got underway, Luca Marini finishing in 17th and Joan Mir in 19th – both ready to work for improvements tomorrow.
The 4.55 kilometres of the Chang International Circuit roared into life once again as the Repsol Honda Team, and the rest of the MotoGP World Championship, started Friday practice. Conditions were as warm as ever in Thailand, putting an even greater demand on the riders. As is often the case at tracks like Buriram, times were incredibly close as 19 riders were split by one second when all was said and done.
Luca Marini finished the day in 17th position with a best time of 1’30.138, ending 0.973s shy of P1. It was a productive day for the Italian as he and his team spent much of it experimenting with new and different bike setups to continue to deepen their understanding and prepare for next year. Saturday’s objective is to put it all together and deliver a strong flying lap – just three tenths would move Marini to the edge of the top ten.
Setting a best lap of 1’30.217 in the afternoon, Joan Mir finished Friday in 19th spot. Improving his time by 1.2 second from the morning to the afternoon, the #36 spent much of the day working to improve the recent vibrations he has been feeling. The speed of both LCR Honda riders has Mir adamant that he can improve his fortunes come Qualifying.