Vierge initiates Latin American showdown confidently

Tech3 Racing Team rider Xavi Vierge began his Argentine Grand Prix campaign with a resolute effort on the opening day. The 18 year old commenced the first practice positively and started setting up his Mistral 610 for Sunday’s sprint. Then, in FP2, he continued improving before posting a personal best time on his 17^th lap, that was barely over a second from the top ten. The encouraging performance leaves the former CEV race winner charged for his inaugural qualifying battle at the Argentinian track.
Meanwhile, Isaac Viñales leapt into gear at the Autodromo Termas de Rio Hondo as he got his second Moto2 Grand Prix weekend off a solid start. The Spaniard, who is returning to the scene of his podium finish last year in the Moto3 class, met the first practice full of determination and concluded it in 22^nd. Later, he carried on his thorough work with the Tech3 Racing Team and posted his fastest time on his 5^th lap of the flowing circuit. The intermediate class rookie will seek to make further advances tomorrow ahead of the all important qualifying shootout.

Xavi Vierge

Position : 23^rd - Time : 1'46.204 - Laps : 38

“It was a good opening to the weekend in Argentina and I enjoy riding here. It’s a new track for me, but already I am feeling positive and I was able to make advances on every lap. I am working hard with the Tech3 Racing Team, but tomorrow we have to make a small change to the bike which will give me that extra bit and enable me to move higher up the field. Nevertheless, I am happy and this circuit is fantastic. Thanks to the guys for their tireless efforts and I am excited to see what we can achieve in Qualifying.”

Isaac Viñales

Position :  27^th - Time : 1'46.537 - Laps : 34

“Today was demanding but I am confident that we can make some good steps forward tomorrow and I’m optimistic about the challenge. In the morning I felt comfortable on the bike and I was about certain that I could improve in FP2. However, in the afternoon, I didn’t have the same feeling as before. So we tried a few things and changed the tyres, and even though we thought that we could make some progress, unfortunately we were unable to. Therefore, we will revert back to the setup that we used in FP1 and go from there, but overall, I am ready for day 2."