Windy qualifying limits performance for 125cc field

Posted on Oct 16, 2010 by Pixel Pixel

Even though temperatures were higher today than yesterday at Phillip Island the strong winds made life difficult for the 125cc riders on track. A partially damp track also didn't help for this morning's free practice, which was dominated by Pol Espargaró after Bradley Smith had set the pace yesterday, but conditions were dry for the afternoon as Marc Márquez emerged to take pole position.

Despite not topping any of the sessions so far Nico Terol is confident of a challenge for victory in tomorrow's race, having set a fast pace in the wet and dry conditions. Strong winds contributed to him losing time in the second and third sectors today but he still qualified on the front row of the grid in fourth place. His Bancaja Aspar team-mate Smith also struggled to cope with the windy conditions today but qualified fifth and is also hopeful of a strong challenge tomorrow.

5th Bradley Smith 1.39.363 (20 laps): "The wind affected us a lot this afternoon. The front was moving around a lot, especially in the fast corners. We tried to sort it out during the sesion but I didn't get fully comfortable so I hope we can find something in the warm-up tomorrow. The good thing is that I kept a consistent rhythm in the 1'39s and I was on my own the whole time. The engine of my Aprilia worked well so if we can improve the feeling with the front end I will be able to run with the four guys ahead of me tomorrow."