The 2017 MotoGP season got underway at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar, with the Moto3 class becoming first to take to the floodlit track for the first of their Free Practice sessions on day one.
The Moto3 class first to take to the floodlit track
Located in the desert, yet surrounded by artificial grass to try and reduce the amount of sand that makes its way on track, the surface can become dirty and it was down to the 250cc class to clean things up a bit. It was the first official chance to see the full line-up in all their glory, back in action as the group of aggressive looking four stroke engines powering down the straights like a train.
Lapping at just over a second away from the lap records at the track, Phillip Oettl (Schedl GP Racing) was the quickest man by the end of Free Practice 1. A rider who oozed potential throughout the 2016, he was the only rider to break through the 2:07 minute barrier on his KTM, finishing the first session with a quickest time of 2:06.981.
There ended up being 0.238 seconds between him and second place on the timesheets, Joan Mir on his second season with the Leopard Racing Team on the Honda. The young Spaniard finished up with a fastest time of 2:07.239.
Bad news for Rodrigo
They were followed by RBA BOE Racing Team teammates Gabriel Rodrigo and Juanfran Guevara in third and fourth. However the session had an unfortunate end for the KTM team, as Rodrigo crashed out during the session in the final seconds, which left him with a broken collarbone and unable to continue with the first round of the Moto3 season.
Making his return to the Moto3 class, as he was expelled from his the Sky Racing Team VR46 camp for continued bad behaviour, Romano Fenati, now running on the Marinelli Rivacold Snipers Honda, picked up where he left off back then finishing fifth by the end of FP1.
Several crashes during FP1
Platinum Bay Real Estate rider Marcos Ramirez was sixth quickest ahead. The Spaniard experienced two crashes, when he came off alongside Andrea Migno (Sky Racing Team VR46) in the opening stages, and later was clipped when Rodrigo came off at turn 16 at the end of the session.
Bo Bendsneyder,who is beginning his second team with the 2016 Moto3 championship winning team, Red Bull KTM Ajo, finished FP1 in seventh. Rookie Ayumu Sasaki for the SIC Racing Team was eighth, ahead of Bendsneyder’s new teammate Nicollo Antonelli, who is replacing the Moto3 champion, Brad Binder on the KTM. Antonelli was ninth quiest ahead of Adam Norrodin (SIC Racing Team) who completed the top 10.
Just short of the top 10 during FP1 was Sky Racing Team VR46 rider Nicolo Bulega. The Italian rider, who completed his rookie year last year finished in 11th just ahead of Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0) who also has graduated from rookie status.
Change in weather conditions increases lap times during FP2
After a break in proceedings for the 250cc class, to allow the Moto2 and the MotoGP class to have their first official Free Practice session of the season, the Moto3 riders returned to the track during the evening to complete Free Practice 2.
Rain was expected and as a result the wind picked up in the desert which proved difficult for the 250cc machines to contend with meaning that most of the riders were unable to improve on the times from FP1.
The wind led to more crashes, the first coming from rookie Honda Team Asia rider, Kaito Toba. When he came off at turn 14, he narrowly missed Maria Herrera (AGR Team) who was cruising at the side of the track. Norrodin experienced a highside, which then in turn caused Nakarin Atiratphuvapat (Honda Team Asia) to crash out at turn six when he connected with the back of him. Antonelli also crashed out during Free Practice 2 at turn two, as did Bulega and Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corsi) at different stages at the corner that was proving to be notorious.