FrenchGP Qualifying Ends with work still ahead for Aji and Furusato
Le MansThe second day of action at the Michelin Grand Prix of France took place under sunny conditions at Le Mans, where Idemitsu Honda Team Asia riders Mario Aji and Taiyo Furusato completed the final free practice session in the morning before facing qualifying in the afternoon.
During FP2, Furusato showed positive progression and finished 23rd, while Mario Aji ended the session in 27th position as both riders continued working to improve their feeling with the bike on the demanding French circuit.
In the qualifying sessions, both riders fought hard in Q1 but narrowly missed the chance to advance into Q2. Mario Aji finished ninth in the session with a lap time of 1’34.875, securing 23rd place on tomorrow’s starting grid. Just behind him, Taiyo Furusato continued his steady adaptation process in the Moto2 category and completed Q1 in tenth position with a 1’34.901, which will see him start from 24th place. Despite not achieving the desired qualifying result, both riders remain focused on making a step forward during Sunday’s race and fighting to move closer to the points positions.
Today’s qualifying day has been completed and overall both riders continued improving compared to yesterday. In the morning session they made another step forward and the feeling on the bike was more positive, especially with the better weather conditions here in Le Mans.Unfortunately, in qualifying we could not fully maximize the potential. Mario could not complete enough quality laps during the session and finally finished P23. Taiyo also continued improving by himself and step by step he is gaining more confidence with the Moto2 bike, which is a positive point. Right now Mario’s physical condition is still not 100%, so we have to monitor carefully how he feels before the race. Hopefully tomorrow both riders can recover positions and have a stronger race performance.
Today’s qualifying day has been completed and overall both riders continued improving compared to yesterday. In the morning session they made another step forward and the feeling on the bike was more positive, especially with the better weather conditions here in Le Mans.Unfortunately, in qualifying we could not fully maximize the potential. Mario could not complete enough quality laps during the session and finally finished P23. Taiyo also continued improving by himself and step by step he is gaining more confidence with the Moto2 bike, which is a positive point. Right now Mario’s physical condition is still not 100%, so we have to monitor carefully how he feels before the race. Hopefully tomorrow both riders can recover positions and have a stronger race performance.
Honestly, there is not too much to say today. Since the beginning of the weekend we have been struggling a bit, but I just want to keep focused and continue working together with the team. It has been a difficult couple of days, but the season is still long and we cannot stop fighting.Right now the priority is also to take care of my physical condition and recover as much as possible for tomorrow. I will try to give my maximum during the race and make the best out of the situation. Thanks to the team for all their effort and support throughout the weekend.
Honestly, there is not too much to say today. Since the beginning of the weekend we have been struggling a bit, but I just want to keep focused and continue working together with the team. It has been a difficult couple of days, but the season is still long and we cannot stop fighting.Right now the priority is also to take care of my physical condition and recover as much as possible for tomorrow. I will try to give my maximum during the race and make the best out of the situation. Thanks to the team for all their effort and support throughout the weekend.
Compared to yesterday, today was a more positive day for me. Little by little I’m understanding better how to ride the Moto2 bike in this circuit and during the morning session I could improve my feeling and confidence. The gap in this category is always very small, so every detail becomes really important.In qualifying I tried to push and improve my lap time, but we still need a bit more to fight for higher positions. Even if the final result is not what we wanted, I feel that we are making progress step by step together with the team. Tomorrow the target is to stay focused, manage the race well and try to move forward as much as possible.
Compared to yesterday, today was a more positive day for me. Little by little I’m understanding better how to ride the Moto2 bike in this circuit and during the morning session I could improve my feeling and confidence. The gap in this category is always very small, so every detail becomes really important.In qualifying I tried to push and improve my lap time, but we still need a bit more to fight for higher positions. Even if the final result is not what we wanted, I feel that we are making progress step by step together with the team. Tomorrow the target is to stay focused, manage the race well and try to move forward as much as possible.
