The CFMOTO Power Electronics Aspar rider was the fastest in Moto2, half a second ahead of his rivals

David Alonso has been the dominant force in Moto2 at the start of the Grand Prix of the United States. The CFMOTO Power Electronics Aspar rider has shown a far superior level to his rivals and has opened up a half-second gap over the second-placed finisher, Manu González. Third place on Friday went to Belgian rider Barry Baltus. Dani Holgado failed to make the cut in this afternoon’s session and will have to contest Q1 for the second time this season.

Alonso was one of the most competitive riders on the first day in Austin. The Colombian, who was already among the fastest this morning, approached the free practice session focused on continuing the work he had set out to do at the previous Grand Prix. The CFMOTO Power Electronics Aspar rider had a very clear plan throughout the day, something that was reflected in his results. The afternoon session was the first test of the weekend and Alonso gave his best performance to break all the records and improve by almost a second on the time set this morning by the Italian Celestino Vietti. Thanks to his 2:05.847, Alonso finished Friday as the fastest rider and tomorrow he will be fighting for the top positions on the starting grid at COTA. Meanwhile, his teammate Dani Holgado did not have such a positive start to the weekend. The Spaniard felt good on the bike and maintained a consistent pace, but his main difficulty lay in setting a fast enough time to qualify within the top fourteen. The CFMOTO Power Electronics Aspar rider had to settle for a time of 2:07.562, which placed him in twentieth position, meaning that tomorrow he will have to get through Q1 again, as he did in Brazil, if he wants to secure a good starting place for Sunday’s race.

1st David Alonso 2:05.847: “I’m very happy with today’s result and I’m really enjoying this circuit. It’s a track with lots of ups, downsfar and braking points, so we’re trying out new things, such as working more with my legs to have better control over the bike. In Brazil I lacked pace, but this weekend I’ve been more consistent and that’s been very positive. I need to keep working on that pace for tomorrow and stay focused on the timed laps.”

20th Dani Holgado 2:07.562 (+1.715): “It’s been a hard day’s work trying to find the best feel on the bike. As for speed, I’m still a bit short and we need to keep working on that. I have some issues when I try to push the limits, but it’s nothing we can’t sort out. It wasn’t easy for me to set a good time today, but I didn’t stop trying. My teammate is more confident on the brakes: he brakes later and with more conviction, and I’m struggling with that. I need to study it and see if I can pick up a few things from him in that regard. Towards the end of the session, I got annoyed when a rider got in my way on the track, and on the last lap there was a yellow flag so I couldn’t improve. It’s good to get angry, but I need to calm down and work on improving my feel for the bike. I feel really motivated, I’ve got room for improvement and tomorrow we’ve got a big challenge to take another step forward. In Brazil I made it through Q1 as well, but every weekend is a mystery. My main goal is to give it my all and enjoy myself. If you don’t enjoy it, everything is harder.”