Inde GasGas Aspar’s Jake Dixon was the fastest man in Moto2 as Friday practice concluded at Phillip Island.
The Englishman’s 1’33.767 topped the times by almost four tenths from Beta Tools Speed Up’s Fermin Aldeguer and Alonzo Lopez with Italtrans’ Joe Roberts and Elf Marc VDS’ Sam Lowes completing the top five.
Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Augusto Fernandez was firmly in charge as Friday’s Moto2 action got underway on the Island. The championship leader holding a 1’34.704 best before rain began to interrupt play.
Dixon bettered the outright pace in the final minute but with waved yellows at turn one, the time was later deleted and the Brit was forced to settle for third. Gresini’s Filip Salac spit the rapid pair as FP1 drew to a close while Idemitsu Honda’s Somkiat Chantra and Elf Marc VDS’ Tony Arbolino completed the top five. Teammate Lowes continued his recovery from injury with an encouraging eighth after the 40-minute morning session.
Lopez took initial charge of proceedings as the afternoon action began before Brits Dixon and Lowes bettered. The Misano winner returning to the top with his sixth lap, 0.03s ahead of the 32-year-old, with Idemitsu’s Ai Ogura slotting into fourth.
The halfway stage found Fernandez up to third from Chantra and Dixon with Salac’s morning best still holding fast in sixth overall. Roberts held the final provisional position on 1’35.197 pace with Aspar’s Albert Arenas and American Racing’s Cameron Beaubier just drift while Mooney VR46’s Celestino Vietti headed teammate Niccolo Antonelli from 20th and 21st.
The Hayshed caught out Alessandro Zaccone as the final ten minutes ignited. Dixon topping the times but once again falling foul of waved yellows before the Brit dug deep next time around for the first 1’33 of the weekend.
Improvement for Lopez left the Boscoscuro rider in second from teammate Aldeguer with Lowes and Fernandez fourth and fifth. Roberts rising to seventh as the clock counted down while Ogura dropped to the danger zone, in 13th.
Dixon’s dominance continued in the closing stages, thanks to a 1’33.767, as Keminth Kubo crashed the VR46 Master Camp Kalex out at high speed. Vietti still adrift of Q2 contention as Ogura joined him outside of the top 14 thanks to a late move from Aron Canet on the Flexbox HP40. KTM Ajo’s Pedro Acosta salvaging 11th after a dramatic morning off with Chantra succumbing to the rapid turn one in the closing minutes.
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