Mixed conditions on the opening day of action at Valencia saw Petronas Sprinta’s John McPhee 10th in the combined standings.

With no rain forecast, a cloudy but steady start to the morning allowed McPhee to reacquaint himself with the unique Ricardo Tormo layout before setting his flying laps as the session drew to a close. The result - a 1’40.082 - placed the Scot 10th overall and expecting more for FP2, the weather, however, had other ideas, with late-morning rain leaving a soaked track for the afternoon action.  

McPhee was one of the only a handful of riders to venture out at the start of the second practice, completing five laps before returning to the garage to wait for conditions to improve. A final run in the closing minutes brought a best time of 1’43.002, with the 27-year-old ending the session 18th but with his morning effort maintaining 10th in the combined times.
 
“It was a typical November day in Valencia, with no rain forecast and then it arrived anyway,” McPhee joked on Friday.

“Thankfully I managed to get a lap in at the end of FP1, which put me 10th and was only half a second off the top. Provisionally I’m straight through to Q2, but obviously we’re hoping for more dry track time in FP3.

"FP2 was almost a waste of time, as there were two or three corners that were completely wet and then the rest of the track was dry. There was nothing really to be gained. We’re ready to get to work tomorrow and be as prepared for qualifying as we can be.”