Phillip Island, Australia – Friday 16th October
Circuit: Phillip Island
Circuit Length: 4.4 km
Circuit Length: 4.4 km
Bike #63 – Zulfahmi Khairuddin
FP1: Not Classified
FP2: P19; 1’39.010 (DRY) –15 laps
FP1: Not Classified
FP2: P19; 1’39.010 (DRY) –15 laps
Bike #84 – Jakub Kornfeil
FP1: P7; 1’38.209 (DRY) – 17 laps
FP2: P15; 1’38.686 (DRY) – 12 laps
FP1: P7; 1’38.209 (DRY) – 17 laps
FP2: P15; 1’38.686 (DRY) – 12 laps
As the Australian Grand Prix weekend got underway at Phillip Island, the DRIVE M7 SIC Racing Team concluded the first day of practice in positive spirits.
Following a mechanical issue in FP1 that saw Zulfahmi Khairuddin forced to sit out of the morning session, the Malaysian rider remained confident and focussed as he prepared to take to the track for afternoon practice. Despite difficult conditions obstructing the majority of the Moto3 fields progress, determined to make up for lost time, Khairuddin set about finding his rhythm on the #63 KTM machine, concluding the session in a respectable 19th place after a total of just fifteen laps.
Teammate Jakub Kornfeil made an impressive start to the opening day at Phillip Island, immediately looking comfortable on his #84 machine and holding a top five position for the majority of free practice one. Producing consistently strong lap times alone, the Czech rider continued to build his confidence around the 4.4km circuit, finishing the day in 10th place overall.
#63 Zulfahmi Khairuddin
“In first practice we had a mechanical issue, so after only one lap I had to return to the box and sit out of the rest of the session. It was very frustrating but at least it happened in FP1 and not qualifying or the race. At the start of FP2 the track was wet in parts and dry in others, so there wasn’t much else we could do but wait for the conditions to improve. With twenty three minutes to go I went out and despite not riding in the morning, I felt good with the bike. For sure there are still things we can work on to improve the lap time but really for this track I think the riding makes more of a difference than the bike. Tomorrow I want to get as many laps as I can and really focus on this, but I believe we can be in a much stronger position.”
“In first practice we had a mechanical issue, so after only one lap I had to return to the box and sit out of the rest of the session. It was very frustrating but at least it happened in FP1 and not qualifying or the race. At the start of FP2 the track was wet in parts and dry in others, so there wasn’t much else we could do but wait for the conditions to improve. With twenty three minutes to go I went out and despite not riding in the morning, I felt good with the bike. For sure there are still things we can work on to improve the lap time but really for this track I think the riding makes more of a difference than the bike. Tomorrow I want to get as many laps as I can and really focus on this, but I believe we can be in a much stronger position.”
#84 Jakub Kornfeil
“I feel very good today because my bike has worked well since the first practice. In FP1 there was hardly any wind, which was ideal and for the majority of the session I was in the top five. Towards the end of the practice I was in a very good rhythm, making the same laps times consistently, which I was happy about, I just couldn’t improve my time anymore and I dropped from fifth to seventh; still it was a good start. In the second practice there was so much more wind, which made it very difficult on track. It was a strange session because we also had some rain showers beforehand, which made parts of the track wet, so we had to be very careful. Around fifteen minutes from the end everybody went on track; by this time the conditions were perfect, so we could all start pushing. I went out on a used tyre and I couldn’t find anyone, so I did everything on my own. I had only two laps to make a good time because I came late to the box, but unfortunately in the last lap I caught up with a wildcard rider and I wasn’t able to improve. The second last lap was 1m38.6s and this was the first outing lap from the box with the used tyres, so I’m very happy for this. I’m pleased with the work we have done today; we have tried a lot of things and I’m confident we can do well. I feel very positive for tomorrow we just have to continue our work.”
“I feel very good today because my bike has worked well since the first practice. In FP1 there was hardly any wind, which was ideal and for the majority of the session I was in the top five. Towards the end of the practice I was in a very good rhythm, making the same laps times consistently, which I was happy about, I just couldn’t improve my time anymore and I dropped from fifth to seventh; still it was a good start. In the second practice there was so much more wind, which made it very difficult on track. It was a strange session because we also had some rain showers beforehand, which made parts of the track wet, so we had to be very careful. Around fifteen minutes from the end everybody went on track; by this time the conditions were perfect, so we could all start pushing. I went out on a used tyre and I couldn’t find anyone, so I did everything on my own. I had only two laps to make a good time because I came late to the box, but unfortunately in the last lap I caught up with a wildcard rider and I wasn’t able to improve. The second last lap was 1m38.6s and this was the first outing lap from the box with the used tyres, so I’m very happy for this. I’m pleased with the work we have done today; we have tried a lot of things and I’m confident we can do well. I feel very positive for tomorrow we just have to continue our work.”
PelanconganKini supports DRIVE M7 SIC Racing Team.
Note: DRIVE M7 SIC Racing Team Polo T-shirt & Round Neck T-shirt is now available at http://www.m7shop.com/home.aspx
M7 Energy Drink (European Version) also now available.
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