Aegerter (18th) needs a good start, Mulhauser disappointed
20 riders within less than a second, the Top-6 of the classification - the two front rows of the grid - within 163 thousands of a second: the Spanish Moto2 Grand Prix on the circuit of Jerez de la Frontera in Andalusia (starting at 12:20, Sunday) promises a breath-taking battle. Fifth classified, Thomas Lüthi (Garage Plus Interwetten) will start from the middle of the second row, aiming for a podium finish. Eighteenth classified (less than 9 tenths off the pole man Sam Lowes, who set a new lap record), Dominique Aegerter (carXpert Interwetten) will need to get a good start and the first lap, which is his strong point. Robin Mulhauser (carXpert Interwetten) will be further back in 29th position. The boss of CGBM Evolution, the structure engaging the three Swiss riders, Frédéric Corminboeuf expects a special Sunday: "It is going to be a difficult race, and could be very special due to the number of questions all teams have been asking themselves with regard to the rear tyre and its ability to cover the whole race distance. Tom is well placed in fifth position, he is in ambush, he only missed out on a pole position by a fraction of a second. We still have to work, everyone has to do their part, the rider and the team, to find the best solution for the last five or six laps. Dominique is far on the grid but with a good start, he could stay in a good group; furthermore, many things are possible because I can imagine that the last laps will be challenging for everyone. What about Robin? He showed some interesting signs on Friday and today, with the same bike, it did not work anymore. Whenever he reaches an interesting level, he finds it difficult to reinforce it and to confirm it. I expect more from him, a strong qualifying session from start to finish and then a solid race."
They said...
Dominique Aegerter (carXpert Interwetten, 18th) "Of course I am very disappointed with my qualifying, although the gap - 8 tenths - is not that big. I had a really good feeling this morning. With a used tyre (20 laps) I was able to do good lap times and I was sure that with new tyres in the afternoon I would be able to gain half a second without any problems. But it did not happen, my feeling was completely different, the bike wasn't doing what I wanted her to do anymore. I had three pit stops, we were looking for different solutions but we didn't find anything. I normally have good starts but from the sixth row of the grid, don't expect a miracle: it won't be easy to make up for the 5 seconds that I'm going to lose on the first lap. I am ready to fight as always but I keep telling myself that if we could have found two tenths, I could have been in Top-10 and the situation would have been a lot different."
Robin Mulhauser (carXpert Interwetten, 29th) "I struggle a lot to use the full potential of my tyres, the famous three fast laps with new tyres and I don't have any grip on the rear. Even worse, I got held up on my quickest lap, I run wide in turn number 12. For my last run I went out behind Tom, the idea was to follow him but everyone was waiting for that. When I put more gas, the rear tyre starts sliding. I was one second faster than last year but that was not enough. Now in the race it all depends on the weather, it will be very hot."
