Aegerter (5th): What a start!
Under the spotlights of the circuit of Losail near Doha (Qatar), Dominique Aegerter (Suter MMX2 Technomag carXpert team) has successfully completed the first day of free practice of the new season, taking a fifth position overall today, less than 4 tenths of a second behind the provisional poleman. At the same time, Aegerter scored the best Swiss performance of the day. For his first Grand Prix as a permanent rider - he had previously replaced Randy Krummenacher in Aragon last year - Robin Mulhauser from Fribourg, who has been learning not only the circuit in Qatar, but also how to ride at night, was making a progress throughout each session. 33rd overall, he is losing no more than 4 seconds on the poleman.
Dominique Aegerter (5th): "I was more than a second behind during the first session. We then found a good setup using another tyre and we scrapped the gap. In testing one week ago in Spain, I was 5 tenths behind and here I am a bit more than 3 tenths. It is for sure an interesting start of the weekend. The track is faster than last year; grip is better; now we have to work on race distance. I covered 14 laps with the same tyre including my fastest lap, but the race is 21 laps. Physically, there is no problem, my shoulder does not hurt anymore, although I do lack a bit of flexibility still on the left side of my body. It does not restrict me on the brakes or in the corners; however, on the straights it is a bit more difficult. We have one more free session on Friday, then qualifying on Saturday and as I managed to put in some consistent fast lap times, I have a good base to build on."
Robin Mulhauser (33rd): "This is a big challenge for me: new circuit and new conditions first of all because I have never ridden under the spotlights until now. I chose a transparent visor for the first session but I quickly realised that it was not enough to avoid glare. The circuit is very interesting, fast, wide, but as there are no natural landmarks, there is a lot to learn. I am happy with my progress from the first into the second session, I know I still have a margin of a second. With regard to my right knee that suffered in one of my crashes in Jerez, there's nothing too serious with it, just a small dislocation of internal ligaments. It hurts when I'm getting off the bike but while I'm riding, there's no problem."
