Lecuona discovers Misano, Mulhauser does not have confidence
One week after his superb victory in the British Moto2 Grand Prix at Silverstone, Thomas Lüthi (Garage Plus Interwetten) was back on track in Misano (Italy) for the Grand Prix of San Marino & della Riviera de Rimini. The weather is perfect around the circuit "Marco Simoncelli", situated a few kilometers from the Adriatic beaches and the currently best Swiss rider proved this morning in free practice that he is one of the strongest men of the category. Fifth overall on the first day (he is one of the only two riders who this afternoon did not improve their lap time from this morning), Lüthi clearly gets to capitalise on the amount of effort he has been putting in the past couple of weeks. Dominique Aegerter (carXpert Interwetten) wanted to try his luck in the first free practice this morning but the medical team had already declared him unfit the night before. His Kalex was therefore handed over to Iker Lecuona, the young Spaniard who has discovered a new circuit as a result and who still feels honoured. The situation is still difficult for Robin Mulhauser (carXpert Interwetten): in this very tight category with minimal gaps, the rider from Fribourg did not manage to avoid finishing last on the first day. Frédéric Corminboeuf, the boss of CGBM Evolution, the company that owns the two Swiss teams, comments: "A good first day for Tom, he has a good rhythm. We tried many different things, we arrived here with the pressure of having won the last race and our goal is to offer Tom the same conditions as in England. Iker did a good job, his ideal time would have put him in 18th position; he still struggles to put together everything that he can do, that is for sure due to his lack of experience. As for Robin, we only set one goal for him: to relax and enjoy himself; he doesn't have confidence and we all know that no one can be fast like this."
They said...
Iker Lecuona (carXpert Interwetten, 26th): "This is the first time for me on this circuit. Of course I played a lot with the game but I have to say the track is quite complex. First, there are many bumps. Then there are sectors where you turn a lot and others that are very fast so you need to find balance and for that I need to do many laps."
Robin Mulhauser (carXpert Interwetten, 29th): "I simply cannot ride the way I want. I try to relax as much as I can, we decided not to show me my lap times during the session so I can relax, but it did not change anything. It was a bit better in the afternoon but I did not really enjoy myself. I think I need time to recharge my batteries mentally."
