Tom Lüthi (10.): mediocre return
After a break of four weeks the competitors in the motorcycle world championship reunited on the race track in Brno. The race on Sunday will be the tenth of altogether 18 races. The first station until the end of the summer before we get to enjoy a spectacular fall. However, this break wasn't exclusively used to lay on the beach and hang loose. The riders also used the time to prepare themselves mentally and physically for the second half of the 2017 championship.
Tom Lüthi's CarXpert Interwetten team has spent two days on the race track in Brno. Several tests were undertaken and multiple approaches to solving problems were tried out. However, the news that arrived on Friday, August 4th, were shocking. Motorsports legend Angel Nieto passed away. The late rider with 13 world champion titles and 70 GP wins died at 70 after a car accident. He never tired of saying he preferred the term of "12 + 1" world champion titles because of superstition.
Tom Lüthi (CarXpert Interwetten) started on a wet race track and scored 7th place in the first training. The afternoon turned out to be harder for the currently second-best in the world. He ended up on the 10th position. Frédéric Corminboeuf, owner of two Swiss teams, commented the following on the passing of Angel Nieto. "First of all, I'd like to express my regrets to Nieto's family and friends. A legend has left this world. We all know whom we have to thank for the evolution of motorcycling in Spain."
Corminboeuf's protégés, Iker Lecuano and Jesko Raffin (Garage Plus Interwetten), finished on positions 25 and 27. The comment of the team owner after this first day: "I must admit I expected a better start. It's always better to start the weekend of in a high position. I don't worry, though. Our riders and their technicians will do everything in their power to enhance their performances tomorrow. Even though it looks like we're in arrears, we're working hard on it. We were able to analyze and solve a lot of problems such as Jesko's front tire or Lüthi's brakes. With Tom, we start the second half of a phenomenal season. We can't wait for the race tracks that are yet to come. I'm certain that we'll achieve a lot until November.
Tom Lüthi (CarXpert Interwetten, 10.):
"The rain this morning surprised all of us. Nevertheless, I'm happy with my performance. I didn't compete last year after my fall in Saturday. It therefore took me by surprise how much grip we had in these conditions. We were able to continue our tests in the afternoon. The grip was completely different than two weeks ago. I had troubles with my brakes the end of the second training. As a result, I had to return to the box before the end of the session. In consideration of these facts, I'm not worried at all about the remaining two days here in Brno in the Czech Republic.
Brno (Czech Republic). GP of the Czech Republic Moto2, first practice day (two sessions): 1. Pasini (ITA, Kalex), 2’02.975 (158,100 km/h); 2. Bagnaia (ITA, Kalex), + 0.262; 3. Vierge (SPA, Tech3), + 0.319; 4. Oliveira (POR, KTM), + 0.446; 5. Cortese (GER, Suter), + 0.455; 6. Morbidelli (ITA, Kalex), + 0.488; 7. Marini (ITA, Kalex), + 0.655; 8. Navarro (SPA, Kalex), + 0.785; 9. Aegerter (SWI, Suter), + 0.788; 10. Lüthi (SWI, Kalex, carXpert Interwetten), + 0.816. Further: 25. Lecuona (SPA, Kalex, Garage Plus Interwetten), + 2.025; 27. Raffin (SWI, Kalex, Garage Plus Interwetten), + 2.125. 33 classified.
