Tony Arbolino enjoyed a considerable margin over the rest of the Moto2 field at the close of Friday at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, as he topped P1 while team-mate Filip Salac was 12^th.

• The Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli was quite a contrast to the Grand Prix here two weeks ago on Friday morning as the track dried slowly from heavy overnight rain. By the end of the 35-minute FP session, most riders had switched from wet tyres to slicks.
• Conditions had improved ahead of the afternoon, even if temperatures were quite a bit down on a fortnight ago. Elf Marc VDS Racing Team riders Tony Arbolino and Filip Salac rode under sunny skies and in ambient temperatures of 24 degrees during P1.

/// TONY ARBOLINO, 1^st – 1’35.386

• After enjoying an excellent weekend on home soil a fortnight ago, Tony and his crew worked through the day to improve the bike’s turning in Sector 1, as well as its stability on the brakes.
• The changes paid off. Tony consistently lowered the fastest time on slicks in tricky conditions in the morning to finish 2^nd, before ending the afternoon fastest, and an impressive 0.391s ahead of Aron Canet in 2^nd.

“I feel good and we are continuing to carry this recent momentum”

“A strong first day! We didn’t expect that lap time. I have to say, the change we made between the first and second runs in P1 today… initially I didn’t feel that good with it, but then when I started pushing, I felt there was something positive there. That gave me the confidence to push and was surprised by the time I set. I feel good and we are continuing to carry this recent momentum. I want to keep that going tomorrow and to be the fastest one here on qualifying day. That’s the aim, so let’s go for it!”

/// FILIP SALAC, 12^th – 1’36.016

• In tricky morning conditions, Filip saw no point in take any unnecessary risks and did just a single lap in FP to assess the track.
• He then started the afternoon with the same base setting that he used in the San Marino GP, and worked on comparing the two Pirelli rear tyre options available this weekend. The Czech rider felt strong on his 2^nd run, when he set the 12^th fastest time of the day.

“We just need to polish a few small details to get even closer to the top”

“The first day is done here at Misano. The first session was held in wet conditions. I just went out for one lap to check the track but other than that I stayed in the box. In the afternoon session we finally had dry conditions and it went well. I had good pace in the second outing with a new tyre. The thing is, everyone is so close at this track, so we just need to polish a few small details to get even closer to the top.”