Jake Dixon finished Friday’s two sessions at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli in 2^nd and 4^th as he felt comfortable and confident, while Filip Salac was 12^th.

Conditions on the Adriatic Coast in the east of Italy were perfect throughout Friday meaning the two Moto2 sessions were held under sunny skies and in high temperatures.

The pace was hot throughout Friday’s running. The fastest names were within 0.1s of the absolute lap record in FP1. And the top four names, including Jake Dixon, were faster than it in Practice.

Both Jake and Filip Salac will have 30 minutes to perfect their set-ups in FP2, which gets underway at 09.25 local time on Saturday, before qualifying, which starts at 13.40.

Jake Dixon, 4^th – 1’34.926

Jake was delighted to find the same feeling aboard his Elf Marc VDS Racing Team machine as the one he had in Barcelona last week in FP1, when he set the 2^nd fastest time.

The 29-year old was immediately on the pace in Practice, and was sitting fastest when he experienced a fast but painless crash at Turn 16.

Thanks to the excellent work of Jake’s crew, the Briton was soon back on track and improved on his personal best time to sit 4^th at the end of play, 0.2s back of pace setter Celestino Vietti.

“It’s been a really good day! We pretty much started where we left off in Barcelona, so I was really happy with that. Unfortunately, I had a small tip off in that last session. But I got back on and went faster again. That’s always a positive sign and one that I’m feeling really good on the bike. There are a few areas where I can improve my riding for tomorrow. And we’re getting there slowly, step-by-step. I feel there’s still more to come from me than from the bike, which bodes well. I’m happy and let’s see what we can do tomorrow.”

Filip Salac, 12^th – 1’35.179

Filip wasn’t feeling fully comfortable on the bike on Friday morning as he experienced some stiffness in his neck. He was 16^th in FP1.

The Czech rider used the first half of Practice to assess his speed over a longer run. Filip completed nine laps, with mixed results.

Despite his lack of feeling, Filip was still quite competitive over a flying lap, with his fastest time just half a second off the best of the day.

“It was a difficult first day here in Misano. I still feel a bit stiff after my crash in Barcelona. We need to do something with the setting for tomorrow because I’m still struggling to turn the bike in both the fast and the slow corners. We have a lot of work to do this evening because today was possibly the worst feeling I’ve had on a Friday so far this year. Anyway, we won’t give up. I’m happy that I’m here and fit after last week’s crash in Barcelona. For sure I’ll do my best to take absolutely everything from what we have to qualify well tomorrow.”