Tony Arbolino set the 6^th fastest time in what was a chaotic first day of the Australian Grand Prix while Filip Salac has work to do in 22^nd.

• Conditions were bleak on Friday morning at the spectacular Phillip Island Circuit, with Elf Marc VDS Racing Team riders Tony Arbolino and Filip Salac riding in fully wet conditions throughout Free Practice.
• After incessant morning rain, conditions improved for the afternoon P1 session, which was red flagged briefly due to a flock of geese walking across the track. Having started on wets, the track dried sufficiently for slick tyres in the final 25 minutes.

/// TONY ARBOLINO, 6th – 1’33.304

• Riding in conditions similar to those in which he won last year’s Australian Grand Prix, Tony was competitive in the first half of FP before the rain worsened. He set the 4^th fastest time, 0.2s off pace setter Aron Canet.
• Tony waited for the track to improve in the afternoon, before posting a strong 8-lap run on slicks. Despite lacking a bit of front end feeling, his final time was fastest, and was enough to get within 0.6s of Fermin Aldeguer.

“The speed is clearly there in both the wet and dry”

“It was a strange day in terms of conditions and feelings on the bike. We didn’t understand so much in terms of tyre choice and settings for the race. But the speed is clearly there in both the wet and dry. We need to keep going like this and believing in ourselves. Let’s see what tomorrow brings but it looks like it’ll be dry. So, let’s focus on our feelings in the dry and keep pushing. I feel a good qualifying place is definitely possible and a place on the first two rows will be our aim!”

/// FILIP SALAC, 22^nd – 1’34.980

• In the morning rain, Filip didn’t feel entirely comfortable as he struggled to 25^th place in FP.
• The Czech rider waited until track conditions improved in P1 before exiting pit lane with slick tyres. After posting 8 consecutive laps, Filip was 22^nd thanks to his final lap of the day.

“I was lacking a bit of confidence in several areas”

“It was a tough day here in Australia. The conditions were difficult with a lot of rain overnight and then throughout the morning. The morning session was wet and then after that we were running on slicks but the track wasn’t fully dry. My feeling wasn’t perfect. We have to change the bike a bit for tomorrow as I was lacking a bit of confidence in several areas. I’m really hoping the weather will be much improved on Saturday but if it is, I’m sure we can keep this momentum, that we’ve built up recently, going.”