Jerez, Spain – 1 May 2015: Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider Tito Rabat impressed throughout the opening day of Moto2 practice in Jerez to set the fastest pace in scorching hot conditions.
 
Rabat was untouchable in cooler conditions this morning and his best lap of 1.43.198 was good enough to be quickest on combined times, with lap times hard to improve in FP2 after track temperatures rocketed by well over 10 degrees.
 
Rabat’s best of 1.43.439 was only 0.026s away from the best FP2 pace, and the reigning World Champion is confident that he can battle for a first podium of 2015 in front of over 100,000 home fans on Sunday.
 
Alex Marquez ended the day in 23rd place, with the rookie one of only 13 riders in the 31-strong field to lap faster as the heat intensified and grip levels reduced this afternoon.
 
He once again focused on improving corner entry performance, with his Marc VDS crew working on different engine braking and clutch setting strategies on his way to a personal best lap of 1.44.452.
 
Tito Rabat: 1st – 1’43.198
“I am really happy with how today went. I was fastest in FP1 when the conditions were a little cooler, but I was also very close to being quickest again when the track temperature was much hotter this afternoon. So we have already shown the bike is working well and I am happy we have consistent grip to be fast for the whole race distance, even in the extremely hot conditions like we experienced this afternoon. After a challenging start to 2015, I am really confident I can be fighting for the podium this weekend.”
 
Alex Marquez: 23rd – 1’44.452
“We worked a lot today to try and find a solution to some of the corner entry problems I have been experiencing at the start of the season. We worked a lot on engine braking and the clutch and we made a small step. We made some more adjustments for FP2 but we didn’t make the step I expected, so I can’t be happy. We are all working hard to improve and I am confident we can be fighting for the top 15 again on Sunday.”
 
Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal
“After a difficult start to the season, Tito really showed why he is the World Champion today. He was fastest this morning and in difficult conditions this afternoon, with the grip clearly affected by the high temperatures, he was less than a tenth off the top again. So I am very confident we will see him back where he belongs on the podium again on Sunday. Alex and his crew are putting in maximum effort to make him more comfortable and confident on corner entry and I’ve no doubt that when they find a solution he will be pushing for the top 10.”