Mugello, Italy – 29 May 2015: Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider Tito Rabat made a record-breaking start to the Italian Grand Prix by setting the fastest ever Moto2 lap of the spectacular Mugello track this afternoon.
 
Rabat made the perfect start to what is scheduled to be his 150th Grand Prix appearance in Sunday’s 21-lap race when he led today’s practice timesheets with a sensational lap of 1.52.311.
 
Not only did that beat his own lap record of 1.52.587, but it was quicker than Pol Espargaro’s best ever lap of the 5.245km track, as the 26-year-old finished 0.001s ahead of World Championship leader Johann Zarco.
 
Alex Marquez made a big step in warm conditions in FP2, the Spanish rider improving his pace by almost a second compared to this morning. The reigning Moto3 World Champion climbed six places up the rankings into 14th and was impressively fast on worn tyres in both sessions.
 
Tito Rabat: 1st – 1’52.311
“Today went very well. I really like this track and the bike has improved in the last races, so we could be strong in both sessions. The lap time is impressive but we have to remember it is only Friday and we must work hard and stay focused to improve the bike. The times are close and it is always a big battle in Mugello, but I will just concentrate on myself and improving the bike to be ready for Sunday.”
 
Alex Marquez: 14th – 1’53.561
“Step-by-step we made good progress today and I am happy. We changed the strategy for practice and I did a lot of laps. And in the last laps of FP1 and FP2 I did my fastest laps and this is very important. We still need to improve a lot but I think we can. I enjoyed riding the bike and I really like this track, so with more confidence tomorrow I am sure we can push to be faster and even higher up.”
 
Pete Benson: Tito Rabat’s Chief Mechanic
“We have improved the bike a lot in the last couple of races, but as always in Mugello the lap times are pretty close. We’ve still got a few things to work on tomorrow morning to find another couple of tenths and make the bike more comfortable for 21-laps. The lap time is good and the consistency is there, so it has been a good start to the weekend.”