Kyle Smith has joined the GMT94 team for a weekend to replace Jules Cluzel, who has just had an operation on his left leg after his accident in Aragon (Spain).
In free practice 1, Corentin Perolari increased his pace compared to the practices he did in July. With laps in 1’46, he finished 6th of the session. Corentin, wishing to work for the race, used only one set of tyres in FP1.
For Kyle Smith, the first session was the opportunity to discover the Yamaha R6 GMT94. He finished 8th in FP1. A few adjustments had to be made, like on the rear suspension, to make Kyle feel a little more comfortable. Unfortunately the rain came in mid afternoon. The whole Supersport paddock was “Pit-In” until ten minutes from the end of FP2. At that moment, the lap times were several seconds behind the times of the morning. Corentin finished 4th, Kyle 9th.
Oscar Gutierrez had a slightly more complicated Friday following a crash at the beginning of FP1, and difficult conditions in FP2. He finished 24th of the day.
Corentin Perolari: “This morning I really enjoyed, I rode free and I was able to increase my pace lap after lap. With a new tyre, I know that I could have made a jump in the rankings. The most important thing remains the race and I already know that I can be competitive“.
Kyle Smith: “I felt really good on the GMT94 bike. This morning we started from a good base. In the afternoon it was planned to make a few modifications, but that has been postponed until tomorrow, due to track conditions. I think it is possible to have a great weekend“.
The weather forecast remains uncertain for tomorrow morning, whereas the sun is forecast for both races. See you tomorrow at 11.40 am for the Superpole, then at 3.15 pm for race 1, live on Eurosport.
18 September 2020
