Pirelli SCX and it’s a record for Moreira in Moto2™, Carpe on pole for Moto3

· Diogo Moreira (Kalex) took pole for the Moto2™ race by also setting a new all-time lap record in 1’49.745, improving on the one set by Joe Roberts last year. The Brazilian was able to make the most of the extra grip offered by the supersoft SCX compound rear solution, introduced in Moto2™ just this year by Pirelli and used successfully at Jerez and Le Mans. Behind Moreira were the Spaniards Aron Canet and Albert Arenas for an all-Kalex front row. The SCX was the only rear compound used by the riders in qualifying and also at Friday afternoon’s practice after a comparison with the soft SC0 in FP1.

· The KTM riders will occupy the top nine positions on the grid in tomorrow’s Moto3™ race. Pole for Álvaro Carpe (KTM) who set the fastest lap in 1:54.733. In addition to the Spaniard, the only rider to go below 1’55 was teammate and runner-up José Antonio Rueda, third place for Scott Ogden (KTM). All three used medium SC2 front and soft SC1 rear compound tyres, the latter chosen by all the riders for qualifying. The best classified among those who opted for the soft SC1 front was Jacob Roulstone, who will start tomorrow from fifth on the grid.

· In the first two days, air and asphalt temperatures were rather high. In terms of air, peaks of 32° C were reached while the asphalt exceeded 50° C in both Practice and Qualifying. Between the morning sessions (FP1 and FP2) and those in the afternoon (Practice and Qualifying) there was a difference of about 15 degrees of temperature on the asphalt.

Convincing performance and record-breaking supersoft despite high temperatures
 
“In these first two days we had very high temperatures, with an asphalt that exceeded 50° C in Practice and Qualifying. In general, we recorded up to 20 degrees more than last year and this, in addition to the initially poorly rubberised track, explains why here at Mugello the riders struggled more to increase speed immediately compared to other circuits we have raced at this year. With such high temperatures they had to work hard to find a good level of grip but in the end, thanks also to the evolution of the track, the situation improved greatly until it allowed Moreira to set the new all-time lap record in Moto2™. Certainly the supersoft rear compound played an important role in achieving this goal because, thanks to the extra grip it is able to offer compared to the soft SC0 which was the softest solution available to the riders last season, it compensated for the lack of natural grip offered by the track. We therefore think that it will also be the reference solution for tomorrow’s race, mostly in combination with the soft SC1 front. The soft SC1 should also be the preferred solution for the rear in Moto3™ but a lot will depend on the weather: it seems that it could rain tonight, resetting the evolution of the track, and tomorrow morning the temperatures could be cooler than in recent days”.