MotoGP: Eugene Laverty targets repeat of Austria qualifying feat

Eugene Laverty set his fastest ever lap at Brno in the Czech Republic despite struggling in the morning practice session with an incorrect gearbox setting.
Northern Ireland's Eugene Laverty.Northern Ireland's Eugene Laverty.
Northern Ireland's Eugene Laverty.

The Aspar Ducati MotoGP rider improved his time by two seconds in FP2 in the afternoon, lapping in 1m 57.336s as he ended the day 16th fastest.

Laverty, who was taken out by Italian rider Danilo Petrucci on the final lap while holding 11th place last weekend in Austria, is eager to push on in Saturday’s final qualifying as he attempts to seal his place in Q2 after achieving the feat for the first time last Saturday at the Red Bull Ring.

“This morning the gearbox setting was completely wrong and the 45 minutes suddenly disappeared,” said Laverty.

“This afternoon the gearbox setting was correct and we were able to instantly improve by two seconds, with a gap of 1.5 seconds to the top.

“We need to keep pushing forward but for now I think this is already the fastest lap I have ever done at Brno and it’s only the first day so I am happy with our progress. The Ducati horsepower certainly helps with the hills at this circuit,” added the 30-year-old.

“Tomorrow it is going to be warm in the afternoon but we will push hard in the morning, try to set a fast lap and see if we can qualify for Q2 again.”

Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez headed the times from Ducati’s Andrea Iannone and Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha).