Team San Carlo Honda Gresini took to the track with intent this morning as the first free practice for the USGP got underway at Laguna Seca. Japanese rider Shinya Nakano quickly established a good feeling with his bike and tyres to finish third fastest, whilst San Marino rookie Alex De Angelis, making his debut at the Californian circuit, finished the opening session with the tenth fastest time.
Shinya Nakano (3rd - 1’22’’953): “This has definitely been a good start. As soon as I went out on track I had a good feeling for the bike. The track was a little dirty at the start but the conditions gradually improved and I was able to bring my lap times down. In general I’m happy – with the bike and with the tyres. In the next session we have to try and improve in the fast section of T1, the first sector.”
Alex De Angelis (10th - 1’23’’896): “It was a difficult first session – everything is new for me here and I had a little chattering problem to deal with, which made it difficult to get the tyres up to temperature. We made a few small changes, though, and I started to put a few laps together, learned the track and my lap times came down. It is definitely not an easy track to learn but I can say that my first time through the Corkscrew was a beautiful experience! In the next session we will work more on this chattering problem, which prevented me from staying on the correct line this morning.”
