kent crashes, Oliviera fastest at end of day one

A crash in the final ten minutes of the session cost Danny Kent track time and the chance of laying down a marker to the field in FP2. Having tucked the front at the hairpin on an in lap Kent was left looking on as four riders went faster than him in the closing minutes of the session. The championship leader was however confident that he had the pace for the weekend and that he was well placed.

“It was a slow speed crash when I was coming back to the pits, it’s nothing to worry about,” said Kent. “The bike felt so good in this morning’s session that I know that we’ll have a good setting for the weekend. I crashed with an old front tyre.”

Kent was three tenths off the pace of his title rival, Miguel Oliveira, who was fastest ahead of Fenati and Navarro.

John McPhee was tenth fastest, six tenths off the pace, and told MCN that he was pleased with the bike this weekend and confident of being able to continue his Australian form which saw him start from pole position.