SOLID PROGRESS FOR NAGASHIMA AT PHILLIP ISLAND

Tetsuta Nagashima made solid progress on the opening day of free practice for the Australian Grand Prix as he again stood in for the injured Takaaki Nakagami. Tackling Phillip Island for the first time on MotoGP machinery, the LCR Honda IDEMITSU rider made a big stride between sessions and will look to maintain that momentum ahead of qualifying tomorrow.

Despite heavy rainfall in the build-up to the race, the action got underway in dry conditions, although a strong breeze complicated matters for Tetsuta in FP1 as he struggled to find his rhythm. But he was much more confident in the afternoon, shaving 2.5 seconds off his morning lap-time to get into the 1’31s.