Vazquez out in front as Kent concentrates on race pace

Efren Vazquez was fastest in Jerez today but Fabio Quartararo laid down a marker by topping FP2 and showing that he’s ready to win a Moto3 race just a week after his 16th birthday. The Frenchman has been fast all season, and stood on the podium in Texas, but his speed this afternoon in difficult conditions was highly impressive.

Vazquez didn’t improve in the second session, quite a few riders did, so it will be interesting to see how he fares in qualifying tomorrow but the Leopard Racing rider has looked confident all weekend and he will know that it’s crucial to win this weekend to stop the rot setting in following Danny Kent’s dominance of late.

The Englishman ended the day fourth fastest, he was second fastest in FP2, and once again was setting times on his own and trying to focus on getting the most from his setup. Kent has the air of a champion this year and he’s sure to be comfortably on the pace over the course of the weekend but having won so comfortably lately it’s highly unlikely that the Spanish locals will let him get away from the pack once again this weekend.