Strong start for Team HRC in France with second and third in qualifying
Racing in front of his legions of home fans, Gautier Paulin was the fastest man on track in qualifying at Villars Sous Ecot today, taking the chequered flag in second just ahead of his Team HRC teammate Evgeny Bobryshev who took third.
Bobby got off to a good start and spent much of the race in second position, being pipped by Paulin in the closing minutes. Home hero Gautier had a slightly trickier afternoon though after stalling on the landing of a jump at the end of the first lap.
Having been running in fourth at the end of lap one, the stall lost him crucial seconds which slipped him down the order to seventh. Mounting a determined comeback, by the third lap he was up to third and set about closing down both Bobby in second and leader Romain Febvre. In doing so, he set the fastest lap of the 20-minute race.
The sign of true racers is their ability to deal with adversity, and in the face of a difficult weekend for Team HRC the results speak volumes about the spirit and determination in each and every one of the team members and riders.
Roger Harvey
“Today was a good day. It’s not been an easy weekend overall for us, but I’m pleased with the guys today getting out there and getting the job done. Both made reasonable starts and Bobby had a characteristically good first two corners to come out in third. It’s a good result for both of them up there in second and third, so hopefully this lays the foundations for tomorrow.”
Gautier Paulin 21
“I had a good feeling on the bike today. I stalled the bike right after the finish jump on the first lap so I lost some time and got passed by several riders, but overall it wasn’t bad. I wasn’t pushing so so hard because it’s really technical to ride here so I was waiting a little for the first few laps, but then I start pushing and made the fastest lap time and could come back to second. I didn’t have the best start, but it’s coming much better. The paddock was so crazy with fans; it was really awesome and I’m really happy to ride at my home GP.”
Evgeny Bobryshev 777
“I had a good start and cut inside on the first corner so I was really in a good position in third. Then I moved to second and was keeping that second position to maybe four laps from the end, but my problem was that I wasn’t flowing around this track today and I felt way too stiff on the bike and was making a few mistakes, but today was ok and I learn the track more, and tomorrow is another day so I’m looking forward to it.”
Results
| Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Team | Constructor | Time/Gap |
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Location Information
Villars-sous-Écot, France - View in Google Maps
