Although the times and position in the session weren’t by any means outstanding, I felt that we had made real progression and now we were getting close to the point where I just wanted to leave the bike alone and ride it which is something I haven’t really been able to do at all this year. All I felt after first qualifying was that I wanted to leave the bike alone, get some more dry time, build my confidence back up and start my season. Rain was forecast for the following day so it didn’t look like I was going to be able to continue making dry progression, but I was happy with what we’d done so far.
When we woke on Saturday morning the skies were very grey but there was no rain at the hotel. On the way from the hotel to the circuit it started to fall and by the time we were at the track we were pretty sure we were in for a wet day. The second free practice was my first wet practice of the year. The bike felt good right from the start but I didn’t take it near its limits. I was getting faster every lap but at the end of the session I had a small problem with my helmet because I forgot to put in the anti-fog mask.
I finished the session in 20th but on a time that I felt was a good few seconds from my limit. On a wet track it only takes a little bit of extra corner speed and to get on the gas slightly earlier and you can gain chunks of time easily. I also liked the way my engine was working in the wet. The last years I have been used to a bike being generally a bit all or nothing. Really dull when I get on the gas but then kicks in really hard, not ideal for the wet. But the way that Campetella seem to set the engines is with a bit more of a consistent power curve. Smooth all the way through the rev range, with the power coming in from lower down. Maybe not making quite as much top-end but that doesn’t really matter in the wet.
