Misano, 4 September: In a hot and crowded opening day of San Marino and Riviera di Rimini Grand Prix with ambience temperature of 35°C, LCR Honda MotoGP racer Randy de Puniet set the 11th fastest time at the 4.226 km track which hosts the thirteenth round of the calendar. Just one week after their last outing at Indianapolis in the US, the premier class riders had to battle hard against the hot conditions including the Frenchman which is still recovering from the left ankle fracture.

De Puniet has failed to finish the first lap on both previous visits to Misano after qualifying well in fourth on the grid both times but the 28-year-old is a fan of the Italian track and arrived in Italy full of confidence despite his injured ankle. The Frenchman riding the Honda RC212V completed 26 laps clocking his fastest lap time of 1’37.056. Today’s pacesetter Valentino Rossi headed the classification with a best lap time of 1’35.304.

De Puniet – 11th – 1’37.056

De Puniet – 11th: “It has been a positive beginning for me compared with the last two races. I am still not fit but my ankle is getting better. From the beginning the machine overall package seemed ok so we could move on the engine brake set up. I am struggling in the corners because the bike does not turn as I would like so we worked on the engine mapping to get some adjustments for tomorrow’s session. Our position is not so bad considering my conditions and the heat: we are less than seven tenths off the sixth fastest”.