After two DNFs, Ben Spies is desperately seeking points at Le Mans. The young American finished in 10th place during the first day of free practice at the French circuit, more than a second behind the pace setter Dani Pedrosa.
Spies and the Yamaha team did a good job finding competitive settings today. They were able to cut .8 seconds off of their morning session time, but Spies will still need to find another second before Sunday’s race if he wants to fight at the top.
“I was pretty happy with today, building some confidence back up after the last race in Estoril,” Spies said. “The sessions went pretty well for us we just didn’t put in one fast lap. We’ve been quite consistent with race distance on the tires and I’m reasonably happy with the bike so if we can make it better for tomorrow I think we’ll be up with the front guys.”
Spies finished in 10th place today, but he also brought his M1 up to 179.5 mph, the fastest speed achieved during the first day of free practice.
“We still have some work to do but the balance of Ben’s bike is not too far off,” said team director Massimo Meregalli. “We are also working to find which tyre is best for tomorrow’s qualifying; we are positive about what we can achieve in the next sessions. Jorge made clear improvements over the day although they are still looking to find some more agility.”
