Round 2 in Misano kicked off on Friday as MotoGP™ returned to the Adriatic coast for the Gran Premio dell’Emilia-Romagna, the final stop in Europe before five rounds overseas. After the rain always comes the sun! After two set up days spent in the rain, the blue sky was back on Friday, with Free Practice 1 starting on a drying track, while the afternoon’s Practice was spent in much better conditions. Pedro Acosta qualified directly for Q2 after claiming P9 of Friday's Practice, while Augusto Fernandez finished 20th. 

Following a very productive Misano Test just after the San Marino Grand Prix, Pedro Acosta was eager to get back on his RC16 as he showcased some aero updates on day 1. The morning’s session was a bit slow to start with riders going out progressively, but the young shark did not wait long to get his first laps done as he set the first time of the session in the opening five minutes. Eventually he was joined by the rest of the premier class, and ended the session first non-Italian bike, in 7th, with a best in 1'32.618. Later in the afternoon, the start of Practice was a bit shaky for the #31, with an early crash in T14. Despite his efforts to try staying on his two wheels, he eventually went down and had to return to the pit box quickly. The work continued, and as he rejoined the action, Acosta’s pace improved and we saw him begin the final fifteen minute with a provisional 4th place. He continued to get his times down, provisionally P6 with 5 minutes left on the clock with a 1'31.028. With Maverick Vinales ahead, he improved further to 1'30.991 as one last flying lap remained, while Martin, Di Giannantonio and Binder went down in their final efforts. In the end, Pedro Acosta took 9th to head directly to the much-wanted Q2! Objective 1 complete.

Eager to turn things around after ending the San Marino Grand Prix with a crash, Augusto Fernandez got his Emilia-Romagna campaign started in tricky and mixed-conditions, but the Spaniard has often shown confidence in these conditions. He was amongst the riders to ride the most laps in the morning's opening Free Practice 1, and after fifteen laps, he finished 15th with a 1’33.237 (+1.155). Later on in the afternoon, the #37 appeared to struggle a bit more to find his way on the Misano World Circuit. His sixth lap in 1’32.195 was not improved for a while, and a late crash in the last corner while he was following Franco Morbidelli in the final minutes slowed him down in his effort. He was able to return on a track with a small gain (1'32.100), a time that placed him in P20. The Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 rider will be looking to find some improvements tonight ahead of qualifying.

MotoGP™ will return on Saturday with a busy day, with Free Practice 2 kicking off the day at 10:10 LT, followed by the qualifying sessions, and then it will be time to sprint at 15:00 (GMT+2)!