Mulhauser back in business, Hook too tense on the bike
Third fastest in the opening free practice and fastest overall after the second session in the afternoon, Thomas Lüthi (Derendinger Racing Interwetten), showed a strong performance this Friday on the circuit of Sepang (Malaysia). In these difficult weather conditions – extreme heat, 35 degrees – riders and technicians had to face high pollution levels due to the raging fires in Indonesia. 26th fastest today, Robin Mulhauser (Technomag Racing Interwetten) and his teammate Joshua Hook from Australia, replacing Dominique Aegerter (Technomag Racing Interwetten), are a bit further down in the classification. A summary of the day with Frédéric Corminboeuf, the boss of the two Swiss teams: “We could see that Tom was confident this morning already, although he was still 5 tenths off the fastest. He told us not to worry because he still had room for improvement, which he demonstrated this afternoon. The results did not materialise in Japan and Australia but he has confirmed his current level and his objective – a front row start, ideally a pole position on Saturday in qualifying. Robin is back in business after a difficult weekend in Australia; he is calmer although he is still not in the Top-20, which is his objective in practice. Last year he had to stop after 6 laps because he was still feeling the consequences of his crashes from the preceding weekend. So he is basically learning the circuit. Josh is struggling more; I am sure that if he did not have a bad start in Phillip Island, he could have done a lot better than a 20th position and I think he knows that as well. Today he was too tense on the bike, he has to relax on Saturday.”
They said…
Robin Mulhauser (Technomag Racing Interwetten, 26th): “Last year I only did a few laps in the first free practice session so for me today was more about learning. I have to say that I like it. This heat is also something new and surprising: at the end of the session, my brain felt like it needed more oxygen and when I stopped I thought I was going to burn. But I feel quite good and I hope to confirm this feeling in the next two days. I love these fast braking areas and fast curbs here in Sepang. Also in this heat we have the impression that the grip is better, especially in the front. It is wide, there are a few different lines, it is a beautiful circuit.”
Joshua Hook (Technomag Racing Interwetten, 29th): “Today was difficult for me. I know Sepang from the Asian Junior Cup back in the days but we were not using the whole circuit, only the first two sectors. I have to learn the rest while also adapting to the bike.”
