It was a promising first day of the Valencian GP for team SAXOPRINT RTG.

John has clear goals for this weekend – he wants to finally bag his first Moto3 podium

The first session started very well. Both SAXOPRINT RTG riders immediately found a good rhythm and slotted into the top positions on the times sheet. At the end of the session teammate Efren was 4th fastest and John occupied 6th place.

Things looked very different in the afternoon session. Rins, who had only come in as 14th in the morning, finished ahead of McPhee.

But with positions 9 and 10 both SAXOPRINT RTG riders still made the top ten. The team can be happy with this result.

Tomorrow however, both riders need to find those extra seconds to be able to achieve their goals for the race on Sunday.

John McPhee

Today I am happy. We did a lot of laps alone and the rhythm is very good. The bike is feeling good. So overall we’re looking forward to the rest of the weekend. I hope we can finish the last race as strong as the last couple of weeks.



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John McPhee qualifies 8th in Valencia

Saturday was another strong day’s work at Valencia for John McPhee.

During FP3, John once again displayed a great performance. For most of the session he occupied place 9 or 10 but towards the end of the session he pushed himself into third place. His teammate Efren Vazquez completed the top ten with his tenth place finish.

In this afternoon’s qualifying session it was very important to try and make the best use of any slipstream to secure the front starting spots. Unfortunately John’s timing wasn’t quite right and he couldn’t replicate the success from the morning session. He finished in eight place, but once again ahead of his teammate in 9th place.

Tomorrow’s race will show whether John will be able to finish his season on the podium. Such a goal will be tough to reach but not impossible.

John McPhee

“This morning we found a good rhythm again. I felt really confident for qualifying. I managed to get a good time in the middle of the session. I was lucky, because on the last few laps I was not able to do a good time because there was too much traffic. At the beginning of the last lap Efren touched me and I went of the track. I am not really happy with my position but with a good start we will be able to fight at the top.”



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