Le Mans, Le Highs, Le Heartbreak for Italjet Gresini Moto2 Team

ARENAS ADVANCES WHILE BINDER FORCED TO WITHDRAW AFTER CRASH

The Italjet Gresini Moto2 squad faced a rollercoaster opening day at the legendary Le Mans circuit, a mix of optimism and heartbreak as Free Practice sessions kicked off for the French Grand Prix.

Arenas Delivers with Top 10 in FP1 – Straight to Q2

Albert Arenas showed strong pace and consistency today, finishing 10th in Free Practice 1 with a best time of 1’35.733s, earning direct access to tomorrow’s Q2 session. It was a performance built on patience and precision, as Albert and the team focused more on long-run data gathering than outright lap times.

“First day at Le Mans: today we completed a quite intense work plan, which is positive because we gathered plenty of important information. We sacrificed a bit our time attack, but today’s work will allow us to make a step forward for the race. Tomorrow we’ll turn our attention on the single-lap performance. I’d like to send some motivation to Darryn, I’m really sorry for him and the team: get well soon, we’ll wait for you at the track!”

A class act both on and off the bike, Albert’s results and words speak volumes about his growing momentum within the team. Congratulations Albert, on a job well done, all eyes are now on qualifying!

Darryn Binder – A Cruel Twist After a Strong Start

On the other side of the garage, the day ended in heartbreak. Darryn Binder looked to be settling into a strong rhythm early in FP1, but a crash at Turn 9 brought his weekend to a premature end. In the incident, Darryn unfortunately fractured his left ulna bone a serious injury that immediately ruled him out of the French GP.

“Unfortunately, a really early end of our weekend. I started off the first practice with a good feeling in the first couple of laps, but unfortunately arriving in turn 9 I brake too late and, as I had no other way to go, I run into Zonta: sorry to him and his team, and sorry to my team too. Unfortunately I’ve broken my left ulna bone: I’m going to Barcelona to fix it as fast as possible, and I hope to be back soon and healthy again.”

Darryn has been declared unfit for the remainder of the weekend and is now heading to Barcelona where he will undergo surgery in the coming days. Darryn’s weekend may have ended early, but his determination and potential were evident from the very first laps. It was a harsh end to what looked to be a promising start, but moments like this are part of racing, and there’s no doubt he’ll return stronger, hungrier, and ready to fight again in the races ahead.