Nakagami quickest in practice, retiring Rossi 16th fastest
SPIELBERG: Takaaki Nakagami recorded the fastest time in rain-hit practice for the Styrian Grand.
A day after announcing his retirement, Yamaha-srt’s Valentino Rossi
began his official farewell tour in front of a sparsely populated grandstand and was 16th fastest out of the 23 riders.
Attendance restrictions have been lifted at the Red Bull Ring for fans who are vaccinated, tested or recovered from Covid-19.
More than 130,000 spectators attended the Austrian Formula One Grand Prix at the track at the beginning of July.
Nakagami, a Japanese Honda rider clocked a fastest lap of 1:23.805 at the end of the morning session.
He was seven hundredths of a second quicker than world champion Joan Mir on his Suzuki and 378/1000 ahead of another Spaniard Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia).
Six-time champion Marc Marquez was sixth for Honda.
Championship leader Fabio Quartararo was eighth fastest on track where the Yamaha team have often struggled.
Another Frenchman, Johann Zarco, was next, the fastest Ducati rider.
A shower hit at the start of the second practice, slowing times by eight seconds a lap for every rider.
“Free practice 2 was a bit of a nightmare,” said Quartararo.
Rossi, one of the greatest and most charismatic of motorcycling champions, called time on his Motogp career and looked forward to a future in car racing.
The 42-year-old Italian, who races with the number 46 and is a ninetime world champion with seven titles in the top category, told a news conference at the Styrian Grand Prix in Austria that 2021 would be his last season.
“I decided to stop at the end of the season,” Rossi told a news conference at the Red Bull Ring.
“It’s difficult, it’s a very sad moment because it’s difficult to say and to know that next year I will not race with the motorcycle.
“I do this thing for more or less 30 years. Next year my life will change. But anyway, it was great, I enjoy very much this long, long journey and it was really, really fun.
“I love to race with the cars,” added the Italian when asked about the future.