Diogo Moreira delivered a competitive Friday at the TT Assen, ending the day 13th overall as the Pro Honda LCR rider showed encouraging speed throughout the opening day of running at the Cathedral of Speed.
The Brazilian rider was consistently inside the top 10 during key moments of Free Practice, underlining his strong pace before narrowly missing out on a direct Q2 spot in the closing stages of Practice.
Highlights
- Diogo Moreira finished Friday in 13th position with a best lap of 1:31.856
- Consistently ran inside the top 10 during Free Practice
- Narrowly missed out on a direct Q2 qualification
- Positive feeling with the bike despite challenging early grip conditions
Strong start sets the tone at Assen
Moreira immediately looked comfortable at the historic Dutch circuit, showing competitive pace from the opening Free Practice session. His early laps placed him firmly inside the top 10, suggesting strong potential for a direct Q2 progression.
The Pro Honda LCR rider focused on building rhythm and adapting to the evolving grip levels around Assen, which proved tricky for many riders during the early stages of the weekend.
Late push falls just short of Q2
As Practice intensified, Moreira mounted a determined effort to secure a direct Q2 position. However, despite a solid overall performance, he was unable to deliver the perfect lap in the final minutes of the session.
His 1:31.856 placed him 13th overall—close enough to underline competitiveness, but just outside the cut for automatic Q2 qualification.
Grip challenges tested early confidence
Moreira highlighted the tricky early grip conditions at Assen, which made it difficult to fully unlock the potential of the track in the opening runs. Despite the challenges, the overall feeling inside the garage remained positive, with both rider and team satisfied with the direction of setup work.
"The hot conditions were fine. It felt good for a few laps, but it was difficult to understand the track because the grip was really challenging at the beginning. We're happy with the job we did today. We narrowly missed out on Q2, but we're ready to fight and give it another shot tomorrow."
Focus shifts to qualifying fight on Saturday
With strong pace already demonstrated, Moreira will head into Saturday’s qualifying session targeting a clean lap to secure a better starting position for the Sprint race. While the Q2 opportunity slipped away by a small margin, Friday’s performance confirmed his ability to fight inside the competitive midfield pack at Assen.
