Finally, Fabio Di Giananntonio has arrived. On opening day at Motegi, the Italian rider – the sole standard bearer for Team Gresini Racing MotoGP at this event – carried the whole team on his shoulder and set an excellent sixth quickest time in today’s FP sessions, a result that opens the door to Q2 for the #49. 
 
The Rome-born rider, who is still dealing with some leftovers of the injury to his right shoulder, immediately showed how comfortable he was around the Japanese track. He was the first to lap under the 1’43s barrier and the last one to do so on the timesheets, as he will now be able to keep working knowing he already has a spot in the key qualifying session. 
 
6^th - FABIO DI GIANNANTONIO #49 (1’43.947s)
“We were quick from the get-go, and I was feeling really good on the bike. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting these lap-times, but everything came out pretty naturally so I’m really positive ahead of tomorrow. Unfortunately, there’s still pain in my shoulder which won’t be an issue on the single-lap performance but could make things more complicated in both the sprint race and the full encounter. We’ll fight the pain, too!”