HJC Helmets Grand Prix of France

FIM MotoGP World Championship

Bugatti Circuit

Le Mans, France

May 19, 2018

Qualifying Results (all on Michelin tires):

From Qualifying Two:

1. Johann Zarco, France (Yamaha), 1:31.185

2. Marc Marquez, Spain (Honda), 1:31.293

3. Danilo Petrucci, Italy (Ducati), 1:31.381

4. Andrea Iannone, Italy (Suzuki), 1:31.454

5. Andrea Dovizioso, Italy (Ducati), 1:31.553

6. Jorge Lorenzo, Spain (Ducati), 1:31.590

7. Jack Miller, Australia (Ducati), 1:31.683

8. Maverick Vinales, Spain (Yamaha), 1:31.784

9. Valentino Rossi, Italy (Yamaha), 1:31.900

10. Dani Pedrosa, Spain (Honda), 1:32.024

11. Tito Rabat, Spain (Ducati), 1:32.049

12. Aleix Espargaro, Spain (Aprilia), 1:32.455

From Qualifying One:

13. Cal Crutchlow, UK (Honda), 1:32.315

14. Hafizh Syahrin, Malaysia (Yamaha), 1:32.397

15. Alex Rins, Spain (Suzuki), 1:32.401

16. Franco Morbidelli, Italy (Honda), 1:32.770

17. Bradley Smith, UK (KTM), 1:32.795

18. Pol Espargaro, Spain (KTM), 1:32.988

19. Takaaki Nakagami, Japan (Honda), 1:33.062

20. Alvaro Bautista, Spain (Ducati), 1:33.324

21. Thomas Luthi, Switzerland (Honda), 1:33.439

22. Scott Redding, UK (Aprilia), 1:33.676

23. Xavier Simeon, Belgium (Ducati), 1:33.802

24. Karel Abraham, Czech Republic (Ducati), 1:33.839

More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3:

Zarco seals incredible pole at home – Syahrin with best qualifying performance to date

Monster Yamaha Tech3 star Johann Zarco delighted his home fans today in Le Mans with snatching a super pole position ahead of his and the French team’s home Grand Prix tomorrow. The local hero timed his new pole record at the Bugatti Circuit to perfection, securing the top spot during the last minutes of an awesome exciting qualifying and is therefore, the first Frenchman at the front of the first row on home soil since Christian Sarron in 1988.

On the other side of the Monster Yamaha Tech3 garage, Hafizh Syahrin did an equally great job. The MotoGP rookie delivered a stunning performance and missed out on Q2 by just 0.336 seconds. The Malaysian eventually secured the fourth position in Qualifying 1 and with it his best ever starting position until now. He’ll launch the French GP from the middle of the fifth row on Sunday at 14.00 local time.

Johann Zarco

Position: 1st – Time: 1’31.185 – Laps: 8

“It feels great and it’s very emotional for me. I didn’t expect to have these emotions already during Qualifying here. For sure, I wanted to be fast, but when I saw the 31.185 on the dashboard I was surprised myself. The first run was already quite good, but I felt that the new tyre can deliver even more on the first lap, so I tried it for the second exit and it worked well. The job we did, working with different tyres, is amazing. A huge thank you to the crowd here, because they gave me a lot of positive energy. Let’s see, if this energy is enough to win tomorrow.”

Hafizh Syahrin

Position: 14th – Time: 1’32.397 – Laps: 8

“We did a very good job on day two. In FP3 we improved an also in FP4 we went better. Also myself, I have more confidence on the brake. I want to say thank you very much to my team, because they always do a fantastic job, they try to pass me their experience and this is very helpful. I can do low 32’ and I was very close to Q2, anyway, it’s my best qualifying and we try to keep the consistency for tomorrow’s race. I want to avoid to do any mistakes and bring home as much points as possible for my crew in their home race.”

More, from a press release issued by Angel Nieto Team:

ÁNGEL NIETO TEAM SET GOAL OF RACEDAY FIGHTBACK

Álvaro Bautista and Karel Abraham will start the French GP from the seventh and eighth rows, respectively

The French GP will have a popular poleman on Sunday, as home rider Johann Zarco went quickest in qualifying at Le Mans. Zarco’s 1:31.185 lap allowed him to keep Marc Márquez from pole, with Danilo Petrucci rounding off the front row. It was last year, at this Grand Prix, that Zarco took a place on the front row for the first time. The Frenchman is on a run of nine consecutive races -five this year, four in 2017- starting from the first line of attack, with three of those coming with pole position.

The Ángel Nieto Team have their sights set on fighting their way up through the field at the French Grand Prix. Álvaro Bautista and Karel Abraham will start the contest at Le Mans from the seventh and eighth rows, respectively, after a qualifying session in which they were just 1.5 and 2 seconds off the best time which gave access to Q2. Lap times this weekend have been extremely close amongst the MotoGP riders, and Bautista was only 8 tenths off the top time on the combined timesheets for free practice. Both riders suffered crashes in qualifying, which impeded their progress in the session. Despite this, Bautista is confident that he can recover positions at the start, and fight for a place in the Top 10 while maintaining a good pace.

20th Álvaro Bautista 1:33.324: “It was a crash in which I lost the front end. I was going a little faster than on my fastest lap and I lost the front as a result. It seems like the track has grip, but suddenly you end up on the asphalt. Luckily, I wasn’t hurt. The second bike had a slightly different setup, and I also had to start with the medium tyre, which does not work well for me. It’s a shame because in every practice session we have been getting closer to the top riders, only to crash in qualifying. We are starting from far back, but if I’m able to gain some positions at the start, I think I have a good pace and we could fight for the Top 10.”

24th Karel Abraham 1:33.839: “This has not been the best day for us. We tried some modifications that didn’t work out for us. In the fourth free practice session I was pushing too hard and crashed, and then in the qualifying session I fell again -but on this occasion I don’t think I did anything different to what I had before. I lost the rear in the middle of the corner, and I’m keen to understand what happened.”

More, from a press release issued by Aprilia Gresini Racing:

FOURTH ROW AFTER A CRASH FOR ESPARGARÓ

SCOTT REDDING STOPS ON THE EIGHTH ROW

Going straight through to Q2, earned thanks to the eighth best time in FP3, was foreshadowing of a qualifying session on the attack for Aleix Espargaró in Le Mans. Unfortunately, the Spanish rider fell victim to a crash in the early stages of the decisive session, without physical consequences, but enough to prevent him from improving. In any case, Aleix will start from the fourth row and he’ll be able to count on his and the Aprilia RS-GP’s good potential, as well as a good race pace.

It was a difficult day of qualifying for Scott Redding who, despite some changes made, was still unable to find the right feeling on the French track. At the end of Q1, it was the twenty-second best time and the eighth row for him.

ALEIX ESPARGARO’

“I made a mistake at the beginning of qualifying. I was losing a bit of ground in acceleration, so I tried to make up for it, going into turn 1 too fast. I took a high speed slide, but fortunately without any consequences. I got back on the track with the second bike, which already had not given me a good feeling in FP4 in terms of traction control settings and I was unable to do any more.”

SCOTT REDDING

“Unfortunately, we weren’t able to solve the problems today either. I still do not have the right feeling and I’m unable to ride as I would like to. The situation is not the best, but we’ll keep working. I don’t expect any revolutions from now to the race, but we need to figure out the source of our problems.”

More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda Idemitsu:

NAKAGAMI ON SEVENTH ROW IN FRANCE

LCR Honda IDEMITSU rider Takaaki Nakagami qualified on the seventh row of the grid ahead of Sunday’s French Grand Prix at Le Mans. The Japanese rookie found Saturday’s sessions something of a struggle following his crash in FP2 yesterday, acknowledging he was still carrying some pain from that fall.

The 26-year-old was 20th fastest in both the FP3 and FP4 slots, but improved a little in Q1 to claim 19th position for tomorrow’s race. However, Nakagami remains upbeat about his chances and will look to maintain his proud record of finishing every Grand Prix thus far in his debut season in the MotoGP class.

Takaaki Nakagami– 19th

(1’33.062 – lap 4 of 8)

“We struggled a little bit compared to yesterday after the crash I had in FP2 and my body condition is not perfect. I took some painkillers and the riding felt ok, but I’m not at 100 percent. We also struggled a bit on the set-up of the bike, we tried something we hoped would help but were not able to improve.

“We’ll think about it again for the race. Obviously I’m a little bit behind on the grid, but I’ll do my best and hopefully we can make progress. This race will be very long and key point will be tyre management so we’ll look to make a good start and hopefully finish in a good position.”

More, from a press release issued by Red Bull KTM:

SMITH & ESPARGARO PRIMED FOR FRENCH GRAND PRIX FROM THE SIXTH ROW OF THE GRID

QUALIFYING 5th Rd. MotoGP 2018, Le Mans (FRA)

A promising early showing by Red Bull KTM Factory Racing at the historic setting of Le Mans for the Grand Prix of France converted into sixth row grid slots for Bradley Smith and Pol Espargaro for the fifth round of nineteen in 2018 MotoGP tomorrow afternoon.

MotoGP

The Brit and Spaniard circulated to top ten positions in FP1 on Friday and Pol Espargaro was a very encouraging 7th in FP2 the same day. Warm and breezy conditions were again in place for Saturday’s action and both riders continued work on the KTM RC16 with a view towards the 27 lap distance at 14.00 on Sunday. Bradley Smith struggled with inconsistent rear tyre grip and posted a time for 17th in Q1. Espargaro went for broke and was lucky to escape unharmed from a highside crash on his second flying attempt and ended the period with 18th place.

Smith: “Everyone seems to be suffering with the same sort of problem at the moment and maybe having one of the softer compounds of the season here has something to do with it. It might be a false feeling of grip or some deformation. I don’t believe it is down to the surface of the track. Michelin usually has such a lot of grip in the rear but it is catching us out a bit. I’m still trying to figure it out and some people are managing it. Here at Le Mans the corners are so long that you spend a lot of time on the side of the tyre and any issue is exaggerated. We are trying to find the key. The soft rear seems to be working better than the medium but I can ride with both so we’ll see tomorrow. Hopefully we’ll be going for points.”

Espargaro: “Today didn’t really go to plan. I almost flew on my first lap and then crashed on the second so I could not get that lap-time that I knew was possible. I went into the corner faster and got on the throttle earlier and it finished with a highside. It was a risk, but it was qualifying! I’m a guy that gives everything; I do not leave anything in the pocket. Anyway, I’m not super-sad because we have what we need and the rhythm was nice in FP4. We took too much risk on this track and with the tyres we have. We’ll try harder tomorrow morning and I think we’ll enjoy the race.”

Sebastian Risse (Technical Director MotoGP): “To be fair we feel quite comfortable with our bike at this track. Of course the asphalt is sometimes quite cold and it might be on the limit with the tyre allocation because we see people running soft compounds but overall the bike is not so bad. The lap-times generally in Q2 were incredible and we have big respect for that. We think we could have done a bit better in the sessions and it was not so easy because of crashes and some other difficulties. But I’m quite confident tomorrow and I think we can have a good race. The target is top ten or more.”

Moto2 & Moto3

Sam Lowes was the best qualifier on the KTM Moto2 with 7th position, just ahead of Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Brad Binder and Miguel Oliveira on tenth place.

Binder: “This weekend started out very tricky and it continues to be so, so getting eighth in qualifying is very good. The conditions are very difficult; it’s easy to lose the front and crash, and there have been many riders who went down throughout the day. Tomorrow it will be important to be smart; for us it will be a race of survival, because I think there will be many crashes. I need to find the right pace for the race during the Warm Up and from there we will be ready to face the race with the desire to score as many points as possible.”

Jakub Kornfeil placed his Redox Pruestel GP KTM RC250 GP into 2nd for the Moto3 QP session and sits in the middle of the first row for the opening race of tomorrow’s Grand Prix programme. Three other KTM machines fill the top six with Darryn Binder having also his best qualifying this season starting from 13th place tomorrow.

Races: May 20, 2018 – Moto3 11:00 | Moto2 12:20 | MotoGP 14:00 CET

Results Qualifying MotoGP Le Mans 2018

1. Johann Zarco (FRA), Yamaha, 1:31.185 min

2. Marc Marquez (ESP), Honda, +0.108 sec

3. Danilo Petrucci (ITA), Ducati, +0.196

4. Andrea Iannone (ITA), Suzuki, +0.269

5. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA), Ducati, +0.368

KTM

17. Bradley Smith (GBR), KTM, +1.610

18. Pol Espargaro (ESP), KTM, +1.803

Results Qualifying Moto2 Le Mans 2018

1. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA), Kalex, 1:36.188 min

2. Xavi Vierge (ESP), Kalex, +0.202 sec

3. Lorenzo Baldassarri (ITA), Kalex, +0.395

4. Joan Mir (ESP), Kalex, +0.471

5. Marcel Schrötter (GER), Kalex, +0.483

KTM

7. Sam Lowes (GBR), KTM, +0.596

8. Brad Binder (RSA), KTM, +0.732

10. Miguel Oliveira (POR), KTM, +0.788

Results Qualifying Moto3 Le Mans 2018

1. Jorge Martin (ESP), Honda, 1:42.039 min

2. Jakub Kornfeil (CZE), KTM, +0.123 sec

3. Enea Bastianini (ITA), Honda, +0.124

4. Marcos Ramirez (ESP), KTM, +0.150

5. Albert Arenas (ESP), KTM, +0.175

KTM

6. Marco Bezzecchi (ITA), KTM, +0.316

9. Andrea Migno (ITA), KTM, +0.470

13. Darryn Binder (RSA), KTM, +0.572

More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:

THIRD ROW START FOR MOVISTAR YAMAHA MOTOGP TEAMMATES IN LE MANS

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi will start tomorrow’s Grand Prix de France side-by-side from the third row of the grid, having qualified in eighth and ninth place respectively.

Le Mans (France), 19th May 2018

A red hot qualifying session at the Le Mans – Bugatti Circuit track resulted in both Movistar Yamaha MotoGP teammates securing places on the third row of the grid for the Grand Prix de France. Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi showed competitive speed in Q2, flashing various red sectors, but were unable to ride the perfect lap they had in mind. They secured eighth and ninth place respectively.

Viñales was the second to last rider to leave pit lane at the start of the 15-minute shoot-out. His first flying lap temporarily put him in third place, behind Johann Zarco and Rossi for a provisional Yamaha 1-2-3, until a late starting rider pushed him down one place. The Spaniard went on to improve his time on the next two laps, but still found himself in ninth place as he headed into the pits with more than six minutes remaining.

The young Yamaha-rider soon commenced his second time-attack. He meant business, setting a fastest time in S1 and moved up to seventh place. He again picked up the pace on his next attempt, clocking a 1’31.784s lap, but he didn‘t improve his position in the rankings. He finished Q2 in eighth place, 0.599s from the front.

Rossi was unhurt after a fall in FP4 and was quick to exit the pit box for qualifying, knowing that every second counts. His first hot lap put him in second place. Fully in the flow, he continued his challenge. He produced two fastest sectors on the next lap but wasn’t able to hold the advantage, and thus bettered his time but not his place. He was in eighth position as he and his teammate returned to the pit box.

Two minutes later the Italian re-entered the track. Despite improving his best time on the next two hot laps, he couldn’t find the right feeling and was unable to fight for the top spot. He qualified in ninth place, with a best lap of 1‘31.900s, 0.715s from first, and will be joining Viñales on the third row of the grid tomorrow.

MASSIMO MEREGALLI

TEAM DIRECTOR

After the strong FP3 session this morning, today’s Q2 results were not what we had hoped for. We knew that the qualifying session was going to be full-on, but nevertheless we expected to be a bit higher up the order. Maverick and Vale will both be starting from the third row, which is always a challenge, but since their race pace is quite strong I think they can still fight for good results tomorrow. Tonight we will assemble the data from today’s sessions and prepare some setting updates that we can test in tomorrow’s warm up, even though we won‘t be making any big changes as the track conditions will be completely different in the afternoon. Tomorrow morning we‘ll also make our final decision on which tyres to use for the race.

MAVERICK VIÑALES

My race pace is good when it‘s cold, but when it‘s hot it‘s more difficult to keep up that rhythm. I‘m not exactly sure what my best potential is for tomorrow. It will be hard to repeat our performance from last year, but I will do my best. This morning was really good, I enjoyed the bike and was pushing on every lap, but this afternoon the track conditions were different, it was impossible to do the same lap times. I expected 1‘31-low laps, because in the morning I did 1‘31‘s easily. It‘s going to be a difficult race, but we‘re going to try to score the maximum amount of points. There’s still the warm up left to improve for the race. I don‘t know which tyre I‘m going to use yet, but I have a good rhythm with both.

VALENTINO ROSSI

We tried something in the afternoon, but unfortunately I made a small mistake and I crashed, but my pace is not so bad. When we put in the new tyre I expected to go faster. In the last lap I also made a mistake, but the main problem is that the others are faster. We’ll continue work tomorrow to arrive on the pace and we will try to make the right tyre choice. I will try to push to the maximum to be inside the top-5. After the first three, there are three or four riders with the same pace as me. It will all depend heavily on tomorrow‘s conditions, the start, and the first few laps, so we‘ll see.

More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:

Front row start for Marc Marquez at Le Mans, Pedrosa in tenth place

Marc Marquez’s stunning 1’31.293 in today’s qualifying at Le Mans was 0.790” faster than the previous circuit-best lap (Lorenzo – 2016) but just a fraction down on the new pole record set by Johann Zarco in front of his home crowd.

A confirmation of the team’s strong work leading up to the race, the lap time came after Marc finished second in the morning’s FP3 session and third in FP4.

Dani Pedrosa went successfully through QP1 to QP2 but was unable to improve his speed and tomorrow will start the French Grand Prix from tenth place on the grid. The race begins at 2:00 p.m. local time.

Marc Marquez 93

2ND 1’31.293

“Qualifying went very well. I expected to be fast but ’31.2 was really fast. Of course, Johann had something extra today and that made him even faster! He deserves this pole. On our side we’re very, very happy because this track is one of the worst for us and, even though we’re still struggling a bit, we’re up there and that’s the important part. This morning we had a small tumble and in general, over the weekend, we’ve seen many crashes for several riders. The asphalt offers fantastic grip, which gives you great confidence, so you lean too much and push too much, but ultimately risk a crash. In the morning with cooler temperatures, but also in the afternoon on new tyres, it’s important to wait for the tyre to be ready before pushing hard. It’s something to take into account for tomorrow. Today we tried many different tyres, but we haven’t made our choice yet. It’ll be important to choose the best compound and then try to manage the race well. I think that the biggest challenge tomorrow will be Dovizioso. He’s not on the front row but tomorrow he’ll be there.”

Dani Pedrosa 26

10TH 1’32.024

“The lap times were very tight and the differences very small. It’s a matter of tenths, but those tenths count a lot. Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to make a good qualifying lap, so I’m not very pleased with the result and, in general, with our weekend here so far. We’ll work hard this evening and look for a solution. At the moment we’re losing a little bit everywhere, and at the end this creates quite a gap in such a tight field. Looking at the positives, if we’re able to make a step forward, we should be able to improve our speed around the entire track. Let’s see what we’re be able to do and tomorrow we’ll totally focus on the race.”

More, from a press release issued by Reale Avintia Racing:

Tito Rabat in Q2 and qualifies eleventh for the French GP

Reale Avintia Racing– GP of France – Le Mans

Tito Rabat did a superb job on Saturday morning, when he improved his lap times in FP3 enough to make a straight move to Q2 for the second time this season. In the afternoon, he showed a strong pace with the bike in race configuration and improved his lap time once again in Q2. Finally, he was 11th with a best lap of 1’32.049, which was a great result for Reale Avintia Racing team today and showed Rabat’s big potential for this race.

Xavier Simeon feels more and more comfortable aboard his Ducati and was satisfied with his progress, even though he expected to be a little higher up than in 23rd place in qualifying. Nevertheless, he shares Rabat’s optimism for the race and is sure to be able to improve further on Sunday.

Incredibly, the weather forecast remains sunny and warm for the race in Le Mans.

Tito Rabat | 1’32.049 | P11

“It’s been a great weekend so far and I’m very happy because we are always in positions close to the front. We qualified for Q2 for the first time without help from another rider. But it’s true that I was following Andrea Dovizioso in Q2. In the end, I was not able to improve a lot. But with a good start, the race should also be good.”

Tito Rabat | 1’33.082 | P24

“Today was slightly better than yesterday and I’m happy for that. In qualifying, when I was improving my lap time, the red flag came out. The only positive thing about today is that I was the best rider on a Ducati GP16. The gap to the fastest riders is bigger than in Jerez, and this is not positive. Tomorrow I hope to be focussed and be more consistent during the race to get more experience. I will do my best.”

More, from a press release issued by Alma Pramac Racing:

Grand Prix de France – Qualifying

#FrenchGP Quali. Dream-like Saturday: stunning front row for Petrux and Jack (7th) completes the party

The sun is shining over Le Mans and Alma Pramac Racing celebrates a fantastic result in qualifying for the Grand Prix de France with Danilo Petrucci on the front row and Jack Miller in P7.

Petrux celebrates in Parc Ferme with his team an extraordinary front row, the sixth in his career. The Saturday of the rider from Terni does not start in the best way, however. Danilo was forced to pass by Q1 but the excellent pace in FP4 (2nd quickest) gave him great confidence. Petrux wins the Q1 and in the Q2s he does a masterpiece in the second time attack, finishing third behind Zarco and Marquez.

A great result also for Jack who conquers the seventh position on the grid of the Grand Prix de France. The Australian confirmed his good feeling on Friday (6th) and took the direct qualification to Q2. In qualifying for pole position he pushed hard but by just 93 thousandths of a second, he couldn’t get the second row.

P3 Danilo Petrucci – 1’31.381

“I’m very happy with this result. Despite yesterday’s fall, the feeling has always been very good. I wasn’t able to qualify directly for Q2 but in FP4s I had very positive feedback. I’m happy and I thank the team for this front row. Tomorrow will be a battle”.

P7 Jack Miller – 1’31.683

“I am very satisfied especially for the race pace. The feeling is very positive and I think that tomorrow we can have a good race. To be honest I can say that the seventh position is good but I could have done better. Still, I am very confident for tomorrow’s race”.

More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

Row 2 start for Ducati Team riders in French GP: Andrea Dovizioso fifth and Jorge Lorenzo sixth in qualifying at Le Mans

The Ducati Team riders will start tomorrow’s French Grand Prix at the Bugatti circuit in Le Mans from the second row of the grid.

Andrea Dovizioso, who this morning in FP3 had been unable to improve on his provisional pole time set yesterday, finished the combined standings in fifth place and then remained in that position in the afternoon’s Q2 with a time of 1’31.553.

Jorge Lorenzo on the other hand managed to move up from yesterday’s tenth place to fifth in FP3 (sixth overall), and he also finished Q2 in the same position with a lap of 1’31.590.

The French Grand Prix, round 5 of the championship, will start at 14.00 CET tomorrow afternoon and will be run over a distance of 27 laps.

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 5th (1’31.553)

“Today went well. The feeling with my Desmosedici GP is very good and seeing as I already had good speed, this afternoon we were able to concentrate on working on the set-up and on tyres, and now we have very clear ideas for tomorrow. I’m pleased with everything, we are in a good situation and we have the pace to fight for the podium, but there are many quick riders and so it will only be in the race that we will see which riders have better pace than the others.”

Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team #99) – 6th (1’31.590)

“Even though we are not on the front row, it was a positive day in many aspects. We followed the same working method as Jerez and, thanks also to the new chassis that I had tested at Mugello, bit by bit we were able to improve the bike. I just missed out on an ‘explosive’ lap but in any case I’m happy with my starting position. We have a good race pace, but there are a lot of fast riders out there and until tomorrow it’s going to be difficult to interpret the potential of each one. We’ll try and fight for the podium, and in any case take home the best result possible.”

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

The history maker: Zarco takes pole on home soil

The home hero beat Marquez and Petrucci, set a new record and became the first Frenchman to secure pole on home soil since 1988

Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) stormed to a history-making pole position at the HJC Helmets Grand Prix de France, smashing the pole record to become the first Frenchman to secure pole on home soil since Christian Sarron at Paul Ricard in 1988. Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez threatened to spoil the party on his final lap as the reigning Champion honed in, but it wasn’t enough and the World Championship leader starts P2. Q1 graduate Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Racing), meanwhile, made his presence felt in Q2 and will start tomorrow’s race third on the grid.

It was an incredibly tense Q2 session in Le Mans, with all eyes on the number five. The Frenchman, straight out the blocks, didn’t disappoint and topped the timesheets after his first flying lap. But Marquez – as ever – was quick to reply. The reigning World Champion wasn’t at the summit for long though, as Petrucci put in his fastest lap of the weekend go provisional P1. Zarco though had other ideas, and on the final lap of his first run, the Frenchman sent a warning sign, going 0.330 seconds quicker than anyone else.

When the riders came back out for their second runs, Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team) briefly led the session but Marquez then reset the benchmark, with Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar) also leaping up the timesheets and taking second. However, the home hero wasn’t done, again going quickest, this time by 0.130. As all looked set and done, Marquez’ efforts on his final lap sent French nerves into overdrive but Zarco held on,

Behind the explosive front row, Andrea Iannone starts from P4 on his Suzuki and was less than a tenth off the front row – another name sure to add fireworks to the fight at the front. The Italian heads the two factory Ducatis of Andrea Dovizioso, who’ll start fifth, and Lorenzo in sixth – both of whom look to have very strong race pace.

Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing) was impressive once again in P7 and in the mix throughout the session, making it four Ducatis in the top seven on a track the manufacturer has never won at. A team who have enjoyed winning at Le Mans recently are Movistar Yamaha MotoGP, however, but Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi will have work to do from P8 and P9 on the grid respectively – over half a second behind fellow Yamaha rider Zarco.

Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team), who came through Q1, will start from tenth on Sunday – but the ‘Little Samurai’ is a previous winner at the track, and came through from outside the top ten to take the podium last season. He was just ahead of Tito Rabat (Reale Avintia Racing), who was a slender 0.025 behind his compatriot, and Aprilia Racing Team Gresini’s Aleix Espargaro. The number 41 crashed at Turn 1 on his opening run but was ok and ran back to the pits.

Now, the grid is set for the French GP. Zarco led into the chicane here in 2017 after starting third, can he hold off the ever-fast Marquez and Petrucci when he launches from pole? Watch out, too, for the fast-starting Lorenzo on the second row, will he reproduce the lighting start he produced in Jerez? The top eleven are covered by eight tenths, and it looks set to be a classic.

The lights go out au Mans at 14:00 (GMT +2) – can Zarco change his dream of victory into a reality?

Record-breaking Bagnaia unbeatable in qualifying

The Championship leader set a new lap record, with Vierge and Baldassarri his closest challengers

Franceso Bagnaia (Sky Racing Team VR46) will start tomorrow’s HJC Helmets Grand Prix de France from pole for the first time in his Moto2™ career, setting a new pole lap record along the way. Xavi Vierge (Dynavolt Intact GP), who crashed on his final run, will start second on the grid, 0.202 behind, with Jerez winner Lorenzo Baldassarri (Pons HP40) earning his fourth front row start of the year in P3.

Second place man Vierge was the early pace setter in the session, setting a new lap record after just five minutes. Bagnaia though was right on his tail, and sure enough, the Italian moved the goal posts to set 1:36.188 on the following lap – neither of the top two would go on to improve their times.

Joan Mir (EG 0,0 Estrella Galicia) secured P4 on his final run, the rookie interchanged positions with teammate Alex Marquez at the end of the session – the latter will start from sixth. Marcel Schroetter (Dynavolt Intact GP) continued his fantastic weekend and jumped up to fifth position towards the end, splitting the Marc VDS riders before crashing – rider ok.

Sam Lowes (Swiss Innovative Investors) was twice a faller in qualifying, but the Brit still managed to spearhead the third row, 0.108 behind Marquez. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) was a further 0.136 back from Lowes in eighth, with the South African finding some speed in qualifying after a more low key weekend. He’ll start just ahead of Simone Corsi (Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2), who took ninth – his best qualifying result of the season.

Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) was P10, while Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team) suffered another crash early in the session and will start P11, with both men looking to move forward.

Frenchman Fabio Quartararo (MB Conveyors – Speed Up), despite an early crash, lines up 14th and is the top French hope on home soil.

It’s lights out at 12:20 (GMT +2) for the intermediate class on Sunday – who will take the Bugatti Circuit by storm?

Magnificent Martin snatches late pole

The Spaniard left it late, beating Kornfeil and Bastianini to the top

For the third time in 2018, Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) will start the Moto3™ race from pole position after putting in a magnificent final run to take top spot at the HJC Helmets Grand Prix de France. Jakub Kornfeil (Redox PrustelGP) continued his great weekend, leaping up the timesheets at the end of the session to start from P2 on his 150th Grand Prix start. After a heavy fall at the start of the session, Enea Bastianini (Leopard Racing) then put in a valiant effort to start from third in Sunday’s race and complete the front row – just 0.001 off Kornfeil.

Despite the perfect weather conditions, there were several early crashers in the session. Bastianini high-sided at Turn 6, with rookie Jaume Masia (Bester Capital Dubai) suffering the same fate at Turn 4. Gabriel Rodrigo (RBA BOE Skull Rider) high sided coming onto the home straight – the Argentine took no further part in the session, and was taken to the medical centre for a checkup.

The times weren’t threatening the circuit lap record until Fabio Di Giannantonio (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) struck with 12 minutes to go, which set the scene for a barnstorming final ten minutes. Marcos Ramirez (Bester Capital Dubai) briefly took over at the front, before Bastianini went quickest. However, when the riders came out for their final run, it was Martin who took control – and his 1:42.039 proved to be unbeatable.

Ramirez took P4 and heads the second row of the grid, with Albert Arenas (Angel Nieto Team Moto3), another crasher early on, coming back out strongly to take P5. Championship leader Marco Bezzecchi (Redox PrustelGP) – who crashed at Turn 7 mid way through the session – locks out that second row as he searches for his second win of the season.

Friday’s fastest man Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) was seventh fastest, with Di Giannantonio and Andrea Migno (Angel Nieto Team Moto3) joining him on the third row of the grid.

Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0) was tenth quickest, however he’ll start tomorrow’s race from the back of the grid following a penalty, so everyone behind the Spaniard will move up a place. This means Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing) rounds out the top ten, with Jerez winner Philipp Oettl (Südmetall Schedl GP Racing) P11 and the recovering Darryn Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) an encouraging P12.

The Moto3™ class will go racing at 11:00 local time (GMT +2), don’t miss it!

More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki ECSTAR:

SECOND ROW START IN FRENCH GP FOR IANNONE

Andrea Iannone: 4th – 1:31.454 (+ 0.269)

Alex Rins: 15th – 1:32.401 (+ 0.583)

• Strong pace from Iannone with second row start.

•Challenging day for “rookie” Rins.

•Improvements found despite difficult day.

Le Mans’ varying track temperatures caused difficulties for many riders during Saturday’s session, with crashes and errors dominating proceedings.

FP3 saw temperatures ranging from 12c to 25c over the lap, meaning riders had to adapt fast to the changing conditions and focus on keeping heat in their tyres. This made it difficult for anyone to improve, despite the Team SUZUKI ECSTAR riders hoping to secure direct passage to Q2. Andrea Iannone pulled out all the stops during the tense session, and managed a strong lap time while running a soft-soft combination, this elevated him to 4th and simultaneously secured his place in the Top 10 overall. Alex Rins also worked hard to improve, and was able to do so, but when the chequered flag flew he just missed out on Q2 pace.

Rins, who suffered a crash without consequences during FP4, started Q1 with the medium-soft combo and began to improve further, staying close to the top three and briefly placing himself in the top two. But unfortunately his best time of 1:32.401, just +0.583 from the top, left him 15th on the closely packed grid.

Andrea Iannone confirmed his promising form during FP4, and carried this pace into the 15-minute Q2 session. With the soft-soft combo he was able to place himself 3rd, just +0.247 from pole position. He continued to push on his last run and moved to 2nd place with a 1:31.454 in the closing moments of the session. However, he was bumped onto the second row at the last second, and will start tomorrow’s race 4th, +0.269 from pole.

Davide Brivio – Team Manager

“Andrea has done a good job so far this weekend, and it’s very nice to start on the second row because he has shown fast pace throughout the practice sessions. Starting 4th on the grid, Andrea could be able to stay in the top group during the race. For Alex things have been more complicated today; he was a bit unlucky when he crashed on some gravel which was on the track, and then in qualifying things got more complicated. Starting 15th won’t be easy tomorrow, but we will keep our heads up and try our best. This circuit isn’t easy for overtaking but let’s see what can happen.”

Andrea Iannone

“I’m really happy about the qualifying, I pushed more than 100% and today we improved a lot compared to the morning. We used FP4 to find a better set-up and improve my pace, so I think despite struggling a lot on acceleration, the feeling with the bike, even on the braking point, isn’t bad. We have good pace, not the best pace, but it’s possible to fight. We are close to the podium, so depending on the temperature and other factors, we will see what can happen. There are seven or eight riders all very close, and this year has been crazy like that.”

Alex Rins

“I was a bit surprised to miss out on Q2, I had expected to get there. But everyone is very close and the margins are small. In general we have a good rhythm, we just need to improve the ‘one lap’ pace. Anyway, for tomorrow’s race I will try to make a good start and try to overtake as quickly as possible. Together with the team I have set a target of Top 10, and I will try to do all I can to achieve that. In the last few races I have crashed, but whilst fighting with the front group, so I have been happy to be able to aim for the win. I need to work more to be back in that position.”

More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda Castrol:

UPDATE ON CAL CRUTCHLOW AFTER QUALIFYING CRASH

LCR Honda CASTROL’s Cal Crutchlow suffered a vicious highside crash during Saturday’s qualifying 1 session at the Grand Prix of France in Le Mans. Exiting turn nine whilst on a fast lap, the British rider was thrown over the top of his bike, before then being hit again by the motorcycle as it slid along the asphalt behind him.

The British rider was attended immediately by the marshals and medical staff at the side of the track, where it became clear that he had not lost consciousness at any moment, but was complaining of pain in the hip region. Cal was stretchered off, before being transferred by ambulance to the circuit’s medical centre. Once he was checked over by the medical team at the circuit, he was taken to the Centre Hospitalier du Mans for further examinations, which are still ongoing.

Provisionally, Crutchlow has qualified in 13th place on the grid, but a decision is still to be taken as to whether he will be fit to race.

Cal Crutchlow – 13th

(1’32.315 – lap 6 of 6)

Lucio Cecchinello – LCR Honda Castrol Team Principal

“The most important thing first of all, is that after examination both at the Le Mans circuit medical centre and here at the hospital in Le Mans, Cal has suffered no fractures or major injuries. However, before Cal can be discharged from the hospital, he must undergo a series of blood tests and get their results.”

“We will await the results of these tests and reports before making any further decisions, and will endeavour to keep the media and fans updated as soon as we have more information”.