FIM MotoGP World Championship
Circuito de Jerez
Jerez de la Frontera, Spain
May 5, 2017
Free Practice Two Results (all on Michelin tires):
1. Dani PEDROSA, Spain (HONDA), 1:39.420
2. Jack MILLER, Australia (HONDA), 1:39.964
3. Cal CRUTCHLOW, UK (HONDA), 1:40.045
4. Jorge LORENZO, Spain (DUCATI), 1:40.291
5. Danilo PETRUCCI, Italy (DUCATI), 1:40.378
6. Maverick VIÑALES, Spain (YAMAHA), 1:40.379, crash
7. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (DUCATI), 1:40.392
8. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (DUCATI), 1:40.428
9. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (APRILIA), 1:40.479, crash
10. Pol ESPARGARO, Spain (KTM), 1:40.573
11. Scott REDDING, UK (DUCATI), 1:40.639
12. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (YAMAHA), 1:40.698
13. Jonas FOLGER, Germany (YAMAHA), 1:40.773
14. Marc MARQUEZ, Spain (HONDA), 1:40.915
15. Johann ZARCO, France (YAMAHA), 1:41.019
16. Andrea IANNONE, Italy (SUZUKI), 1:41.165
17. Tito RABAT, Spain (HONDA), 1:41.165
18. Bradley SMITH, UK (KTM), 1:41.432
19. Takuya TSUDA, Japan (SUZUKI), 1:41.887
20. Sam LOWES, UK (APRILIA), 1:41.905
21. Karel ABRAHAM, Czech Republic (DUCATI), 1:41.909
22. Loris BAZ, France (DUCATI), 1:42.515
23. Hector BARBERA, Spain (DUCATI), 1:42.630
More, from a press release issued by Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS:
Miller makes flying start to milestone Jerez MotoGP round
Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider Jack Miller made a sensational start to the Spanish MotoGP round in Jerez today, with the Australian finishing in the top three in two practice sessions run in contrasting conditions.
Cool, wet and windy conditions greeted the paddock this morning for the start of FP1, as the MotoGP field kicked off preparations for the historic 3000th Grand Prix on Sunday.
Miller is recognised as one of the most accomplished wet weather riders in MotoGP after he stormed to a stunning success in last June’s Dutch TT at the legendary Assen track. And his skill and finesse in wet conditions quickly came to prominence in the opening 45-minute session when he set third best time to finish just 0.2s behind the best pace.
This afternoon’s second session started under dry and cloudy skies, but the early challenge was safely negotiating numerous damp patches that were scattered around the 4.4km track.
Track conditions improved throughout the session and Miller took advantage of a fully dry surface to log a stunning lap of 1’39.964 that put him in a brilliant second place overall. It was Miller’s best lap of the Jerez track and gives him great confidence that he can secure a fourth successive top 10 finish of the season in Sunday’s 27-lap race.
Tito Rabat dedicated most his time on track this morning to gaining more confidence in wet conditions and he was satisfied to lap close to two seconds off the best pace.
Unwilling to take too many risks on a drying track this afternoon, Rabat ended the day in 17th position but confident he can make big progress in improving on his best pace of 1’41.165.
Jack Miller: 2nd – 1’39.964
“I felt really comfortable on the bike in the wet this morning and was happy to be battling inside the top three. The start of this afternoon’s session was a bit tricky because there were still quite a few damp patches around. But at the end it was completely dry and I was happy with my lap time. I did a 1’39.964 and that’s my best lap here at Jerez. I did that time alone as well and I just feel confident and comfortable with how the bike is behaving around this track. I’ve got some great feeling from the front end and I can put the bike where I want to without being too close to the limit. It’s a brilliant way to start the weekend and hopefully we can build on this for a strong result on Sunday.”
Tito Rabat: 17th – 1’41.165
“I was lacking a bit of confidence in the wet conditions this morning and we had to make a lot of changes to the set-up, in particular the electronics. We made a lot of progress though with the bike performance in the rain, so I think we can be more optimistic about our potential in these conditions again in the future. I had a good feeling in FP2 but I was surprised at the pace in the early laps. Some people were going crazy because there were a lot of damp patches and it was quite dangerous in parts, so I tried to stay calm. I took a few more risks on the final run but there was no meaning to push too hard in those conditions. We have picked up a few good pointers for the set-up today and I am sure with better weather we can go faster over the rest of the weekend.”
Ramon Aurin: Jack Miller Chief Engineer
“Today has been very positive for us with Jack inside the top three in very different conditions in the two sessions. We came to Jerez to test last November and that has helped because we have some good information for the set-up of the bike. But Jack is feeling very confident right now and I think that showed today. His confidence has been growing with the three top 10 finishes in the first three races and today was the perfect way to build on that momentum gained so far. We know Jack is strong in the wet, but it was still good to see him showing that this morning to finish the wet FP1 in the top three. The target for tomorrow is to get into the top 10 and go straight into Q2. It will be difficult but right now we are happy and optimistic for the remainder of the weekend.”
More, from a press release issued by Aprilia:
TOP-10 BOTH ON THE DRY AND WET FOR ALEIX ESPARGARÓ
GOOD FEELING ON THE APRILIA RS-GP AT JEREZ FOR SAM LOWES
Two practice sessions in opposite conditions opened up the MotoGP weekend at Jerez de la Frontera. In fact, the morning FP1 sessions were accompanied by intermittent rain that left the Spanish track wet for the entire time. Aleix Espargaró demonstrated excellent harmony with his Aprilia, maintaining a good pace and finishing the session with the seventh best time, just seven tenths behind the best. Sam Lowes approached the treacherous session a bit more cautiously, waiting for the conditions to stabilize in order to gain confidence on the damp asphalt. In the eight laps Sam did, he earned eighteenth place.
FP2 was dry, with the track improving but some damp patches still hindering the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini riders. It was precisely in a slippery area just off the line where Aleix fell victim to a harmless crash during a promising lap, but he was able to restart almost immediately with his second RS-GP. The rather different settings did not give the Spanish rider the same feeling, but he still managed to finish in the top 10 (ninth place at +1.059). Sam Lowes is improving, especially in terms of his feeling in the saddle. Only a few problems in the final stage when he was trying to improve his time on a new tyre kept him from moving up a few positions in the standings.
ALEIX ESPARGARO’
“This morning in the wet I felt really good. It has been a while since I have been that fast in those conditions. The crash in FP2 was my mistake. I went a bit off the line and hit a wet patch. It was a pity because the two bikes are set up differently. When I had to restart with the second bike, the conditions were not right for that type of setup. I did not have the same feeling, especially with the front end, but tomorrow with a dry track times will improve a lot, so we will be able to continue our practice schedule.”
SAM LOWES
“I had very good sensations in the saddle straight away on this track, so I think that tomorrow we will be able to make a significant improvement and do a good job on the bike. In FP2 I was a bit nervous because I did not have any experience with the Michelin tyres in such mixed conditions, with damp patches on the track, but the weather forecast for tomorrow is good, so I am confident that we will be able to take some big steps forward. We will keep working in particular to improve the way the bike behaves in the fastest sectors of the track.”
More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3:
Determined Tech3 pair kick off Spanish Grand Prix campaign
Jonas Folger and Johann Zarco got straight to work in southern Spain today as they firmly intend to close the first European round of the year with two solid displays on Sunday. The opening day of action got off to a wet start as rain fell throughout FP1 yet Jonas Folger powered through and eventually finished 6th. He continued his relentless efforts in the dry afternoon session before completing the practice in 13th, but 0.394 back from Maverick Viñales in 6th. Meanwhile, Johann Zarco showed notable promise today, however, his charge in the afternoon was brought to an unfortunate and premature end due to a minor technical issue.
Jonas FOLGER
Position: 13th – Time: 1’40.773 – Laps: 36
“Today was good in the end, but I have to admit that it was also quite challenging at times. We started to work on the setting of the bike after the wet morning practice. Then, in the afternoon, the conditions improved and we were able to ride some decent lap times. However, at the beginning of the session, the front of the bike was too soft, and then after that, we were sitting too much on the rear. At the moment, there is some transfer from the front and rear of the bike in between braking and acceleration. Yet, in terms of riding, I learnt a lot today and I really do enjoy riding here. I’m certain that if we do a solid job tomorrow and set the bike up well, then we can be successful.”
Johann ZARCO
Position: 15th – Time: 1’41.019 – Laps: 34
“It was a tricky day in some respects, however, we gained some valuable information and I am upbeat for the rest of the weekend. This morning there was a lot of rain and for me, this was positive as it allowed me to experience my first taste of this track on a MotoGP bike in wet conditions. So I started calmly and I took my time to understand the YZR-M1, the power and the circuit. The feeling was good, even though the position was a bit further back from where I would like to be, but the limit was too far and I need some more time to work and improve. However, in the afternoon, it was dry, with a few damp patches but I was happy to be on the pace quickly. The team and I made a change on the bike, which we had planned in Texas, and it gave me a better overall feeling. The good point is that it worked well on a track like this one, so it will be an improvement for the whole season and for every venue that we visit. Unfortunately, in the end, I had a small technical issue and I didn’t want to push and risk anything so I decided to stop, which was the best thing to do. I will remain calm and we will try to improve again tomorrow.”
More, from a press release issued by Octo Pramac Racing:
Petrux got off a super start (5th) at Jerez. Scott ended up in 11th
The first day of free practices at Jerez de la Frontera came to an end with a superb 5th place gained by Danilo Petrucci as Scott Redding finished very close to the Top 10 with good feeling in sight of tomorrow’s FP3.
After the heavy rain fell during the FP1 – ended with Danilo Petrucci and Scott Redding in 8th and 11th respectively – the rider from Terni worked hard on race pace before returning on track setting the fifth quickest lap-time (1’40.378), only 87 milliseconds from Jorge Lorenzo.
Scott finished his first day of activity with much confidence that comes from the constancy on race pace. The English rider worked on the set up of his Ducati Desmosedici Gp but didn’t manage to get the most out of the time attack, ended up with the time of 1’40,639, one step away from to the Top 10 (only 66 milliseconds) and just two tenths of a second behind his team-mate.
5th – Danilo Petrucci – 1’40.378
“It was a strange day. The track has not completely dried after the morning’s rain and in the afternoon the circuit was still a bit wet. As a result it was very risky to push hard. I had to find the right confidence, but in the end we did a good job. We still have room for improvements but meanwhile we with the others in front and tomorrow we have so many solutions to try. That is why I am very pleased”.
11th – Scott Redding – 1’40.639
“This morning we only lapped to find a little feeling in wet conditions and things did not go wrong. In the afternoon I struggled a bit especially in corner speed and this did not allow me to be as fast as I would like. I honestly feared it could go worse that’s why I’m pretty happy. We also worked a bit with the tires and the data are good”.
More, from a press release issued by Pull&Bear Aspar Team:
Bautista starts seventh at home
Pull&Bear Aspar rider finds good feeling on day one of Spanish Grand Prix. Karel Abraham, still recovering from injury, starts twenty-first at Jerez
The MotoGP World Championship returns to Europe after the first three races of the season this weekend, with a new name on top at Jerez. Dani Pedrosa was the fastest man of the day by far, more than half a second ahead of Jack Miller and Cal Crutchlow on a day that started with rain but ended with radiant sunshine on the Andalusian circuit. Jorge Lorenzo is the top Ducati in fourth place, a tenth faster than Danilo Petrucci and with Maverick Viñales sixth. Series leader Valentino Rossi started the Spanish Grand Prix in 12th place, 1.2 seconds behind.
Álvaro Bautista opened his home round in seventh position, with a best time (1:40.392) set on the second-to-last of his 21 laps during second free practice, the only sunny session of the day. The Pull&Bear Aspar rider was the last man to lap within a second of the leader, although he recognises that he did not feel total confidence on the bike because there were still wet patches on the track. Bautista ended the first day feeling positive and intent on continuing to improve at Jerez. Meanwhile Karel Abraham struggled today with the ankle and knee injuries he sustained in Austin a couple of weeks ago. The Czech rider was also unable to go on track in the first session due to the weather conditions, while in the second free a problem with the bike forced him to stop for several minutes. Despite this, Abraham hopes to continue improving tomorrow on a track in which he completed a good preseason test in November.
7th Álvaro Bautista 1:40.392 (35 laps): “It’s been a weird day. In wet conditions I have not felt very comfortable, I was missing a bit of contact with the rear wheel and I have not been able to enjoy everything I would have liked. In the afternoon with the dry track there were still some damp sectors. In the end I felt very good with the bike, happy with the feeling, although it was a little difficult to test the tyres, especially the front, because I did not have much confidence in the wet patches. We always rode with the soft, maybe it was too soft in the end. The bike became a bit unstable and I had trouble getting into the corners. In short, we finished the first day with positive feelings, but looking forward to continue improving tomorrow. “
21st Karel Abraham 1:41.909 (14 laps): “I felt a lot better before coming to Jerez but I am in a surprising amount of pain on the bike, with my knee and also my ankle. It has been a frustrating day because we had a lot of things to try but we lost a session this morning due to the weather. It wasn’t worth taking a risk in my condition. In the afternoon I went out and set a fast flying lap but then immediately we had a problem with the bike and I had to stop halfway around the track and come back on the scooter. That cost me fifteen minutes. Then we had a problem with the second bike and I had to come in again. I think from the whole day we had just one decent exit, which is not what we needed, so tomorrow will be hard for us, we will have to work really hard and really quickly but I believe we will be able to do it and make up the gap.”
More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:
CAUTIOUS START FOR MOVISTAR YAMAHA ON SOAKED OPENING DAY IN SPAIN
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi treated the Circuito de Jerez with great care today, as they found themselves in wet to intermediate conditions during the first free practice sessions of the Gran Premio de España.
Jerez de la Frontera (Spain), 5th May 2017
Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi started the fourth round of the 2017 MotoGP World Championship today at an overcast Circuito de Jerez. While rain dampened the pace in FP1, the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP duo rounded up the FP2 session in Spanish sunshine, taking sixth and twelfth place respectively and the same positions in the combined time sheets.
Eager to claim a position in the top ten at the end of the first day, Viñales headed out on track to get familiar with the circuit. However, wet track conditions and persistent rain meant he had to stay cautious. The Spaniard was aware that the weather was predicted to clear up later in the day, so he took no unnecessary risks and set a best time of 1’52.555s, 0.907s from first, earning him tenth place.
The young gun made great progress in the afternoon when the sun came out. He improved to a 1‘41.718s and was on course to better his position, when a small crash in turn nine lost him some track time. Fortunately uninjured, Viñales hurried back to the pit box. This slight set-back didn’t stop him from pushing at the end of the session, when he set a 1‘40.379s lap for sixth place, 0.959s from first.
Teammate Rossi also kept his patience in this morning‘s miserable conditions. With FP1 being uncharacteristically wet for the Andalusian circuit, he used the session to adjust his bike’s wet setting and assemble some valuable data to be used for future wet GPs. He slowly upped his pace during the 45-minute outing and finished with a best lap of 1’53.263s, for 16th position, 1.615s from the front.
The Doctor carried forward his gradual improvements in the afternoon. He was keen to return to the track and get a feel for the drying Circuito de Jerez, whilst skilfully avoiding the wet patches. He continued to work hard on his setting and dropped under the 1’41-mark on his third and last stint. His fastest time of 1‘40.698s leaves him just outside the top10, in 12th place in today’s combined times, 1.278s from the front.
MASSIMO MEREGALLI
TEAM DIRECTOR
There was rain predicted for today and it certainly played a role in FP1 and FP2. The track conditions were very tricky in the morning, so we were careful not to take any risks, especially since we expect tomorrow and Sunday to be dry. We made most of the situation to work on a wet setting, that still needs to be improved on this year‘s bike. In the afternoon there were many wet patches on the track and unfortunately Maverick got caught out by one in turn 9 and lost the front. Luckily, he was left unhurt and was able to improve his time. Valentino also faced some difficulties due to the conditions of the track and couldn‘t work properly on the set-up of his bike. We have work to do on both sides of the garage to fine-tune the settings for tomorrow‘s FP3 and we expect the condition of the track to become better too, which will allow us to exploit our bike‘s strongest points.
MAVERICK VIÑALES
I‘m OK. I went a little bit outside of the race line and there were some wet patches. As I told the team, I didn‘t have the chance to pick up the bike again, so I crashed. Anyway, after I exited pit lane again, I was feeling good with the bike. We still have to improve some areas, but I‘m quite happy overall, we did a good lap time. Finally for tomorrow, we have to make a good FP3 to go directly into Q2, so we still have to do some work. I tried the aero-fairing, but we still have to try it again tomorrow, because today the track was 50/50 and it was difficult to understand if it was better or not.
VALENTINO ROSSI
The conditions were quite wet today. This morning the track was full wet and the first impression is that with this bike we suffer a bit more. We have to work. In fact, we were not very fast this morning. In the afternoon it was dry, but not completely, so we had to stay cautious because there were some humid patches. In the afternoon we also had some problems. We are not fast enough, so we have to work.
More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:
Gran Premio de España
MotoGP 2017 Round 4
Pedrosa leads the way on day 1 at Jerez, Marquez concentrates on race pace
The Red Bull Spanish GP got off to a brilliant start for Dani Pedrosa, who led both the wet FP1 and the dry FP2 sessions. At the end of the day, the Repsol Honda rider was quickest by more than half a second over Jack Miller and by more than six tenths of a second over Cal Crutchlow, who completed an all-Honda provisional front row at the Andalusian track.
Dani and Jack were the only two riders today who were able to dip under the 1’40” barrier.
Reigning World Champion Marc Marquez set the fifth-fastest time in the morning and was 14th in the afternoon, choosing to end the session on the same set of medium tyres that he had used for the entire session, in order to take advantage of every minute of dry time available by continuing to work on his race pace.
The weather forecasts for the rest of the weekend are good.
Dani Pedrosa 26
1ST 1’39.420
“Today we had a good day, positive both in the wet and in the dry. We tried to do as much work as possible, even if the track conditions changed quite a lot during the day. In the afternoon there were still damp patches here and there, but I tried to be fast early because quickly finding a good pace was important. We had two different bike setups and we managed to try both of them, so for tomorrow we’ll be able to be more focused on choosing the best tyres. For sure the air and track temperatures will increase a lot, so tomorrow we’ll concentrate on that and on further improving the feeling on the bike, although it was already very good today.”
Marc Marquez 93
14TH 1’40.915
“Today we focused particularly on working for the race. Of course if you look at the position, we’re far away, but in reality there are already many positives we can count on. This afternoon we spent the whole session on the same tyres and in the end we decided not to go for a time attack because we were concentrating on trying two very different setups and it was important to decide on one of them. We chose one that has many positive aspects and some that we want to improve, so tomorrow we’ll concentrate on finding the best compromise to get better and better before Sunday.”
More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:
Jorge Lorenzo completes first day of Spanish GP practice at Jerez in fourth place, Andrea Dovizioso in eighth
The first day of free practice for the Spanish GP at Jerez de la Frontera came to a close with Jorge Lorenzo in fourth place and Andrea Dovizioso in eighth after FP2, which was held this afternoon on an almost totally dry track.
The first session in the morning had been held in wet conditions due to intermittent rain that fell on the Andalusian track throughout the 45 minutes. At the end of FP1 Dovizioso and Lorenzo were classified respectively in fourth and ninth.
In the afternoon Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Dovizioso fitted soft rear tyres towards the end of the session to set fourth (1’40.291) and eighth (1’40.428) quickest times respectively.
Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team #99) – 1’40.291 (4th)
“Probably today’s was my best practice session this season, especially because the sensations in the final run with a new tyre were very good. Every time I get on the Desmosedici the feeling gets better and better and, although we still have a lot of work to do, especially with used tyres and thinking of the future, today we finished positively and I was the first Ducati rider with fourth quickest time. It’s true that we are still some way off the leaders and that tomorrow we will have to confirm that we have made a step forward, but I think that we have margin for improvement.”
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 1’40.428 (8th)
“It was important to do this afternoon’s session on a virtually dry track because, even though there were still some damp patches, we were able to do a good job and this helps us to be ready for tomorrow morning. Today the conditions were rather difficult and you had to try not to make any errors, but on my quick lap unfortunately I made a small mistake otherwise I would have been quicker. Despite this, my time is not bad, even though I’m struggling to be as quick as I would like in the middle of the corner. Now we’ll have to see what we can do tomorrow, when for sure we’ll find the track surface completely dry.”
More, from a press release issued by Reale Avintia Racing:
Difficult first day at Jerez for Reale Avintia Racing riders
The opening day of the Spanish Gran Prix has been quite difficult for the Reale Avintia Racing riders. The first 45 minutes session was rained out and with the weather forecast improving for the afternoon, Hector Barbera decided to sit the session out in the garage. Loris Baz took to the track and completed the full session in the wet in order to get a better feeling with his new bike and the result was positive.
In the afternoon, with the track drying but with some wet patches around the circuit, the riders went out with slick tyres. Loris Baz did a promising start and he was fast and strong until he crashed halfway through the session. He braked in a wet area and lost the front. This affected his confidence during the rest of the session and he was not able to make further improvements, but the Reale Avintia Racing rider aims to get his feeling back tomorrow.
For Hector Barbera, the day was even tougher. The Spanish Reale Avintia Racing rider continues to struggle with the front end feeling and he used the dry session to test different solutions on his bike and also worked on his riding style without looking at the lap times.
Tomorrow both riders will fight to improve during FP3 and FP4, to give the maximum in qualifying and try to get the best possible grid position for Sunday’s race.
Hector Barbera | 1’42.630 | P23
“The start of FP2 was quite good. I felt comfortable and the bike was working really well, but I lost the front braking in a wet patch and I crashed. When I got back with my spare bike I didn’t have the same feeling and I sincerely think that my crew chief, Paolo or even my father would have been faster than me… I was joking, but to be honest, we need to forget the last part of the session and get the feeling back for tomorrow. This morning I did some laps in the rain to know this bike better in wet conditions. It was good and now we have a base set-up for a wet race, because I’m sure it will rain at some race during the season.”
Loris Baz | 1’42.515 | P22
“This was not the best way to start my home race. This morning I decided to stay in my garage, because with difficult track conditions I didn´t want to lose feeling after making a step forward in Austin. So I watched the practice from my pit. This afternoon the conditions improved and we got out to do some laps, but my problem remains. I have no feeling with the front and I’m not able to get the front tyre to work. We have to reset, these new tyres are really stiff and they need more pressure to work properly. We are going to try to change my position on the bike to put more weight on the front, and we will see if this works.”
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki ECSTAR:
CHALLENGING FIRST DAY IN JEREZ
Andrea Iannone: 16th – 1’41.165/+1.745
Takuya Tsuda: 19th – 1’41.887/+2.467
Changing weather conditions greeted Team SUZUKI ECSTAR in their first European round, with rain falling in the morning making the FP1 session wet, and sun arriving in the afternoon for a dry second session. In these conditions both Andrea Iannone and Takuya Tsuda were able to lap consistently and gave engineers useful data, although the final results are not completely satisfying: Iannone ends this first day in Jerez with 16th place, while Tsuda is in P19.
The morning session saw Andrea Iannone make solid progress run after run, cutting nearly a second from his lap time. While during dry conditions in the afternoon, his performance was affected by a less than optimal feeling with the electronics which are in need of improvement. The different conditions of the track were very useful for the riders and the team in gaining experience, but did lead to a delay in the practice program of the engineers.
Suzuki’s test rider Takuya Tsuda debuted in his MotoGP race aboard the GSX-RR that had been left available by the injured Alex Rins. The Japanese rider was able to experience both wet and dry conditions and his performance was solid. He consistently ran close to the top 15 and improved run after run.
Davide Brivio – Team Manager
“Having the weather situation change from morning to afternoon meant that we could only make use of one session to work on the dry configuration, and we still need some work done to finalize the electronics. We need more analysis of the data which we will do tonight, trying to find a better configuration for tomorrow in order to perform better in FP3. At least it looks like we took a step forward with the setup that gave Andrea a better feeling with the front end. We will try to investigate more tomorrow to see if this is the right way in which to proceed. Tsuda did a good job. He debuted both in wet and dry conditions, and his was a positive performance. The first day is over, but we will try to continue this trend towards progression tomorrow.”
Andrea Iannone
“This has not been an easy day, but we tried our best. This morning on the wet track I showed improved performance run after run and also lap by lap. In the end I cut nearly a second off my time. In addition, the feeling with the GSX-RR improved, and this is a positive thing. In dry conditions we are struggling a little more, and at the moment it’s not easy to get a positive performance. I have a good feeling about the chassis, but the gap to the leader is too big. We definitely need to improve, especially the electronics. I struggle to control the bike during acceleration and this makes me lose time. I have full confidence in my team and in Suzuki. Let’s hope we find a good idea to improve the situation tomorrow.”
Takuya Tsuda
“Since it was my dream come true to race MotoGP, I’m happy to have finished the first day without any big issues. Because my very first session was wet, and the afternoon was dry, and also since I’m still at the learning stage for setting up the bike and adapting my riding to this track, it has not been such an easy day, but I’m confident of improvement for the weekend. It was also a very good experience to have a chance to ride behind some fast and experienced riders, since it was completely different than what I had seen during the winter test. I’ll discuss tomorrow’s set up with the crew regarding to the data from today, and continue to do my best!”
More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
The Samurai strikes back: Pedrosa unstoppable on Day 1
Repsol Honda rider tops wet FP1 and dry FP2 on the first day of action in the #SpanishGP
Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) topped a wet FP1 in the Red Bull Gran Premio de España, before conditions improved dramatically for a dry FP2 with the same name at the top. The three-time World Champion did a 1:39.420 to go quickest by over half a second, with a stunning laptime from Jack Miller (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) putting him into second as the only other rider in the 1:39s.
Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) was P2 in the wet and moved back one place in the dry later in the day to end Friday in third, just ahead of what looked to be an incredible headline as the last few minutes of FP2 approached: Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team).
Fastest out the blocks in the wet in FP1 for the early stages of that session, the ‘Spartan’ topped the timesheets in the afternoon with a few minutes left on the clock, before ending Day 1 of his first home race of the year in fourth as top Ducati. Danilo Petrucci (Octo Pramac Racing) also impressed on the GP17, locking out the top five.
Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) was sixth and suffered a fast lowside crash at Turn 9 – only his third during a GP weekend session since 2017 began – and teammate Valentino Rossi also had a more difficult first day in P12.
Alvaro Bautista (Pull&Bear Aspar Team) gave the home fans more reason to cheer in seventh, ahead of Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini).
P10 was another stunner as Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) took KTM into the top ten for the first time, only + 1.153 in arrears in an awesome performance on Day 1 at one of his home Grands Prix.
Scott Redding (Octo Pramac Racing) was in P11 ahead of Rossi, with Jonas Folger (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) slotting in behind the ‘Doctor’ and teammate Johann Zarco in fifteenth.
Reigning Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) was fourteenth on Friday, but didn’t use the softer option rubber from Michelin to set a time attack.
The premier class head out to decide direct entry to Q2 qualifying at 9:55 (GMT +2), before the grid begins to take shape at 14:10.
Alex Marquez marks home turf in Spain
Alex Marquez aiming to secure a good grid position
EG 0,0 Marc VDS rider quickest on Day 1 come rain or shine
2014 Moto3™ World Champion Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) was fastest first in a wet FP1 at the Spanish GP and followed up his impressive pace to take back the topspot on Friday afternoon with a 1:43.121 as conditions improved to fully dry. Dominique Aegerter (Kiefer Racing) was second fastest in an impressive Friday for Suter, ahead of Tech 3 Racing’s Xavi Vierge in another superstar performance.
Top rookie was Fabio Quartararo (Pons HP 40), who topped the timesheets briefly in FP2 before then ending the day in P4 despite a crash. Points leader Franco Morbidelli (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) was another crasher, and the Italian ended the day in fifth.
Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team) took P6 ahead of Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo), with Forward Racing Team duo Luca Marini and Lorenzo Baldassarri in eighth and ninth despite a crash for the latter.
Francesco Bagnaia (Sky Racing Team VR46) was second quickest rookie in a solid first day in Spain to round out the top ten, ahead of Axel Pons (RW Racing GP), rookie Jorge Navarro (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) and Simone Corsi (Speed Up Racing).
Championship contender Tom Lüthi (CarXpert Interwetten) was down the timesheets in P14, with Sandro Cortese (Dynavolt Intact GP) between the Swiss rider and Japanese title hopeful Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia), who was sixteenth.
Moto2™ have one more practice session on Saturday morning ahead of qualifying at 15:05 (GMT +2).
Mir back on top in Andalucia
Joan Mir leads the standings and also led today’s sessions
Championship leader hits back as FP2 dries out
After a wet FP1 at the Red Bull Gran Premio de España, FP2 dawned drier and drying for the Moto3™ field, with points leader Joan Mir (Leopard Racing) taking to the top with a 1:49.564, two tenths ahead of key rivals Romano Fenati (Marinelli Rivacold Snipers) and John McPhee (British Talent Team).
There were some crashes on Day 1, including incidents for Andrea Migno (Sky Racing Team VR46), Tony Arbolino (SIC58 Squadra Corse), Philipp Oettl (Südmetall Schedl GP Racing) and John McPhee, but conditions were almost completely dry by the end of FP2, although laptimes hovered some way above lap record pace.
Fourth in a slightly shaken up order further back was a stunning performance from Darryn Binder (Platinum Bay Real Estate), with Livio Loi (Leopard Racing) completing the top five ahead of Tony Arbolino, who took sixth despite his crash. Red Bull KTM Ajo rider Niccolo Antonelli was P7, with teammate Bo Bendsneyder having a tough first day down in P22.
FP1’s fastest in the wet Jakub Kornfeil (Peugeot MC Saxoprint) was P8, with the top ten completed by Marcos Ramirez (Platinum Bay Real Estate) and Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Mahindra Northgate Aspar) in a much-improved Friday for the reigning FIM CEV Repsol Moto3™ Junior World Champion. His predecessor to that title and last year’s polesitter Nicolo Bulega (Sky Racing Team VR46) had a more difficult day in nineteenth.
Some other big names find themselves just outside the top ten, with Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0), Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) and teammate Fabio Di Giannantonio taking eleventh to thirteenth respectively. Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) and Enea Bastianini (Estrella Galicia 0,0) locked out the first fifteen on Friday.
Moto3™ are back out first on Saturday, before qualifying at 12:35 (GMT +2).