FIM MotoGP World Championship
Twin Ring Motegi, Japan
October 14, 2016
Free Practice Two Results (all on Michelin tires):
1. Jorge LORENZO, Spain (YAMAHA), 1:45.151
2. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (DUCATI), 1:45.204
3. Maverick VIÑALES, Spain (SUZUKI), 1:45.248
4. Marc MARQUEZ, Spain (HONDA), 1:45.303, crash
5. Cal CRUTCHLOW, UK (HONDA), 1:45.501
6. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (SUZUKI), 1:45.513
7. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (YAMAHA), 1:45.532
8. Danilo PETRUCCI, Italy (DUCATI), 1:46.172
9. Dani PEDROSA, Spain (HONDA), 1:46.227, crash
10. Pol ESPARGARO, Spain (YAMAHA), 1:46.245
11. Stefan BRADL, Germany (APRILIA), 1:46.367
12. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (APRILIA), 1:46.834
13. Eugene LAVERTY, Ireland (DUCATI), 1:46.853, crash
14. Hector BARBERA, Spain (DUCATI), 1:46.876
15. Yonny HERNANDEZ, Colombia (DUCATI), 1:46.981
16. Scott REDDING, UK (DUCATI), 1:47.032
17. Katsuyuki NAKASUGA, Japan (YAMAHA), 1:47.135
18. Jack MILLER, Australia (HONDA), 1:47.244, crash
19. Tito RABAT, Spain (HONDA), 1:47.972
20. Loris BAZ, France (DUCATI), 1:48.669
21. Bradley SMITH, UK (YAMAHA), 1:48.897
22. Mike JONES, Australia (DUCATI), 1:50.955
More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
Pedrosa out while Lorenzo finishes on top
Lorenzo draws first at the Twin Ring Motegi as Pedrosa breaks collarbone in dramatic highside.
After Ducati Team’s Andrea Dovizioso led the way in FP1 at the Twin Ring Motegi, skies remained perfectly blue above the Japanese track as the engines fired up once more for MotoGP™ – with Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) topping the timesheets from Dovizioso and Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Maverick Viñales.
With the second practice session beginning calmly enough, a spate of crashes in the final minutes of FP2 saw drama wrap up the first day of action as first Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) slid off at Turn 10, before teammate Dani Pedrosa suffered an unbelievable highside at Turn 11. That incident was quickly followed by another for Eugene Laverty (Pull&Bear Aspar Team) at Turn 6 – with Jack Miller (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) heading off to complete the drama-fuelled session. With attrition rates high, it was the reigning Champion who emerged fastest from the day, as the 2009, 2013 and 2014 winner at the track took over at the top in the final shootout.
Laverty and Pedrosa were taken to the Medical Center for checks following the two incidents, with Pedrosa then diagnosed with a broken right collarbone. The break marks another unlucky injury in the 3-time World Champion’s career, with Pedrosa beginning the 2016 season back to full strength following career-saving forearm surgery in 2015. Former 250 World Champion Hiroshi Aoyama will ride in place of the Spaniard for the Japanese GP – his home race.
Dovizioso had a solid first day as pre-race predictions came true – that Motegi looks good for the Ducati on paper. The Italian was also on pole position at the track in 2014, and seems to be a contender to take the honour once again in 2016. Viñales had a messier morning session with some run offs, before pulling it all together in FP2 to top timesheets briefly ahead of ending the day in third on combined times.
Championship leader Marc Marquez had one spectacular save on Friday as he pushed himself back upright on his knee, before the final minutes of FP2 saw the 2013 and 2014 MotoGP™ World Champion not quite repeat the feat and slide to a slow stop at Turn 10 – rider and bike ok. His best chance of a clean run at a quick laptime gone, Marquez ended Day 1 P4.
Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) had a good Friday in the land of the rising sun to complete the top five on combined times, with Aleix Espargaro (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) in incredibly close company in P6 and P7 – the three men separated by only 3 hundredths.
Danilo Petrucci was eighth quickest in an impressive opening day for the Octo Pramac Yakhnich rider, with Dani Pedrosa ending up in P9. Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider Pol Espargaro was tenth quickest on the opening day, back on track in Japan for the first time since a win in the Suzuka 8H.
FP3 begins at 9:55 local time (GMT +9), with qualifying later on Saturday and lights out for Sunday’s battle royale at 14:00.
Luthi hits top gear in Japan
2014 winner back on top at the Twin Ring Motegi as Rins crashes out
Tom Luthi (Garage Plus Interwetten) was quickest on Friday’s combined times in the intermediate class, moving up from P4 in the morning to take control by the end of the day. The Swiss former 125 World Champion took a lights-to-flag stunner at the venue in 2014. Local hero Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) was second fastest after topping FP1, with Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider Franco Morbidelli completing the top three.
Day 1 at the Twin Ring Motegi was punctuated by crashes for all classes, and Moto2™ was no exception. After an enormous highside saw Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa break his collarbone in FP2, Moto2™’s second session of the day saw a big incident for title contender Alex Rins (Paginas Amarillas HP40) that meant the Spaniard sat out the rest of the day – with Saturday now pivotal as he trails title rival Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport) by only one point.
Zarco looked to end Day 1 in P4, before another key rival Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) just pipped the Frenchman to the post to push him down to P5. Lorenzo Baldassari (Forward Racing) was sixth fastest, with Sandro Cortese (Dynavolt Intact GP) suffering a fast crash in the second session but remaining seventh on the timesheets.
Alex Marquez (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) was P8 on Day 1 as the 2014 Moto3™ World Champion returns to the venue that saw him take back-to-back wins in the lower class, with AGR Team’s Marcel Schrotter in ninth. Brno winner Jonas Folger (Dynavolt Intact GP) completed the top ten.
Rins will be checked at the Medical Center following his crash, with FP3 on Saturday morning hoping to see the title contender back out on track.
Bastianini opens Motegi account on top
Italian hits back in FP2 to top Friday as Binder crashes – twice
With near-perfect conditions at the Twin Ring Motegi, Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing Moto3) took the top spot on Day 1, crossing the line late to take the lead from home hero Hiroki Ono (Honda Team Asia), who ended the day in P2 after rising to the top in FP2. Ono has a 3-place grid penalty for the event however, awarded for riding too slowly in some sectors of the track. On the final lap of the second session of the day, RW Racing GP BV rider Livio Loi moved up into P3 to make his mark on Friday, with laptimes lowering in the afternoon.
Fourth on Day 1 belonged to Jorge Navarro (Estrella Galicia 0,0), and the man currently P2 in the title had a solid opener as he looks to consolidate that position ahead of Bastianini. Fifth by the end of action on Friday was top rookie Nicolo Bulega (Sky Racing Team VR46), whose time from FP1 that saw him quickest out the blocks kept him in the top five; the Italian only a couple of tenths off his morning’s best in FP2.
Austrian GP winner Joan Mir (Leopard Racing) was sixth quickest, despite some run offs, with Francesco Bagnaia (Pull&Bear Aspar Mahindra) P7 as the Italian got back in with the frontrunners ahead of compatriot Andrea Migno (Sky Racing Team VR46).
2015 race winner Niccolo Antonelli (Ongetta-Rivacold) was another Italian making inroads back in the top echelons of the timesheets after a more difficult stint, signing off Friday in P9 ahead of Juanfran Guevara (RBA Racing), who closed out the top ten.
The big story of the first day at Motegi proved to be newly crowned Moto3™ World Champion Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo), as the South African had an uncharacteristic crash in FP1 before suffering the same fate in FP2 – consequently ending Friday in P12. Unhurt and looking for solutions to explain the front end woes of the squad, Binder will be looking to move much further forward on Saturday.
FP3 is next as Moto3™ head out at 9:00 local time once again (GMT +9) on Saturday, with Binder looking to recover as the fight for P2 hots up between Navarro and Bastianini.
More, from a press release issued by Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS:
Miller makes return to MotoGP competition in Motegi
Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider Jack Miller made a welcome return to MotoGP action on the opening day of practice for the Japanese round at the Twin Ring Motegi today.
This morning’s FP1 session was the first time the Australian had ridden his Honda RC213V machine since he appeared in Q1 during the recent Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli encounter in San Marino.
Despite his recent injury enforced absence, Miller was able to set the 16th fastest time this morning and more importantly he passed a stern examination of his physical condition with flying colours.
A 15-lap stint in FP1 gave Miller the perfect chance to gauge the recovery of his recent right hand injury and he was happy with the strength in the brutally hard braking zones around the stop-and-go Twin Ring Motegi track.
Miller was able to improve by half-a-second in this afternoon’s session and he was determined to improve on a best lap of 1’47.244 when he was uninjured in a late fall at turn three.
Rear grip under acceleration out of the Twin Ring Motegi’s low gear hairpins proved particularly problematic for Miller on his return today. And it was a similar story for teammate Tito Rabat, who finished the day one place behind Miller on the combined timesheets.
The Spaniard was also able to knock half-a-second off his lap time in the second 45-minute session and his focus for tomorrow’s final practice and qualifying action will be on gaining better rear grip from Michelin’s two rear tyre options available for round 15 of the MotoGP World Championship.
Jack Miller: 18th – 1’47.244
“It hasn’t been the easiest return to the bike today and I was struggling with the set-up. Hopefully we can find something to improve the bike and make me ride a little better tomorrow but today was difficult. I’ll try and clear my head for tomorrow and see what I can do. It will be a long night poring over data to see where we can improve and it won’t be easy, but hopefully we can find something to make me more confident. I’m struggling with a bit too much spinning from the rear tyre and I need to get better handling from the front-end too.”
Tito Rabat: 19th – 1’47.972
“I like this track a lot and it is an important race for Honda in Japan. I was happy with how the weekend started this morning and I’m pleased I’ve been able to improve my times and do all my laps on my own. I think I could have gone quicker at the end of the second session but Laverty had a very big crash in front of me at turn 6 and I couldn’t complete the lap. I have to admit though it is hard to see how big the gap is to the fastest time. I have to stay calm and focused and hope we can find improvements with the bike tomorrow.”
Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal
“It hasn’t been the start we had hoped for to an important weekend here in Japan and for both Jack and Tito we have not been able to find the optimum set-up that permits them to be faster and more competitive. It is never easy in a situation like Jack’s when you have been off the bike for a period of time and we need to find a clearer direction to help him improve. I hope also with Tito’s comments today that he can improve. We have some ideas to make the bike work better and I am looking forward to FP3 to see if the changes we plan have a positive impact.”
More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3:
Confident Espargaro commences Motegi showdown – Smith makes brave comeback
Monster Yamaha Tech3 team rider Pol Espargaro kicked off the all-important Japanese GP weekend by finishing the opening day in 10th. The Spaniard jumped into gear in the morning as he began adjusting his Yamaha YZR-M1 for Sunday’s race, which will be the 18th Grand Prix to take place at the legendary Twin Ring Motegi circuit. After completing 16 laps, his best time left him in 11th. Then, in FP2, Espargaro carried on his efforts, but he unfortunately fell at turn nine, although he luckily escaped without any injuries. However, the 25-year-old effectively only had 15 minutes of track action due to the fall as he sat out the remainder of the session after the impact and as a result, he completed only nine laps. Yet, he impressively set his personal best on his fifth lap whilst using a hard rear compound, which saw him conclude the session in 10th and just over a second from the leading time. Tomorrow, the 2013 Moto2 World Champion who seized the title at Motegi, will look to make a solid start in FP3 and then qualify strongly at Yamaha’s home race.
On the other side of the Tech3 team pit box, Bradley Smith courageously eased back into riding his Yamaha YZR-M1 as he made his first MotoGP appearance since sustaining a knee injury in August, which forced him to sit out the previous three Grand Prix’s. The main target was to complete as much distance as possible and become accustomed to his MotoGP bike again whilst also building up to race fitness as he rode 13 laps in FP1. In the afternoon, he bravely continued his work and after covering an additional 15 laps, he cut 2.518 seconds from his best time in FP1. The Briton will now rest overnight before returning to the track tomorrow morning for FP3.
Pol Espargaro
Position : 10th Time: 1’46.245 Laps: 25
“Overall, today was a solid start to the weekend. This morning’s result wasn’t incredible but I believe that we still had a good session. In FP2, I went out with the hard rear compound and felt comfortable straight away and so I was posting strong lap times which put me inside the top six. Yet, not long into the session I unfortunately made a slight mistake and lost the front in the ninth corner. This was a pity because we only have one M1 with the chassis that I like a lot so when I went out on my second bike, the feeling was completely different. Therefore, we decided that it was better to wait for tomorrow’s morning session to continue our setup work. Nevertheless, it is positive to end the day inside the top 10. Now we will try to analyse today’s data and maybe we can learn something from Valentino and Jorge, plus with a good rest, I am sure that I’ll be back stronger tomorrow.”
Bradley Smith
Position : 21st Time: 1’48.897 Laps: 28
“First and foremost, I have to say that it was quite emotional to ride my bike again this morning because these last seven weeks haven’t been easy but I finally reached my goal of returning to the track. Many friends, family and physiotherapists have spent a lot of time and effort to help me get fit enough to race again and the only ambition in these past fifty days was to compete in the last four Grand Prix’s with Tech3, so it is great to finally get back to where I need to be. Of course, today has been challenging because my knee is obviously not perfect, however, we made a good step forward from this morning to this afternoon, which has given me a confidence boost. I hope that with a bit of rest, we can achieve more tomorrow. I must give big thanks to the Tech3 team, because the guys have been very patient, plus they modified the bike to suit my needs. Most importantly, the team worked in a fantastic way to keep me calm so I can enjoy my experience back in Japan.”
More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:
Dovizioso ends first day of free practice at Motegi in second place. Fourteenth for Barbera, who makes his debut on the Ducati Team’s Desmosedici GP as Iannone’s replacement
Andrea Dovizioso powered to second place in the combined standings of today’s two free practice sessions held at Motegi’s Twin Ring circuit. With a time of 1’45.204, which he set on the final lap of FP2 in the afternoon, the Italian rider was right behind the overnight leader Jorge Lorenzo.
Hector Barbera, who stepped onto the Ducati Team’s Desmosedici GP for the first time today as stand-in rider for the still convalescent Andrea Iannone, clocked the fourteenth time. The Spanish rider set his quickest lap of 1’46.853 in the morning’s FP1 session but was unable to improve in the afternoon.
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 1’45.204 (2nd)
“I’m very happy with the way things went today, because we started off by immediately finding a good base for the rest of the weekend. For the first two exits in the afternoon, we ran with the soft tyre we had already used in FP1, and confirmed our pace. We still have to work on a few details because managing the front on this track, where you brake very aggressively, is not easy. For the moment there are five or six of us who have a similar pace, and I think there is still some room for improvement. We’ll have to see who will work the best tomorrow, but in any case I’m really satisfied with my first day here at Motegi.”
Hector Barbera (Ducati Team #8) – 1’46.853 (14th)
“Today was a very special day for me, because for the first time I stepped onto the Desmosedici GP 2016 I will race next year. At first it all felt good, but when I started to use the harder front tyre I lost a bit of feeling and was unable to push hard. We did a few different tests with the settings and towards the end of FP2 the feeling came back again, but the most important thing is that I feel good with the bike, which goes really well as Dovi showed today. In any case we picked up a lot of useful information that will allow us to work well tomorrow.”
More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:
Pedrosa fractures collarbone and retires from Japanese GP, Marquez 4th
Dani Pedrosa fell heavily Friday during Free Practice 2 at Motegi, suffering a right-collarbone fracture that will exclude him from the Grand Prix. Dani will take a flight back to Spain later this evening in order to undergo surgery. The Repsol Honda rider will be replaced by HRC test rider Hiroshi Aoyama.
Marc Marquez started the weekend on a positive note, doing productive work on the setup of his RC213V. He set the second-fastest lap time in FP1 and the fourth-best in FP2. He showed a good pace in both sessions despite a small crash in the afternoon, when he was trying the harder front tyre option. He immediately re-joined the action and further improved his lap time.
Marc Marquez
4TH
“I’m very sorry for Dani, as it seemed that he was really coming back to his usual speed. I just wish him a quick recovery. Regarding today, honestly, the feeling was better than I was expecting here. I thought we would struggle a bit more, but from the beginning I didn’t feel so bad and we were able to do a good job on the bike. In the afternoon I had a small crash when I was trying the harder front tyre spec and I was trying to push a bit more, but I was able to continue on the same run and improve my lap time, which is a positive. I know that our opponents are quite strong here, but we’re not far off.”
Dani Pedrosa
“I’m obviously very sad about what happened, as I was looking forward to racing in Japan at Honda’s home circuit and one of my favourite tracks. I was on the out-lap of my last run in FP2 when I momentarily lost the rear entering turn 11, and when the tyre found grip again it launched me in the air. There’s not much more to say; now I just want to focus on recovering in order to get back on my bike as soon as possible. My best wishes to Hiro (Aoyama), who is replacing me and will race in front of his home crowd.”
Hiroshi Aoyama
“First of all, I’m very sorry for Dani and I wish him a fast recovery. This definitely is not the best way to come into a race, but anyway, I’ll try and give my best for Honda in front of my friends and fans. I won’t be able to use my racing number, as 7 has already been taken by Mike Jones, so I’ll use 73, which is the number I used in my first season in the 250cc GPs.”
More, from a press release issued by Aprilia:
ENCOURAGING START FOR APRILIA AT MOTEGI
BRADL ELEVENTH AND BAUTISTA TWELFTH AFTER THE FIRST PRACTICE SESSIONS
A positive first day of practice opened up Aprilia’s Japanese weekend. The RS-GP machines ridden by Bradl and Bautista finished respectively in eleventh and twelfth place in the combined standings for the first two sessions.
Looking for the best setup on the Motegi track, Stefan and Alvaro tested different chassis and electronics configurations, as well as trying out the performance of the tyre options that Michelin has provided for this race. Work in the Aprilia Racing Team garage will continue tomorrow with particular attention on the FP3 times. In fact, this is the morning session where the riders could go straight through to Q2, a result that Aprilia has achieved in the last two championship rounds at Misano and Aragón.
Stefan Bradl, also involved in a harmless crash in FP2, assessed today’s two sessions as positive. Having found a good feeling straight away, the German rider now intends to focus on consistency in his performance. Ninth in the morning session, Alvaro Bautista made a few important changes to the setup for the afternoon without finding any major improvements, but continuing to explore how his RS-GP reacts.
ALVARO BAUTISTA
“This morning went well. We got the base settings right. In the afternoon, precisely for this reason, we decided to try a rather significant change to see if we could take another step forward as we have in recent races. We did not achieve the result that we had hoped for, but in any case our situation is good. Tomorrow we will resume with the references from FP1, working on the details to shave of a few more tenths”.
STEFAN BRADL
“This was a good start for us. In both sessions we were quite fast. We had a few uncertainties in FP1 that we were able to solve and the second session was very positive. The base setting proved to be good and we improved it during practice. We can still improve. We need to work on both the setup and the electronics to keep performance consistent in view of the race, a phase where we need the bike’s support. I hope to continue in this direction tomorrow as well”.
More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:
YAMAHA TOPS FREE PRACTICE TIME SHEETS AT TWIN RING MOTEGI
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP‘s Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi made a solid start to the first overseas race today when they completed their first laps around the Twin Ring Motegi circuit ahead of this weekend‘s Grand Prix of Japan.
Motegi (Japan), 14th October 2016
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP‘s Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi shaped up for an intense battle at the Twin Ring Motegi track today, in preparation for Sunday‘s Grand Prix of Japan. The teammates took first and seventh place respectively in the combined free practice times.
Lorenzo was quick to find a solid pace around the Japanese track during the sunny morning practice. He rode his YZR-M1 to second early on in FP1 and spent the majority of the session working on a good dry set-up before posting a best lap of 1’46.181s for third place on his third stint, 0.395s from the front.
The afternoon saw more of the same smooth riding from the Mallorcan. He set the provisional fastest time of 1‘46.111s early on in the second 45-minute session. He continued his form as the pace quickened and was the fourth rider dropping into the 1‘45s with a 1‘45.911s for provisional third place, which he further improved at the very end of the session, dropping a 1.45.151s to wrap up the day at the top of the time sheets with a 0.053s margin to his closest rival.
Teammate Rossi was also on the pace right from the word go. The nine-time World Champion made the most of the first free practice session and put in a total of 20 laps to find a solid race set-up that suits Motegi‘s stop-start nature. The Italian held second place for a large part of the session and rode a best lap of 1’46.222s, just 0.463s off the front, for fourth place.
The Doctor lost a little bit of time at the start of the afternoon session due to a loose dummy tank, but he was soon back on his way to continue the search for the perfect balance of his bike. Throughout the session he worked through a couple of set-up changes and tried various tyres specs and improved his time to a 1‘45.684s for provisional first place in the final stages, to ultimately finish the day in seventh position with a best lap of 1’45.532s, 0.381s behind his teammate.
Similar to last year, Yamaha’s usual rider line-up is joined by Katsuyuki Nakasuga, four-time consecutive premier JSB1000 class (All Japan Road Race Championship) winner, who also won the Suzuka 8-Hour race two years in a row in 2015 and 2016. He finished his first day as a wildcard for the Yamalube Yamaha Factory Racing Team, riding his YZR-M1 to 17th place in the combined free practice times, with a 1’47.135s best lap.
MASSIMO MEREGALLI
TEAM DIRECTOR
Today we made a positive start to the weekend in the first two practice sessions. Right away both Jorge and Valentino found a solid starting point in the morning session and had a good pace. In the afternoon, we spent most of the session testing different tyres specifications, both front and rear. It was very important to do it, but this slowed the development of the set-up down a bit. Despite this Jorge has been able to make good use of the fresh soft rear tyre during his last stint, setting the fastest lap of the day. Valentino suffered from a lack of grip at the beginning of the session. When he put in a new soft rear tyre he had difficulties in stopping the bike, especially in the hard braking sections that are quite fundamental here. There‘s still a lot of time to further improve the setting on both sides of the garage and we are quite confident that we can make another step tomorrow.
JORGE LORENZO
It‘s been quite a positive day. This afternoon the conditions dropped a lot in terms of the temperature and that‘s why some riders crashed, because it was quite tricky and you need to be very careful with the temperature of the tyre. We were able to improve a lot on the last set of tyres and improved the bike a little bit also in the corners. The bike is working quite well and I‘m in good shape, so I‘m very motivated to make it a good race.
VALENTINO ROSSI
It was a mixed day, because this morning wasn‘t so bad and I was quite fast, but this afternoon was a difficult practice. We tried the harder tyres, but both the front and the rear didn‘t give very good grip so I lost some feeling. At the end we put the softer tyre back in and I improved my lap time, but it wasn‘t enough because I‘m not very happy with the setting and the balance of the bike. It is very difficult to stop in braking, so we have to work and try to recover. About the tyres, the feeling is not so bad. The lap times are also not so far from last year‘s, but this afternoon we unfortunately had a lot of crashes and also some injuries for Pedrosa. This is because in the afternoon it looks like the temperature drops down very quickly and after that it becomes dangerous. Good luck to Pedrosa and for us tomorrow, we will try to modify the balance and we try to be strong.
More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing:
Petrux ends up 8th the first day of free practices. Scott did not find the feeling (16°)
Following the late-summer break, the MotoGP returns back on track with the first day of activity of the triple-header. The Friday practices at the Motegi circuit, finish with a precious eighth place of Danilo Petrucci, who immediately found a good feeling in one of the most difficult tracks for him. Scott Redding experienced some difficulties and he will need to improve in order to fight for Q2 tomorrow morning.
Since morning, Petrux started well using the same set of tires for the whole session. In the afternoon, with the track heated by a bright sun, the performance of the rider from Terni improved soon. In the first run, he set the time of 1’46.172, that allowed him to stay longer at the top. In time attack, with the soft tire, he found traffic on the track and he was not able to lower his time. Howewer, he ended up with a convincing eighth position.
Scott was not able able to find the right feeling, especially with grip in corner speed. After an intense set up in the afternoon, the British rider managed to lower by 6 thents of a second his Fp1 time, but he was unable to go under the wall of 1’47. His fastest lap-time (1’47.072) did not allow him to get closer to the Top 10 (16th place).
16th – Scott Redding
1’47.072
“It was not a good Friday. We struggled with the set up mainly because there was no grip in corner speed. I have not found any particular differences between the hard and the soft tire. The situation is a bit difficult at the moment. We will have to work hard to try to find the right pace. I do not say that in the last three races we have lost our way, but we were unable to make progress. There is a lot of work to do but I am sure we can find the right solution to fight for Q2.”
8th – Danilo Petrucci
1’46.172
“I am satisfied because this circuit has never been one of my favorite. That is why I did not expect to be so fast from the beginning. We did not make many changes compared to Aragon and I quickly found a good feeling. I am sorry for the time attack. We had a small problem before the last run, but especially, I found traffic on the track that did not allow me to set a better time. It will be hard to stay among the officials tomorrow, but we will try.”
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office:
VIÑALES & ESPARGARÓ ON THE PACE AT MOTEGI
Maverick Viñales – 3rd
Aleix Espargaró – 6th
Team SUZUKI ECSTAR’s Maverick Viñales and Aleix Espargaró both made strong starts to the Motul Grand Prix of Japan at Twin Ring Motegi today with third and sixth fastest times respectively.
Following the morning’s opening practice session, both GSX-RR riders shaved more-than a second from their lap-times in this afternoon’s FP2, Viñales securing third position with a time of 1’45.248 and Espargaró sixth on 1’45.513.
Both riders have found positive feelings in this first day of MotoGP™ practice, highlighting the improvements made since last year; and the improved performance of the GSX-RR allowed them to put their names consistently in the highest places of the classification, showing that the machine more adaptable to the tricky stop-and-go layout of the Motegi circuit.
Davide Brivio – Team Manager:
“We started with the right feet at this emotional home GP with both riders among the fastest in both sessions. Maverick did many fast laps, finding himself in the leading position in many sectors several times, and finally ended in third place, but showing a good pace already. Aleix made many improvements as well, finally finding himself comfortable on the bike. He worked on the set-up to find a better confidence with the front, and has already done some work for the race. It’s important for us to make such a start, although we still have room for improvement and so we will continue working for tomorrow.”
Maverick Viñales:
I feel very good, today we have worked very hard with the tyres to prepare for the race and the results are positive. We still need to work on the rear to find a good set-up that could allow me to save the tyre until the end of the race. My team did a very good job, I can feel the improvements we have done throughout the season in being more effective in the adaptation of set-up and electronics between the sessions, our learning and adaptation process is getting faster and faster, allowing me to make big steps. For tomorrow we will work to find an even better feeling with the rear, improving acceleration, focusing on the electronics configuration, and then try a good time attack which is a thing we didn’t focus on today.”
Aleix Espargaró:
“I’m satisfied with the day as my feeling is good, this is not a track I’ve felt fast on in the past but today I got a positive outcome. Already in the morning I felt confident and in the afternoon I could improve even more, we are working very hard and this is paying back. Also I’m expecting to be even faster tomorrow, today I had to work a lot on the lines as the track had some tricky conditions in some points; it’s a learning process that gave me some hints already but still leaves me room for improvement.”
More, from a press release issued by Avintia Racing:
Avintia Racing riders start to work in Japan
The opening free practice day for the Japanese Grand Prix was quite difficult for Avintia Racing riders. Hector Barbera finished 14th in his debut on the Ducati Team Desmosedici GP. The Spaniard used the first day to get familiar and to gather experience with the bike of Andrea Iannone, who missed the race due to his back injury.
The day of Loris Baz was not easy either and the lack of confidence of the French rider has been obvious on the Twin Ring Motegi with its challenging stop-and-go characteristics. He crashed this morning, but fortunately walked away without any injuries. Tomorrow, he aims to improve and score a better result.
Things went better for Mike Jones, who had his first experience in MotoGP today. The pupil of Troy Bayliss came straight to the circuit this morning and after a quick briefing, he jumped on Barbera’s bike. Everything was new for him, the bike, the track and the tyres, but he steadily improved his pace with the Avintia Racing Ducati Desmosedici GP14.2 and was faster on every exit.
Hector Barbera | 1’46.853 | P14
“Today was a very special day for me, because for the first time I stepped onto the Desmosedici GP 2016 I will race next year. At first it all felt good, but when I started to use the harder front tyre I lost a bit of feeling and was unable to push hard. We did a few different tests with the settings and towards the end of FP2 the feeling came back again, but the most important thing is that I feel good with the bike, which goes really well as Dovi showed today. In any case we picked up a lot of useful information that will allow us to work well tomorrow.”
Loris Baz | 1’48.669 | P20
“It was a difficult day. This is the first time for a long period that I’m riding the bike without injuries, and it is clear that I have to get my confidence back and try to enjoy riding the bike again. Right now I go where the bike drives me, because I’m not able to ride as I want, and it is quite difficult to be fast when this is happening. I have to focus on doing many laps to build my confidence step by step. This morning I crashed after the flag had come down and it was a really strange crash, so maybe the tyre was a little bit cold. The bike is okay, even though we can still improve it, but the main problem is me, because I don’t feel comfortable.”
Mike Jones | 1’50.955 | P22
“The first day was incredible! I couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity given to me by Avintia Racing and Ducati and I’m just absolutely amazed by the experience I had here on my first day with a MotoGP bike. It’s been quite an eye opener, that’s for sure. Everything is very different from what I’m used to, but it is an amazing experience. I got so much learning to do, because everything is new and I’m trying to absorb as much information as I possible can. It is quite difficult, but I couldn’t be happier. Just being here and being able to ride with the best riders of the world is the best thing ever. I missed some sleep but I don’t care! The target for tomorrow in qualifying is to qualify for the race and I really think I can do that.”
More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda:
POSITIVE START FOR CRUTCHLOW IN JAPAN
The first day of practice at the Japanese Grand Prix saw Cal Crutchlow end the day as the fifth fastest rider overall, continuing his excellent run of form from the recent rounds.
At the Honda-owned Twin Ring Motegi the LCR Honda man was inside the top positions for much of the day, consistently improving his lap times throughout, and eventually stopping the clock in a best time of 1’45.501. That put the Brit a couple of tenths behind lead Honda man Marc Marquez, and just 0.35 off fastest rider of the day Jorge Lorenzo.
Crutchlow had earlier finished the morning session in a solid eighth place, with a late slide off coming after the chequered flag had been shown, thankfully with no lasting damage.
#35 Cal Crutchlow – 5th (1’45.501)
“It wasn’t a bad day today, even if I feel a little bit tired, but overall I am generally quite happy with how the bike is working. There is still room for lots of improvement though – there are a couple of areas around the circuit where we are struggling a little, but we are quite happy.”
“We tried some different settings on the bike and perhaps wasted a bit of time in the two sessions, but they had been part of the plan before the weekend began. We’re continuing to look at the data for tomorrow, and hopefully we are able to take some more steps forward.”
More, from a press release issued by Aspar Team:
Incident-packed start to Motegi for Aspar Team
Pull&Bear Aspar Team rider Eugene Laverty taken to Dokkyo Medical University Hospital for medical checks after big crash at the end of second free practice
The Grand Prix of Japan maybe the first opportunity for Marc Márquez to secure the MotoGP World Championship title but the headlines were dominated today by his team-mate Dani Pedrosa, who broke his collarbone after a heavy crash in the second free practice session and is on his way back to Barcelona for surgery. Pedrosa finished with the ninth fastest lap of the day, a second off pacesetter Jorge Lorenzo, who headed a top four from four different manufacturers. Andrea Dovizioso was just 0.05 seconds behind the leader, with a similar gap back to Maverick Viñales in third place, with Marc Márquez in fourth but comfortably three positions ahead of his main title rival Valentino Rossi.
Pedrosa’s injury wasn’t the only bad news today, with Pull&Bear Aspar rider Eugene Laverty also suffering a big crash on the first flying lap of his final run of the day. The Irishman had just switched to a soft rear tyre but was struggling to get it up to temperature when he crashed. Medical checks at the circuit and later at the Dokkyo Medical University Hospital have ruled out any injuries although Laverty must wait for confirmation of his fitness from the circuit medics. Meanwhile Yonny Hernández finished both of today’s free practice sessions in fifteenth position, the Colombian lapping 1.8 seconds shy of Lorenzo after finding an improved setting in the afternoon. Hernández’s day was cut slightly short when he lost some power from the engine at the end of the final session.
13th Eugene Laverty 1.46.853 (12 laps): “The afternoon practice went very well. I started the session with the hard rear tyre, I was doing really good lap times with good rhythm and was up in thirteenth position. So at the end we tried the soft rear tyre and I noticed it was taking more time to warm up so I tried to be careful. But on the first lap I crashed at the fast turn six when the rear tyre spun up. I was quite lucky in some ways because it was a huge crash. Thankfully the scan results were all clear and I will look to ride tomorrow. I’d like to thank the staff from the circuit at Motegi, the MotoGP doctors and the Clinica Mobile staff for taking care of me.”
15th Yonny Hernández 1.46.981 (30 laps): “The first session wasn’t bad, my pace was fairly decent and we were already up to fifteenth position. In the second session I felt more comfortable with the changes we made to the bike but when I went to push the lap time the engine started to lose power and I had to come back into the box. The good thing is that we improved our feeling with the bike so tomorrow we will start work from that point.”