NeroGiardini Motorrad Grand Prix Von Osterreich

FIM MotoGP World Championship

Red Bull Ring, Austria

August 13, 2016

Qualifying Results (all on Michelin tires):

From Qualifying Session Two:

1. Andrea IANNONE, Italy (DUCATI), 1:23.142

2. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (YAMAHA), 1:23.289

3. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (DUCATI), 1:23.298

4. Jorge LORENZO, Spain (YAMAHA), 1:23.361

5. Marc MARQUEZ, Spain (HONDA), 1:23.475

6. Maverick VIÑALES, Spain (SUZUKI), 1:23.584

7. Cal CRUTCHLOW, UK (HONDA), 1:23.597

8. Scott REDDING, UK (DUCATI), 1:23.777

9. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (SUZUKI), 1:23.813

10. Hector BARBERA, Spain (DUCATI), 1:23.822

11. Eugene LAVERTY, Ireland (DUCATI), 1:24.218

12. Dani PEDROSA, Spain (HONDA), 1:24.263

From Qualifying Session One:

13. Danilo PETRUCCI, Italy (DUCATI), 1:24.123

14. Bradley SMITH, UK (YAMAHA), 1:24.126

15. Pol ESPARGARO, Spain (YAMAHA), 1:24.265

16. Yonny HERNANDEZ, Colombia (DUCATI), 1:24.472

17. Michele PIRRO, Italy (DUCATI), 1:24.593

18. Tito RABAT, Spain (HONDA), 1:24.665

19. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (APRILIA), 1:24.673

20. Jack MILLER, Australia (HONDA), 1:24.852

21. Stefan BRADL, Germany (APRILIA), 1:24.895

22. Loris BAZ, France (DUCATI), 1:25.192

More, from a press release issued by Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS:

Season best qualifying for Rabat at sunny Spielberg

Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider Tito Rabat scored a season-best qualifying position to claim 18th on the grid for Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix.

Benefitting from the recent two-day test session at the 4.31km Spielberg circuit Rabat sliced four seconds from his opening FP1 time.

Conditions for qualifying were dramatically warmer than for Friday’s chilly opening FP1 session with track temperatures up by a massive 24 degrees under sunny and clear skies.

This enabled Rabat to take full advantage of his increasing front-confidence in his rookie season aboard the Honda RC213V and target a solid haul of points in the 28-lap race.

For Rabat’s teammate Jack Miller qualifying was a missed opportunity to move through into Q1 and have a crack at a top 12 grid spot.

In his best physical condition of the season Miller had been 11th fastest in the FP4 session but then suffered the setback of a spectacular crash on his first qualifying run.

Forced to switch to his spare bike Miller’s time of 1’24.852 was only good enough for 20th on the last row of the grid.

With tyres set to play a crucial role in the race outcome the 21-year-old Australian is confident that he can mount a late race surge to finish in the points.

Tito Rabat: 18th – 1’24.665

“In general I am a little disappointed even though I got my best qualifying position of the season so far. I always want more but this is a good confidence boost for me. My target now is to believe in myself and do my own race and score some good points and continue to learn more about MotoGP. Today with the team we made a good step forward and it is important to do this to be closer to the front.”

Jack Miller: 20th – 1’24.852

“The first sector was good but I threw it away at turn four. I lost the front on entry and then the rear went around, got some grip and threw me to the moon with a highside. I was really lucky to walk away from that one and then get back out for a qualifying lap. My second bike had 17 laps on the front tyre so that wasn’t ideal for a fast time. But I’m feeling good about the race, I think I have the pace to be coming on strong at the end.”

Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal

“It was shame Jack crashed on his first tyre, he then only had one new tyre to do a qualifying lap. This made it difficult for him to get a good starting position. What I wanted to see from Tito was for him to improve his lap times from test here and he did this, I am a happy for this. We can see the improvement in Tito and even though there is a long way to go he is heading in the right direction.”

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

Tech3 duo ready for Austrian GP despite challenging qualifying

Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team rider Bradley Smith undertook a solid recovery from what was an uphill start yesterday in the 10th round of the MotoGP World Championship. The 25-year-old, who endured a tough opening to the day at the undulating Spielberg circuit, concluded the first session in 17th as he completed 22 laps. However, the English rider remained resolute and after the changes the team undertook, Smith delivered a promising performance in FP4 before attacking as soon as Qualifying One began. His personal best lap was shy of the cut-off point for Q2 by just over a tenth of a second, however, he made a huge improvement of 1.815 on yesterday’s FP2 time. In addition, this result would have left him just outside the top ten in qualifying 2. The British star remains focused and optimistic of picking up a strong finish tomorrow and will commence the Austrian Grand Prix from fifth row of the grid.

On the other side of the Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team pit box, Pol Espargaro gave his all despite struggling to adjust his Yamaha YZR-M1 to the challenging Austrian circuit and will kick off his Grand Prix battle from right behind his teammate. The Spaniard leapt straight into action this morning and delivered 21 laps as he posted his quickest time on his final run, however, this lap resulted in him having to compete in Qualifying One in the afternoon. The 2013 Moto2 World Champion charged away when the shootout began and eventually set his personal best on the 6th lap out of 7, which saw him finish behind his teammate by 0.139. Nevertheless, despite the tricky qualifying, Espargaro remains confident for the 28-lap sprint tomorrow.

Bradley Smith

Position: 14th Time: 1’24.126 Laps: 9

“We have gained some more experience and track time which means that we were faster today, even if we didn’t have the best start to this weekend. Yet, I am satisfied with my performance because we made a big step from yesterday with regards to the lap time which I cut by just under two seconds today. In FP4, I began to find a better rhythm than what we had so far this weekend, which of course, is pleasing. It goes without saying that we are going to try to improve the Yamaha this evening so that we can have a more consistent bike for tomorrow. Yet, on the whole, the team has done a fantastic job, so I must say thanks to them because we’re all in this situation together and we are trying as hard as we can. I believe that we have a solid race pace that will enable me to fight inside the top ten, so I need to concentrate on a good start and then we’ll see what happens from there.”

Pol Espargaro

Position: 15th Time: 1’24.265 Laps: 7

“It didn’t quite go to plan today but we are making steps forward, even if they are small ones compared to the other riders. However, I must say that it’s tricky to set the bike up at this track because of its hard braking points and this is where we are struggling the most. The team and I are trying as many solutions as possible in the few sessions that we have available before qualifying, but until now we haven’t found the right combination or direction. This hard braking issue is the reason why I am losing time in sector one and two as these sectors feature some key points. I tried to follow some other riders but that wasn’t easy for me to do, so as a result, we will start from 15th tomorrow. Still, I am confident that we can amend the current situation and we will use the warm-up to refine the setting in order to be as competitive as possible for the race, even if I haven’t given myself an easy task on the grid.”

More, from a press release issued by Avintia Racing:

Hector Barbera qualifies tenth for the Austrian Gran Prix

Avintia Racing rider Hector Barbera got a place in Q2 after clocking eighth fastest time in the morning and this afternoon he fought hard to finish tenth in the classification, so tomorrow he’ll start the race from the fourth row of the grid. Partly cloudy, but mainly sunny, summer returned to Spielberg today and the temperatures were warmer than yesterday, with 25 degrees. In these conditions, Hector improved his feeling on the ultrafast Austrian track. Although he would have liked to be on the third row, Barbera is quite satisfied with his performance during the weekend and he is ready to race.

Loris Baz also improved his feeling today. He sliced 1.5s from yesterday’s lap time, but he is loosing too much speed on Spielberg’s straights. He will start the race from the last row of the grid, but he is confident about fighting during the race to gain some places and get closer to the points.

Hector Barbera | 1’23.822 | P10

“To be honest, I’m a little bit disappointed, because it’s a shame to get into Q2 and finish tenth. Anyway, I think the weekend has been quite positive so far and we improved our performance in every exit. I was able to improve my lap times from the test, despite the modification of the last corner that makes the track slower, so we have to be satisfied. I think we are ready to race, because my pace with the harder tyre was good during FP4, and I’ll give my best in the race. I have a group in front of me with Aleix, Crutchlow and Redding that is a good reference for the race. Let’s see how the weather will be, because it has been changing a lot during the weekend. But we are ready to fight until the last lap”.

Loris Baz | 1’25.192 | P22

“Today I tried to get the feeling back and enjoy riding the bike again, because it has been a long time I didn’t have any fun. Step by step the good sensations are coming back, but we are really far from where we want to be and what we can do. Today we improved a little bit, one second and a half, but everybody else improved too. The main thing is to keep moving forward and leave for Brno with a better feeling. I’m last on the grid, but I’m confident to be fighting with the riders I have ahead of me. Although I loose too much on the straights, everybody will cut the power of the bikes a little bit for the race.”

More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:

MOVISTAR YAMAHA MOTOGP SCORE SECOND AND FOURTH IN SCINTILLATING SHOOT-OUT IN SPIELBERG

The Movistar Yamaha MotoGP put up a strong fight for front row in today‘s Q2 session, securing second and fourth place for tomorrow‘s NeroGiardini Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich.

Spielberg (Austria), 13th August 2016

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP rider Valentino Rossi scored a front row start, taking second in qualifying for tomorrow‘s race at the Red Bull Ring – Spielberg circuit. Teammate Jorge Lorenzo looked on course to take pole position, until the times dropped at the end of the session and he found himself in fourth place.

Rossi took his time to leave the pits for the qualifying session, exiting just before Lorenzo. The nine-time World Champion got straight down to business, scoring a temporary fourth place on his first flying lap with a 1‘24.648s, before being pushed back one place by his teammate. He continued to improve his time on his second and third attempt before entering the pits for fresh rubber with six and a half minutes on the clock, in seventh place.

He rushed back out two minutes later, breaking into the 1‘23’s with a 1‘23.843s to move up to sixth place and continued to impress with his last two flying laps. With nothing to lose, the Doctor spurred on his Yamaha to secure a brilliant third position and crossed the line just a few seconds before the end of the session, giving him one last chance to set a hot lap and Rossi made it count. A stunning 1‘23.289s saw him claim provisional pole until he was pushed back by a late charge from chasing rival Iannone, leaving him just 0.147s from first.

Lorenzo was the second to last rider to exit the pit lane today in qualifying, waiting for the pack to go out before he hit some clear space on track. The Mallorcan chose to go out with the soft front, medium option rear tyre and scored a best time of 1’23.639s to take second in the provisional standings on his second lap. Lorenzo then returned to the pits with more than seven and a half minutes remaining.

After a minute he was back on course to challenge for pole position. Now in third place, he found the perfect spot on track to jump to the top of the charts with a 1‘23.361s. He was unable to improve on his last two laps, but his best time was so impressive that it was not bettered until the final seconds of the session. The current World Champion missed out on the front row by just 0.063s, taking fourth place.

MASSIMO MEREGALLI

TEAM DIRECTOR

After the challenging test and first day, today‘s unexpected but very positive results pay tribute to the hard work of the team and the progress they made. We have made improvements to the setting session by session and it gave the riders the confidence they were looking for to challenge for the front row in qualifying. Vale delivered a really strong performance in Q2 and set various great flying laps at the end of the session for second place. Jorge was also very competitive today and missed out on the front row by just a very tiny margin. We will now try to make some final amendments on both sides of the garage to be ready for tomorrow‘s warm-up. It won‘t be easy to make another big step, but we think there is still a margin for improvement.

VALENTINO ROSSI

I tried to push where my bike is very good, in the last sector and T3, and we worked well today from this morning, which was a difficult practice. We improved a lot and already in free practice four I was third behind our fastest rivals. We were able to make another small step for the qualifying, which gave me a better feeling so I could push a little bit more to stay in the center of the front row. To split our main factory competitors was a great target and I did a great lap so I‘m happy.

JORGE LORENZO

How things can change in MotoGP is just unbelievable, in just one day! Everything can affect the results and today the conditions helped us a lot. Our main rivals didn‘t improve their lap times a lot and we improved by a great difference, more than a second, and that‘s why we were closer and able to fight for pole position. I was very happy with the progression and the lap time. I thought I could be on the first row or even in first position, but finally in the last moment they overtook me. Still, second row is a good place, better than we expected before starting the Grand Prix.

More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing:

Scott will start from the 3rd row at the Red Bull Ring. Danilo 13th after a great fight in Q1

At the end of the #AustrianGP qualifying, which saw the Ducati of Andrea Iannone wins a fantastic pole position, Octo Pramac Yakhnich can rejoice in the precious 8th place finish gained by Scott Redding while Danilo Petrucci missed the qualification to Q2 for the first time this season.

Scott confirmed the improvements recorded in the Fp2 and since the morning he was very effective winning a convincing Q2 with the fitfh quickest lap-time of the free practices. In qualifying for the pole position, the British rider was able to lower other two tenths bis best morning laptime but the crono of 1’23.777 was not enough to beat the competition from Crutchlow and gain the park fermee as first Independent rider. Good news even from the race pace of the FP4 (8th quickest time).

For Petrux a step back from the beautiful FP2 (6th time) played yesterday. The rider of the Fiamme Oro ended in 11th position the FP3 and after leading Q1 for a long time, he had to surrender to competition from Laverty and Crutchlow. The time of 1’24.123 (that would have earned him direct qualification to Q2) will force Petrux starting in 13th position tomorrow.

8th – Scott Redding

1’23.777

I’m really happy with today considering the position we were in yesterday. I did not feel confident but this morning we worked a lot and in the afternoon, as the temperature was raising, it put me in a strange position between the hard and the soft front tire. In Q2 with the soft front tire I felt a lot of closing on the front and probably I left there a couple of thents. Now we have to think about the race and decide which will be the best option according to the temperatures.

6° – Danilo Petrucci

1’24.886

I’m very disappointed because in the last two races I had found a good feeling with the bike. But in tracks like this one where you brake hard, even if the braking is one of my strengths, I can not be effective in the slower corners entry. We’ll try to work for tomorrow. Yesterday things had gone well but I felt to be a little far in term of crono. I will not give up, I want to be in the Top 10. We’ll try to do something better especially for braking where I have not a good feeling.

More, from a press release issued by Aprilia:

TIMES AND GAPS DROP ON THE SECOND DAY AT THE RED BULL RING

BRADL AND BAUTISTA’S RS-GP MACHINES ON THE SEVENTH ROW

Sunday at the Red Bull Ring promises to be fiery, and not only because of the temperatures that are back to pleasant summer values. On the second day of practice on the Austrian circuit, the MotoGP riders saw their times drop as the conditions improved, as well as the gaps: just over 2 seconds separated the first from the last in the FP3 and FP4 standings, with an extremely compact ranking, especially in the central pack.

These are positions just outside of the top 10 for which the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini riders are battling.

On one of the most difficult circuits because of the characteristics of the RS-GP, Alvaro Bautista and Stefan Bradl worked mainly in view of the race. The goal is to manage to maintain a consistent pace, setting up the bike so that it is easy to ride and stable in the violent Austrian braking sections.

In qualifying, the Aprilia riders had to reckon with the difficulty of expressing the potential they had demonstrated on the flying lap, for example, in terms of race pace. In particular, Bautista lost tenths in the more flowing section, a direct consequence of a setting oriented more toward stability than handling. Bradl, on the other hand, had to face a less than perfect feeling in braking.

Both Alvaro and Stefan will work on these parameters with the Aprilia technicians as they look for solutions to test in the warm up that will allow them, in the race, to improve on the 19th and 21st positions they achieved in qualifying, placing both of them on the seventh row.

ALVARO BAUTISTA

“Tomorrow anything could happen. On a track where overtaking is complicated, the start is crucial. From a physical point of view, this is not a circuit that creates particular problems, so we’ll need to push throughout the entire race, maintaining a good pace. From this point of view, I am satisfied with the work we’ve done so far. The gaps behind the top 10 are extremely close and we are in a good position in terms of pace. Even the improvements to power are small but tangible along the entire output range. For tomorrow we will try to improve the ride: when you set up a stable bike, inevitably you lose something in handling, so we will try to find a good compromise”.?

STEFAN BRADL

“Compared to yesterday we were able to work much better, thanks in part to the improved conditions. I am still struggling to get the bike stopped the way I would like to. We knew that it would not be easy on this track, but looking at the gaps, I think that with another step forward in terms of setup, the situation could improve. We will try to work on braking during warm up. Right now it seems like this is the phase that is limiting us the most. For us, every weekend is a race unto itself. With a completely new bike like the RS-GP and particular circuit like this one, we need time to put all the pieces of the puzzle in the right place”.?

More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda:

CRUTCHLOW FIRST INDEPENDENT TEAM IN AUSTRIAN GP QUALIFYING

Cal Crutchlow will start the first motorcycle grand prix in Austria for 19 years from seventh position on the grid after a battling day of qualifying at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg.

The LCR Honda man had been forced to go through the qualifying repechage after a small crash at the end of the morning free practice session. Having safely negotiated his way through to the final qualifier, he then went on to set a brilliant 1’23.597 to take up a position at the head of the third row of the grid for the race.

Seventh meant that the LCR Honda Team were classified as the top independent Team during qualifying, and will hope to back that promising performance up in the race on Sunday.

#35 Cal Crutchlow – 7th (1’23.597)

“The idea today was just to go out as hard as I could go, chew the handlebar and the screen and see where we could finish! And we took seventh. We are really down on power this weekend, and that’s where we are struggling – no acceleration and no top end. It’s really difficult out there, we are losing half a second per lap in just that part of the bike, so I’m a bit disappointed but, at the same time, I am pleased we are the best Independent Team on the grid”

“I tried my best as always, we did a good enough job as a team, but half a second every lap is 15 seconds over the race, maybe more so I will have to try my best tomorrow. The LCR Honda Team are doing a great job, and doing everything possible to get the best set-up of the bike and try and improve. Honda are trying their hardest to improve the power of the bike”

“The only way we might get quicker is if I stop eating and drinking between now and the race!”

More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:

Marquez courageously earns second-row start, Pedrosa in fourth

Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez bravely secured a positive second-row start for tomorrow’s Austrian GP despite suffering a heavy crash at turn 3 in the FP3 session. Marc avoided a clash with teammate Dani Pedrosa in the incident but briefly dislocated his left shoulder. He didn’t complete the session and later was taken to the hospital in the nearby town of Leoben for some precautionary exams. In any case, he had already improved enough on his Friday lap time to gain direct passage to Q2 with the ninth-best lap time, despite missing the “time attack” period that typically happens at the end of FP3.

Marc was given the all-okay at the hospital and returned to action in FP4 to set the fourth-fastest time. He then continued to display amazing determination as he fought for a good grid position in a closely contested session, and his time of 1’23.475, just 0.333s off pole-setter Andrea Iannone, earned him a very good fifth place.

Dani tried hard to make the best of the warmer conditions and effectively improved his pace compared to the opening day, but not by as much as he was hoping and expecting. Dani nevertheless remains focused and determined to work hard with his team to make the best result possible tomorrow and return to strength in this second part of the season.

Marc Marquez

5TH 1’23.475

“It was a tough day for us as we began the morning session with a crash in FP3 that was completely my mistake. I braked too late and went wide at turn 3, risking a clash with Dani who was in front on the outside line. To avoid him, I crashed and I dislocated my left shoulder. I decided, along with the doctor, to go to the hospital to check that everything was okay. Luckily it was just a scare, and I was able to ride in the afternoon despite being bruised up. In the end, I think fifth place is good. The goal was to be close to the podium spots, and we succeeded in that. Tomorrow we’ll try to get close to the two Yamahas, with the knowledge that the Ducatis have been faster until now, but we’ll give our best as usual.”

Dani Pedrosa

12TH 1’24.263

“With today’s higher temperatures, we were able to take a step forward from yesterday and I lowered my lap by two seconds, although it was a shame not to get into the 1’23 range. Even if I expected a better result, we’ll try to concentrate, get as much confidence as possible and be positive. We will look for possible solutions for the race; our intention is to go out and give everything we have and get references that help us to move forward. We want to improve this dynamic as soon as possible; the rider is the one who can contribute the most, so I want to do as well as possible.”

More, from a press release issued by Aspar Team:

Good feeling in Austria for Pull&Bear Aspar Team

Eugene Laverty shines in Q1 with fastest time and will occupy a spot on the fourth row of the grid. Teammate Yonny Hernandez will take off from sixteenth in Austria

Qualifying for the Austrian GP at Spielberg saw Andrea Iannone take pole position for Sunday’s race, just 9 thousandths of a second ahead of Valentino Rossi and sharing the front row with teammate Andrea Dovizioso. A trio of Spanish riders make up row two, in Jorge Lorenzo, Marc Marquez -who suffered a dislocated shoulder in practice- and Maverick Viñales. As expected, the timesheets were dominated by Ducati riders, although several others showed that they will have a say on race day. Coming into the Austrian GP, Marquez holds a 48-point lead over Lorenzo.

Pull&Bear Aspar Team rider Eugene Laverty shone in the first qualifying session in Austria, going through to Q2 for the first time in his MotoGP career. The Northern Irishman had made tremendous improvement during the first two days in Austria, and on Saturday was strong during the fourth free practice and especially Q1. Laverty closed Q1 with the best time, 9 thousandths of a second faster than nearest rival Cal Crutchlow. With one fewer set of tyres than the rest of the field in Q2, Laverty struggled but was able to claim eleventh place -a second off poleman Iannone. Teammate Yonny Hernández was unable to progress to Q2 due to his encountering traffic on his best lap. However, the Colombian is relying on the work done over the opening two days in Austria to help him to a good showing in tomorrow’s 28-lap race.

11th Eugene Laverty 1.24.218: “It’s nice, because when things only come through for you on Sunday it gives you a lot of work to do -because you start from further back on the grid. Now I’m starting in a good position, and being that little bit further forward enables you to stay with the others at the start and maintain your position. I’ll be trying to stay with the fast riders, rather than having to fight my way through from further behind. You have to balance going as fast as possible with the risk of crashing, and on the final lap I knew that it was my last chance and rode completely on the limit. That got me the extra 3 tenths I needed. We did a good run in FP4 to test the tyres for the race, of 16/17 laps. I wanted to understand how the tyres held up, because I think tyre wear at the end will be important tomorrow. I think we’re prepared more than many riders for tomorrow, and I’m aiming for more than just a Top Ten finish.”

16th Yonny Hernández, 1.24.472: “In the fourth free practice session and the beginning of Q1 I felt more adapted to the bike. It was a shame that I encountered traffic when I was fighting to improve my lap time. In addition, today we had some problems with the bike with which I felt most comfortable -the engine already had many kilometres on the clock and we had to change it. In the end I was only a little way off getting through to Q2, but we know that Q1 is always crazy. I am calm because I have a good pace, but we must now wait and see what the weather is like tomorrow. We are prepared for everything. The goal is to finish the race; we have had a bit of a tough midseason, so hopefully we can fight for points.”

More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office:

STRONG MotoGP™ QUALIFYING FOR VIÑALES & ESPARGARÓ

Team SUZUKI ECSTAR’s Maverick Viñales and Aleix Espargaró both put together strong performances today in the final qualifying sessions for the Red Bull Ring MotoGP™ World Championship 10th round in Austria, claiming second and third-row starts.

Viñales clocked sixth position on his GSX-RR while Espargaró – riding with a fractured finger and damaged hand – scored an impressive ninth overall, despite the limitations caused by his fall yesterday.

Both Spaniards automatically qualified through from FP3 to the final Q2 with Viñales third on a lap-time of 1’23.755 and Espargaró seventh with a 1’24.108 lap, but in Q2 both improved their times to 1’23.584 and 1’23.813 respectively.

The improvements done with the introduction of new, bigger winglets allowed both riders to find more efficiency in acceleration and keeping the gap from the leaders very small: In particular, Viñales had a consistently-strong pace in all today’s sessions, also managing to test his pace for the race and get the final feeling from the hard tyres.

Espargaró did a great job riding his machine with the pain he is suffering: Although yesterday’s medical investigation found him unfit to race, the job done with Clinica Mobile – and a night of rest – allowed him to recover feeling and functionality, finally being allowed to take the track this morning. His efforts were evident, but his determination allowed him to put a positive time-attack and also find a comfortable pace.

Davide Brivio:

“Thinking towards the race we are not in a bad position. Maverick will jump from the second row, it’s a position that leaves the options open for a good performance; and also because during the whole sessions today he proved to have a good pace. We hope we will be able to take advantage in the race from this work that has been done. Maybe we missed something in qualifying, maybe we were expecting something better, but we couldn’t succeed in exploiting all our potential.

“Aleix, until this morning… we didn’t even know if he could ride a bike and finally he did, and he really ‘bit-the-bullet’ and could qualify on the third row. We really have to thank him for the great effort and the courage he showed in getting on the bike after yesterday’s crash. Tomorrow he will have to endure further effort and this will be the hardest as the race will be long and so we will see. We must also thank all the Clinica Mobile’s staff, Doctor Zasa and Doctor Mir, who really supported him and allowed us to have our rider competitive.”

Maverick Viñales:

“Honestly, I thought I could have been in a better position. The temperature has ‘gotten higher and the grip dropped, and this was a little problem for our machine that struggled to find the good grip. In the afternoon I felt less-competitive than in the morning. However, in FP4, we did a great job, focusing on the pace with the hard tyre and a full tank of fuel, preparing the race. For tomorrow we will see about the weather; I hope it’s ‘gonna be colder than today so that I can get the best from my machine. The winglets gave me positive feelings and improvements but we still miss some acceleration.”

Aleix Espargaró:

“After yesterday’s crash it was not easy to ride today, but finally I could make it and I’m happy. It’s a pity because when we were here for the test I really enjoyed it and I felt this track could be suitable for our machine and style, and also yesterday, in FP2, I felt competitive. Unfortunately, the crash injured me and this morning I had a lot of pain. I didn’t have any injections today, but I got some oral pain killers but this makes me feel weak and tired. Having the injury on my left hand makes it complicated to use the clutch, so I’m happy in MotoGP we don’t need to use it to change gear. Despite this, my feelings with the bike are positive, we are not so far from the leaders; and the race-pace I tested in FP4 was consistent and fast.”

More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

Iannone powers to superb pole position at Zeltweg: front row also for Dovizioso, third in qualifying, while Pirro starts from row 6

Andrea Iannone powered his way to a superb pole position today at the Red Bull Ring circuit in Zeltweg. The Ducati Team man, who had been quickest in the morning’s FP3 session, recorded his best time of 1’23.142 on the final lap of his second run in Q2.

Team-mate Andrea Dovizioso will also be on the front row for Sunday’s 28-lap race after finishing third in qualifying, just a fraction slower than Rossi. The Italian, who opted for a three-exit strategy in Q2, set a best time of 1’23.298 on his last lap.

Michele Pirro, entered as a wild-card rider, was unfortunately unable to get through the first session of qualifying. The Ducati Test Team rider was fourteenth quickest in the combined free practice standings and took part in the afternoon’s Q1, but could only record seventh quickest time which put him into seventeenth place and a row 6 start.

Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team #29) – 1’23.142 (1st)

“My pole today was a fantastic one and I did a really incredible lap. I made a mistake on my first attempt, going long at turn 3, and became a bit nervous. On my next run I did a 1’23.404, but on the final lap I pushed really hard to try and shave off a bit more and in the end I got the pole. Today I managed to ride a bit better thanks to some treatment from the Clinica Mobile who did an incredible job, seeing as my ribs are not giving me as much pain as yesterday, even though 28 laps around this track tomorrow is going to be tough! I’m so happy to start from pole position at Zeltweg because it’s my second pole in MotoGP and tomorrow I hope to be able to give some real satisfaction to our fans.”

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 1’23’.298 (3rd)

“It was a really tight qualifying session, and it’s great to be on the front row with two other Italian riders. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get the pole position: I did a good lap but it wasn’t perfect. In any case the important thing today was to manage to find the best possible set-up for the 28-lap race tomorrow. We worked a lot and in my opinion we have a good chance of having a say in the outcome, even though being competitive throughout the race will be complicated, especially because some riders have made big improvements. In any case I am happy with the work we have done over the weekend, because we have been able to focus a lot on race pace, even though we have to see what will happen with the tyres, which will start to wear two-thirds of the way into the race.”

Michele Pirro (Ducati Team #51) – 1’24’.593 (17th)

“I am very disappointed about not being able to make the best of the first qualifying session and so tomorrow I will have to start from behind. Row 6 is certainly not our position, considering how competitive the Desmosedici GP is, but now we will be working to improve the bike and get amongst the positions that we deserve tomorrow.”

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Iannone takes pole in stunning Spielberg shootout

Ducati Team rider takes P1 in the final seconds of a breathtaking four-way battle.

Andrea Iannone has taken an incredible last dash pole position at the Red Bull Ring in Austria, as the Italian came out top in a four-way shootout at the front. Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) was just beaten to the top spot and will start from the middle of the front row, ahead of the second Desmosedici of Andrea Dovizioso.

Iannone, who is riding through the pain of an injury sustained during a motocross incident in the summer break, was the last man to cross the line and made it count – taking the honours after the flag had dropped and knocking fellow Italian Valentino Rossi off the top. The Ducati rider, who is set to move to Team Suzuki Ecstar next season, sealed his second pole position of his career after dueling with his teammate for supremacy throughout the weekend.

Valentino Rossi, who briefly led the way in the final seconds, leapt up the timesheets in Q2 to get involved in the fight for pole – and the 9-time world champion will surely be satisfied with a front row start and an incredible improvement for the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP team after struggling for pace during some sessions of the weekend so far. The 9-time world champion took his first pole in the world championship at the track, almost twenty years ago.

Andrea Dovizioso, who topped the timesheets ahead of the session, was unable to beat his teammate to the top but has spent much of the weekend focusing on long run pace – something that could play into his hands as the race gets underway on Sunday. With the battle close at the top and the strong points of the Ducati lending the Italian a natural advantage on race day, the front row start could be important.

Early pacesetter Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) looked set for pole until the final laps of the session, with the reigning world champion pulling some incredible form out of the bag to get involved in the shootout at the front. Points leader Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), after dislocating his shoulder in a crash in FP3, put in a valiant qualifying run to start the race from the middle of the front row, ahead of compatriot Maverick Vñales (Team Suzuki Ecstar), who completed the all-Spanish second row.

Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda), Scott Redding (Octo Pramac Yakhnich) and Aleix Espargaro (Team Suzuki Ecstar) completed row 3, with Hector Barbera (Avintia Racing) beating first time Q2 participant Eugene Laverty (PULL&BEAR Aspar Team) to P10. Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) suffered the most in the session, ending up P12 but having made big progress since a Friday morning crash set his weekend off on the wrong foot – the Sabadell native went two seconds quicker on Saturday.

The first race at the Red Bull Ring in two decades sees lights go out at 14:00 local time on Sunday (GMT +2), as the Ducati Team try an take their first victory since 2010.

Zarco reigns supreme as the championship leader gains traction

Frenchman consolidates his position as the pacesetter at the Red Bull Ring

Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport) has taken pole position in Moto2™ qualifying in Austria, keeping himself in the front seat as MotoGP™ returns to the country for the first time in nearly two decades. Franco Morbidelli (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) took P2 for his best-ever qualifying position, ahead of Tom Luthi as the Garage Plus Interwetten rider completed the front row.

Zarco has been the pacesetter for the majority of the track time so far in Spielberg, and the championship leader and reigning champion continued his form into qualifying to take pole. The Frenchman, who has clawed back his advantage in the world championship from rivals Alex Rins (Paginas Amarillas HP 40) and Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2), looks to be the man to beat as the Red Bull Ring prepares for the Moto2™ race.

Franco Morbidelli (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) starts from the middle of the front row in his best result so far in Moto2™ qualifying, and the Italian looks to have the pace to play a big part in the race. Using a tow from Zarco to initially top the session, Morbidelli then just lost the provisional pole as the Frenchman hit back.

Garage Plus Interwetten’s Tom Luthi has been on the pace all weekend and could prove a key rival to Zarco in the race, with the Swiss rider proving fast and consistent since Day 1 – when he was fastest. The veteran seems to have a good race rhythm and was aiming for a front row start; eager to be a protagonist in the race.

Marcel Shrotter (AGR Team) heads up the front row after the German has shown to be competitive throughout the weekend, heading 2014 Moto3™ world champion Alex Marquez on row 2, as the Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider celebrates his best ever qualifying position. Axel Pons completes row 2 for the AGR team.

Championship contender Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) qualified in P7 as the Brit fights to find some form and chase down leader Zarco, with key rival of both men – Alex Rins – just behind in P8. Taka Nakagami (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) and Jonas Folger (Dynavolt Intact GP) completed the top ten.

Moto2™ will be out to turn promise into points on Sunday at 12:20 local time (GMT +2), as the Red Bull Ring gets ready to rumble.

Rookie Mir takes impressive first pole at the Red Bull Ring

Unstoppable Binder demoted by Leopard Racing rival

Red Bull KTM Ajo are racing at home at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, and it was expected that Brad Binder would follow up his domination of Friday with a pole position at the team’s home GP – but it was Leopard Racing’s rookie Joan Mir who took the top spot, with Binder’s fastest lap interrupted in the final corner and the South African then unable to improve. Gresini Racing Moto3 rider Enea Bastianini remained one of the closest challengers to the front and will complete the front row in P3.

Mir, who moves up onto the world stage in 2016 after some incredible performances last year in the FIM CEV Repsol, takes his first pole with his incredible performance in Austria and has looked on much-improved form throughout the weekend at the Red Bull Ring. Despite two run offs in the session, the Spaniard’s fastest effort was enough to hold off the previously unstoppable Binder and set himself up for a good race result on Sunday.

Binder has been the man to beat in Spielberg so far, consistently the first man to break into the next bracket on the timing screens since track action got underway in FP1. The South African currently leads the standings in Moto3™ by a stunning 47 points, and seems to go into the race on Sunday as the favourite despite narrowly missing out on pole position.

Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing Moto3) completes the front row in P3, with the Italian starting to show more flashes of his 2015 form and get back into the top echelons of Moto3™, ready to try and challenge for the victory on Sunday.

Big movement at the end of the session came from Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0), who moved himself up into an impressive P4, ahead of Fabio Quartararo (Leopard Racing) – who continues to show a return to form. Francesco Bagnaia (PULL&BEAR Aspar Mahindra Team) was the fastest Mahindra to complete the second row, ahead of Sky Racing Team VR46’s Nicolo Bulega – who was demoted a place after having a lap time deleted.

Key championship contender Jorge Navarro (Estrella Galicia 0,0) is the closest man to Binder in the points standings ahead of the Moto3™ race in Austria, and the Spaniard had a more difficult session to qualify in P16. Similarly, Sky Racing Team VR46 rider Romano Fenati – currently third in the title – was only able to get himself into P11 and the two men will be hoping to move up in the race.Moto3™ take to the track on Sunday at 11:00 local time (GMT +2) for their first ever Red Bull Ring showdown.