FIM MotoGP World Championship
Le Mans, France
May 17, 2014
Qualifying Results (all on Bridgestone tires):
From Qualifying Session One (top two advance to qualifying session two):
1. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (FORWARD YAMAHA), 1:33.483
2. Cal CRUTCHLOW, UK (DUCATI), 1:33.823
3. Nicky HAYDEN, USA (HONDA), 1:33.859
4. Yonny HERNANDEZ, Colombia (DUCATI), 1:33.999
5. Colin EDWARDS, USA (FORWARD YAMAHA), 1:34.203
6. Scott REDDING, UK (HONDA), 1:34.233
7. Hiroshi AOYAMA, Japan (HONDA), 1:34.457
8. Karel ABRAHAM, Czech Republic (HONDA), 1:34.880
9. Hector BARBERA, Spain (FTR-KAWASAKI), 1:35.499
10. Broc PARKES, Australia (PBM-APRILIA), 1:35.795
11. Michael LAVERTY, UK (PBM-APRILIA), 1:35.932
12. Mike DI MEGLIO, France (FTR-KAWASAKI), 1:36.163
From Qualifying Session Two:
1. Marc MARQUEZ, Spain (HONDA), 1:32.042 (New Circuit Best Lap Record)
2. Pol ESPARGARO, Spain (YAMAHA), 1:32.734
3. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (DUCATI), 1:32.755
4. Stefan BRADL, Germany (HONDA), 1:32.846
5. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (YAMAHA), 1:32.873
6. Jorge LORENZO, Spain (YAMAHA), 1:32.899
7. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (HONDA), 1:33.006
8. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (FORWARD YAMAHA), 1:33.015
9. Dani PEDROSA, Spain (HONDA), 1:33.023
10. Bradley SMITH, UK (YAMAHA), 1:33.058
11. Andrea IANNONE, Italy (DUCATI), 1:33.102
12. Cal CRUTCHLOW, UK (DUCATI), 1:33.315
Combined Qualifying Results:
1. Marc MARQUEZ, Spain (HONDA), 1:32.042 (New Circuit Best Lap Record)
2. Pol ESPARGARO, Spain (YAMAHA), 1:32.734
3. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (DUCATI), 1:32.755
4. Stefan BRADL, Germany (HONDA), 1:32.846
5. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (YAMAHA), 1:32.873
6. Jorge LORENZO, Spain (YAMAHA), 1:32.899
7. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (HONDA), 1:33.006
8. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (FORWARD YAMAHA), 1:33.015
9. Dani PEDROSA, Spain (HONDA), 1:33.023
10. Bradley SMITH, UK (YAMAHA), 1:33.058
11. Andrea IANNONE, Italy (DUCATI), 1:33.102
12. Cal CRUTCHLOW, UK (DUCATI), 1:33.315
13. Nicky HAYDEN, USA (HONDA), 1:33.859
14. Yonny HERNANDEZ, Colombia (DUCATI), 1:33.999
15. Colin EDWARDS, USA (FORWARD YAMAHA), 1:34.203
16. Scott REDDING, UK (HONDA), 1:34.233
17. Hiroshi AOYAMA, Japan (HONDA), 1:34.457
18. Karel ABRAHAM, Czech Republic (HONDA), 1:34.880
19. Hector BARBERA, Spain (FTR-KAWASAKI), 1:35.499
20. Broc PARKES, Australia (PBM-APRILIA), 1:35.795
21. Michael LAVERTY, UK (PBM-APRILIA), 1:35.932
22. Mike DI MEGLIO, France (FTR-KAWASAKI), 1:36.163
More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:
Second Row Start for Movistar Yamaha in Le Mans
Qualifying
Le Mans (France), 17th May 2014
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP riders Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo will start tomorrow’s Monster Energy Grand Prix de France from the second row with Rossi in fifth and Lorenzo in sixth position.
An intense 15-minute qualifying session saw both riders hold provisional positions on the front row as the lap times tumbled, only to be denied in the last moments. Their final times on the second row were just a tenth of a second from second place.
Rossi was one of the first riders on track, briefly slotting into second position on his first flying effort behind teammate Lorenzo with a 1’33.313. He immediately improved with a 1’33.217 before a flurry of hot laps dropped him to sixth as he returned to the pits with 7 minutes remaining. Less than two minutes later and armed with a fresh soft rear he was back on track, picking up the pace to drop into the 1’32s with a 1’32.974 before delivering his best lap of qualifying with a 1’32.873. The time was good enough for a brief visit to the front row before dropping to the second and securing fifth for tomorrow’s race.
Teammate Lorenzo started strongly in the Le Mans sunshine, first man out on track he immediately took the top spot with his first flying lap, a 1’33.188 to lead a Movistar Yamaha one/two on the timesheets. Rival Marc Marquez then moved in, taking the top spot and relegating Lorenzo to second as the qualifying session began to heat up. The Spaniard was able to drop under the 1’33s with a 1’32.964 before returning to the pits for a new soft rear. The last few minutes saw a second attack however Lorenzo was unable to reclaim pole, delivering a session best of 1’32.899 to take sixth on the grid next to his teammate for tomorrow’s race.
Valentino Rossi
5th / 1’32.873 / 9 laps
“I’m quite happy, especially after yesterday which was a big disaster. I wasn’t able to ride the bike in a good way then, but today with my team we improved the setting a lot and I’m satisfied. I’m always fast; I have a good pace and a good setting so I like the bike. In the qualifying I had the potential to be on the front row but at the end it’s ok like this. I’m in fifth ahead of Lorenzo and Pedrosa and I think tomorrow they will be great rivals. Marquez is also very fast, but I can fight with them!”
Jorge Lorenzo
6th / 1’32.899 / 9 laps
“It’s been the opposite of Jerez, here we have good pace but we couldn’t make a very fast lap time. I didn’t make a perfect lap and just for one tenth I couldn’t be in second place. For the race we have more options than the last races so I’m going to try and finish on the podium. We have to pay attention in the first laps because everyone wants to overtake but I think we can keep our place and move up.”
Massimo Meregalli
“Fifth and sixth isn’t a reflection of our speed, the pace we have shown during the practices for both riders is actually more positive than it looks from the qualifying results. Our bike is well set up for the track and the race so we have some confidence for tomorrow. For sure we will be there and competitive at the front, both Jorge and Vale are very capable of fighting for the podium. We will look to make another step before warm up tomorrow to have the best possible set up for the race. It’s going to be long and tough over 28 laps. It’s a very technical circuit with no time to rest so it should be an exciting one to watch.”
More, from a press release issued by Cardion AB Motoracing:
Sixth row for Abraham on Le Mans grid
Czech MotoGP rider Karel Abraham finished 18th in the qualifying practice for the French Grand Prix in Le Mans. Abraham reached his best 1:34,880 in the third lap of the QP1 losing the chance to make another fast lap in the end of the session only by couple of seconds.
Karel Abraham
“Well, the good news is that the bike worked quite well in QP. This setup is certainly the best of all we try during this weekend and I´m pretty sure that if we had it earlier, we would be faster now. I´m little bit angry, that I missed the chance to do one more fast lap. Unfortunately I saw the flag only some seconds before I passed the start line. The important thing is that tomorrow I´ll stay close to another open Honda riders and I can fight for points.”
Marco Grana, chief mechanic Cardion AB Motoracing
“We are quite happy. The main reason is that we found good setup for Sunday. And it´s really not easy at this circuit. In the morning session we suffered the same problems as on Friday – lack of grip on the rear and bad front feeling. Afternoon it went better and Karel was really happy with the way the bike works. Karel speed up in the QP and cut almost second of his free practice lap times. It´s pity that he was flagged in the end of session. He could make another fast lap and improve the lap time. However I believe we can make quite good race tomorrow. We expect that everybody will have problem with tyres, so it´s important to stay in the group with other “open” riders as Hayden and Redding and try to fight them in the last ten laps.
More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone:
Another outright lap record lands Marquez on pole in Le Mans
Round 5: French MotoGP™ – Qualifying Practice
Le Mans, Saturday May 17 2014
Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Extra-Soft, Soft & Medium; Rear: Extra-soft, Soft & Medium (Asymmetric)
Bridgestone wet tyre compounds available: Soft (Main) & Hard (Alternative)
Weather: FP3 – Dry. Ambient 15-16°C; Track 25-26°C (Bridgestone measurement)
FP4/QP – Dry. Ambient 22-24°C; Track 41-45°C (Bridgestone measurement)
There is no stopping Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez at the moment, as the Spanish star smashed the existing Le Mans outright circuit lap record by 0.605 seconds for his fifth pole position from the first five races of the season.
While Marquez continued his stranglehold on the top qualifying position this year, starting second on the grid for tomorrow’s French Grand Prix will be Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Pol Espargaro, with the MotoGP™ rookie claiming his first ever front-row start with a personal best lap time of 1’32.734. Andrea Dovizioso’s successful record at the Le Mans circuit continued today, as the Ducati rider was third in Qualifying Practice 2 with a time of 1’32.755.
In the time attack during Qualifying Practice 2, Marquez and Espargaro set their best time on the soft compound slicks front and rear, while Dovizioso used the soft compound front matched with the extra-soft rear slick.
As was the case yesterday, weather conditions today were warm and dry, with the peak track temperature of 45°C recorded during QP2. In the earlier Free Practice sessions, riders assessed a wide range of tyres to see which options were more suitable in the warmer than usual temperatures at Le Mans. During race simulations in FP4, almost every rider preferred the soft compound front slick, matched with their softer rear slick option; extra-soft for the Ducati and Open-class riders, soft for the Factory Honda and Yamaha riders. Coincidentally, as well as being more consistent over longer runs, this same tyre combination yielded the best performance over a single lap, hence it was used by most riders during their qualifying runs.
The twenty-eight lap French Grand Prix starts at 1400 local time tomorrow (GMT +1), with the next MotoGP™ session, the twenty-minute morning Warm Up commencing at 0940 local time.
Shinji Aoki – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department
“Another day with perfect conditions gave the riders ample opportunity to try out all the slick tyre options and decide on their race tyre combinations. Although temperatures are warmer than we usually experience at Le Mans, this circuit isn’t demanding on tyres so most riders will opt for their softer rear slick option for the race. For the front tyre, the soft compound option seems to offer the best combination of cornering and braking performance, so I expect this to be widely used tomorrow. This year at Le Mans we’ve brought a new rear tyre allocation with a focus on improved warm-up and safety for the riders. However, it is plain to see that is also provided quite an improvement in performance which the riders, in particular Marc exploited to maximum effect. To beat the existing outright lap record by over half a second is an incredible achievement. Over longer runs, many riders are on a similar race pace so it should be a close contest tomorrow.”
More, from a press release issued by Scott Redding’s publicist:
Confidence returns for Scott at Le Mans
Le Mans, France – 17 May 2014: Scott Redding will start tomorrow’s French Grand Prix from 16th position on the sixth row of the grid, after set up changes renewed his confidence in his Honda RCV1000R.
After struggling for a set up during this morning’s free practice session, the 21-year-old Briton and his team made big changes to his Honda RCV1000R for the final free practice and qualifying.
The gamble paid off, with Scott feeling much more confortable on the bike, qualifying as the second fastest production Honda rider and just half-a-second off the time of Nicky Hayden, who will start one row ahead from 13th position.
Scott Redding // 16th // 1’34.233
“The last few races we’ve been the third or fourth Open Class Honda, so it was good to be the second quickest Honda RCV1000R behind Nicky in today’s FP4 and qualifying sessions. This morning I didn’t feel so comfortable on the bike, so we made a lot of changes ahead of FP4 to improve the feeling, with positive results. I started to enjoy riding the bike once again. Now we have to see if we can make more improvements tomorrow morning, especially from my side, because now the bike is pretty good.”
More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:
Marquez thunders to 5th consecutive pole taking new lap record en route
After dominating the French GP weekend so far, Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez recorded his fifth pole of the season – in as many races – and set the fastest lap ever on two wheels at the Le Mans circuit. Teammate Dani Pedrosa will start from the third row of the grid in ninth position after struggling with the time attack in qualifying.
It was another thrilling session in sunny conditions in Le Mans with Marc wasting no time to set a fast time on his first run. However, on his second exit of Q2 Marc bettered his own time by half a second and lapped the 4.185km circuit in a new record time of 1’32.042, which was 0.692 faster than anyone else, and beat Dani’s record time from 2008 – on qualifying tyres – by 0.605s (1’32.647).
It was a tougher session for Dani who has been fast all weekend but wasn’t able to push in qualifying this afternoon. Despite being the fastest rider in the speed trap with a top speed of 309.7km/h, Dani was only able to qualify ninth for tomorrows 28 lap race with a time of 1’33.023.
TEAM QUOTES
Marc Marquez
1st – 1’32.042
“I’m very happy to be on pole and also with the gap between myself and second place on the timesheet. Tomorrow will be interesting as my main rivals – Dani, Jorge and Valentino – are not on the front row but on rows two and three. However, I know they will be there in the battle and we must be prepared. Starting from pole is an advantage and I will try to capitalise from it and give 100% – as always – to fight for the win!”
Dani Pedrosa
9th – 1’33.023
“Free practice wasn’t too bad for us, but in qualifying we weren’t so great. I’m riding a little smoother this weekend and not so aggressive, due to my injured forearm, and when I wanted to push to improve my times I wasn’t really able to. I think that in general we have done a good job in practice and I will try to get a good start tomorrow, because I am very far back. It will be important to bring the tyre temperature up on the warmup lap and try to overtake some riders in the opening laps”
More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda:
BRADL GETS THE 4th SPOT ON THE GRID AHEAD FRENCH GP
Le Mans, 17 May: premier class riders completed their second day of work at sunny Le Mans circuit ahead tomorrow’s 28-lap race which will see LCR Honda’s Stefan Bradl starting from the 4th spot on the grid. Bradl showed his fully recovered form after the arm pump surgery of last week, recording a 1’32.846 fastest lap time on his ELF branded RCV. The German expects a very close race in the front because he will share the second row with Rossi and Lorenzo but he is determined to finish the French Grand Prix in the top-five.
Stefan: “After yesterday’s several tests, we went back to our standard geometry that we used in the past races because I have more front feeling. Our pace is pretty good and I am happy about the 4th place today (also considering my recent surgery) but we must be realistic. The other riders are very fast too and I am starting from the second row with two big rivals like Rossi and Lorenzo. Even Pedrosa will push to catch the front group so our target is to finish in the top five. This would be a very good result for us. My arm is getting better and today it was not necessary to have a painkiller injection”.
More, from a press release issued by NGM Mobile Forward Racing:
Aleix Espargaro first Open in the qualifying session at Le Mans
Aleix Espargaro continues the momentum with a very positive qualifying session at Le Mans. The NGM Forward Racing rider was the fastest open also on the French track recording a remarkable 1’33.015 and tomorrow he will take the start from the third row on the 8th spot of the grid. Aleix is confident for the race and he aims at making a good start and finish as close as possible to the Top5 riders.
Team mate Colin Edwards finished in 15th position with a lap time of 1’34.203. Colin worked hard during the day on the electronics set up and he was able to improve his feeling on the bike. The Texan rider looks forward to get a good result in the race.
Colin Edwards:
“Yesterday we struggled a lot but the work on the electronics set up has paid and I could improve my feeling with the bike. I still have some issues with the traction control, but we have some ideas for tomorrow. We don’t have so much time but I’m confident that we can make a step forward to be more competitive.”
Aleix Espargaro:
“Considering the problems we had yesterday, I’m satisfied of todays’ result. On this track we are struggling with the set up of the bike. We need to analyse the data in order to find a solution for the race. In qualifying we were quiet fast, the gap form the front row is not bad so I’m confident for the race. It will be important to make a good start and remain close to the front group especially in the first part of the race.”
More, from a press release issued by Drive M7 Aspar Team:
NICKY HAYDEN BATTLES THROUGH PAIN TO TAKE THIRTEENTH PLACE ON THE GRID
DRIVE M7 Aspar rider narrowly misses out on Q2 as team-mate Hiroshi Aoyama qualifies seventeenth
Jorge Lorenzo set the pace in this morning’s MotoGP free practice but the double World Champion had no answer for the reigning title holder Marc Márquez this afternoon, as the Catalan pulled seven tenths from his sleeve to smash the previous pole record at Le Mans with a stunning lap of 1’32.042. Whilst Marquez looks like he could well pull another escape job at the front there is a wide open battle for the podium behind him with no fewer than eight riders separated by just three tenths of a second. Joining Márquez on the front row are Pol Espargaró and Andrea Dovizioso, representing all three ‘official’ factories in MotoGP (Honda, Yamaha and Ducati).
DRIVE M7 Aspar rider Nicky Hayden showed great courage today, as he has all weekend, to fight through the pain of his injured right wrist to clock his best lap in Q1, a 1’33.859 almost seeing him through to Q2 but falling short by just 0.036 seconds. As such the American heads up the fifth row tomorrow in thirteenth place and he is determined to battle through the pain again in what promises to be a long and difficult race. His team-mate Hiroshi Aoyama starts from four places further back, the Japanese happy to have improved his set-up and pace during today’s two track sessions.
13th Nicky Hayden 1.33.859: “To be honest my wrist is still very painful but I tried to give my best in qualifying. I want to thank all the staff at the Clinica Mobile for the work they are doing to limit the pain. We have improved the set-up of the bike today but unfortunately not as much as we had hoped to. We lost some valuable time working on one of the bikes trying to fix something that we still need to get to the bottom of. Anyway, the lap time in qualifying was good. I made a little mistake in the chicane that possibly cost me a place in Q2, which is a shame because the extra track time would have been useful to test one more tyre option for the race. It will be a tough race tomorrow but we are ready to fight for the best possible result.”
17th Hiroshi Aoyama 1.34.457: “We improved the handling of the bike in the slow corners today. We worked hard and the outcome was very productive, which we can see in the lap times. In qualifying when we put the soft tyre in to push for a fast time I made a little mistake in the chicane on what was my best lap. It is a shame but we have to be satisfied that our performance has improved and we are quite well prepared for the race. I think we have a consistent rhythm, even on the hard tyre and I hope we can have a good race tomorrow.”
More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing:
Eleventh and fourteenth Position for Andrea Iannone and Yonny Hernandez
Direct access to the second qualifying session for the Pramac Racing rider Andrea Iannone, who proves to be fast even during the qualification. Yonny Hernandez does not enter the QP2 for just a little more than two tenths of a second after a good QP1 .
Andrea Iannone – Pramac Racing – ends the three timed sessions with the eighth fastest time, recorded yesterday. Even the FP4 are positive, the twenty-four year old Italian continued to work in preparation for tomorrow’s race and improving his pace . At the start of the QP2 Andrea with determination aware of its potential, and proves to be one of the riders that can be able to start in the front rows. After changing the tire, in his fast lap, unfortunately, he has a little problem with brakes before turn seven because the brake pads did not bite. Andrea Iannone lost access to the front rows, qualifying eleventh with a time of 1’33″102. Aware of his good race pace tomorrow he will battle from the first lap with the riders ahead to gain positions.
Yonny Hernandez – EnergyT.I . Pramac Racing – continues his French weekend constantly improving. In the third session the Colombian rider is determined to do good and improves more than half a second compered to yesterday, unfortunately the lap time is not good enough to get into the top -ten. In qualifying Yonny marks his best lap of the weekend in 1’33″999 for less than two-tenths he did not access to the QP2. In tomorrow race he will start from the fifth row determined to gain positions.
Andrea Iannone ( Pramac Racing)
“Too bad for my best time in qualifying, I was pushing very hard and coming out of the sixth corner the bike started to wobble a lot when I went to brake I couldn’t stop because the brake pads didn’t bite. I hope for in good start for tomorrow, it will certainly be important for the race, I’ll have to make a very fast first lap to gain the position i lost in qualifying.”
Yonny Hernandez ( EnergyT.I . Pramac Racing)
“I’m very satisfied because I improved my lap time constantly lowering by more than three seconds from the first session on Friday. Today was my first qualifying session this season, without committing even small mistakes that have characterized previous races! I am convinced to do a good race tomorrow, as always I will fight to get into the points and finish in the top ten to bring home as many points as possible for the championship. “
More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
New pole record for Marquez at Le Mans
Having secured MotoGP™ pole again at the Monster Energy Grand Prix de France Marc Marquez will head the grid for Sunday’s fifth race of 2014, with the front row also featuring Pol Espargaro and Andrea Dovizioso.
After the first flying laps Marquez was immediately top with a 1’32.567, to set a new fastest ever lap of Le Mans, the World Champion then improving to a remarkable 1’32.042 time to maintain his 100% qualifying record in 2014.
Repsol Honda’s Marquez was 0.692s clear of rookie Espargaro with the latter securing his best MotoGP grid result to date. Espargaro’s performance at his team’s home round will fill him with confidence ahead of just his fifth premier class race.
Making good use of the extra soft tyre Ducati Team’s Andrea Dovizioso qualified 0.713s behind Marquez to take the final spot on the front row.
The second row features Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda MotoGP), who has recovered quickly from arm pump surgery since Jerez, with Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) reaching his personal target of qualifying in the top five as he slots in behind the German.
Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) was 0.857s off pole in sixth place but he will still be confident of a good race at a venue where he has a strong record.
Making up an all Spanish the third row are Alvaro Bautista (GO&FUN Honda Gresini), top Open rider Aleix Espargaro (NGM Forward Racing) and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team).
The fourth row meanwhile comprises Bradley Smith (Monster Yamaha Tech3), Andrea Iannone (Pramac Racing) and Cal Crutchlow (Ducati Team), with Iannone briefly flashing up in second place provisionally before his lap time was cancelled as he exceeded the track limits.
Moto2™: First intermediate class pole for rookie Folger
The Moto2™ race on Sunday at Le Mans will start with rookie Jonas Folger at the head of the grid, in front of Tito Rabat and Luis Salom on row one.
Folger (AGR Team) secured the fifth Grand Prix pole of his career and his first since graduating to the intermediate class with a late 1’37.619s lap, as he looks to build on his Jerez podium result.
Behind the German on the grid are Rabat (Marc VDS Racing Team) and Salom (Pons HP 40), with Rabat on provisional pole for a long period of a session which also brought a crash for the standings leader.
There will be plenty of experience on row two with Mika Kallio (Marc VDS Racing Team), Thomas Luthi (Interwetten Paddock Moto2) and Simone Corsi (NGM Forward Racing) qualifying fourth to sixth respectively.
Moto3™ World Champion Maverick Viñales (Pons HP 40) surged to seventh late on, with fellow Spaniard Ricard Cardus (Tech 3) and former Moto3 title winner Sandro Cortese (Dynavolt Intact GP) slotting in behind rookie Viñales, despite a crash for Cortese mid-session. Sam Lowes (Speed Up) rounds out the top ten.
There were also crashes for Johann Zarco (AirAsia Caterham Moto Racing), Lorenzo Baldassarri (Gresini Moto2) and Franco Morbidelli (Italtrans Racing Team) in the session, though none of that trio were injured.
Moto3™: Pole man Vazquez ready for round five race
Moto3™ qualifying in France saw Efren Vazquez (SAXOPRINT RTG) outpace the rest of the field in Le Mans with a new pole record of 1’42.491, with Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Alex Rins (Estrella Galicia 0,0) joining him on the front row.
Vazquez has taken a step up this season in terms of his competitiveness and he achieved his first Grand Prix pole by a 0.025s margin from standings leader Miller, whilst Rins missed out on top spot by 0.227s as he was hindered on a late fast lap.
Local hero Alexis Masbou (Ongetta-Rivacold) heads the second row and might have done better had he not crashed immediately after setting his best time. He was not seriously hurt in the incident and is joined on row two by Niklas Ajo (Avant Tecno Husqvarna Ajo) and Isaac Viñales (Calvo Team).
The third row will feature Alex Marquez (Estrella Galicia 0,0), John McPhee (SAXOPRINT RTG) and Zulfahmi Khairuddin (Ongetta-AirAsia).
The winner of the last two races Romano Fenati (SKY Racing Team VR46) just sneaked into the top ten at the end and therefore will get away from the head of the fourth row.
In addition to Masbou there were crashes without significant consequences for Luca Grünwald (Kiefer Racing) at Museum Corner and Hafiq Azmi (SIC-Ajo KTM) who walked away from nasty late spill on the final corner.
More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:
French GP at Le Mans: superb front row start for Dovizioso in third, Crutchlow twelfth
Ducati Team rider Andrea Dovizioso put in an excellent run in qualifying for the French Grand Prix, round 5 of the MotoGP World Championship, which will take place tomorrow at the Le Mans circuit. The Italian rider starts from the front row after setting the third quickest time of 1’32.755 towards the end of the decisive qualifying session.
This will be the third time Dovizioso starts from the front row with a Ducati, the Italian repeating his 2013 performance in qualifying on the French track. He also set a top speed record at the Le Mans track this weekend, hitting the 311.1 km/h mark during this morning’s third free practice session.
Team-mate Cal Crutchlow was in the end quite satisfied with his performance. Even though Cal was unable to find the right feeling with his Desmosedici GP14 yesterday, the British rider improved considerably today. Crutchlow moved into second qualifying with a second place in Q1, and then his best time of 1’33.315 in Q2 earned him twelfth place on the grid.
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 3rd (1’32.755)
“Starting on the front row here at Le Mans is fabulous! My first run in Q2 was useful to get a good idea of how to do all the sectors; I really felt I could do a good lap with a new tyre and I succeeded in doing so. It’s important to start on the front row tomorrow, because we are all pretty close together. We’ve worked very well this weekend, we started off quite quick on Friday and not far from the frontrunners, but above all we’ve succeeded in improving the feeling with the bike in every session. Today we also had a race pace that was pretty close to those up front. I don’t think we’ll manage to fight for the podium, but anything can happen and for sure starting from the front row will give us a big hand!”
Cal Crutchlow (Ducati Team #35) – 12th (1’33.315)
“I’m quite satisfied today because we made a big improvement in lap time, even though my grid position is not great and for the moment we are not quite fast enough. However we are a lot faster than Ducati last year and I am faster than what I went last year when I qualified fourth with another bike, so it shows the competition in MotoGP is tough. I will discuss with the team tonight a plan for tomorrow’s race; hopefully we can get a good start and challenge with some of the other guys to get a good result. I think it’ll be a big battle tomorrow!”
More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3:
Espargaro storms to maiden front row
Rookie Pol Espargaro delivered a heroic qualifying performance today to superbly clinch 2nd and his first ever MotoGP front row start, for tomorrow’s 28-lap dash at the Monster Yamaha Tech3 team’s home grand prix in Le Mans.
The reigning Moto2 World Champion wasted no time in setting a blazing pace at the gloriously sunny circuit, having ridden to a superbly executed 3rd place in FP3 which allowed him to progress through to Q2 for the fourth race in succession. His final lap time during the second 15-minute dash was an exceptional 1.32,734, which was quicker than last year’s pole by 0.445 of a second, in only his fifth race event for the Monster Yamaha Tech3 MotoGP team. With the 22 year old Catalan feeling self assured with his race pace and ability, he is poised to deliver a positive performance in his first outing at the Le Mans circuit on the Yamaha YZR-M1 as he proceeds to make leaps forward in terms of his performance and confidence.
Bradley Smith continued his positive form for the team’s special home Grand Prix, sponsored by Tech3’s title backers Monster Energy, by qualifying in 10th. His lap time of 1.33,058 today illustrated his large level of progression from last year, as he beat his previous time by well over one second. Having progressed straight through to Q2 with a lap of 1.33,510 equalling 9th place, Smith pushed determinedly, but was hampered slightly by grip issues yet still produced a lap time of 1.33,058, only one tenth from the fifth position. He fully intends to begin tomorrow’s 28-lap race strongly, where he will aim for a top five result at the legendary Le Mans circuit.
Pol Espargaro
Position : 2ndTime : 1’32,734Laps : 9
“I am flying high right now, and am really happy and proud that I was able to produce this lap at the team’s home race. This is very important for me, as the team and I have done a lot of work during the preseason and for the first few rounds, so this qualifying result is like a small victory. The race will still be a challenge, as there are many laps and not just one however I am confident with my pace. For sure, the factory riders may seem faster and have more experience, but starting from the front will still be a big advantage for me compared to the other races so far. I intend to fight whilst trying to learn as much as possible, and I feel like I can clinch a great result for the team and it would be perfect to go home with plenty of championship points in my pocket. I will make the most of the start and see what I can do.”
Bradley Smith
Position : 10thTime :1’33,058Laps : 8
“Obviously, it is not ideal qualifying in 10th, especially with the nature of this circuit as it is a narrow track, and therefore it might be tricky to overtake on. Fortunately, I am confident with my starts, so I am not too worried as there is a long distance to turn one, and I’ll aim to retake some positions straight away there. I have made it a little harder for myself, and I believe I had the pace to challenge for the front row. With the team and myself we weren’t able to find a solution to some rear grip issues and especially in acceleration, which is so important here. I am pleased with the braking stability, which is a positive as it is also significant for this track due to its stop and go character. With this, I am confident that we can fight and make some ground in tomorrow’s race. There is still some work to be done in warm-up, and I aim to do my very best for tomorrow’s race to give the French fans something to cheer about.”