FIM Moto2 World Championship
Losail International Circuit
Doha, Qatar
March 20, 2014
Free Practice Two Results (all using Honda engines and Dunlop tires):
(Current Circuit Best Lap Record: 2:00.168, Stefan Bradl, 2011)
1. Takaaki NAKAGAMI, Japan (KALEX), 2:00.522
2. Esteve RABAT, Spain (KALEX), 2:00.574
3. Sandro CORTESE, Germany (KALEX), 2:00.669
4. Maverick VIÑALES, Spain (KALEX), 2:00.771
5. Dominique AEGERTER, Switzerland (SUTER), 2:00.853
6. Thomas LUTHI, Switzerland (SUTER), 2:00.910
7. Alex DE ANGELIS, San Misano (SUTER), 2:00.932
8. Johann ZARCO, France (CATERHAM SUTER), 2:00.949
9. Jonas FOLGER, Germany (KALEX), 2:00.967
10. Mika KALLIO, Finland (KALEX), 2:01.039
11. Xavier SIMEON, Belgium (SUTER), 2:01.101
12. Simone CORSI, Italy (FORWARD KLX), 2:01.219
13. Mattia PASINI, Italy (FORWARD KLX), 2:01.224
14. Nicolas TEROL, Spain (SUTER), 2:01.394
15. Louis ROSSI, France (KALEX), 2:01.410
16. Ricard CARDUS, Spain (TECH 3), 2:01.581
17. Luis SALOM, Spain (KALEX), 2:01.615
18. Julian SIMON, Spain (KALEX), 2:01.630
19. Anthony WEST, Australia (SPEED UP), 2:01.717
20. Lorenzo BALDASSARRI, Italy (SUTER), 2:01.745
21. Jordi TORRES, Spain (SUTER), 2:01.896
22. Axel PONS, Spain (KALEX), 2:02.108
23. Marcel SCHROTTER, Germany (TECH 3), 2:02.109
24. Franco MORBIDELLI, Italy (KALEX), 2:02.161
25. Sam LOWES, UK (SPEED UP), 2:02.275
26. Gino REA, UK (SUTER), 2:02.296
27. Azlan SHAH, Malaysia (KALEX), 2:02.406
28. Randy KRUMMENACHER, Switzerland (SUTER), 2:02.647
29. Josh HERRIN, USA (CATERHAM SUTER), 2:02.785
30. Hafizh SYAHRIN, Malaysia (KALEX), 2:02.860
31. Roman RAMOS, Spain (SPEED UP), 2:04.029
32. Mashel AL NAIMI, Qatar (SPEED UP), 2:04.191
33. Robin MULHAUSER, Switzerland (SUTER), 2:04.603
34. Thitipong WAROKORN, Thailand (KALEX), 2:04.643
35. Tetsuta NAGASHIMA, Japan (TSR), 2:05.388
More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
Moto2™: Late lap from Nakagami puts him clear
Japanese rider Takaaki Nakagami (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia) was the top man in Moto2™ on day one in Qatar, leading the way from Esteve Rabat (Marc VDS Racing Team) and Sandro Cortese (Dynavolt Intact GP)
Nakagami’s rapid 2’00.522 best effort came in the last minute of the session with Rabat just +0.052 behind.
The 2012 Moto3 World Champion Cortese was 0.15s off P1 in third, whilst the 2013 Moto3 title winner Maverick Viñales (Pons HP 40) was fourth and the ever consistent Dominique Aegerter (Technomag carXpert) completed the top five.
Thomas Luthi (Interwetten Paddock Moto2), Alex De Angelis (Tasca Racing Moto2), Johann Zarco (AirAsia Caterham Moto Racing), Jonas Folger (AGR Team) and FP1 leader Mika Kallio Marc (VDS Racing Team) were all present in the top ten.
Sam Lowes (Speed Up) and his fellow rookie Tetsuta Nagashima (Teluru Team JiR Webike) both walked away from crashes during the session, as they learned the way with their respective new machines.
More, from a press release issued by Marc VDS Racing Team:
Marc VDS get Qatar weekend off to a flying start
Losail, Qatar – 20 March 2014: Tito Rabat got the first race weekend of the season in Qatar off to a flying start, finishing tonight’s two free practice sessions in second place and just 0.052s off Takaaki Nakagami’s provisional pole position time.
Mika Kallio posted the fastest lap during tonight’s opening free practice but, despite improving his time in the second session, eventually ended the evening tenth on the timesheet.
The top 15 Moto2 riders were separated by less than one second.
Livio Loi missed the Qatar race last season because he was still underage, but the 16-year-old Belgian quickly got to grips with the Losail circuit during tonight’s two free practice sessions. An improvement of almost two seconds in FP2 saw Loi finish an impressive 13th, just 1.2s off Romano Fenati’s provisional pole time.
Tito Rabat // 2nd // 2’00.574
“The feeling with the bike was good from the start, the pace was fast and I felt comfortable with the lap times. The track was a little bit dirty today, like always on the first day in Qatar, but it will clean up tomorrow and the lap times will improve further. Tomorrow we will look for further improvements, but the good thing is that we only need to make small changes to the setup of the bike to achieve this. I’m happy to finally get the season underway and I’m pleased with how things have gone today here in Qatar.”
Mika Kallio // 10th // 2’01.039
“In the first session the feeling with the bike was good from the start, on the base setting we refined during preseason testing. My lap times were consistent and it’s always good to end the first session at the top of the timesheet. In the second session we used the harder option tyre, as there’s a good chance this will be the race tyre and, again, the lap times were consistent. What I didn’t get was a proper flying lap; I was on my fastest lap right at the end, with a red through sector 1, but I got the bike sideways out of turn 10 and lost time. Today was a good way to start the new season and tomorrow we will look for further improvements with the harder option tyre.”
Livio Loi // 13th // 2’07.403
“I’m happy with the two practices today. This is a new track for me, so I’m still learning my way around, but my lap times improved with every exit in the first session, despite some mistakes at certain parts of the track. I started the second session where I finished the first and, again, my lap time came down as I got a better feel for the track. For sure there is more to come tomorrow, because I was still making the odd mistake here and there in the last session, but I’m pretty pleased with the progress we made tonight.”
More, from a press release issued by AirAsia Caterham Moto2 Team:
| Qatar GP – Free Practice 1 & 2 |
| Circuit: Losail International Circuit Circuit Length: 5.380 km |
| Bike # 5 – Johann Zarco FP1: P12; 2:02.211 – 13 laps FP2: P8; 2:00.949 – 17 laps |
| Bike # 2 – Josh Herrin FP1: P31; 2:04.527 – 21 laps FP2: P29; 2:02.785 – 18 laps |
| Weather FP1: (Conditions) Dry; (air temp) 23°, (track temp) 23° FP2: (Conditions) Dry; (air temp) 22°, (track temp) 21° |
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The MotoGP season officially began today under the floodlights of the Losail International Circuit in Qatar. AirAsia Caterham Moto Racing made a positive start to their Moto2 championship debut, despite experiencing a technical issue in the first practice session. FP1 saw Moto2 rookie Josh Herrin work hard to adapt to a new track, not retreating to the box until the end of practice and putting in the most laps out of the 35 strong field in session one. Teammate Johann Zarco came out strong but an issue with the engine hampered the Frenchman’s ability to improve on his 12th position in the first practice. The team worked hard to change the engine between sessions and in FP2 he was able to improve on his time, finishing just 0.427 off P1. Johann Zarco: “In the first session we were unlucky as we had an engine problem, so unfortunately I didn’t have much time to learn the track and improve my feeling on the bike. However in FP2 I was able to get back out and improve my lap time quite quickly. “Although we finished in 8th we are only 0.427s from the front which is not so bad, so tomorrow we will try to improve a little bit on the bike and see that we always have top speed and top engine performance. It’s going to be necessary to be very focussed, push a lot and improve the lap time. “My aim is to be in the top three; it’s going to be hard work but this is what I can do and this is why we are here.” Josh Herrin: “The track was good, very fast and flowing. It reminds me of one of my favourite circuits back home. “I felt good on the bike and for the first day on track I’m pleased with the progress we made. “For tomorrow I hope to post times in the mid 2min0’s and continue to get more used to the track”. |