FIM MotoGP World Championship Silverstone Circuit, England June 16, 2012 Qualifying Results (all on Bridgestone tires): 1. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (HONDA), 2:03.303 2. Ben SPIES, USA (YAMAHA), 2:03.409 3. Casey STONER, Australia (HONDA), 2:03.423 4. Jorge LORENZO, Spain (YAMAHA), 2:03.763 5. Dani PEDROSA, Spain (HONDA), 2:03.835 6. Hector BARBERA, Spain (DUCATI), 2:03.876 7. Nicky HAYDEN, USA (DUCATI), 2:04.162 8. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (YAMAHA), 2:04.304 9. Stefan BRADL, German (HONDA), 2:05.035 10. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (DUCATI), 2:05.416 11. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (Aprilia-ART), 2:06.283 12. Randy DE PUNIET, France (Aprilia-ART), 2:06.303 13. Yonny HERNANDEZ, Colombia (Kawasaki-BQR/FTR), 2:06.814 14. Michele PIRRO, Italy (Honda-FTR), 2:07.016 15. Colin EDWARDS, USA (SUTER-BMW), 2:07.376 16. Mattia PASINI, Italy (Aprilia-Speed Master/ART), 2:07.511 17. James ELLISON, UK (Aprilia-PBM/ART), 2:08.228 18. Danilo PETRUCCI, Italy (Aprilia-IODA/ART), 2:08.686 19. Ivan SILVA, Spain (Kawasaki-BQR/FTR), 2:10.092 20. Karel ABRAHAM, Czech Republic (DUCATI), no time recorded, did not ride 21. Cal CRUTCHLOW, UK (YAMAHA), no time recorded, did not ride* * Have qualified for the race having achieved a time within 107 % of the fastest rider in a free practice session. More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3: Rain ends Dovizioso’s front row challenge Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team rider Andrea Dovizioso’s bid to secure a second front row start in 2012 was ended by a late rain shower in the final stages of qualifying for the Hertz British Grand Prix today. The Italian was just about to start his push for a fast lap time on Bridgestone’s soft tyres when a short but heavy rain shower started to fall on the super fast Silverstone circuit with just over eight minutes of the session remaining. The rain intervention made it impossible for Dovizioso to improve on his best lap tim e of 2.04.304 and he will start in eighth place on the grid for tomorrow’s 20-lap race. Although he will start from the middle of the third row, Dovizioso remains optimistic that he can extend his outstanding record in the British Grand Prix, despite not feeling 100% comfortable on his YZR-M1 in blustery conditions. The former 125cc World Champion is the only rider starting tomorrow’s race to finish on the podium at Silverstone in 2010 and ’11 and his solitary MotoGP victory came in the 2009 British Grand Prix at Donington Park. British rider Cal Crutchlow’s participation in his home race is in doubt after he fell heavily during this morning’s final practice session. The 26-year-old lost control of his YZR-M1 machine at the fast Chapel Curve and he suffered a heavy blow to his left foot and ankle. After initial checks in the Silverstone Circuit Medical Centre, he was transferred to hospital in Oxford for scans to determine the exact extent of the damage. Crutchlow was unable to take part in the qualifying session but if he is declared fit to start the 20-lap race, he will be allowed to do so from the back of the grid having posted the eighth quickest time in practice yesterday. Further updates on Crutchlow’s injuries will be made available at the earliest opportunity. Andrea Dovizioso 8th 2.04.304 21 laps: “It is a big pity that the rain came at the end of the session because I am confident I could have been much higher up the grid. It will not be easy starting from eighth pos ition because it is a very short run to the first corner and you need to be close to the front to avoid any trouble and be in contention right from the start. It wasn’t a very good session and I think some of that is down to me. Like yesterday the wind was really strong and it is difficult to ride close to the limit in those conditions. I just didn’t feel comfortable and because of that I wasn’t relaxed like normal on the bike and I felt rigid. The wind was so strong in places that keeping control of the bike was very difficult. I am still confident that the times I was doing before the rain came will be competitive in the race. We need to wait and see what the weather will do but I have a good record in the British Grand Prix and hope it continues tomorrow. I also hope Cal will be able to start the race. I know his home race is very important to him and all of the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team hope his injuries won’t stop him from riding.” More, from a press release issued by Yamaha MotoGP Team: Yamaha Factory Racing rider Ben Spies claimed his first front row start of the season today at the Silverstone circuit in qualifying for tomorrow’s Grand Prix of Great Britain. The Texan timed his hot lap to perfection, and took provisional pole until topped by Alvaro Bautista by just 0.106 seconds. As a result Spies will start on the front row in second position for the race. Team mate Jorge Lorenzo started qualifying as the early leader having improved on yesterday’s set up. As the session continued he gradually dropped and was in third with just under a quarter of the session remaining. Unfortunately the rain soon followed, negating any possibility of a faster lap. The Mallorcan stayed on track for several laps waiting for a break in the weather but was unable to find a dry lap. As a result he will start from the second row in fourth place for tomorrow’s race. Ben Spies Position : 2nd Time: 2’03.409 Laps: 19 “It was difficult conditions today again, like yesterday but it was the same for everybody. We tried our hardest, I’m happy for the team as they gave me a great bike and we set our best time with the hard rear tyre. When I put the soft one on we were a couple of tenths up then I made a mistake and hit the curb, I had a good lap going but messed it up. I’m just happy to be on the front row and working well with the team, let’s see what tomorrow brings.” Jorge Lorenzo Position : 4th Time: 2’03.763 Laps: 19 “That was a so-so session. I had hoped to be on the front row but it wasn’t possible because it started raining so I didn’t have a good fast lap to get up there. I stayed on the track for a while in case it stopped raining but it didn’t happen. Fourth position is not so bad and we have some options to try for tomorrow. It’s going to be a complicated race because it could rain and there will be a lot of wind. Let’s stay calm and see what happens.” Wilco Zeelenberg Team Manager “That was actually quite a positive result for qualifying, maybe not the position but the bike set up was more stable than yesterday which is what we wanted. We still have space to improve as it’s not exactly how we want it. It was also a shame that it was wet at the end as I think it could have been a hot end to the session. I think it’ll be a close race tomorrow.” Massimo Meregalli Team Director “The front row is very important. I think it could have been possible to get pole but unfortunately Ben ran off so we lost the opportunity. It’s also a pity that it started to rain in the last five minutes which compromised the front row for Jorge. The pace of our bikes is very good and everything is working pretty well, including the weather forecast for tomorrow. We’ll wait and see how it is but we’re optimistic and looking forward to the race.” More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda: The Repsol Honda Team, ready for a tough race in Silverstone The Repsol Honda Team will start tomorrow’s British Grand Prix from the first and second row of the grid, with Casey Stoner in third position and Dani Pedrosa in fifth. Once again, the cold temperatures, strong winds and temperamental weather have plagued the MotoGP riders here in Silverstone. This morning track temperatures didn’t rise above 16 degrees and then during a very busy qualifying session rain arrived in the final 10 minutes preventing the riders from maximising their final set of soft tyres. Casey, fastest in FP3, and Dani, more confident than yesterday, managed to make another step forward and both improved their lap times by more than a second in qualifying. Casey’s lap time places him third with 2’03.423, just 0.1 tenths off pole position, and Dani finished fifth with 2’03.835, half second off the best time. CASEY STONER 3rd 2’03.423 “This afternoon was a little disappointing to be honest. We began the session and struggled with the bike, we couldn’t really get any edge grip and seemed to make the chatter worse. We were trying to fix some problems we had in the morning but ended up making them worse so we tried various things to improve them. Finally we found something that was working so we decided to scrap the lap and come in and put a new soft rear tyre on but it didn’t work for us as we got out there and the rain started to come, just enough to upset the bike a little. I was waiting for the rain to disappear so I could put a lap in, but unfortunately we didn’t get an opportunity and missed our chance at pole. For tomorrow I hope the race is one way or another, not a 50/50 race, but we’ll deal with whatever we have and I feel confident with both situations”. DANI PEDROSA 5th 2’03.835 “We’ve managed to improve our lap times quite a lot and our position on the grid a little, although by the end of the practice some drops of rain prevented us to make any time attack with the last set of tyres he had ready. I’m satisfied because we’ve improved the setup of the bike this afternoon and I think we can still do another step forward in the warm-up tomorrow. We had a better pace in qualifying, but my feeling didn’t change much compared to yesterday. We did many laps with the new front tyre, but only short runs, so the performance in the second half of the race is mystery. I keep thinking that the new front tyre is not safer; we’ve seen many crashed in the front. We have to have a good start tomorrow, but also be able to keep a good pace during the 20 laps. I don’t have a lot of experience in this track; I missed the race last year and in 2010 we chose the wrong tyre and we did a bad race, but we will do the maximum tomorrow to get a goo d result”. More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing: BEST 2012 QUALIFYING RESULT FOR THE PRAMAC TEAM AND HECTOR BARBERA’ TodayÂ’s qualifying session for tomorrowÂ’s Silverstone Grand Prix got underway with blustery and cool weather conditions, but the White and Green Team was able to stir the blood, achieving a great result. Hèctor Barberà captured the best qualifying result in his career, as a MotoGP rider, setting the 6th overall fastest time at 2Â’03.876. Tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. local time, the 25-year-old rider and the Pramac Team will start the 20 laps of this 2012 British round from the second row of the grid, looking to also score their best race result of this 2012 MotoGP World Championship. Hèctor Barberà – Pramac Racing Team Rider – 6th fastest lap time in 2Â’03.876 “I am so happy about this best qualifying result of the season, but I’m even happier about the fact that I felt so good on my Ducati Desmosedici this afternoon. It is really important to be on the second row for tomorrow because this gives us the best chance for a brilliant race. I feel comfortable and I’m really looking forward to tomorrow, although I hope it isn’t going to rain. IÂ’m just 0.5 seconds away from todayÂ’s quickest rider, Alvaro Bautista, and this gives me a lot of confidence for the race. Once again, I have to say thanks to my entire team for doing a great job today.” Francesco Guidotti – Pramac Racing Team Manager – “ With today’s changing weather, we started at the beginning this afternoon with clear ideas, looking to set a quick lap time. We managed it and this allowed us to make a big step forward on the timesheet, stopping the clock with a great lap time and achieving the second row on the grid. Today we enjoyed our best 2012 campaign result in a qualifying session, and now we hope to also keep the same level tomorrow during the race.” More, from a press release issued by Speed Master: SIXTEENTH TIME FOR MATTIA PASINI IN THE QUALIFYING PRACTICE FOR SILVERSTONE GP The second day of the Hertz British Grand Prix was held today, at the circuit of Silverstone. Mattia Pasini and his technicians had the chance to work on dry track in the free practice of the morning, focusing mainly on the ART machine reactions in the corners. In the qualifying session, which took place under a dark grey sky, the Italian had the opportunity to verify some modifications that were thought for dry track and to outline some key points of the bike set-up, in case of a race without showers. Mattia, with the lap time of 2’07.511, gets himself in sixth row of the starting grid for tomorrow. Mattia Pasini #54 – 16th with 2’07.511 “We weren’t particularly fast, when working on our fast lap: in this qualifying session we preferred to try to focus on consistency and the rhythm for the race. When we decided to use the soft tyre, the wind was pretty strong and that didn’t help us. When we were using hard tyres, in any case, we did quite well and I can say that I’m satisfied. Now we’ll have a look at some final improvements for the chassis and electronics, and then we’ll put everything together for tomorrow. It’ll be a long race, but I think we can be quite competitive.” More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Brilliant Bautista takes first ever MotoGP™ pole at Silverstone Round 6: British MotoGP™ – Qualifying Practice Silverstone, Saturday 16 June 2012 Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Soft, Medium. Rear: Medium-Soft, Medium (Asymmetric) Bridgestone wet tyre compounds available: Soft (Main), Hard (Alternative) Weather: Dry. Ambient 17-18°C; Track 19-21°C (Bridgestone measurement) Alvaro Bautista will start on pole position for the first time ever in a MotoGP™ race after the San Carlo Honda Gresini rider set a time of 2:03.303 in an action packed qualifying session at Silverstone. Bautista set his pole-winning time on the combination of the soft rear and hard front slick just minutes before a rain shower washed over the circuit that left the circuit in a treacherous state. Starting second on the grid will be Yamaha Factory Racing’s Ben Spies who continued his strong form in Friday’s practice sessions, while last year’s British GP winner Casey Stoner completes the front row on the Repsol Honda RC213V. Aleix Espargaro finished just two-hundredths of a second ahead of his Power Electronics Aspar teammate Randy de Puniet to qualify as top CRT rider in eleventh place. In similar conditions to yesterday, strong winds and intermittent rain showers fell throughout the day with track temperatures just getting above 20°C for qualifying. With such low grip levels, soft slicks were once again widely used during FP3 and qualifying though some riders did try the harder front and rear slicks today and there is a strong possibility that both these options will be used in tomorrow’s race. The Sunday morning warm-up session takes place at 1000 (GMT +1) tomorrow before race action gets underway at 1300 local time. Shinji Aoki Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department “Once again the unsettled weather conditions made it very difficult for riders today. The cold conditions meant that softer slicks were once again widely used today, though some riders did evaluate the harder front and rear slicks and for the front tyre in particular, I believe we will see both the softer and harder options lining up on the grid if we have a dry race tomorrow. “The decision to revise the compounds in our slick rear tyres for Silverstone has been vindicated as they are working very well in what are extreme conditions, while the feedback on how our new specification front slick is performing has also been very positive. It is very hard to predict what tomorrow’s weather will bring, but I am confident that we have a tyre option to cope with whatever conditions we are presented with for the race.” More, from a press release issued by Power Electronics Aspar: ESPARGARÓ AND DE PUNIET HAVE TWO-WAY FIGHT TO BE BEST CRT QUALIFIER Just 20 thousandths of a second separate POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar riders. Espargaró wins out for eleventh place, with De Puniet twelfth The MotoGP class offered up an entertaining qualifying session at Silverstone on Saturday, with plenty of fast laps. Crashes also occurred, although thankfully without serious consequences. Jorge Lorenzo began the afternoon run in front, with Pedrosa and Barberá close behind. After that, Spies and Bautista moved up the order to show that Firday was not a fluke. With eight minutes remaining on the clock, rain finally fell on track and made the surface damp enough to prevent any improvement on lap times. Thus, Bautista took a satellite machine onto pole position for the first time since Spies in 2010 at Indianapolis, taking his first MotoGP pole. Cal Crutchlow is a doubt for his home race after a morning crash, whilst Karel Abraham will not ride tomorrow. The POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar riders were once again the top contenders for best CRT rider on the starting lineup. Aleix Espargaró and Randy De Puniet were the duo raising each other’s game throughout the session, despite problems with cold, rain and wind. Espargaró was eventually quickest, just 20 thousandths of a second faster than De Puniet. The pair will start from eleventh and twelfth, respectively, for the British Grand Prix. 11th Aleix Espargaró 2.06.283 (16 laps): “I am very happy with my great time today. Thanks to the team, we got the best CRT time. I am being consistent in the races, but it is tough to beat my teammate in qualifying and this is only the second time that I have managed to do so this season. I am happy about that. The cold, the wind and the intermittent rain aren’t the best conditions, but this track is fast and fun. We are losing a little on the straight because of our lower top speed, but I am satisfied with how the weekend is developing. I hope that tomorrow we can round things off with a good result and keep hitting our targets.” 12th Randy De Puniet 2.06.303 (19 laps): “Once again we faced difficult weather conditions today. In the qualifying session the rain came back and made our work difficult. The stops and the waiting make it hard to work, above all today when we had problems with lack of front end grip. Despite this and the lack of time, we tried out various things. However, we still haven’t found a definitive solution to the issue. I think that if we had managed to, then we could have shaved time off our laps in the second and fourth sectors. I hope that in warmup tomorrow we have dry conditions and can try out some other ideas that we didn’t manage to today. In any case, I am happy with our work today and am prepared for the race.” More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda: BRADL 9th AT DARKENING AND WINDY SILVERSTONE QUALIFYING Silverstone, 16th June: in cold conditions MotoGP grid headed out for the second day of practices at Silverstone circuit with the morning session partially wet and the 60-minute qualifying held in windy and cloudy conditions with Stefan Bradl clocking the 9th fastest lap time (2’05.035). The 22-year German rider crashed on his out lap this morning, resulting in a wound to the fourth finger on his left hand so Bradl had to seat out the remaining session. It was suspected that the cooler track temperatures were stifling the tyre warm up performance so in a in an incident-packed qualifying session Bradl managed to get the 9th spot on the grid despite this morning injury and surface difficult conditions. Stefan: “Honestly I am not thrilled about this second day. The weather was incomprehensible and the crash this morning was quite hard. I was not at 100% for the qualifying because of the injury of my finger and also in the afternoon the weather was very strange. We could not make a proper run on soft tyres because some dropped down there and some dropped down here… At the end I was not able to get a good confidence with the bike and we were also struggling with the strong wind. So it’s not the perfect day for us but I am still confident for tomorrow: we are not that far from the front group and I hope the weather can be less unsettled”. More, from a press release issued by Avintia Blusens Racing: Hernández qualifies thirteenth and is third in the CRT’s. Silva finishes nineteenth Silverstone, 16 June 2012. Today Yonny Hernández completed a very good qualifying practice on a very windy day and the rain coming round the end of the session. Neither the bad weather conditions nor him crashing in the free training practice this morning have managed to sap the Colombian rider´s motivation who has taken his motorbike up to the thirteeth position and up to the third among the CRT´s close to Espargaró and De Puniet’s fast Aprilia bikes. Iván Silva has been less lucky. As a matter of fact he had to get familiar with the track but also had to “struggle” throughout the weekend to find out a setting-up which would enable him to scrape his way back up in the world championship ranking. It still has not been possible. Iván wants to try out some new adjustment in tomorrow´s warm-up. 68 Yonny Hernández (13º 2.06.814 +3.511): “We have managed to find a good setting-up and everything has been all right eventually so I am glad. The thing is I was feeling a bit uptight because I crashed this morning and I was not feeling at ease with the spare motorbike. I´d like to thank the mechanics because they were still fixing my bike fifteen minutes before the qualifying practice started and thanks to that I have managed to get a good qualifying position. We´ll see how it goes tomorrow. If it rains I think we´ve got the right setting-up and if the race is in dry conditions I think we can do a good race too. I hope we´ll make it because we have been trying hard for quite a long time and we do deserve it.” 22 Iván Silva (19º 2.10.092 +6.789): “It’s been a complicated day. This morning it seemed as though we had made a step ahead and we would set a better time but this is not how it went. We have altered quite a few things and gathered quite a few data but we haven’t managed to be fast enough though. We can’t figure out why the major changes that we brought can’t be noticed in my riding or the telemetrics. We´ll have to keep investigating. I can’t deny I can’t wait to leave the bottom of the ranking but we´ll only make it if we keep on working relentlessly. I can assure you I am at it. I am here to work and to make everything possible so that the team can achieve the good result that we undoubtedly deserve.” More, from a press release issued by The MotoGP™ championship was largely spared by the British weather during today’s qualifying practices at the Hertz British Grand Prix, where, in an incident-packed session, it was San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Álvaro Bautista who recorded his first ever premier-class pole position at Silverstone ahead of Ben Spies and Casey Stoner. With rain starting to fall five minutes before the end, no one was able to trump Bautista’s time in the low 2.03’s, which displaced Yamaha Factory Racing’s Ben Spies onto second on the grid, who himself ran off track on a few occasions throughout. The front row is completed by this morning’s pace-setter Casey Stoner, who looked to be struggling with chatter on his bike once more in the afternoon session. Spies’ teammate and championship leader Jorge Lorenzo heads the second row, after a mistake at turn 6 on his hot-lap meant he was unable to place any higher. Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa lines up next to him in fifth, after having found a little bit more confidence in the new Bridgestone front tyre. Completing the second row is Pramac Racing Team’s Héctor Barberá, who looked full of confidence as he qualified as highest placed Ducati. Seventh place is occupied by Ducati Team’s Nicky Hayden, who managed to post his fast lap before crashing out at Vale corner in the latter stages. In eighth, Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Andrea Dovizioso was unusually low down the order, after having impressed in free practice this morning. The top ten is rounded out by LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl, riding with an injured finger after a crash this morning, as well as Ducati’s Valentino Rossi, who had a near carbon-copy crash to Hayden in the same corner at the start of the session. Both Ducati riders walked away unscathed. Best CRT finisher was Power Electronics Aspar’s Aleix Espargaró in 11th. The Qualifying Practice did not include local rider Cal Crutchlow, as he crashed his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 machine in the morning practice, injuring his ankle. He underwent medial checks at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, which confirmed he did not incur any fractures, but that it was sprained. Crutchlow is undergoing treatment at the hospital, and will have a final assessment tomorrow morning to see if he is fit to race. Bautista’s pole position is the first time since the Assen TT race last year that Lorenzo, Stoner or Pedrosa have not started from first. At that race, it was also the San Carlo squad that took top spot with the late Marco Simoncelli. Moto2 Pons 40 HP Tuenti’s Pol Espargaró continued his strong weekend with his first ever Moto2™ pole position at the Hertz British Grand Prix at Silverstone ahead of Andrea Iannone and Scott Redding. The rain held off for the Moto2 contingent in the last qualifying session of the afternoon, with Espargaró taking advantage of conditions to set a fastest time of 2.08’011 ahead of Speed Master’s Iannone. The British crowd had something to cheer about as Marc VDS Racing Team’s Redding completes the front row, despite having a big wobble in the session. Tech 3 Racing’s local rider Bradley Smith, who has also looked on tremendous form all weekend, was not quite able to make the front row, yet will no doubt be pleased with his starting position in fourth. He heads Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol’s Marc Márquez, who recovered from a big crash this morning, as well as Italtrans Racing Team’s Claudio Corti, who was on pole here in 2010. Seventh place is occupied by Interwetten-Paddock’s Tom Lüthi, who almost came off on his final fast-lap, while eighth place went to JiR Moto2’s Johann Zarco. NGM Mobile Forward Racing’s Alex de Angelis and Came IodaRacing Project’s Simone Corsi complete the top ten. Qualifying was largely incident free, yet in the final ten minutes, Kiefer Racing’s Max Neukirchner, Espargaró’s teammate Esteve Rabat and Blusens Avintia’s Julián Simón all crashed out. No rider was seriously hurt. Moto3 In a qualifying session where strong winds made it tough for the light Moto3™ bikes at the Hertz British Grand Prix, it was Blusens Avintia’s Maverick Viñales who snatched pole ahead of Efrén Vázquez and Alexis Masbou. With dark clouds threatening from the start, most of the Moto3 grid was out on track early on, trying to set a fast time in case rain appeared. It was to however stay dry for all the session, during which Viñales set the fastest time of 2.16’187 to secure his third pole position this season. Behind him was JHK T-Shirt Laglisse’s Efrén Vázquez, who set his lap early on, ousting Caretta Technology’s Alexis Masbou into third. Heading the second row is Red Bull KTM Ajo’s championship leader Sandro Cortese, who encountered a melee of traffic on his final laps, much to his displeasure. He finished ahead of his teammate Danny Kent and RW Racing GP’s Luis Salom. Salóm had initially been classified in fourth, yet his lap time was cancelled due to gaining an advantage in the last turn by running off track. The third row is headed by Racing Team Germany’s Louis Rossi, who was another rider struggling for clear track, ahead of AirAsia-SIC-Ajo’s Zulfahmi Khairuddin and Team Italia FMI’s Romano Fenati. Rounding out the top ten is Estrella Galicia 0,0’s Alex Rins. Strong and gusty winds throughout the session made riding tough for the field, particularly in some bends where the front end of the bike became very light. This caused numerous wobbles during qualifying, yet only caught out wildcard entry Frazer Rogers on board his Racing Steps Foundation KPR machine, as he lost the front in turn 5 eight minutes before the end. Rogers was unhurt in the incident. More, from a press release issued by Ducati: Hayden seventh, Rossi tenth in Silverstone qualifying Qualifying practice for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone was marked by cold temperatures, strong gusts of wind and, in the final minutes, a rain shower. The challenging session saw Nicky Hayden and Valentino Rossi finish in seventh and tenth places, respectively, after both riders fell in separate incidents at a spot that is made particularly treacherous by a slight depression in the track. Valentino Rossi had just started his session when he fell, whereas Hayden was in the process of completing a lap that had him on pace for the provisional pole. The rain that began falling ten minutes from the end prevented both riders from improving their times late in the session. Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) 7th (2:04.162) “Qualifying was going pretty well for a while, as I was closer to the front and the bike felt good. I put in a new soft tyre and went out for my first real qualifying run, and most of the lap felt really good. Then coming over that crest in the last section, I lost the front without much warning. I don’t really have an excuse. I was in there hot, but it felt good when I first got on the brakes. Crashing is part of motorcycle racing, but I just wish I could have finished that lap. It’s a bit strange that Valentino and I did the exact same crash, but maybe we can understand something from the data. Considering that I crashed out so early, seventh on the grid isn’t too bad, but I definitely feel we were capable of more today.” Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) 10th (2:05.416) “Today was pretty difficult. Shortly after qualifying started, I crashed when approaching the last chicane, a tricky part of the track where you brake hard and where there’s a small crest and a depression. The bike unweights there and you can lose the front. We struggle there because we don’t have much grip on the front, so tomorrow we’ll have to be particularly careful. Also, although I rode better today, I still don’t understand this track as I should, and in some parts I’m not as effective as I would like to be. Anyway, I did my best time with the hard tyre. I had two softs to use at the end, but of course it started raining right when it was time to put them on. We’ll see what conditions we’ll have tomorrow, and if it’s dry for the warm-up, we’ll try something to help us go a bit better.” More, from a press release issued by Honda: 2012 FIM MotoGP/Moto2/Moto3 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ROUND 06, SATURDAY, JUNE 16, SILVERSTONE, BRITAIN Weather: Cool, windy, and showery Temperature: Ambient 17 degrees C / Track 21 degrees C HONDA’S BAUTISTA TO START BRITISH GP FROM POLE Alvaro Bautista (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC213V) scored a surprise pole position at Silverstone this afternoon, outpacing the rest of the pack before the session was effectively brought to an early close by a rain shower. So far the weather has not been kind to the 2012 British Grand Prix, with strong winds, low temperatures and occasional downpours playing havoc with the plans of riders and teams. There have been several crashes, most significantly local hero Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha) who fell this morning and missed qualifying due to a foot injury. Spanish star Bautista produced a brilliant qualifying performance in the tricky conditions, proving that he really is getting to grips with his RC213V after joining Fausto Gresini’s Honda team at the end of last year. This is the former 125 World Champion’s first pole in MotoGP. His previous best grid position with for Honda was sixth place at Estoril last month. Although the rain shower may have helped protect his lap time from attack, Bautista was confident that he too could have gone faster if the track had stayed dry. Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda RC213V) ended the day third quickest to give him his fourth consecutive front-row start. The reigning World Champion, who started the recent Catalan GP from pole, was just 0.120s behind Bautista and 0.014s behind second-fastest Ben Spies (Yamaha). Like many riders, his plans to make a final ‘time attack’ in the closing minutes of the session were ruined by the rain. If the shower had not come just then the Australian is confident he would have had a good chance of scoring his third pole of the year. Fifth-fastest Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC213V) was also prevented from showing his real speed by the ever-changing Silverstone weather. However, the Spaniard is satisfied with the progress he has made here and is confident he can eke a little more performance from his machine with some further changes during morning warm-up. This will be Pedrosa’s first race at Silverstone since 2010 he missed last year’s British GP due to injury. Reigning Moto2 World Champion Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda MotoGP RC213V) had a painful second day at Silverstone, crashing on his out-lap during this morning’s session. The tumble was blamed on the strong winds and cold track temperatures that make it very difficult to get heat into the tyres. Bradl hurt the fourth finger on his left hand in the fall, but was able to contest qualifying this afternoon and did well to take ninth place for a third-row start. Michele Pirro (San Carlo Honda Gresini FTR-Honda) qualified 14th, in the midst of the CRT pack and is looking forward to an enjoyable battle with his fellow CRT riders. The Italian is using a new FTR frame and fairing here. Pol Espargaro (Pons 40 HP Tuenti-Kalex) scored his first Moto2 pole position this afternoon, coming out on top after a typically frantic qualifying. The Spaniard, who scored his first Moto2 race win at Jerez earlier this year, bettered Catalan GP winner Andrea Iannone (Speed Master Speed Up) by a relatively comfortable 0.385s. Following Crutchlow’s tumble in this morning’s practice session, Scott Redding (Marc VDS Racing Team-Kalex) is now the local fans’ best hope of a home-grown British GP winner tomorrow. The 19-year-old, who won the British 125 GP at Donington Park in 2008, was fast and consistent in qualifying, despite the unpredictable, gusting winds. He ended the day just 0.220s behind Iannone. Bradley Smith (Tech 3 Racing Tech 3) found inspiration at home to achieve his best grid position of the year. The Briton will head the second row tomorrow, just beating Marc Marquez (Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol-Suter) and Claudio Corti (Italtrans Racing Team Kalex). To emphasise the close-quarters nature of this Honda-powered series, the three riders on row two are separated by just 0.039s. World Championship leader Thomas Luthi (Interwetten-Paddock-Suter) qualified seventh, 1.109s off pole. Maverick Vinales (Blusens Avintia FTR Honda) scored his third consecutive Moto3 pole position this afternoon and was followed by two other Honda riders to make it an all-Honda front row. The Spanish teenager ended the session 0.198s in front of Efren Vazquez (JHK T-Shirt Laglisse FTR Honda) who was 0.658s ahead of Alexis Masbou (Caretta Technology Honda). Vinales, who is currently second in the points chase behind Sandro Cortese (KTM), will now be hoping to repeat his brilliant performance at the Catalan GP where he took pole and race victory. Vazquez led much of the session and will be keener than ever to take a good points haul tomorrow after taking home zero points from the last two GPs. French Grand Prix winner Louis Rossi (Racing Team Germany FTR Honda) qualified seventh to lead the third row, with Romano Fenati (Team Italian FMI FTR Honda) in ninth place at the other side of the same row. MotoGP rider quotes: Alvaro Bautista, San Carlo Honda Gresini: pole position, 2m 03.303s “I’m really happy for myself and also pleased for the team. This pole position hasn’t happened by coincidence it is the fruit of a lot of hard work from all the guys who have all been giving 100% and sometimes a little more. The conditions today were strange and difficult but we managed to find a good setting, I was up front for the whole session and set my fastest lap on my own. It started to rain for the last few minutes and nobody was able to improve their time, but I still had a fresh tyre to use and made a couple of mistakes on my best lap so I could have gone faster too. Tomorrow I start on pole and have a good race pace so hopefully we can convert it into a good result.” Casey Stoner, Repsol Honda: 3rd, 2m 03.423s “This afternoon was a little disappointing to be honest. We began the session and struggled with the bike, we couldn’t really get any edge grip and we seemed to make the chatter worse. We were trying to fix some problems we had in the morning, but ended up making them worse so we tried various things to improve them. Finally we found something that was working so we decided to scrap the lap and come in and put a new soft rear tyre on, but it didn’t work for us as we got out there and the rain started to come, just enough to upset the bike a little. I was waiting for the rain to disappear so I could put a lap in, but unfortunately we didn’t get an opportunity and missed our chance at pole. For tomorrow I hope the race is one way or another, not a 50/50 race, but we’ll deal with whatever we have and I feel confident with both situations”.” Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 5th, 2m 03.835s “We managed to improve our lap times quite a lot and our position on the grid a little, although by the end of the practice some drops of rain prevented us to make any time attack with the last set of tyres we had ready. I’m satisfied because we’ve improved the set-up of the bike this afternoon and I think we can still do another step forward in the warm-up tomorrow. We had a better pace in qualifying, but my feeling didn’t change much compared to yesterday. We did many laps with the new front tyre, but only short runs, so the performance in the second half of the race is mystery. I keep thinking that the new front tyre is not safer; we’ve seen many crashes on the front. We have to make a good start tomorrow, but also be able to keep a good pace during the 20 laps. I don’t have a lot of experience in this track; I missed the race last year and in 2010 we chose the wrong tyre and we did a bad race, but we will do the maximum tomorrow to get a good result.” Stefan Bradl, LCR Honda MotoGP: 9th, 2m 05.035s “Honestly, I am not thrilled about this second day. The weather was incomprehensible and the crash this morning was quite hard. I was not at 100% for qualifying because of the finger injury and also in the afternoon the weather was very strange. We could not make a proper run on soft tyres because it was raining here and there around the track. At the end I was not able to find real confidence in the bike and we were also struggling with the strong wind. So it’s not the perfect day for us, but I am still confident for tomorrow: we are not that far from the front group and I hope the weather can be less unsettled.” Michel Pirro, San Carlo Honda Gresini: 14th, 2m 07.016s “That session could have been better, but it started to rain in the last few minutes and it would have been too risky to try and improve my lap time so we decided to back off. Anyway I am happy because our race pace is good and I think I can fight with the best CRT guys out there. We have taken another step forward here and I think we can make another improvement for tomorrow.” Moto2 rider quotes Pol Espargaro, Pons 40 HP Tuenti-Kalex: pole position, 2m 08.011s “After the disaster of Catalunya, this is a great feeling for us. It’s best not to think about what happened in the last race, so we are just looking forward. The conditions here can be a little dangerous because the wind keeps changing direction and you get it at different corners every lap. I hope for less wind and rain tomorrow!” Andrea Iannone, Speed Master Speed Up: 2nd, 2m 08.396s “Finally, things are starting to go well for us. We won at Barcelona and now we are on the pace again here. It’s taken a while for us to find the feeling with our chassis, and it’s been a lot of work, because we make our chassis ourselves. The race will be fast and close I just hope for good weather.” Scott Redding, Marc VDS Racing Team Kalex: 2m 08.616s “I’m feeling confident for the race, but the weather is making it difficult here the wind is so unpredictable. I had a few big moments, one when Luthi had a moment in front of me, which lost me a good lap. The main thing is that we are consistently fast.” Moto3 Rider Quotes Maverick Vinales, Blusens Avintia FTR Honda: pole position, 2m 16.187s “That was a very positive session, because I felt comfortable in difficult conditions. We were able to ride in the dry and we hope that things are the same tomorrow. With this wind and with the track being so long, we have more difficulties to face than normal. We got a fast lap in at the right moment. I am very happy to be back on pole at the circuit where I did so for the first time in my career last year. I feel good about tomorrow and I am focused. It will be a tough race contested in a group because here it is very difficult to escape from the other Moto3 riders. We will see what happens.” Efren Vazquez, JHK T-Shirt Laglisse FTR Honda: 2nd, 2m 16.385 “Well, we’re second again. We worked so hard throughout the weekend. The session was a little weird, it was more strategy than anything else. We knew it would rain, so we had to do a good lap time quickly. That’s why we decided to go out and push hard to get in a good position. The plan worked and I was on pole for quite a while, but then Maverick improved on my time. He did a fantastic lap and I congratulate him. Tomorrow we’ll see what the weather will do.” Alexis Masbou, Caretta Technology Honda: 3rd, 2m 17.043s “I’m glad. We worked well today and I am convinced that I could have done better because I found some traffic on some of my best laps and because near the end of the session I had to stop because of a problem with the exhaust. Tomorrow I will try to follow this up with a great result.” More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3:` Cal Crutchlow aims to start home race at Silverstone Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team rider Cal Crutchlow aims to make his British Grand Prix debut at Silverstone tomorrow after escaping injury in a high-speed practice crash this morning. The 26-year-old fell heavily at the Chapel Curve in the early stages of the final practice session and suffered a painful blow to his left foot and ankle. After initial checks in the Silverstone Circuit Medical Centre, he was transferred to hospital in Oxford for scans to discover the extent of the damage. Extensiv e analysis of the scans has revealed the former World Supersport Champion hasn’t suffered any fractures and he is already able to put weight on his left foot after doctors reduced the swelling around his heel and ankle. Crutchlow will undergo a further detailed assessment with Silverstone medics tomorrow morning, but the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team is optimistic that he will be given clearance to start the 20-lap race. Although Crutchlow was unable to take part in this afternoon’s qualifying session, if declared fit then he can start from the back of the grid having posted the eighth quickest time in practice yesterday. Herve Poncharal Team Manager: “We are very optimistic that Cal will be able to participate in t he British Grand Prix tomorrow. The medical staff in Oxford said he should be fine to race and he has no broken bones in the foot or ankle. That is a big relief because Cal was in quite a lot of pain. He will now undertake the necessary checks with the Silverstone medics in the morning, but it looks very positive. We obviously hope he will be able to ride after the disappointment of last year when he was unable to start the race because he was injured. I know what it means for him to race in front of his home crowd, who have given Cal and the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team unbelievable support this weekend.”