FIM MotoGP World Championship Jerez, Spain April 28, 2012 Qualifying Results (all on Bridgestones): 1. Jorge LORENZO, Spain (YAMAHA), 1:39.532 2. Dani PEDROSA, Spain (HONDA), 1:39.667 3. Nicky HAYDEN, USA (DUCATI), 1:40.563 4. Cal CRUTCHLOW, UK (YAMAHA), 1:40.570 5. Casey STONER, Australia (HONDA), 1:40.577 6. Ben SPIES, USA (YAMAHA), 1:41.090 7. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (YAMAHA), 1:41.180 8. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (HONDA), 1:41.447 9. Stefan BRADL, Germany (HONDA), 1:41.550 10. Randy DE PUNIET, France (Aprilia-ART), 1:41.700 11. Karel ABRAHAM, Czech Republic (DUCATI), 1:41.724 12. Hector BARBERA, Spain (DUCATI), 1:41.871 13. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (DUCATI), 1:42.961 14. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (Aprilia-ART), 1:43.135 15. Michele PIRRO, Italy (Honda-FTR), 1:43.363 16. Mattia PASINI, Italy (Aprilia-Speed Master/ART), 1:44.308 17. Yonny HERNANDEZ, Colombia (Kawasaki-BQR/FTR), 1:44.467 18. Danilo PETRUCCI, Italy (Aprilia-IODA/ART), 1:44.645 19. Ivan SILVA, Spain (Kawasaki-BQR/ART), 1:44.717 20. James ELLISON, UK (Aprilia-PBM/ART), 1:45.724 21. Colin EDWARDS, USA (BMW-SUTER), 1:46.200 More, from a press release issued by Speed Master: PASINI WILL START FROM THE 16TH POSITION ON THE GRID FOR THE GP OF JEREZ DE LA FRONTERA Changeable weather played the main role in the second day of practice for the “Gran Premio bwin de España”. Mattia Pasini and his crew worked throughout the morning to improve the set up of the ART machine on wet track, after comparing the information previously gathered in the winter tests and after making some initial minor changes. By the qualifying practice, the track was basically dry, which brought the team and Pasini to work quickly on a setting for the dry. The Italian ended the session with the sixteenth spot, with his best lap of 1’44.308. Mattia Pasini #54 – 16th with 1’44.308 “At the end of the day I’m quite satisfied. This morning on wet track I had a better feeling with the bike, we based our decisions on the data we had previously gathered and therefore we chose to take some steps backward regarding the changes of the setting, which eventually helped us. Generally the conditions were tricky today. In the qualifying practice we chose a strategy that wasn’t particularly favourable for the grid position, as we worked through two long runs, without focusing on a quick lap. In any case we did a good job, now we have to try to improve more because the potential of the ART machine is really high.” More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing: DIFFICULT DAY DUE TO TRICKY TRACK CONDITIONS FOR THE GREEN TEAM After a morning’s practice session that took place on a fully wet track, the weather, during the qualifying of this afternoon, has given to riders a little break, even if the weather forecast, here at Jerez de la Frontera, doesn’t promise anything good for tomorrow’s race. The Spanishman had been struggling to be comfortable on his Ducati machine, which had held him back from contesting for faster times and a good grid position in the practice sessions. Qualifying saw the Green and White Team delivered a new set up offering better front feel, which was evident as Hèctor moved up the timesheet, before having a wide over the track. The 25 years old rider wrapped up a decent 12th spot on the grid and will start from the fourth row on tomorrow’s 27 laps race that will start at 14:00 local time. Hèctor Barberà – Rider Pramac Racing Team – 12th Place in 1’41.871 “To be honest I’m not happy with the result of the day because I think that the fourth row on the grid it’s not my place. Despite that I have worked hard with my crew to gain even more grip on the front tyre with a wet track conditions and feel in my GP12 for tomorrow’s race. I struggled a lot with these tricky track conditions but we still have tomorrow’s warm up to reduce my less confidence to a more comfortable level. Francesco Guidotti Team Manager Pramac Racing “In the whole day we managed to find a setting that increased Hèctor’s feeling in the entrance of the corners and this kind of work has improved also the turnability of our bike, so Hèctor has been a little bit faster and more consistent. We achieved a decent spot on the grid for tomorrow’s race and I’m confident on our potential if we have a good start when the red light will be switched off”. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha MotoGP Team: Yamaha Factory Racing rider Jorge Lorenzo is yet again the man to beat after a thrilling qualifying session for the Grand Prix of Spain at Jerez this afternoon. Race fans witnessed an incredible 29 changes of provisional pole position as the riders fought it out on ever changing track conditions. Lorenzo was initially off the pace, running outside the top ten as dark clouds and a damp track threatened to ruin any chance of an improved time. Some small set up changes and fresh rubber combined with the Mallorcan’s trademark determination saw him climb quickly up to the top spot, a position that was then hotly contested until the last moments of the session. Lorenzo finally beat fellow countryman Dani Pedrosa to pole by 0.135 seconds. Ben Spies took his YZR-M1 to sixth in qualifying, working hard to deliver the best possible position whilst avoiding falling victim to the constantly changing track conditions. With some corners remaining damp throughout, finding a perfect line proved to be extremely difficult. Having started outside the top ten along with his team mate, Spies climbed as high as third but was unable to keep the front row having used his fastest set of tyres slightly too early in the session. Jorge Lorenzo Position : 1st Time: 1’39.532 Laps: 24 “We are very happy with this pole position because it was a strange session. There were a lot of water patches and it was very dangerous. You had to pay a lot of attention, it would have been easy to crash and get injured. Anyway we start in first position so let’s see what happens in the race. Thank you to the team for working hard to keep giving the right set up in changing conditions.” Ben Spies Position : 6th Time: 1’41.090 Laps: 26 “It was actually a pretty scary session for everybody, the track started out damp and then got better but there were some damp patches right where you wanted to be. It was the first dry session of the weekend for us so we had to ride hard. We had a setting on the bike we hadn’t tested here but thought on paper it would be better, some things were good and some bad. We mistimed the tyres a little bit just because we saw a black cloud coming in so I think we could have been on the front row. I didn’t want to make a mistake though and throw another bike down the track and make the guys rebuild it! We’re pretty much up there, for how bad the conditions were I’m happy to come out unscathed and on the second row.” Wilco Zeelenberg Team Manager “That was a great qualifying session for everybody, especially for us, grabbing pole after gambling a bit and starting and stopping a lot to make changes. The circumstances were changing constantly as were the positions. At the beginning we were a little bit afraid because we thought rain was coming but we were lucky and it stayed dry or we could have been tenth or twelfth. The riders all took some risks so it’s great to be on pole for the second time in a row.” Massimo Meregalli Team Director “It was impressive how much Jorge wanted the pole, I think it’s a good signal for tomorrow. Ben had a good feeling for the bike by the end of the practice and put a lot of effort in. We’re quite confident for tomorrow; a lot will depend on the weather forecast. The team has also been working really hard to keep up with the different conditions and keep delivering a competitive bike.” More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3: Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team rider Cal Crutchlow produced another inspired qualifying performance at the Circuito de Jerez this afternoon to finish just 0.007s away from claiming a stunning second successive MotoGP front row start in 2012. Crutchlow stormed to his maiden front row in Qatar and he looked on course to repeat that fantastic achievement today in a qualifying session that took place on a dry track, as constantly changing conditions continue to dominate the Spanish Grand Prix weekend. After a rain-lashed third and final practice this morning, damp patches rema ined scattered around the track but Crutchlow started qualifying on slick tyres and the 26-year-old expertly assessed grip levels to settle into a fast pace. He topped the timesheets for the opening 20 minutes but Crutchlow slipped outside of the top three as the pace intensified with riders anxious to post a competitive time on slick Bridgestone tyres, with rain threatening to further disrupt preparations for tomorrow’s 27-lap race. Conditions remained dry and lap times continued to fall and a brilliant lap of 1.41.646 put Crutchlow back on top of the timesheets before he crashed at Turn One with only 18 minutes remaining. The spill didn’t knock Crutchlow out of his fast and consistent rhythm and he moved back into third spot with a brilliant lap of 1.40.570, only to be denied a thoroughly deserved front row by 0.007s. Italian will start the first European round of the new 1000cc MotoGP World Championship heading the third row of the grid. Dovizioso successfully negotiated the damp patches in the early stages to challenge inside the top three but he will start from seventh position having not been able to find a set-up that permitted him to show his true potential. He ended with a best time of 1.41.180 to finish just 0.090s outside the top six. Cal Crutchlow 4th 1.40.570 23 laps: “That was quite an eventful session to say the least and I’ve got to be happy with fourth position considering I had the crash. I made a silly little mistake because I hit one of the damp patches and crashed out. It was a high-side but I wasn’t even on the throttle. I think I was on the fi rst lap with a new rear tyre and maybe it wasn’t completely up to temperature when I hit the damp patch. I have to say a massive thanks to my Monster Yamaha Tech 3 crew because they did an awesome job to get the second bike ready. It was set-up for the wet in case it rained and they did a brilliant job to get me back out so quickly. It was disappointing from the point of view that I lost some time on track and without that I’m sure I could have challenged for the front row again. But fourth on the grid is not a bad result at all and I am looking forward to the race tomorrow. I’m confident I can be fighting to be inside the top five again but I hope it is a full wet or dry race and not the mixed conditions we had yesterday.” Andrea Dovizioso 7th 1.41.180 29 laps: “The changing weather conditions have not helped at all this weekend because I need time on the Yamaha to improve my feeling. Although I am very close to the top six I still don’t feel completely comfortable on the bike and that means I am not riding with my normal confidence. I need time and this weekend we haven’t been able to do that many laps in the dry. It is a pity because the conditions we had today is where I am normally very strong but I struggled. Cal has proven again today that the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 package is very competitive, so it is down to me to improve. Hopefully the race tomorrow is dry and we get a completely dry weekend in Estoril to help me make progress and get the best out of the YZR-M1.” More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda: ANOTHER SOLID QUALIFYING SESSION FOR BRADL ON JEREZ SURFACE Jerez, 28 April: LCR Honda MotoGP rider Stefan Bradl put in another impressive performance at Jerez GP qualifying today taking the 9th spot on the grid at the end of a 60-minute closely contested qualifying session. After this morning rain-affected session, the premier class riders took advantage of a fully dry track showing their form in readiness for the tomorrow’s 27-lap race and the Moto2 reigning world champion spent the majority of the session taking part to the frantic battle for the front row. Stefan- 9th: “Well…I am a little bit unhappy because we had a very good session but I made a small mistake in the last corner in my last lap. That cost us half a second which means one row: second row I guess. In general it was a tricky qualifying because in the beginning we had a lot of wet patches but every time we went out we improved our lap time as the track conditions was drying up. Actually we are doing well in the dry and in the wet too and I think we could have gone for the second row but it’s okay anyway”. More, from a press release issued by Karel Abraham’s publicist: Abraham will start to Grand Prix of Spain from the 4th row Eleventh best lap time did Karel Abraham in Saturday´s qualifying practice for Grand Prix of Spain at Jerez circuit. Reaching 1:41,724 Abraham will stay in same row as Randy de Puniet and Hector Barbera. Weather conditions in Jerez are very particular. It had been raining during morning practice, in the afternoon was partly cloudy with showers. Karel Abraham “I can´t be satisfied, because I know that I could be better. Specially in the last lap I was able to reach lap time of 8th rider. This could be realistic result, so I can´t be happy of 11th position. Good news is, that I´m reaching constant lap times. Bike is set well, I had only one problem with vibrating front when the track got dry. Unfortunately we didn´t have enough time to stop in garage and try to change the settings.” Marco Grana, chief mechanic Cardion AB Motoracing “Today was bad and good. Good because we are able to go fast like riders around 6th position. Bad because we didn´t completed really fast lap and we´re eleventh instead about eight. The bike is quite OK we needed just to set up the electronic, because QP was first dry session in the weekend. We´re happy, that we did lot of laps in good time, and it´s a good start for tomorrow race. It seems, that it will be raining whole day, but we are ready, because today morning we improved the settings of the bike.” More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda: Qualifying at the Jerez circuit was the first dry session of the weekend and the Repsol Honda riders wasted no time on setting up their RC213V machines. Fastest times were exchanged throughout the beginning of the session but after 30 minutes the threat of rain appeared again. Only a few drops fell and both Dani and Casey were able to continue their preparation and push for the fastest time. In the final five minutes it became a two-man battle with Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo taking pole and Dani following close behind just 0.135 off Lorenzo’s time. Casey missed the front row by just 0.014 of a second and will start from fifth position. In the past six years, Dani has always started from 1st or 2nd on the grid (1st – 2007 and 2010, 2nd – 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2012). The 27 lap race will take place tomorrow at 2pm CET. DANI PEDROSA 2nd 1’39.667 “It’s been a really good qualifying session. It was very difficult to know how much to push because there were some wet spots and it was easy to make mistakes. Also after so many laps with wet tyres in the free practices, when you put on the slicks it’s like another bike but you have no time to waste to find a good lap time. So I’m quite impressed with the chrono and very happy to be on the front row. We’ve been riding well here in Jerez at the test and also during all the practice sessions this weekend, both in the dry and wet, but tomorrow we have to be ready for a tough race in any conditions and I want to have a good race here in front of my fans”. CASEY STONER 5th 1’40.577 “Qualifying didn’t go so well, conditions have been terrible all weekend, from half dry tracks to fully wet so we haven’t really been able to get any form of set up on the bike. It’s a little bit disappointing, we had hoped to be on the front row but with conditions like this I wasn’t really willing to push. There were a lot of people falling off and the wet patches that were there were incredibly slippery. With this said, there is still half a second that I am accountable for and can’t blame the track, we’re just a little bit off with our settings so we have some work to do tonight. We’re not really sure what to expect until we see the weather tomorrow and this makes things pretty difficult”. More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Lorenzo strongest in Spanish qualifying showdown Round 2: Spanish MotoGP™ – Qualifying Practice Circuito de Jerez, Saturday 28 April 2012 Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Soft, Medium & Hard; Rear: Soft, Medium Weather: Dry. Ambient 18-20°C; Track 23-30°C (Bridgestone measurement) Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo emerged from a captivating contest with compatriot Dani Pedrosa to qualify on pole position for the Jerez MotoGP™ with a time of 1m 39.532s. Lorenzo utilised a combination of a soft rear slick tyre and the new specification front slick tyre in the harder compound to set his benchmark time, with the extra stability and confidence provided by the newly-introduced front tyre enabling the Spaniard to expertly deal with the tricky conditions. On the Repsol Honda, Pedrosa was just 0.135 seconds adrift of Lorenzo and will start the race in second place, while Ducati’s Nicky Hayden continued his good progress by securing a front-row start with a lap time of 1:40.563. Power Electronics Aspar rider Randy de Puniet was the top CRT rider in qualifying, his time of 1:41.700 slotting the Frenchman in tenth on the grid. Including Lorenzo, ten riders utilised the new specification front slick tyre in qualifying with Yamaha Factory Racing’s Ben Spies and the Monster Tech3 Yamaha pairing of Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Dovizioso all setting their fastest time with this latest development in Bridgestone MotoGP™ tyre technology. The morning FP3 session was cold and wet with track temperatures hovering around 14°C meaning teams had no time to find a dry setup before qualifying. The sun appeared in time for qualifying, however the earlier rain meant conditions were far from ideal. The weather forecast indicates rain is also possible during tomorrow’s 27-lap race, with the action set to start at 1400 local time (GMT+2). Masao Azuma Chief Engineer, Bridgestone Motorsport “Qualifying today was the first dry running we have had this weekend, but conditions were still not ideal due to the rain we had during FP3. Even though track conditions were not very good, overall our slick tyres worked very well with riders reporting good warm-up performance and initial grip. Some riders used the new specification front tyre and I am pleased with the feedback we received about this new development. “All riders used the soft rear compound during qualifying and our durability data indicates that should conditions be similar for tomorrow’s race, the soft rear tyre is a feasible option so some riders may select this option for the race. Qualifying was very exciting so I hope we have a dry race as we may see a very good contest.” More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: What had been anticipated as a wet qualifying session after the rainy conditions so far, turned out to be a psychological battle with the elements, as a drying track and hovering dark clouds made conditions far from easy in MotoGP™ qualifying at the Gran Premio bwin de España. It was an absolutely thrilling affair as the Jerez track dried out in the nick of time, resulting in a frantic battle to the end as Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo took pole position in front of his home crowd ahead of compatriot Dani Pedrosa. After a spate of wet practice sessions, Yamaha Factory Racing´s Lorenzo took full advantage of the dry track, as he left it until the final lap to post a time of 1.39´532. Repsol Honda´s Pedrosa could not quite match the pace of his rival, yet starts tomorrow´s race from second on the grid, making it a Spanish one-two. Completing the front row is surprise inclusion Nicky Hayden, who wrung the neck of his Ducati to place it third, just over a second behind Lorenzo. Fourth place went to Monster Yamaha Tech3´s Cal Crutchlow despite a crash towards the end. A rain scare half way through the session did however almost see him steal his first ever pole. Stoner, who almost came off his bike at turn one, could not match the pace of his team mate, and had to settle for fifth on the grid. The second row is rounded out by Lorenzo´s team mate Spies, who was back on form after some subdued practice sessions in the wet, though a full 1.5s off the front. Row three is headed up by Crutchlow´s team mate Andrea Dovizioso in seventh, while San Carlo Honda Gresini´s Álvaro Bautista, LCR Honda MotoGP´s Stefan Bradl and Power Electronics Aspar´s Randy de Puniet complete the top ten. Valentino Rossi endured another disappointing qualifying session, finishing as last non-CRT bike again in 13th, after having shown promise in the earlier wet practice. With a few damp patches still out on track, numerous riders were caught out including Avintia Blusens´ Yonny Hernandez, San Carlo Honda Gresini´s Michele Pirro, NGM Mobile Forward Racing´s Colin Edwards and Pramac Racing Team´s Hector Barberá, all suffering crashes throughout the session. This is the first time since the 2010 Valencia MotoGP round that three separate manufacturers make up the front row. Moto2™ With conditions vastly improved in the afternoon, the Moto2™ class had its first outing in the dry since the official test back in March, and it was championship leader Marquez aboard his Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol bike, who put on a show for his home crowd putting his bike on pole with a 1.43´005. In a field where the top ten were separated by less than a second, it was Italtrans Racing Team rider Nakagami, who was just eight hundredths behind the Spaniard, with Pons 40 HP Tuenti rider Pol Espargaro rounding out the front row. Last race´s pole sitter, Interwetten-Paddock´s Thom Lüthi, ended up fourth on the grid, yet crashed in the final minutes trying to improve his time. Behind him is Marc VDS´ Mika Kallio, who had been fastest in FP2. Finishing off the second row is Nakagami´s team mate Claudio Corti, who is just under four tenths off the front. Pons rider Esteve Rabat, S/Master Speed Up´s Mike Di Meglio, GP Team Switzerland´s Randy Krummenacher and JiR Moto2´s Johann Zarco complete the top ten. Zarco, who had been the fastest rider in the wet, was unable to replicate that form in the dry. It was a session to forget for Blusens Avintia´s Julián Simón, Came IodaRacing Project´s Simone Corsi, Tech3 Racing´s Bradley Smith, Pons 40 HP Tuenti´s Axel Pons and Kallio´s team mate Scott Redding, as they all crashed throughout the session. Last year´s race winner, Speed Master´s Andrea Iannone did not have a good qualifying session for his standards, and ended the day in 13th. Moto3™ In an incredibly exciting Moto3™ qualifying session, which went down to the final minute, it was current Spanish 125cc Champion Alex Rins who took his maiden pole position in just his second ever world championship start. The session had started in sunny conditions, yet a wet track meant that most of the practice was spent on wet tyres. However with only five minutes to go a mostly dry line had appeared, after which it was a battle of the tyres as the leaderboard changed almost every few seconds until the end. In the end it was Estrella Galicia 0,0´s Rins who snatched pole position with a time of 1.57´507, ahead of Red Bull KTM Ajo´s Sandro Cortese under two tenths behind. Third spot on the grid went to Rins´ team mate Miguel Oliveira a further four tenths off, who leads Caretta Technology´s Alexis Masbou. Redox-Ongetta-Centro Seta´s Jakub Kornfeil consolidated his form so far with fifth after yet another solid session, starting ahead of Masbou´s Australian team mate Jack Miller, who had held top stop briefly in the closing stages. In seventh place, Kornfeil´s team mate Isaac Viñales beat Red Bull KTM´s Arthur Sissis, who displaced championship leader Maverick Viñales into ninth. Viñales was one of the few riders that did not head out on slicks at the end. Rounding out the top ten was yesterday´s pace-setter Romano Fenati, who could not quite get to grips with his slick tyre at the end. More, from a press release issued by Marlboro Ducati: Nicky Hayden on front row in Jerez, Valentino Rossi unable to replicate yesterday’s performance The qualifying session for the MotoGP round in Jerez de la Frontera featured unpredictable weather conditions, as had been the case in all of the free-practice sessions. Nicky Hayden posted the third-best time on a mainly dry track, earning a spot on the front row with Lorenzo and Pedrosa, while Valentino Rossi was unable to replicate Friday’s very strong wet performance and finished with the thirteenth-best time. The qualifying session featured the driest track conditions of the event so far, although the situation was far from ideal, with cold asphalt and wet patches from the morning rain. Hayden found a setup with which he managed to ride the track quite well, while Rossi had a harder time and wasn’t able to be as effective. Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) 3rd (1:40.563) “To be on the front row is really good for us. The track conditions were quite strange, different compared to what we’ve had the whole weekend. It certainly helped that we tested here in the dry not too long ago, as we had a relatively good base setup. We went out hard right from the gun, because we knew some spots of rain were coming. I moved up a couple times and thought, ‘Okay, let it rain now,’ but then I’d drop back down and think, ‘Oh, don’t start raining yet.’ It got better near the end, but it was still tough because there were a lot of wet patches on the track, which made it easy to make mistakes. In the end, we took advantage of the strange situation and made the front row, so I’m really happy for my team. Now we’ll try to make it happen when it counts tomorrow.” Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) 13th (1:42.961) “Qualifying didn’t go well today. The conditions were quite difficult because it was cold and the asphalt was dry, but not completely. Anyway, it was like that for everyone, so that wasn’t the problem. Unfortunately, I’m still having a very hard time riding and entering corners, both on the brakes and off. I’m slow to achieve maximum lean angle and don’t carry the necessary corner speed, so when it’s time to accelerate, I’ve already lost too much ground. We’ve been trying to solve this situation for a while, but we haven’t managed it yet. We have to keep working on the setup because Nicky had a nice session today and really did a good job. Comparing the data, we’ve confirmed that we’re losing all our time on corner entry. Anyway, we went a bit better in the wet, so we’ll see what conditions we have for the race.” More, from a press release issued by Honda: PEDROSA ON FRONT ROW FOR HOME RACE Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa will start his home grand prix from the second starting position after nearly taking pole in a session marked by constantly changing weather. Fellow Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo will start from pole with Ducati rider Nicky Hayden third. The session began on a dry track under puffy white clouds. But the clouds darkened on the horizon as they moved east and threatened to turn the session into a wet one. A very light rain fell on parts of the track, but the rain dampened the riders’ enthusiasm for pushing as much as it did the track. And after some time, the clouds left and the battle for the pole began. Pedrosa was part of the fight for the pole from the second half of the session, even after spots of rain were felt on pit lane. The rain came down strongly enough for race direction to display the wet track flag with about 28 minutes to go. But before long the sun would re-appear and Pedrosa and Lorenzo would get into a thrilling speed battle. With 19 minutes remaining in the session, Lorenzo went to the top, then it went to Pedrosa. The lead would change six times, right up until the final 25 seconds when Lorenzo narrowly edged his fellow countryman. Still, Pedrosa was happy to be on the front row for the seventh time, a record that includes a pair of MotoGP poles and one in the 250cc class. Having ridden on virtually every surface from full wet to almost dry, Pedrosa felt he was well prepared for Sunday’s second round of the MotoGP World Championship. Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda RC213V) never felt comfortable pushing in the changing conditions and qualified fifth. Yamaha rider Cal Crutchlow had crashed ahead of him in turn one, which the reigning world champion took as a cautionary tale. But he would later nearly fall himself, only saving a certain fall with an impressive shift in body position. Stoner was on top with just over 21 minutes to run, but understood that the Spaniards were willing to ride more aggressively on a track that was never completely dry. It was his least successful qualifying effort since joining Honda and equaled his qualifying mark from Malaysia in 2010. The second row starting position was not ideal, but he does not believe he should be counted out just yet. Alvaro Bautista (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC213V) recovered from a crash in the wet morning session to qualify eighth. The Spaniard found an unknown vibration in the front end, which caused him to lose the front and crash. Bautista put that behind him in qualifying, while being careful to avoid the damp patches that caught a number of riders out. His strategy was to not take unnecessary risks, and starting from the middle of the third row was his reward. In his second MotoGP race, reigning Moto2 World Champion Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda MotoGP RC213V) qualified .103s behind Bautista after nearly becoming the victim of the wet final corner. Bradl said that small mistake was the difference between the second and third rows, though he could not be faulted in his first ride aboard a MotoGP machineon a track of non-uniform grip. Through the first three wet sessions he had adapted well to the power of the LCR Honda MotoGP RC213V. The consistency he showed in all conditions gave him confidence of being competitive in the race, no matter the weather. Michele Pirro (San Carlo Honda Gresini FTR-Honda) qualified 15th in a difficult qualifying session in his second MotoGP race. With three wet sessions prior to qualifying, Pirro did not have any quality dry set-up time. That the track was never completely dry in qualifying did not help. A crash that forced him onto his backup bike, which did not generate the same feedback. The crash came early, so by the time he went back out it was in much better shape and the wet patches had significantly diminished. Marc Marquez (Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol-Suter) was grateful to take his first pole position of the season. Marquez pointed out that his vision problems had only been cured a month earlier, allowing him to take part in the test here at Jerez. From there he went to Qatar, where he won a thrilling race, then here, to one of his home tracks. The name at the top of the time sheets changed constantly until the 27th minute of the session when Marquez took charge for good. After going to the top, he added two even faster laps to his chart to finish on the pole with a lap of 1m, 43.005s. The pole was his first of the season, to go with seven Moto2 poles last year. Takaaki Nakagami (Italtrans Racing Team-Kalex) scored his best ever qualifying position in only his second Moto2 race, and nearly on pole. The Japanese rider, who had been out of the World Championships since the end of the 2009 season, had never qualified better than seventh while campaigning a 125 in 2009. The second place was a boost for the team; in Qatar he had qualified ninth and finished 14th. Nakagami’s best lap time was only .080s slower than the best of Marquez. Pol Espargaro (Pons 40 HP Tuenti-Kalex) had his best Moto2 qualifying effort in third, improving by one spot on his fourth place in the Qatar season-opener. Like all riders, Espargaro endured three wet sessions before qualifying, which was held on a dry track with damp patches. Those damp patches claimed more than their share of victims, and the Spaniard sensibly didn’t try to be a hero. Rather he focused on the race and the championship instead of one fast lap. Alex Rins (Estrella Galicia 0.0-Suter-Honda) became the third youngest rider to take a pole position in only his second Moto3 race. The 16-year-old from Barcelona made a quantum leap from having qualified 13th in Qatar to take the pole position for Honda in what he said was “one of those crazy one-lap runs.” That was made necessary because he wasn’t sure whether to use rain tyres or slicks. His veteran crew suggested slicks, which turned out to be the wise choice. Rins was able to lap the 4.423Km track in 1m, 57.07s, beating the second fastest rider by .012s. Team-mate Miguel Oliveira was fast in the morning wet, though he found the mixed conditions in the afternoon difficult. Still, he qualified third fastest at the end of the front row and .468s off pole. Like Rins, the Portuguese rider chose slick tyres to set his fast time and put him on the front row. His concern going forward was less about qualifying than the race. The weather forecast calls for rain, which he knows could create havoc among the very young riders of the introductory class. Alexis Masbou (Caretta Technology-Honda) was riding injured; he had previously done damage to his right foot and could not properly leverage his Honda NSF250R. But when he saw his partial lap times he decided to put the pain aside and race the clock. Had he not been slowed by another rider in the final segment, he might have finished further up the grid. Instead he ended with the fourth fastest time, a career best in qualifying, and right behind Rins for the run to the first turn. MotoGP rider quotes Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 2nd 1m, 39.667s “It’s been a really good qualifying session. It was very difficult to know how much to push because there were some wet spots and it was easy to make mistakes. Also, after so many laps with wet tyres in the free practices, when you put on the slicks it’s like another bike, but you have no time to waste to find a good lap time. So I’m quite impressed with the chrono and very happy to be on the front row. We’ve been riding well here in Jerez at the test and also during all the practice sessions this weekend, both in the dry and wet, but tomorrow we have to be ready for a tough race in any conditions and I want to have a good race here in front of my fans.” Casey Stoner, Repsol Honda: 5th 1m, 40.577s “Qualifying didn’t go so well. Conditions have been terrible all weekend, from half dry tracks to fully wet, so we haven’t really been able to get any form of setup on the bike. It’s a little bit disappointing. We had hoped to be on the front row, but with conditions like this I wasn’t really willing to push. There were a lot of people falling off and the wet patches that were there were incredibly slippery. With this said, there is still half a second that I am accountable for and can’t blame the track; we’re just a little bit off with our settings so we have some work to do tonight. We’re not really sure what to expect until we see the weather tomorrow and this makes things pretty difficult.” Alvaro Bautista, San Carlo Honda Gresini: 8th 1m, 41.447s “Today was another difficult day. This morning we worked on solving our issues from yesterday but only made slight improvements. Then when we were trying a new setting the bike was vibrating a lot into the first turn and I lost the front and crashed. We were able to use the slick tyre this afternoon even though there were still some damp patches out there with the threat of more rain. After my crash this morning I didn’t want to risk more than necessary so a third row start isn’t bad and if we get a good start we can be fighting for a good result. “ Stefan Bradl, LCR Honda MotoGP: 9th 1m, 41.550s “Well, I am a little bit unhappy because we had a very good session but I made a small mistake in the last corner in my last lap. That cost us half a second, which means one row, second row, I guess. In general it was a tricky qualifying because in the beginning we had a lot of wet patches, but every time we went out we improved our lap time as the track conditions was drying up. Actually we are doing well in the dry and in the wet too and I think we could have gone for the second row but it’s okay anyway.” Michel Pirro, San Carlo Honda Gresini: 15th – 1m, 43.363s “It was a shame about the crash because I had to use the second bike, which I didn’t have a great feeling with. Luckily the track conditions had improved but my feeling still wasn’t as good and I almost crashed again. I saved it but hurt my arm and that slowed me down too. It is frustrating because we have had three wet sessions this weekend and not been able to do the work on the bike that we had planned. The guys are working very hard though and that has allowed us to at least take a small step forward.” Moto2 rider quotes Marc Marquez, Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol-Suter: Pole position 1m, 43.005s “One of the things that I learnt last year was that you have to approach things with calm in this category. This has been a very unique weekend so far, as it is always difficult in the rain and even more so when conditions change over the course of the day. On a wet track this morning I felt comfortable, which is an important sign for tomorrow as we have no idea what the weather is going to do. I took things calmly at the start of qualifying. On my second stint there was a high wind and a few bumps on the track, making the situation a delicate one, but we took an important pole position. The most important thing for tomorrow is that we keep focused and relaxed, because our motivation is at 100%.” Takaaki Nakagami, Italtrans Racing Team-Kalex: 2nd, 1m, 43.085s. Yes, I’m really happy for the first row and I’m a little bit sad for being very close to pole position. But anyway, first time in first row. I think we are ready to fight with them, so we will see for tomorrow. We are ready to fight and also we have data, so we will see for tomorrow and I’m really happy for first row. Pol Espargaro, Pons 40 HP Tuenti-Kalex: 3rd, 1m, 43.273s “This is my best result in a Moto2 qualifying and it will be important to address the race from the front row. I am very happy because of my weekend has gone so far, as I have been very fast in all sessions, both in wet and dry. In qualifying we used the settings from the IRTA test, but after two days of wet it cost me a little to catch up. Gradually I have been improving and finally I have been fighting for pole. I’ve improved in a place on my qualifying in Qatar. The third session was was very complicated and if you made a mistake you’d fall. I believe we have very good pace and will face the race with great confidence, but making it clear that scoring points is more important than going crazy for the win.” Moto3 Rider Quotes Alex Rins, Estrella Galicia 0.0-Suter Honda: Pole position 1m 57.507s “It was one of those crazy one-lap runs, as I wasn’t sure which type of tyres to put on. However, my crew saw what the asphalt was like and what the conditions were doing, instructing me that it would be better to put on slicks. They got it right. I want to thank them and my sponsors for making all this possible. This is one of the tracks that I like the most, so tomorrow we will be going out to enjoy the race.” Miguel Oliveira, Estrella Galicia 0.0 Suter-Honda: 3rd, 1m, 57.975s “I felt alright over the course of the entire day. In the wet in the morning, we were amongst the fastest on track, but in the mixed afternoon conditions things became more complicated. In the end, we were able to complete a lap on slicks that took us up to third. The team did a great job to get us onto the front row. Wet races are usually very long and require much concentration, as you can’t afford to make the slightest mistake. We need to get a good start and keep our cool “”above all on the opening laps.” Alexis Masbou, Caretta Technology Honda: 4th, 1m, 58.301s “The strategy of the team was winning and when I saw the partial records, I forgot the broken foot to give more than I could. I was slowed down by another rider in T4 or I could have done better. However I’m happy to start in a good position to be a protagonist in the race.” More, from a press release issued by Team Aspar: POWER ELECTRONICS ASPAR LEAD THE WAY FOR CRT BIKES Randy de Puniet places highest of CRT riders in qualifying for MotoGP race. The qualifying session for the Spanish Grand Prix was an exciting event for Spanish spectators, with an intense duel for pole position between Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa. The former eventually came out on top, whilst the gap to third placed Nicky Hayden was around 1 second at the end of the run. Randy de Puniet was the quickest CRT, just 1.1 second off the front row Ducati rider. Shortly before the MotoGP session at Jerez, POWER ELECTRONICS ASPAR rider Aleix Espargaró spoke to BANKIA Moto3 rider Héctor Faubel to ask for advice about the conditions on track. Faubel had ridden beforehand in the opening qualifying run of the day and recommended that the MotoGP competitor use slicks. Mid-run, spots of rain fell on a drying track and led to a dip in pace, whilst a strong wind added to the variable conditions but had the effect of rapidly clearing the cloud. Back in business, De Puniet and Aleix Espargaró aimed for the head of the order for CRT riders, with the Frenchman achieving his objective. Espargaró was less happy with his performance, but improved his confidence in both his dry and wet weather riding at his home round. The famous no.21 tyre that was intended to solve the ART chattering problem was renamed no.33 at Jerez, and came through the test with flying colours. De Puniet is the favourite to place the highest of the CRT bikes tomorrow, based on his qualifying run and his positive testing performances in Spain. He was able to drop seven tenths from his time, despite lacking grip compared to yesterday. The riders will have to wait and see what conditions await them for their afternoon race, the Spanish Grand Prix that headlines the visit to Jerez. 10th Randy de Puniet (1.41.700s, 26 Laps): “We knew before we came here that there was a chance that we could place ahead of the official bikes. We had some difficult conditions out there and I think that it worked to our advantages. In fact, I could even have improved upon my time had I not run into slower riders on the racing line. I know that I could have done even better without the traffic. I am happy and we are going well in the wet as well as the dry. The aim tomorrow is still to be the best CRT, and if I can overtake some satellite and factory riders along the way, then I will be even happier. The team did a great job today.” 14th Aleix Espargaró (1.43.135, 22 Laps) “That was a much better day. It was about time that we were able to say that we have made a step forward. I am a little dissatisfied that Randy is far off, because he is a reference point for me, but I feel good about things. We cut the gap in the wet to 4.2 seconds in the wet morning session and the changes made mean that the wet setup makes me happy. No rider would ever turn down a dry race, but I think that in the wet I would have an opportunity to continue improving. My aim is clear: To be the best CRT. However, Randy is very strong in the wet and in the dry, so we will see what happens.” More, from a press release issued by Avintia Racing: A difficult qualifying practice for Avintia Blusens with promising expectations for the race Jerez de la Frontera, 28 April 2012. The Avintia Blusens MotoGP riders completed a difficult qualifying practice in which they were not able to show their potential or that of the team. Yonny crashing in lap 1 and Iván Silvá working on setting his Inmotec bike up have been the highlights of the training session. Iván depended more on the way the bike had been involving throughout the session and the work it needed than on the times. The result can be considered positive anyway as it must be taken into account that the project was launched in haste and it was Iván´s first outing in the dry with the carbon chassis. For his part Yonny crashed early in this QP which is for him to forget. Raúl Romero (MotoGP Team Manager): “I am somehow upset because I expected more out of this G.P. Yonny crashing has prevented him from being among the best CRTs on the starting grid. On the other hand I am very happy with the Inmotec debut. Iván has spent most of his time riding it for the first time in the dry and looking for the right setting-up. There is still a long way to go but I am very excited by the fact that Avintia takes part into MotoGP with a bike made in Spain. We will see how it goes tomorrow. I am sure we will be fine.” 68 Yonny Hernández (17º 1.44.467 +4.935): “We have been doing really fine with the training practices in the dry and I was feeling comfortable with the bike. Unfortunately I crashed in the QP and was forced to drop out. I don’t really know what happened but all of a sudden I could see myself on the ground. It’s a pity because I am sure I could have posted a good time. I am feeling physically fine but I am upset by my crashing. I hope I will be able to reward the team with a good race tomorrow.” 22 Iván Silva (19º 1.44.717 +5.185): “Today has been long and difficult. This morning I took the FTR out to the track in the wet and we have been able to make progress although the bike is not as good as expected when it comes to ride at a higher speed. In the afternoon I took the Inmotec out in the qualifying practice and we quickly managed to get the right feeling. As expected with a new bike we still need to improve but it is its first time on a track for a race and it is not the latest CRT. I think it is very positive.”