FIM Moto2 World Championship Jerez, Spain April 27, 2012 Free Practice Two Results (wet conditions, all using Honda engines and Dunlop tires): 1. Mika KALLIO, Finland (KALEX), 1:55.675 2. Johann ZARCO, France (MOTOBI), 1:56.155 3. Ricard CARDUS, Spain (AJR), 1:56.199 4. Anthony WEST, Australia (MORIWAKI), 1:56.206 5. Marc MARQUEZ, Spain (SUTER), 1:56.266 6. Thomas LUTHI, Switzerland (SUTER), 1:56.382 7. Axel PONS, Spain (KALEX), 1:56.504 8. Alex DE ANGELIS, San Marino (SUTER), 1:56.785 9. Scott REDDING, UK (KALEX), 1:57.019 10. Randy KRUMMENACHER, Switzerland (KALEX), 1:57.152 11. Pol ESPARGARO, Spain (KALEX), 1:57.474 12. Mike DI MEGLIO, France (SPEED UP), 1:57.558 13. Gino REA, UK (MORIWAKI), 1:57.629 14. Angel RODRIGUEZ, Spain (FTR), 1:57.831 15. Yuki TAKAHASHI, Japan (SUTER), 1:58.217 16. Ratthapark WILAIROT, Thailand (MORIWAKI), 1:58.293 17. Toni ELIAS, Spain (SUTER), 1:58.626 18. Claudio CORTI, Italy (KALEX), 1:58.819 19. Andrea IANNONE, Italy (SPEED UP), 1:58.884 20. Alexander LUNDH, Sweden (MZ-RE HONDA), 1:59.016 21. Takaaki NAKAGAMI, Japan (KALEX), 1:59.305 22. Roberto ROLFO, Italy (SUTER), 2:00.012 23. Max NEUKIRCHNER, Germany (KALEX), 2:00.229 24. Esteve RABAT, Spain (KALEX), 2:00.587 25. Elena ROSELL, Spain (MORIWAKI), 2:00.896 26. Dominique AEGERTER, Switzerland (SUTER), 2:01.390 27. Nicolas TEROL, Spain (SUTER), 2:01.427 28. Marco COLANDREA, Switzerland (FTR), 2:01.464 29. Simone CORSI, Italy (FTR), 2:01.595 30. Xavier SIMEON, Belgium (TECH 3), no time recorded 31. Bradley SMITH, UK (TECH 3), no time recorded 32. Julian SIMON, Spain (SUTER), no time recorded FIM Moto2 World Championship Free Practice One & Two Combined: 1. Johann ZARCO, France (MOTOBI), 1:55.382 2. Mika KALLIO, Finland (KALEX), 1:55.675 3. Ricard CARDUS, Spain (AJR), 1:56.199 4. Anthony WEST, Australia (MORIWAKI), 1:56.206 5. Andrea IANNONE, Italy (SPEED UP), 1:56.258 6. Marc MARQUEZ, Spain (SUTER), 1:56.266 7. Xavier SIMEON, Belgium (TECH 3), 1:56.331 8. Thomas LUTHI, Switzerland (SUTER), 1:56.382 9. Axel PONS, Spain (KALEX), 1:56.504 10. Alex DE ANGELIS, San Marino (SUTER), 1:56.785 11. Scott REDDING, UK (KALEX), 1:57.019 12. Randy KRUMMENACHER, Switzerland (KALEX), 1:57.152 13. Pol ESPARGARO, Spain (KALEX), 1:57.474 14. Mike DI MEGLIO, France (SPEED UP), 1:57.558 15. Gino REA, UK (MORIWAKI), 1:57.629 16. Angel RODRIGUEZ, Spain (FTR), 1:57.831 17. Bradley SMITH, UK (TECH 3), 1:57.878 18. Yuki TAKAHASHI, Japan (SUTER), 1:58.217 19. Ratthapark WILAIROT, Thailand (MORIWAKI), 1:58.293 20. Julian SIMON, Spain (SUTER), 1:58.431 21. Toni ELIAS, Spain (SUTER), 1:58.626 22. Claudio CORTI, Italy (KALEX), 1:58.819 23. Alexander LUNDH, Sweden (MZ-RE HONDA), 1:59.016 24. Simone CORSI, Italy (FTR), 1:59.055 25. Takaaki NAKAGAMI, Japan (KALEX), 1:59.305 26. Nicolas TEROL, Spain (SUTER), 1:59.352 27. Esteve RABAT, Spain (KALEX), 1:59.832 28. Roberto ROLFO, Italy (SUTER), 2:00.012 29. Max NEUKIRCHNER, Germany (KALEX), 2:00.229 30. Elena ROSELL, Spain (MORIWAKI), 2:00.896 31. Dominique AEGERTER, Switzerland (SUTER), 2:01.390 32. Marco COLANDREA, Switzerland (FTR), 2:01.464 More, from a press release issued by FIM: 2012 FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix Gran Premio bwin de España: decision of the Race Direction On Friday 27 April during the first free practice session, rider Toni Elias (ESP) didn’t return to the pits after the red flags were displayed which is an infringement to the Art. 1.22.2 of the 2012 FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix Regulations. The Race Direction has decided to impose on the rider a fine of € 1000. No appeal has been lodged. The decision of the Race Direction is final. More, from a press release issued by Speed Master: MIXED TRACK CONDITIONS IN JEREZ SLOW DOWN THE WORK FOR SPEED MASTER MOTO2 RIDERS The “Gran Premio bwin de España” kicked off today, the second venue for the 2012 World Championship. For the Moto2 class, the day began with the first free practice on wet track, which seems to be due to happen again during the weekend. Andrea Iannone was among the fastest riders during the first session, setting competitive lap times and checking some basic decisions for the rain setting. In FP2, during the afternoon, the track was partially wet, which made it tough to work on some clear choices for the setting of the Speed Up machine. Mike di Meglio and his crew took advantage of the morning session to test a few options for the rain set-up. They only managed to verify those choices partially, making few steps forward, but they decided to put off any important decision to the sessions that will be held tomorrow. Andrea Iannone #29 – 19th with 1’58.884 “In general this was a positive day: we were pretty fast in the morning when it was raining, even if there were some things that had to be sorted out on the bike. I am satisfied with this first day, even if the afternoon session was kind of useless. In the free practice n. 2 we got out on the track few times, as we were trying to understand the track conditions. The lines were still too wet to take advantage of slick tyres and therefore we couldn’t improve our lap time. I’d like to thank the crew and the whole team for their work and for their commitment.” Mike di Meglio #63 – 12th with 1’57.558 “This was a difficult day because of the weather. We didn’t manage to verify much of the things we had planned, which we wanted to consider for the bike set-up. This morning we were out on the track under the rain, but the damp track of the afternoon didn’t quite help us in making huge steps forwards. We’ll see what the weather is like tomorrow, if it’s the case to get all ready if it rains again, as we do already have some good data for dry track.” More, from a press release issued bu QMMF Racing: Rain king West fourth on day one in Jerez Rosell improves lap by lap and gains confidence Under the watchful eyes of FIM vice president and team owner Nasser Khalifa Al Attiyah, Anthony West presented QMMF Racing Team with its best ever practice result so far. The 30-year-old Australian, who is re-known for his incredible speed and skills in wet conditions, took fourth place in the wet first free practice session on Friday morning and repeated this performance in even trickier conditions in the afternoon. Heroic Spanish team-mate Elena Rosell, who battles with a pelvis injury and an inflamed right shoulder, also stood her ground within the fierce competition of the Moto2 category. From 28th in the morning session, she improved to a promising 25th place in the afternoon, which put her in 30th position in the combined standings. “We did some changes to the bike after the season-opening race at Qatar, and Anthony now shows the true potential of this bike”, said Mr. Al Attiyah. “Even though we still need to improve the bike in a similar way for dry conditions, today’s result is a milestone for our team. We appreciate Anthony’s support and the work he does, because results like today really boost the confidence of the entire team, including his team-mate Elena. She is doing a good job and she is improving day by day!” Anthony West 4th in 1.56,206 “So far, everything is going well. The bike is new to me and I hardly had a chance to test, so we knew that it would be difficult in the first races and that we needed to learn as much as we possibly could in the shortest possible time. The Moriwaki bike is very different to the Moto2 bikes I rode previously, but I like new challenges and I think it’s fun to look for a way out of a difficult situation when you are surropunded by good people and when everybody works well together like in the QMMF team. We made some big changes to the bike after the first race at Qatar and we went the right direction. I have a good feeling with the bike now and I am confident that we can make big improvements over the next races. The conditions today were really tricky, wet and dry, but it was fun to ride!” Elena Rosell 30th in 2.00,896 “This afternoon, the conditions were really difficult with the track being half dry, but this morning, things went really well. It was my first time in the rain, and lap by lap, I managed to build up my confidence in this kind of weather. It was strange in the afternoon, with a narrow line drying up and then a drizzle starting again, but at least I managed to get experience under all kinds of conditions, which could well be the same again on race day. I am happy I brought the bike back in one piece because it would have been easy to make a mistake! Apart from that I am recovering well from my pelvis fracture. It is much better than during the first race in Qatar, even though I have to move more on the bike than others because I am not as tall and this is still painful at times. I am suffering more from the shoulder inflammation that I have since the Qatar Grand Prix. Riding on a wet track helped me today because you don’t need to use as much force as in dry conditions!” More, from a press release issued by Team Thai Honda Gresini Moto2: WILAIROT MAKES LATE IMPROVEMENTS AFTER MORNING CRASH Ratthapark Wilairot endured a tough start to the Spanish Grand Prix today, crashing out of free practice this morning. However, ‘Feem’ made progress in the afternoon and is hoping for much more in better conditions tomorrow. Ratthapark Wilairot (Free Practice 1 – 30th 2′ 02″ 643 / Free Practice 2 16th 1′ 58″ 293) “In the morning it was difficult because there was a lot of rain and we were trying a new setting when I had a big highside. In the afternoon we tried a change to the setting but I had no confidence in the rear and felt like I was going to highside every time I opened the throttle. The conditions were terrible today so hopefully they will be better tomorrow.” Fausto Gresini “Little by little we are making gradual improvements despite some strange conditions today. It is hard to say just yet that we are on the right lines but we are working hard and hopefully we get some better conditions tomorrow to judge the gap between us and the front. It was a shame about the crash this morning because it set us back a little bit. Everybody is working so hard and I hope they can have something to smile about soon.” More, from a press release issued by Team Federal Oil Gresini Moto2: REA TAKES STEP FORWARD AT JEREZ Gino Rea was able to improve his feel for the Moriwaki machine at Jerez today despite mixed weather at Jerez. The Brit took a small step forward but still has a long way to go and is hoping for better conditions so that he and the team can work on the bike tomorrow. Gino Rea (Free Practice 1 21st 2′ 00″ 755 Free Practice 2 13th 1′ 57″ 629) ” Today was quite tricky really. The first session was wet and the bike is completely different to Qatar so we didn’t have enough time to set it up. In the afternoon it was half wet and half dry and we went quite fast. We still have some problems but we’re trying to dial them out and hopefully we can improve tomorrow. We could have been faster in the end by using a slick tyre but we stayed with the wet to try and fix some problems. Position doesn’t matter right now, we just need to make improvements and see what happens tomorrow.” Fausto Gresini “Little by little we are making gradual improvements despite some strange conditions today. It is hard to say just yet that we are on the right lines but we are working hard and hopefully we get some better conditions tomorrow to judge the gap between us and the front. Everybody is working so hard and I hope they can have something to smile about soon.” More, from a press release issued by JiR Moto2 Team: Team JiR and Johann Zarco are on top at a wet Jerez The 2012 Moto2 World Championship enters its second round today with wet weather dominating proceedings at the Jerez circuit, but with Team JiR right up at the top of the timing sheets in Spain in first position. The lone Team JiR rider Johann Zarco has found the wet conditions a level playing field for him and his new four-stroke MotoBI machine. The 21-year-old Frenchman was at the top of the timing in this morning’s free practice session and finished the day first overall on combined time. With the weather looking to be tricky all weekend, it is hoped that this is a good sign for tomorrow’s qualifying session and the race on Sunday. Johann Zarco Final position: 1st Best lap: 1m 55.382s Today in the first session we waited in the garage for a while, but then it was raining a lot so we put rain tyres on and did many laps and immediately I had a good feeling with my MotoBI. Even so, it was surprising to be in first position. Then in the afternoon conditions were still not so good so we waited in the pits again, but once more it was wet. The positive to this is that we tried all the rain tyres before the track was drying out. We think conditions could be difficult come the race if the weather continues in this way, but we will see. Whatever happens, at the moment I’m happy and relaxed. I don’t think we will change the bike tomorrow, but tonight we will look at the positive and negative aspects of the bike and then see what the weather is doing tomorrow. More, from a press release issued by Marc VDS Racing Team: Jerez, Spain – 27 April 2012: It was a positive opening day at Jerez for the Marc VDS Racing Team, with Mika Kallio finished second fastest overall after topping the timesheet in this afternoon’s free practice session. Scott Redding was fifth fastest in this morning’s wet free practice, but slipped to 11th overall after sitting out much of the afternoon session. Redding was quick to make his mark in this morning’s wet session, building confidence in the bike and tyres with every pit exit, before setting his fastest time on the last of his 14 laps. Kallio had some set-up issues early in the session, leaving him in 17th position after he only managed to complete ten laps. The situation was reversed during this afternoon’s free practice session, which was frequently interrupted by rain showers that left too many damp patches on the track for slicks and not enough standing water for wets. After improving on his time from the morning, Redding then opted to sit out the remainder of the session, rather than risk a crash in the tricky conditions. Kallio used this afternoon’s free practice to continue working on machine set-up. The 29-year-old Finn made a number of changes to the front suspension on his Kalex Moto2 machine, before topping the timesheet right at the end of the session with his final flying lap. More rain is forecast for Jerez, both for tomorrow’s free practice and qualifying sessions and, more importantly, for Sunday’s race. Mika Kallio #36: 2nd – 1’55.675 “Conditions this afternoon were really tricky and not really what we were hoping for. We managed to make some improvements to the front of the bike, which I wasn’t so happy with this morning, so it was still a positive session for us. The track conditions weren’t ideal, but I managed to get a good feel for the bike right at the end and it’s always good to finish the day at the top of the timesheet. Hopefully the conditions won’t be like this for the race, but if they are then at least we know we’ve got a good race set-up.” Scott Redding #45: 11th – 1’57.019 “I had some problems in the wet last season, because I didn’t get any feedback from the Suter Moto2 bike, so this morning was all about rebuilding confidence. The feedback from the Kalex is much more direct, even in the wet, so it didn’t take long for the confidence to return. This afternoon we just couldn’t seem to get a break. I came back in from the first run to switch to slicks and it started raining, so I went back out on wets and the track started to dry. So, I came back for slicks and it started raining again. I just gave up in the end; it wasn’t worth the risk. Hopefully tomorrow will be wet or dry, but not both at the same time like it was this afternoon!” Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal “Both riders did a good job today. Scott was unlucky to get caught out by the conditions this afternoon – every time he switched tyres the weather changed – but he was fast in the wet this morning. We’ve been saying to Mika that he needs to stay out for longer in practice, to get a better feel for the bike before making changes, and that’s exactly what he did in this afternoon’s difficult conditions. It paid off for him, as he was fastest in the session and second fastest overall today. I’m confident that both riders can qualify well tomorrow whatever the conditions, but we’d obviously prefer it to be wet or dry, not a mix of both like it was today.”