FIM Moto2 World Championship Mugello, Italy July 2 Qualifying Results (all using Honda engines and Dunlop tires): 1. Marc MARQUEZ, Spain (SUTER), 2:05.312 2. Alex DE ANGELIS, San Marino (MOTOBI), 2:05.897 3. Bradley SMITH, Great Britain (TECH 3), 2:06.617 4. Xavier SIMEON, Belgium (TECH 3), 2:06.757 5. Randy KRUMMENACHER, Switzerland (KALEX), 2:06.941 6. Pol ESPARGARO, Spain (FTR), 2:06.963 7. Stefan BRADL, Germany (KALEX), 2:07.013 8. Mattia PASINI, Italy (FTR), 2:07.023 9. Mika KALLIO, Finland (SUTER), 2:07.147 10. Anthony WEST, Australia (MZ-RE HONDA), 2:07.249 11. Esteve RABAT, Spain (FTR), 2:07.549 12. Robertino PIETRI, Venezuela (SUTER), 2:07.612 13. Kenan SOFUOGLU, Turkey (SUTER), 2:07.692 14. Andrea IANNONE, Italy (SUTER), 2:07.728 15. Yuki TAKAHASHI, Japan (MORIWAKI), 2:07.780 16. Yonny HERNANDEZ, Colombia (FTR), 2:07.844 17. Ricard CARDUS, Spain (MORIWAKI), 2:07.864 18. Jordi TORRES, Spain (SUTER), 2:07.919 19. Raffaele DE ROSA, Italy (SUTER), 2:08.118 20. Max NEUKIRCHNER, Germany (MZ-RE HONDA), 2:08.272 21. Michele PIRRO, Italy (MORIWAKI), 2:08.289 22. Kenny NOYES, USA (FTR), 2:08.444 23. Simone CORSI, Italy (FTR), 2:08.562 24. Thomas LUTHI, Switzerland (SUTER), 2:08.681 25. Tommaso LORENZETTI, Italy (FTR), 2:08.840 26. Alex BALDOLINI, Italy (SUTER), 2:08.883 27. Carmelo MORALES, Spain (MORIWAKI), 2:08.970 28. Scott REDDING, Great Britain (SUTER), 2:09.265 29. Mattia TAROZZI, Italy (SUTER), 2:09.409 30. Dominique AEGERTER, Switzerland (SUTER), 2:09.616 31. Claudio CORTI, Italy (SUTER), 2:09.911 32. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (PONS KALEX), 2:09.974 33. Jules CLUZEL, France (SUTER), 2:10.420 34. Ratthapark WILAIROT, Thailand (FTR), 2:10.436 35. Mike DI MEGLIO, France (TECH 3), 2:10.652 36. Santiago HERNANDEZ, Colombia (FTR), 2:10.723 37. Mashel AL NAIMI, Qatar (MORIWAKI), 2:13.596 Not qualified (Out 107%) 2:14.083 38. Valentin DEBISE, France (FTR), 2:14.539 * 39. Axel PONS, Spain (PONS KALEX), no time recorded * * 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 Tech 3: Xavier Siméon starts Italian round from 2nd row on the grid Xavier Siméon will start the eighth race of the 2011 Moto2 season tomorrow at the Mugello International Circuit from second row on the grid after he qualified into a superb 4th position today. The Youngster from Belgium had shown impressive progress so far and once again he was able to better his performance by putting together his best qualifying result of the season. Siméon, who’s best qualifying was the 14th position he gained just one week ago at the Dutch TT in Assen, is looking forward to make the best out of his grid position and feels confident enough to await some more championship points. Xavier Siméon, 2nd – 2’06.757, 16 laps: “It was really difficult for me and at the beginning the conditions were not clear. It was really not easy to go on this track under these conditions, changing from damp to wet to wetter. I did not know exactly what the grip allows me to go for, but lap by lap my feeling improved and I got faster and faster with each lap. Then I entered the pit to do some modifications to the bike as I did not have a good feeling with the rear tyre and then the conditions changed again. So we decided to change again. I was very lucky as I rode my lap time at the very last lap and I am very happy for the team as this is the first time we were 4th and it makes a big difference if you can have a good starting position. I think I can have a good race tomorrow in dry conditions, as I was fast and consistent through the whole session and feel comfortable on the bike. I hope also the race result will be as good tomorrow.” More, from another press release issued by Tech 3: Smith dazzles in drizzle to claim Mugello front row Bradley Smith’s phenomenal wet weather riding skills were on display again at the spectacular Mugello circuit in Italy, the British rider storming to a maiden Moto2 front row after a rain-affected qualifying session this afternoon. With all three practice sessions taking place on a dry track, the Moto2 field saw the weather take a sudden turn for the worse earlier in the afternoon and qualifying commenced on a wet track. Tech 3 Racing rider Smith has shown himself to be something of a rain master in his rookie Moto2 campaign having finished second and third in the recent wet races at Silverstone and Assen. And he was immediately up to speed in tricky conditions, the 20-year-old competing for his first Moto2 pole position throughout the 45-minute session. Conditions were changing rapidly with a dry line appearing in some parts of the track towards the end of the session and Smith quickly worked out where he could push hard to set the third fastest time. His best lap of 2.06.617 was only bettered by Marc Marquez and Alex de Angelis and Smith is confident he can fight for a third successive podium finish in tomorrow’s 21-lap race. The mixed conditions made it difficult for French rider Mike di Meglio, who faces a tough challenge in tomorrow’s race having qualified in 35th position. Unable to find the rear grip he needed to push with more confidence, the former 125cc World Champion set a best time of 2.10.652. Today’s qualifying confirmed the high potential of the Mistral 610 machine with Belgian rider Xavier Simeon finishing in fourth position, just 0.140s behind Smith. Bradley Smith 3rd 2.06.617 18 laps: “Obviously I am very happy with this result for myself and the Tech 3 Racing Team as we have already proven we have great feeling in the wet in the last couple of races. I guess growing up in the UK has helped me in that respect because we have to ride in those conditions a lot. But to be on the front row for the first time considering how difficult the conditions were, I’m really pleased and it has been a positive day. At the end of the session it started to dry and the track felt very greasy and then all of a sudden, the last three laps the grip came again and Andrea (Iannone) and a couple of other guys got behind me. I didn’t want to give them a tow on the last lap, so I rolled off. And that was almost a big mistake because they still had two laps on me. Third position is still a great starting pos ition and the first five laps will be very important tomorrow. I need to try and get a really good start and put my head down and try to go as hard as possible. It will be important to try and follow Marquez in the beginning and then we will see what happens.” Mike di Meglio: 35th 2.10.652 17 laps: “This was a very difficult qualifying as we did not have any grip from the start to the end. When I went out the last time we changed to a softer rear tyre and that was maybe a little bit too late. For the race tomorrow I will have to get the best start possible and try all I can do to at least get into the points, which would be a great result from where I am on the grid.” More, from a press release issued by JiR Moto2 Team: GP of Italy, qualifying: De Angelis on front row It’s raining at Mugello, but not on the JiR Team who sees an important ray of sunshine with the good performance of Alex De Angelis. He was consistently fast in qualifying today, winning a place on the front row with a 2’05.897s lap which gives him the second place on the grid for tomorrow’s Italian Grand Prix. The team has worked hard to prepare at its best for the Italian race, with some good times already posted in all three practice sessions in the dry. The rain that came down today in time for lunch handed to the Moto2 riders a wet track, which reshuffled the cards by forcing them to run with rain tyres. Under these conditions, the experience of Alex De Angelis led him to take advantage of all the 45 minutes to run continuously, and in the very last of a long run of 21 laps slowly the confidence he gained lap after lap with the MotoBI and its reactions to the Mugello track has allowed him to produce his best lap. Alex DeAngelis The day is undoubtedly positive, an important second place for the morale of everyone but especially for the front row in a GP exciting and important as this. The wet session has taken everyone by surprise, I relied on my experience and I stayed on track for the entire session without stopping, knowing that the tarmac would slowly dry. So it was and time improved progressively up until the end. Unfortunately I lost pole by a whisker, but in this category it is very important to start from the front row so this result is very positive. I’m pretty confident even at race pace because we’ve tried both dry and wet. Of course, tomorrow we will have to adapt to track conditions and if the day will be sunny the choice of tyres will be a key point, as on this track they can make a difference. More, from a press release issued by Marc VDS Racing Team: MIXED CONDITIONS RESULT IN MIXED FORTUNES FOR MARC VDS Marc VDS Racing riders Mika Kallio and Scott Redding experienced contrasting fortunes during a rain-affected qualifying session for the Gran Premi d’Italia TIM in Mugello earlier today. The session got underway on a wet track after a short but heavy earlier downpour, but Kallio and Redding had to contend with constantly changing conditions as the new tarmac dried out quickly. Boosted by a new Öhlins front suspension set-up he experimented with yesterday, Kallio expertly judged where he could make up time, with some sections of the 5.254km circuit still treacherously damp. He set a best time of 2.07.147 to qualify ninth, the times reflecting just how tricky conditions were with Kallio some 13 seconds slower than his fastest pace in the dry. Kallio’s delight at securing his second best grid position of the 2011 World Championship was tempered somewhat by the difficult afternoon experienced by 18-year-old Redding. Sixth fastest at the end of practice, Redding’s Suter MMXI machine developed an early quickshifter problem which cost him precious time on track. But the Briton also found it difficult to find rear grip as the track dried out and he will start 28th on the grid having posted a best lap of 2.09.265. Mika Kallio #36 – 2.07.147- 18 laps – 9th position “The third row is a really good starting position for the race and the qualifying was very positive for me, even though once again we didn’t have any luck with the weather. The track conditions were quite strange because I always felt that I was on the limit, but then you could push harder and improve the lap times. The track was quite wet at the start of the session but as we’ve seen before it can dry quickly because it is still quite hot and humid. By the end there was a dry line but it wasn’t that easy because it was only dry in some places. Some corners were drying fast and other corners were still quite wet and for that reason it was hard to understand how hard you could attack. Looking at the forecasts for tomorrow we should have a dry race, so I need to make a good start and make sure that I am with the front group immediately. But if we get more rain then I am optimistic that we have a good setting and I can be competitive also in the wet.” Scott Redding #45 – 2.09.265 – 12 laps – 28th position “I’m pretty frustrated because all weekend in the dry I’ve been close to the top three and one of the fastest on track, so the rain coming this afternoon was a big blow. It was a disaster really because right from the start of the session I had a problem with the quickshifter again. We put a new one on but by that time there was only six minutes left and although the track was drying, I was struggling a lot with the rear traction again. I’m finding it hard to explain why in the wet or in mixed conditions I struggle so much with rear grip. I get overtaken and the guys in front are carrying double the corner speed and even though I pick the bike up and accelerate nearly fully upright, I still get a lot of wheelspin. All I can do tomorrow from where I am on the grid is to make a lightning start and make as many passes as I can in the early laps and come through the pack to fight for a top ten. I still think a top ten is realistic because of the speed I’ve shown in the dry.” Michael Bartholemy – Team Manager “Mika has done a very good job in difficult conditions this afternoon and I am very happy that he has qualified inside the top ten for the second time this season. He is using a different set-up with the Öhlins front forks this weekend and it seems to have inspired some confidence into him, so we are hopeful he can convert today’s performance into a positive result in the race. Scott had a very difficult session. He had a problem with the quickshifter right from the start that cost him valuable time on track and despite the best efforts of the Marc VDS Racing crew; we couldn’t identify what the problem was. But he was also struggling for grip again when the conditions are not fully wet or dry and this is disappointing. We have tried many things to improve in this area already this season, but now we need to work with Suter Racing to identify why Marquez is the only rider who can ride the 2011 bike fast in these conditions and then apply that to both Scott and Mika’s bikes.” More, from a press release issued by Italtrans Racing: It has been a difficult session, with tricky conditions on track because of the changeable weather. In this situation, Robertino Pietri found his way to express himself at his best. He set a fast lap in 2’07.612 that put him on the 12th place on grid for tomorrow’s race. This is his best performance of the season so far. He is third among the Suter riders. Robertino Pietri (2’0.612 – 12th) “At the beginning the feeling was not the best, but after a small set-up change the situation improved quite a lot my feeling with the bike became great, the grip was good and I’ve been able to use at my advantage the narrow dry line that little by little was showing itself on track. As far as tomorrow’s race is concerned, I’m confident: the bike is good and I feel really OK”. Luigi Pansera (Team Manager): “I’m really happy for Robertino. He did a great job, and I can’t wait to see what his performance will be in tomorrow’s race. I know that we have good chances to do well, and I hope they’ll became true”.