FIM MotoGP World Championship

Autodromo Termas de Rio Hondo, Argentina

April 17, 2015

Free Practice Two (all on Bridgestone tires):

1. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (SUZUKI GSX-RR), 1:38.776

2. Andrea IANNONE, Italy (DUCATI GP15), 1:39.311

3. Marc MARQUEZ, Spain (HONDA RC213V), 1:39.336

4. Cal CRUTCHLOW, UK (HONDA RC213V), 1:39.403

5. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (DUCATI GP15), 1:39.434

6. Jorge LORENZO, Spain (YAMAHA YZR-M1), 1:39.463

7. Pol ESPARGARO, Spain (YAMAHA YZR-M1), 1:39.648

8. Scott REDDING, UK (HONDA RC213V), 1:39.892

9. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (YAMAHA YZR-M1), 1:39.947

10. Yonny HERNANDEZ, Colombia (DUCATI GP14), 1:40.088

11. Maverick VIÑALES, Spain (SUZUKI GSX-RR), 1:40.126

12. Bradley SMITH, UK (YAMAHA YZR-M1), 1:40.195

13. Danilo PETRUCCI, Italy (DUCATI GP14), 1:40.438

14. Nicky HAYDEN, USA (HONDA RC213V-RS), 1:40.522

15. Karel ABRAHAM, Czech Republic (HONDA RC213V-RS), 1:40.586

16. Hector BARBERA, Spain (DUCATI GP14), 1:40.626

17. Stefan BRADL, Germany (FORWARD YAMAHA), 1:40.672

18. Eugene LAVERTY, Ireland (HONDA RC213V-RS), 1:40.846

19. Jack MILLER, Australia (HONDA RC213V-RS), 1:40.864

20. Alex DE ANGELIS, San Marino (ART-APRILIA), 1:41.152

21. Hiroshi AOYAMA, Japan (HONDA RC213V), 1:41.380

22. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (APRILIA RS-GP), 1:41.490

23. Mike DI MEGLIO, France (DUCATI GP14), 1:41.531

24. Marco MELANDRI, Italy (APRILIA RS-GP), 1:41.576

25. Loris BAZ, France (FORWARD YAMAHA), 1:41.784

More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:

Track conditions improve as Marquez goes third on day one in Argentina

With more rubber on the track and a cleaner racing line emerging, the times dropped drastically from this morning with Marc bettering his FP1 time of 1’42.605 by over three seconds with his best lap of 1’39.336 on lap 12/15, placing him 3rd in the combined times on this first day. Teammate, Hiroshi, also improved his time of 1’45.688 from this morning by over four seconds with his time of 1’41.380 on lap 16/18, placing him 21st.

FP3 will commence tomorrow at 09h55 local time.

Marc Marquez

3RD 1’39.336 [LAP 12/15]

“I’m pretty happy today even if the track was not in the best condition. In the first session I was sliding around a lot, but in FP2 it was better. Things are gradually improving and we felt progressively more comfortable. I think the key to this weekend will be understanding the evolution of the grip level of the track, and adapting the setup to the changes. But the important thing is that we were able to go out and ride, and we are already at a good level.”

Hiroshi Aoyama

21ST 1’41.380 [LAP 16/18]

“This morning and this afternoon have been difficult for me on the bike. I wasn’t able to get a good feeling or feedback on the bike due to the conditions. FP2 was a little better and we were able to go faster but the position didn’t change that much. It’s not the best way to start this first day but we will analyse the data tonight and try to improve tomorrow.”

More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:

Practice Begins in Argentina for Movistar Yamaha

Termas de Rio Hondo (Argentina), 17th April 2015

With just a couple of days rest following the Texas Grand Prix last weekend, the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP team were back on track today for the first practice session of this weekend‘s GP de la República Argentina.

The first morning session at the Autòdromo Termas de Río Hondo was taken gently by riders Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo, the two testing the grip levels as the premier class group added fresh rubber to the slippery circuit. Rossi completed the first free practice session in 14th and teammate Lorenzo in 20th.

The second session saw light rain in the opening minutes, but the drama was short lived and the track quickly dried. The two Yamaha Factory riders gradually picked up their pace, taking over four seconds off their FP1 times as the grip levels rose. The improvements continued lap by lap to end with Lorenzo in sixth, 0.687 from the top and Rossi in ninth, 1.171 from first.

Jorge Lorenzo

6th / 1’39.463 / 18 laps

“The grip obviously improved from the first practice to the second and I felt really good with the hard tyre. We put a soft tyre in to improve the lap time towards the end and we were able to do it. Apart from Alex Espargarò with the extra soft tyre we are very close to the rest so let‘s see for tomorrow. There‘s going to be less of a difference than between today‘s sessions but there should be a positive improvement and the rear tyre should last longer. I have a good feeling for the hard tyre so we need to find a good set up for the soft too.”

Valentino Rossi

9th / 1’39.947 / 18 laps

“In the second practice the condition of the track improved a lot and already the lap time is very competitive. The big issue is the tyres, we have to decide on the rear and also the front. The first impression of the bike is not so bad although we have to work on the balance and the settings. The position is not fantastic but we are not very far from the top guys so tomorrow we will try to improve the feeling with the bike and also the lap time.”

Massimo Meregalli

Team Director

“This morning‘s practice was mostly about the riders putting rubber on the track. During the second session we did enough hard work for today. Very importantly we were able to compare the extra hard and the medium tyres for the race. For sure we will get some more precise feedback tomorrow when the circuit will be in a better condition but so far we are satisfied with our results. Jorge has been consistently fast and Vale was able to climb up the time sheets whilst switching between different bike set ups. Tomorrow we will prepare new steps for FP3 and I am confident that we will be at the sharp end of the field for qualifying and be ready for a good race.”

More, from a press release issued by Aprilia:

THIRD ROUND IN ARGENTINA FOR MOTOGP

Bautista and Melandri, even on dodgy asphalt, worked hard in free practice developing the RS-GP bikes

Termas de Rio Hondo (Argentina), 17 April 2015 – Just a week after the American round in Austin, which brought Aprilia Racing Team Gresini their first point thanks to Alvaro Bautista’s placing, MotoGP begins practice for the Argentinian GP. The first two sessions on the Termas de Rio Hondo track were conditioned by the condition of the tarmac. The quite dirty and not very rubberised surface create a particular tyre wear situation.

Even in these conditions Bautista (11th in the morning and 22nd in the second session) and Melandri (19th in FP1 and 24th in FP2) moved forward working on the evolution of the RS-GP bikes. In particular Marco, who tested some brand new solutions on his bike, found a better riding feeling compared to all the previous outings.

ROMANO ALBESIANO (Aprilia Racing Manager)

“After the first laps with the best performance tyre we are losing a lot of traction straight away. Alvaro could also have improved on his flying lap but clearly that cannot be our primary goal. We need to work on this tomorrow although a lot depended on the track which is really destroying the soft tyres quickly in these conditions. Even with the asphalt situation we had Marco made some encouraging progress in terms of his general riding feeling.”

FAUSTO GRESINI (Team Manager)

“This track gave us these problems last year already. Until it gets rubberised it creates problems for the tyres in just a few laps. I think tomorrow things will change. We’ll wait for the next sessions to see what the real values are on the track.”

ALVARO BAUTISTA

“The track was very hungry today and it ate up all the tyres. Already from this morning we had to use two sets of tyres and in the afternoon I went out with a used tyre. By the end I really didn’t have any rubber left to try and improve on my time. Tomorrow we’ll have to work hard to improve our grip anyway. But I also think that a better asphalt grip situation will be a great help since such poor traction particularly penalises us.”

MARCO MELANDRI

“For the first time I had a decent session. The team did a great job trying some different ideas and implementing some setups that we had never tried before, catering to my needs, and I found a bike that I was able to ride better. Naturally there is still a lot of work to do but it is an improvement. The track conditions will change gradually as it gets more rubberised, so we’ll have to wait until tomorrow.”

More, from a press release issued by Marc VDS Racing Team:

Redding starts strong in South America

Termas de Río Hondo, Argentina – 16 April 2015: Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider Scott Redding made a positive start to the Termas de Río Hondo MotoGP weekend in Argentina today, the British rider comfortably lapping inside the top 10 in both practice sessions.

On a dirty and slippery surface this morning, Redding set the fifth fastest time, and the 22-year-old slashed almost two seconds off his best lap time with more grip and a cleaner racing line in FP2.

Redding ended the day in eighth position, but the most encouraging and impressive aspect of his performance was that his best lap of 1.39.892 this afternoon was set on Bridgestone’s extra hard compound rear tyre.

The new extra hard has been added to the 2015 tyre allocation by Bridgestone specifically to cope with the high speed and high abrasion experienced at the fast and flowing Termas de Río Hondo track.

All of the seven riders that finished in front of Redding today set their best times on softer compound rubber.

Scott Redding: 8th – 1’39.892

“I am happy with how today went. We found a good setting with the bike in Texas and I have hardly changed it here because I want to learn the bike more while I have such a good feeling with it. The track wasn’t in great condition this morning and it was tough to make a good lap time, but we made some progress with the rear pumping on the brakes. I’m happy to set my best time on the extra hard tyre and right now I think that will be my race choice. I can’t tell much difference in performance with the hard option we can use and the extra hard will certainly have better durability for the race.”

Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal

“I am really pleased to see Scott inside the top 10 in both practice sessions today because it confirms the good work his crew did in making him more comfortable and confident on the bike in Austin. It was hard to learn too much this morning but I am satisfied with Scott’s pace on the extra hard tyre. This track is so fast in sections like turn six and eleven and the surface is quite abrasive, so the extra hard could be the best option for the race and Scott has already shown good pace on it.”

More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone:

Aleix Espargaro on record pace to lead Argentina Free Practice

Round 3: Argentina MotoGP™ – Free Practice One & Two

Autódromo Termas de Río Hondo, Friday 17 April 2015

Bridgestone slick compounds: Front: Soft, Medium & Hard; Rear: Medium & Hard (Asym.) & Ex-hard (Symmetric)

Bridgestone wet tyre compounds: Soft (Main) & Hard (Alternative)

Weather: FP1 – Dry. Ambient 20-21°C; Track 26-26°C (Bridgestone measurement)

FP2 – Dry. Ambient 20-21°C; Track 30-32°C (Bridgestone measurement)

Team SUZUKI ECSTAR rider Aleix Espargaro was in impressive form at Autódromo Termas de Río Hondo today, topping both of the day’s practice sessions and setting a time quicker than the current Circuit Record Lap in Free Practice 2.

Having finished on top in an FP1 session that was marred by poor track conditions, Espargaro relished the improved conditions in FP2 to set a lap time of 1’38.776 to finish over half a second clear of his nearest competitor, Ducati Team’s Andrea Iannone. Iannone’s personal best time of 1’39.311 came on his final lap of the day and saw him pip Repsol Honda Team’s Marc Marquez to third on the timesheets by just 0.025 seconds. All of the riders in the top three used the medium compound front slick to set their quickest time, but while Marquez set his time using the hard compound rear slick, both Espargaro and Iannone used the medium rear slick for their hot lap.

In a similar situation to the opening day of last year’s Argentina Grand Prix, the first session of the race weekend took place on a dusty track surface resulting in low grip levels and high rates of tyre wear. Conditions in the afternoon were better – although still not ideal – with improved grip available from the well-used tarmac. The low grip levels in FP1 resulted in the majority of riders using the softest front slick available this weekend, the soft compound option, for the first session. With track conditions improved for FP2, most riders switched to the medium compound front slick for greater braking stability, although the sub-standard track conditions meant the hard compound front was unused today. Rear slick choice saw a general preference for softer options in FP1; hard compound for the Factory Honda and Yamaha riders and medium compound for the remaining riders. For FP2, there was a shift in preference to the harder rear options at the start of the session – including the new extra-hard rear slick being used by the majority of Factory Honda and Yamaha riders – until the riders switched back to their softer rear slick options to set a quick time in the final ten minutes of the session.

Slightly warmer temperatures and dry conditions are forecast for tomorrow. The riders will next be on track in tomorrow morning’s Free Practice 3 session, which will commence at 0955 local time (GMT -4).

Masao Azuma – Chief Engineer, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department

“Today’s conditions were as we expected, the dirty tarmac in the morning reducing the grip level and also causing graining on the rear tyres. However, with more rubber on the tarmac in FP2 the track condition improved considerably resulting in improved lap times and greater durability. Considering that track conditions weren’t the best, the fact that the pace is already under the race lap record is a good indication that our tyres are working well and things should only get more competitive with warmer temperatures and better track conditions tomorrow. Another encouraging sign today was the performance of our new extra-hard specification rear slick, with riders commenting that it offers good, consistent grip. Overall, it was a good first day for Bridgestone in Argentina.”

More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

Positive start for Ducati Team riders in Argentina GP, with Iannone second and Dovizioso fifth at Termas de Rio Hondo.

The Argentina GP race weekend got off to a positive start for the two Ducati Team riders, with Andrea Iannone and Andrea Dovizioso finishing the first two sessions of free practice at the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit respectively in second and fifth place.

On a day characterized by cloudy skies and an average temperature of 25° C, the MotoGP field took to the track for first free practice in the morning without managing to set any truly significant times, but Iannone and Dovizioso ended the 45 minute session on their GP15 machines respectively in second and third place.

In the afternoon the track conditions improved and the times came down significantly. After several exits with a hard rear tyre, during which both Ducati Team men showed that they had a good pace, the two Andreas then fitted medium compound rear tyres and went out to try and improve their times and guarantee themselves a place in the top 10.

Iannone set his quickest time of 1m39.311s on his sixteenth and final lap, while Dovizioso’s 1m39.434s on his fifteenth lap.

Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team #29) – 1’39.311 (2nd)

“In general, my day went quite well, but we must continue to work the way we are doing now. There are a few things to improve regarding the set-up to get a bit more feeling, and I believe that we can be competitive. The track is in a really difficult state and it’s not easy to find the right grip and the confidence to push hard. Today we tried two different settings and we managed to improve and this in any case is important.”

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 1’39.434 (5th)

“I am satisfied because in comparison with last year we have a good pace, and this is very important for me seeing as in 2014 I didn’t go very well all weekend. We improved the bike a bit in the afternoon but we still have to try and find a race pace that allows us to go fast without a drop in performance after a few laps. Here it’s really difficult because this track is very slippery, but we are working to improve this aspect.”

More, from a press release issued by Cardion AB Motoracing:

Abraham’s good performance in Friday’s practice

The World Motorcycle Championship, MotoGP now continues at the circuit Termas de Río Hondo in Argentina. Afternoon free parctice was partly influenced by the weather conditions, when most of the riders stayed for more than ten minutes in the pits due to raindrops falling at the track surface. The Czech rider Karel Abraham got throught this tricky situation well and after first day stays on good fifteenth position with the time of 1:41.586.

Karel Abraham

“In the morning practice we made some changes and were also trying different setups and tyres. The bike started to work very well in the second free practice and this resulted in good lap time. After last year experience we know now that the track is very dusty during the mornings and it turns better in the afternoon. Today was the same situation and we must cope with these conditions. We´ll see tomorrow plus the weather should be as same as today.”

Marco Grana, Cardion AB chief mechanic

“We are very happy with today´s result. In the morning we started with hardest rear tyre and softest front tyre. The first day is the track here always full of send dust and it influenced morning lap times. We tried some different set up in the afternoon and it worked. Now we must wait till tomorrow how the track will look like and make good solution about tyres. We have one more parctice session to improve the best lap time and to understand more some things. Top 15 is good, but we are confident now about improving this position little more.”

More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing:

Yonny in the Top 10 and Petrux 13th after Friday’s free practice in Argentina

The first day of Argentina GP race weekend on Autodromo Termas Rio Hondo, finishes with the Top 10 of Yonny Hernandez and the 13th place of Danilo Petrucci

In front of hundreds of fans came from all over South America to support the only Latin American rider of the 2015 MotoGp season, Yonny Hernandez lapped strongly in morning free practice, finishing with an excellent fourth laptime. In the afternoon, after being forced to pit for a few minutes due to a few drops of rain, the Colombian rider, while lowering the lap time set in the morning, failed to maintain the position gained in FP1. The laptime of 1’40.088 earned him a tenth position. In case of rain during FP3 Yonny will be directly qualified to Q2.

Danilo Petrucci faced a not particularly brilliant day which began with the seventeenth place in the morning free practice and ended with the thirteenth position after the FP2 with a laptime of 1’44.438. The rider from Terni could not find the right feeling with his Ducati Desmosedici GP14 and tomorrow morning in FP3 he will try to gain the direct qualification to Q2 as it has already happened a week ago in Texas.

Yonny in the Top 10 and Petrux 13th after Friday’s free practice in Argentina

10° Yonny Hernandez – Pramac Racing #68 – 1’40.088

“In the morning practice I felt I had a good feeling with the bike despite the track was not in very good condition. After a few minutes into the afternoon session the rain upset our program. We were still able to go back in the track for a competitive time managing to hit the Top 10, which is the goal of every day. I hope tomorrow we can make further progress and have a strong impact on FP3 in order to qualify directly to Q2. “

13° Danilo Petrucci – Pramac Racing #9 – 1’40.438

“To be honest I was expecting something better today. But I admit not to have rode well in the time attack. In this circuit, unfortunately, tire wear is very high, so you have just a lap to set the time. And in that lap I was not incisive also because the electronic setting we had chosen didn’t give me the maximum potentials. I must confess that this wasn’t one of my the best days but we have very clear ideas about what to do tomorrow. In FP3 we will fight for the direct access to Q2 and I am sure I’ll do better than today”.

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Aleix Espargaro and Suzuki dominate opening day in #ArgentinaGP

The MotoGP™ paddock arrived at the 4.8 km Termas de Rio Hondo for the first day of practice at the Gran Premio de la República Argentina to be greeted by some rather ominous grey clouds overhead.

Despite the threat of rain, it never materialised and with a track temperature of 25 degrees, conditions improved throughout the day.

It is the second time that the MotoGP™ World Championship has visited the Termas de Rio Hondo, with Marc Marquez winning the inaugural race last season. There were two MotoGP™ Free Practice sessions on Friday with FP3 scheduled for tomorrow ahead of Qualifying, and the race on Sunday.

FP1 saw Suzuki head a MotoGP™ session for the first time since Alvaro Bautista set fastest time in FP2 at Valencia in 2011, as Aleix Espargaro finished on top of the timesheets in a morning that threw up some surprising results. The reasons for this though were simple, as during the session most Factory and Satellite riders used just one set of tyres in an attempt to clean the dust off the racing line and increase grip-levels, and didn’t even attempt to set a flying lap.

Therefore grip levels had improved considerably during FP2 at the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit, leading to all of the riders setting improved lap times in the afternoon, although ten minutes into FP2 the rain that had threatened all day finally arrived. Luckily it was a short shower that only caused a brief delay to proceedings.

After the rain, it was the usual frantic end to the session as riders went out on a fresh set of tyres to attempt a flying lap. Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Aleix Espargaro repeated his feat from the morning, proving that his pace from FP1 was no fluke and finished on top of the timesheets with a 1’38.776.

Ducati Team’s Andrea Iannone (+0.535s) was in 2nd ahead of Marc Marquez (+0.560s) on the Repsol Honda and CWM LCR’s Cal Crutchlow (+0.627s), who was once again impressed during practice.

The second GP15 of Andrea Dovizioso (+0.658s) finished in 5th just ahead of the Movistar Yamaha of Jorge Lorenzo (+0.687s) who completed the top six. The provisional third row consists of Pol Espargaro in 7th, Scott Redding, and Valentino Rossi who finished the day over a second behind the leader.

The Movistar Yamaha’s of Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi seemed to struggle with the track conditions as they tried out the extra hard tyre. Both riders explained that Suzuki’s softer tyre option is what had given them an advantage, and that they were not far behind the rest of the riders.

Aspar Team MotoGP’s Nicky Hayden was the leading Open class rider in 14th place, 1.7s off the pace of Espargaro.

FP3 is scheduled to start at 09:55 local time in Argentina on Saturday.

Zarco heads Moto2™ Free Practice ahead of Lowes and Kallio

Ajo Motorsports Johann Zarco finished on top of the timesheets after the first day of practice at the Termas de Rio Hondo in Argentina.

The Moto2™ riders returned to the Termas de Rio Hondo track for FP2 this afternoon at the Gran Premio Red Bull de la República Argentina. Despite earlier spots of rain during MotoGP™ FP2, track conditions were once again good for the Moto2™ session with riders improving their times from the morning.

It was Frenchman Zarco who ended up fastest, setting a 1’42.239 on his Ajo motorsport Kalex. He finished just ahead of Speed Up Racing’s Sam Lowes (+0.067s) and the Moto2™ runner-up from last season, Italtrans Racing Team’s Mika Kallio (+0.187s) in third.

The provisional second row consists of reigning Moto2™ World Champion Tito Rabat in 4th on the Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS Racing Kalex, Athina Forward Racing’s Lorenzo Baldassarri in 5th and Xavier Simeon on the Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 bike in 6th.

FP3 is scheduled to start at 09:00 local time on Saturday in Argentina.

Danny Kent finishes Friday Moto3™ practice on top

Current Moto3™ Championship leader Danny Kent set the fastest time of the day in Argentina during Friday’s Free Practice.

Grip levels at the Termas de Rio Hondo had improved dramatically from this morning’s FP1 session after riders had cleared the dust off the racing line, with lap times dropping accordingly as the day went on.

It was the winner last time out in Austin who set the fastest time of the day, as Danny Kent managed a 1’49.154 on the Leopard Racing Honda, just five-tenths slower than Alex Marquez’ Circuit Record set last season.

Belgian Livio Loi (+0.411s) on the RW Racing Honda was next, ahead of Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Karel Hanika (+0.411s) and Italian Enea Bastianini (+0.505s) on the Gresini Racing Team Moto3 machine in 4th.

Rounding out the provisional second row were Hanika’s teammate Miguel Oliveira (+0.721s) and young French rider Fabio Quartararo (+0.738s) on the Estrella Galicia 0,0 Honda in 6th.

Click here for the full Moto3™ FP2 results, FP3 is due to start at 9:00am local time in Argentina on Saturday.

More, from a press release issued by CWM LCR Honda:

CRUTCHLOW FOURTH FASTEST IN ARGENTINA

Cal Crutchlow set the fourth fastest time in free practice for this weekend’s Grand Prix of Argentina, as he got to grips with the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit that he has only ever tested at previously.

The CWM LCR Honda rider missed out on last year’s race at the track through injury, and found the going difficult at first with a dirty surface hampering all the riders’ attempts to set race-pace laps.

With his factory spec Honda RC213V slipping and sliding underneath him, Crutchlow eventually began to set some impressive lap times towards the end of the afternoon’s second session, ending up with a best of 1’39.403 which placed him fourth on the timesheets.

Cal Crutchlow #35, 4th – 1’39.403 (lap 16 of 17)

“I’ve only ever done 20 laps at this track before, so overall we are happy enough because the track wasn’t in great condition all day and I don’t think we can take too much from today’s times. Saying that, the lap times weren’t bad at all, but we spent our time working with the hardest option tyre because we felt that would be the one for the race.”

“The nature of the track means the tyres aren’t lasting enough and so you have to slide the bike, even though I’d prefer not to. However, I think you have to ride the Honda out of line, and that’s how you get the best out of it. It’s a learning process for us with the new chassis and with no data from last year so I am pleased with the job the whole of the CWM LCR Honda Team has done.”

More, from another press release issued by CWM LCR Honda:

SLIPPERY SURFACE MAKES LIFE TOUGH FOR MILLER

Jack Miller was 19th fastest after the first two free practice sessions at the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit in Argentina. The Australian rookie had to deal with some difficult track conditions that required a lot of laps from the MotoGP field to even begin to clear up the dirty surface.

Despite a lack of grip, the CWM LCR Honda rider made steady progress throughout the opening day of action, although the class’s youngster admitted he never quite got the best out of his Open spec RC213V-RS machine after lapping in a best time of 1’40.864.

Jack Miller #43, 19th – 1’40.864 (lap 12 of 17)

“I’m reasonably happy with today because we made some steps forward. I didn’t quite set the lap time that I could have, because although we had the pace we just missed knitting it all together. The bike is working well and I’m enjoying riding this track a lot, so I’m looking forward to qualifying tomorrow.

“Regards qualifying we need to start working better in that session to help us for the race, but so far I’m happy with where we are at after the first day in Argentina after a difficult first ride at the track on board the CWM LCR Honda MotoGP bike.”

More, from a press release issued by Avintia Racing:

First day in Argentina for Barbera and Di Meglio

Avintia Racing MotoGP – Grand Prix of Argentina – FP1-FP2

Work started today for Avintia Racing Team in Termas de Río Hondo. In the first free practice session, the Avintia Racing riders were trying to get the best set up of their Ducati Desmosedici GP14.1 Open in order to cope with the low grip and the slippery surface of the track. But in the afternoon, with more rubber on the asphalt, it was hard to improve. Hector Barbera finished 16th overall and was third fastest Open bike, only one tenth of a second behind Nicky Hayden, who was the best rider using Dorna electronics in MotoGP. Mike Di Meglio was quite fast with less grip during the morning, climbing up to eighth position, but the French rider couldn’t find the pace in the afternoon and finished 23rd. The weather conditions were an issue again, with some raindrops coming down during the 45 minutes of the second free practice sessions. Luckily, it didn´t start to rain and the track action resumed as normal after a short break. The forecast for tomorrow is better and the target for the Avintia Racing riders remains the same: To battle their way into the Q2.

HECTOR BARBERA #8 16th 1’40.626 / @HectorBarbera

I think we have made a good start. In the morning, the track felt strange and there was no grip. We changed the set up to make the bike softer, but it didn’t work in the afternoon with more grip and we had to go back. We didn’t find the best set up yet, but we are not so far from the Top Ten and from our best reference, both the Pramac Ducati. Everything is very tight. Hayden was the fastest Open, we are just one tenth behind and Bradl is close to me. Tomorrow we have to keep working and try to make a step forward.

MIKE DI MEGLIO #63 23rd 1’41.531 / @Mikejpp63

It was a strange day. In the morning, I was on the pace immediately and I felt quite good on the bike. In the afternoon, I felt okay with the first tyre, but then things got worse, so I think we took a wrong direction. But all in all, it was a positive practice and we saw a few things that should help us to take the right way with the set up and be faster tomorrow. We have to work to get the grip back and then try to be as fast as possible.

More, from a press release issued by Aspar Team:

Nicky Hayden starts out as best Open Class rider in Argentina

POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar rider goes sixth in first session and fourteenth in the second, closing the day 1.7 off the top

With no time to rest for the MotoGP riders, the World Championship moved on from Austin to Argentina on Friday. The Termas de Rio Hondo track presented a dirty surface for the riders in the first practice session, but in the second it provided considerably more grip. Fifteen minutes after the start of the afternoon session, a light drizzle led to all riders returning to their garages. This was only a temporary condition, as the asphalt did not become wet and the action was able to resume shortly thereafter. Aleix Espargaró was quickest in both sessions on Friday, lowering the track record from last year. Behind him, Andrea Iannone and Marc Márquez were also amongst the fastest –a mix of Suzuki, Ducati and Honda riders in the top three.

Aware that at Austin he had experienced an uphill struggle for much of the weekend, today Nicky Hayden wanted to start strong from day one –in order to avoid any unwelcome surprises. He concluded the first session of the day in sixth place. Starting the afternoon session slightly far down the order, as a result of testing out different setups, in the closing minutes he made a significant improvement to end day one in fourteenth position. The POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar Team rider was just 1.7 seconds off the overall top time in MotoGP, becoming the fastest Open Class rider of the day.

Teammate Eugene Laverty set a time just 3 tenths of a second slower, and did an excellent job finding a good setup for a new circuit. He placed eighteenth on his first day at the Termas de Río Hondo track.

14th Nicky Hayden 1.40.522 (31 laps): “Honestly, today we started this round in Argentina better than we did at Austin. This is a fun circuit that I enjoy riding at. In the morning the track was a little dirty, but the conditions picked up considerably during the day. Today I had a better feeling than in Austin and was able to ride with more confidence, which is something very positive. Most of my runs today were good, although we have seen that in the second sector we still have some work to do; we need to improve on the back straight and on one of the corners. I am sure that if tomorrow we improve at this sector, then my times will also go down. I’m happy with this first day and we did a good job, but we must continue to evolve over the weekend. Tomorrow we’ll look for a couple of solutions to help us brake better.”

18th Eugene Laverty 1.40.846 (35 laps): “Today was all-new for me, as I was able to ride at the Termas de Río Hondo circuit for the first time. I really like the layout, the only downside is that the surface is a bit dirty and there are still a few sessions needed in order to lay down some rubber. Today I mainly focused on learning the circuit, but our main problem today was that the bike was sliding around too much. That meant that the traction control kicked in too much and kept us from pushing harder. In any case, I’m convinced that tomorrow we can solve the problem. Overall, I’m pretty pleased with how things went at a new circuit; we have learned many things and our times were not very far from the top riders, considering how long this track is. Tomorrow we will try to get the bike turning in more.”

More, from a press release issued by Forward Racing:

Though start for the Athinà Forward Racing team riders

Stefan Bradl ended up in 17th position and Loris Baz was 28th after the first day of practice on the track of Termas de Rio Hondo for the Athinà Forward Racing team.

Loris Baz is having his first go on the track of Termas de Rio Hondo and he closed the free practice sessions on the bottom of the timesheets with a time of 1.41.784. The Frenchman is not far from the other Open bikes and is looking forward for qualifying.

Motivated to forget the epilogue of the Texan race, Bradl had some problem in the morning on the dirty track and he could not find a good feeling with the tires. With a personal best of 1.40.672 the German is fourth Open in 17th position.

Stefan Bradl

This morning we struggled a bit. The track was very dirty and I had no confidence with the tires. In the afternoon things went better. We made a good step forward with the electronics. We managed to shorten the gap with the rest of the pack. Tomorrow’s goal is to further improve our lap time. We are not far from our rivals. I am feeling confident for tomorrow.

Loris Baz

It was a thought session for us. This is my first time on this track. We struggled with the tires and I could not push hard. Nevertheless I like the track and I’m positive for tomorrow; we tried different settings to find the right feeling. In the end, we are not so far from the first Open bike.

More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office:

TEAM SUZUKI ECSTAR LEADS THE WAY IN ARGENTINA!

It has been a positive day for Team SUZUKI ECSTAR as the race weekend starts at Termas de Rio Hondo circuit in Argentina. Suzuki rider Aleix Espargaro topped both the free practice sessions, exploiting the handling capabilities of his GSX-RR machine on a track that still promises some faster times. The Spaniard ran two very positive sessions, always being at the top of the timesheets and finally scoring a 1’40.806 in the morning and 1’38.776 in the afternoon, half-a-second quicker than the next best rider.

Maverick Viñales also made a positive debut on the Suzuki, being consistently in the top 10 in both sessions and finally scoring a best lap of 1’40.126, which gives him the provisional 11th position in the classification. He is still working to learn the lines around the track and how to exploit the soft tyre at its best.

Davide Brivio – Team Manager:

“Even if it is only the first day, being at the top is a positive feeling and we are now enjoying it. Aleix did a very good job with his provisional pole position and also Maverick had a positive day, yet the machines look to be performing well. The track is not at its best and with these conditions we can exploit the good chassis we have and our experience in making the set-up better. For tomorrow I expect that all our competitors will drop their lap times a lot so we will try to stay as high up as possible in the classification, finalising the best set-up and also evaluating how the tyres drop off as this will give us a good preparation for the race. This circuit is very stressful on tyre compounds so a good choice in tyres could be crucial.”

Aleix Espargaro:

“As I said before coming here, I like this track a lot and I think it is suitable for our machine. Last year I had a good performance but this year is going even better; early this morning I got back my feeling and could push hard from the very beginning. Even if the track conditions are still slippery, the handling capabilities of my GSX-RR gave me much confidence: only in one corner do we still have chattering problems but we can be very effective in all the rest of the circuit. For sure tomorrow the times will drop significantly therefore we still have a lot to do, but I’m very happy about how the bike reacts and the feelings that I have from it.”

Maverick Viñales:

“My lap times today have been good, well into the top-10 or very close, and it is good to be competitive at the start. For sure it is only the first day and we still need to work. I feel there is a lot of room for improvement since I have to understand which ones are the most efficient lines around this track and also I definitely need to understand how to exploit my soft tyre. At the moment we need to focus on this, but tomorrow we will also have to decide which tyre to use for the race so we still have a lot to do.”

More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3:

Positive first steps for Espargaro on Argentine asphalt

Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team rider Pol Espargaro completed a bright start in cloudy Argentina to finish the opening day in 7th position aboard his Yamaha YZR-M1. Despite a cautious start to the day in FP1 due to the dirty track surface, the young Spaniard leapt into action in the afternoon and put in a thorough effort as he began establishing a strong setup for the 25 lap battle on Sunday. Although the weather was gloomy and the rain clouds threatened, only a few small drops fell which was not enough to disrupt the session and so Espargaro plugged away. He concluded the practice with a best lap of 1’39.648, which left him in 7th but only three tenths of a second back from 2nd place. His opening performance today at the fast flowing Autodromo Termas de Rio Hondo leaves him poised for a successful show in qualifying tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Britain’s Bradley Smith began his Argentina MotoGP weekend with a finish in 12th place in this afternoon’s FP2 practice as he looks to continue his positive run so far in 2015. The 23 year old wisely saved his efforts for the afternoon session where the track conditions improved considerably and here, he posted a series of consistent laps with the best being a 1’40.195. This time was set on the 16th lap out of 22, as he tirelessly covered more distance than any other rider in the second free practice whilst refining the set up of his Yamaha YZR-M1. The British star now seeks to improve his time further in FP3 tomorrow ahead of the vital qualifying session.

Pol Espargaro

Position : 7thTimes : 1’39.648 Laps : 19

“Overall, it was a positive start to the Argentina round and I am pleased with what we managed to achieve today. We produced a good lap in the afternoon and the rhythm was solid with both hard and soft compounds of tyre. We were also quite close to the front during the whole FP2 session, which is certainly a positive. Tomorrow we have to concentrate on testing the tyres further as at the moment we are not sure which one will be the most effective in the race as the conditions are changing quite rapidly. The track is as dirty as last year which is a big pity as it has such a nice layout but we could not take advantage and enjoy riding it today due to the dirt. However, altogether it was a positive start to round 3 and additionally, my physical conditions are fortunately ok. Having said that, I do experience a slight bit of pain in the hard braking zones and also when I have to change direction quickly. However, I can handle this without painkillers, so I’m already looking forward to day 2 in Argentina.”

Bradley Smith

Position : 12thTimes : 1’40.195 Laps : 22

“It was a tricky opening day as the track conditions were quite difficult, especially this morning. We lost a bit of time in FP1 as I didn’t feel comfortable on the bike, which could have been because of the tyre, the bike setting or the conditions. In the end, we concluded that it was a mix of these three factors. Therefore, this afternoon we needed to assess some different settings for both of my bikes as well as evaluate the new extra hard tyre from Bridgestone to see how we could improve. I felt much better straight away, but especially when we put in a new soft rear tyre that enabled us to make a big step forward. However, I’m convinced that I didn’t extract the maximum potential at the time so there is still plenty of space for improvement. Moreover, we are struggling with rear grip just like everyone else, but we have a good direction which we need to head towards to solve this. It is vital that we continue to adapt as the conditions change in order to progress, however, I am sure that when the track improves with grip, our setting will work much more effectively. At the moment to be outside the top ten is a bit risky, yet we still have tomorrow morning left to run, so we will see what happens but I remain confident.”