Octo British Grand Prix

FIM MotoGP World Championship

Silverstone Circuit, England

September 3, 2016

Qualifying Results (wet conditions, all on Michelin tires):

From Qualifying Session Two:

1. Cal CRUTCHLOW, UK (HONDA), 2:19.265

2. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (YAMAHA), 2:20.263

3. Maverick VIÑALES, Spain (SUZUKI), 2:20.514

4. Dani PEDROSA, Spain (HONDA), 2:20.742

5. Marc MARQUEZ, Spain (HONDA), 2:20.779, crash

6. Eugene LAVERTY, Ireland (DUCATI), 2:20.821, crash

7. Scott REDDING, UK (DUCATI), 2:21.074

8. Andrea IANNONE, Italy (DUCATI), 2:21.446

9. Jorge LORENZO, Spain (YAMAHA), 2:21.687

10. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (DUCATI), 2:22.420, crash

11. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (SUZUKI), 2:25.285

12. Jack MILLER, Australia (HONDA), no time recorded in Q2/crash

From Qualifying Session One:

13. Loris BAZ, France (DUCATI), 2:18.552

14. Danilo PETRUCCI, Italy (DUCATI), 2:18.531

15. Pol ESPARGARO, Spain (YAMAHA), 2:18.871

16. Alex LOWES, UK (YAMAHA), 2:18.900

17. Stefan BRADL, Germany (APRILIA), 2:19.115

18. Hector BARBERA, Spain (DUCATI), 2:19.125

19. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (APRILIA), 2:20.299

20. Yonny HERNANDEZ, Colombia (DUCATI), 2:21.255

21. Tito RABAT, Spain (HONDA), 2:21.774

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

Miller in career best qualifying at wet and windy Silverstone

Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider Jack Miller will start 12th on the grid for the British Grand Prix following a career best qualifying performance.

At a cold, wet and windy Silverstone circuit Miller was in his element to make it through to the final QP2 session for the first time.

But the Australian rain master, who won his maiden MotoGP race at a wet Assen in June, was disappointed not to take full advantage of the conditions.

Miller felt a top ten qualifying was within reach but he crashed at turn 17 as he began his first flying lap on the treacherous 5.9km Silverstone layout.

For qualifying Miller required a pain killing injection to ease the discomfort in his fractured right hand, an injury suffered in Austria three weeks ago.

Miller faces a test of stamina in tomorrow’s 20-lap race after being forced out of the past two GPs at Spielberg and Brno with back and wrist injuries.

After struggling to get comfortable with his Honda RC213V in the dry conditions of the opening free practice sessions Tito Rabat was more at ease in the rain-hit qualifying.

Rabat improved his wet track time in FP4 to go almost two seconds faster in the slippery conditions of the first qualifying session. He will start 21st on the grid.

Jack Miller: 12th – 2’18.531

“I was happy to make it into QP2 but not happy with my performance in the that qualifying session. Overall I’m feeling good to be back on the bike after missing two races, it’s great feeling to ride the Honda RC213V. Each session I’ve been feeling stronger and getting faster in the dry, and then in the rain made it into QP2 for the first time. I wanted more but I didn’t have enough heat in the rear tyre and it came around on me just as I was starting my first flying lap. The main thing is I’m on the grid for the race and I hope I’m able to make it to the finish, as I needed a pain killing injection for my hand in qualifying.”‘

Tito Rabat: 21st – 2’21.774

“A difficult weekend especially when it started to rain this afternoon and I had a small crash in FP4. But in the rain I have a better feeling with the bike than in the dry at the moment, so I pushed for a faster time in QP1 and was able to do it as the track dried a little. Now we must concentrate on doing a good warm-up session in the morning and prepare to do a strong race.”

Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal

“Jack was very impressive to make it through to QP2, we know how strong he is when the track is wet and slippery. Unfortunately he didn’t have enough heat in the rear tyre, which he also used in QP1 and crashed when he was on target for a good time. The main thing is Jack has a good starting position for the race. Tito was struggling in the dry and then it rained for qualifying and I was expecting a strong performance after his good race to tenth in the rain in Brno. For sure starting last on the grid will make it a tough race for Tito, it is not where we would like him to be.”

More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:

 MOVISTAR YAMAHA MOTOGP SECURE SECOND AND NINTH IN SOAKING SILVERSTONE QUALIFYING SESSION

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP‘s Valentino Rossi delivered a heroic performance in a British downpour at the Silverstone Circuit, securing second place on the grid for tomorrow‘s British Grand Prix. Teammate Jorge Lorenzo didn‘t waste a second at the start of the Q2 session and wrapped up the time attack in ninth place.

Silverstone (UK), 3rd September 2016

Today‘s qualifying session at Silverstone Circuit for tomorrow‘s British Grand Prix was a challenging outing for Movistar Yamaha MotoGP riders Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo, as bad weather continues to haunt the MotoGP paddock during the 2016 season. Despite rain dampening the time attack, the Factory Yamaha riders didn‘t hold back and used all of the 15-minutes of qualifying time to the fullest to secure a solid second and ninth place respectively.

Rossi was eager to start off the session, to avoid traffic and the spray in these wet conditions and headed out of pit lane early. The nine time World Champion started the Q2 cautiously as the rain came in, setting a 2’27.714s lap to move up to sixth. He was pushed back a place when the pace picked up, but gave another push and delivered a 2’22.856s to move up to fifth, which he immediately followed up with a 2’22.269s for third place.

The worsening track conditions caught out various riders, but the Doctor managed to stay out of trouble, despite continuously pushing. Having dropped one place in the provisional rankings, he was determined to make up ground. With two minutes still on the clock, he had just enough time left for two final attempts, but one was all he needed to drop a strong 2’20.263s for second place on the grid, 0.998s off pole.

Teammate Lorenzo was the first to venture out on the soaking track at the start of the session and put in his first hot lap just in time before the rain really started to pelt down. His initial try saw him post a 2’22.192s for provisional pole. He followed that up with three flying laps, but was unable to improve his time due to the flooding track conditions.

With no need to come in for a pit stop, the Mallorcan proceeded his time attack. He held on to sixth place with his brilliantly timed first lap and put his head down during the final minute of the session to better his time by over half a second with a 2‘21.687s. However, as various riders put in a hot lap, in the end he found himself in ninth position, 2.422s off the front.

MASSIMO MEREGALLI

TEAM DIRECTOR

Certainly the rain compromised today‘s working schedule. We had things to try in an effort to improve the bikes‘ settings in the dry, because our speed is not as fast as we expected. Furthermore, it looks like the race might be dry. Anyway, we worked quite well in the wet during FP4 and we were able to prepare a solid setting that allowed Vale to do a good 2‘20.263, that gave him second place on the grid. Jorge also did well, leading the beginning of qualifying and finishing on the third row. If it‘s a dry race it will be very important to also have a dry warm-up session as we still have some work to do. Otherwise, in case of a wet race, we are quite ready. We want to gain points on our main rival and we will do as much as we can to try and make it happen. We hope that the weather won‘t be the decisive factor tomorrow.

VALENTINO ROSSI

When we have these conditions it‘s always difficult, but we were lucky that it was also wet in Free Practice so we could improve the bike and make a better setting and balance. In Free Practice I wasn‘t very confident, but the bike improved a lot so I felt good for qualifying and I was able to push. Starting from second place is very important for tomorrow‘s race, but now we have to wait for the conditions, because on the dry we aren‘t very strong. We need to work, so we wait and see what happens tomorrow.

JORGE LORENZO

In FP4 I was quite fast at the end of the practice and the track was drying up. There wasn‘t so much water, but then for qualifying the water levels got high again. My first lap was without a lot of water so I was the fastest, but then the other riders improved their lap times a lot. With more water on the track I didn‘t feel confident to further improve my lap time more than 0.5s. This was not enough to be on the second row, but in general we‘re happy about our progression in the wet. We are much better than in Assen and at the Sachsenring, but with so much water it‘s not enough to be at the top, so we will keep trying next time in the wet. It looks like tomorrow is going to be dry, so we have to use the warm-up to improve the bike a little bit to be more prepared for a dry race.

More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing:

Scott 7th in the wet qualifying of the Octo British GP. Petrux will start from the fifth row.

The Octo British Grand Prix qualifying were charatherized by the rain which intensity has changed continuously. Scott Redding was able to gain a valuable seventh place, while Danilo Petrucci has not overcome the obstacle of Q1 and will start from the fifth row tomorrow.

After having hit the Top 10 in the Friday’s free practices, Scott has done even better in the FP3 that were held in dry conditions, gaining the sixth fastest time. In FP4, as the rain had already soaked the circuit, a crash in the last sector has forced him to play in the qualifying with only one bike. But this did not affect particularly Scott’s performance and he ended in seventh place with a time of 2’21.074.

Also Danilo seemed able to tear the ticket for the Q2 but on his quick lap he found traffic on the track that did not allow him to win the run for the tenth place. Same problem during Q1: in mid-session Danilo slowed down to get rid of the traffic, but during the next lap, the rain’s intensity increased and did not allow him to find that tenth of a second that would have been enough to qualify for Q2. For the rider of the Fiamme Oro goes the 14th position on the grid tomorrow.

7° – Scott Redding

2’21.074

The crash was not a problem for me but the bike has been severely damaged. It was a shame because we found ourselves in qualifying with only one bike and it is clear that you have a little concern not to crash again. I am happy for having finished seventh in Q2, and especially because I feel that we are improving steadily in terms of performance. I think tomorrow we can have a good race. It would be fine a Top 8 but I hope to stay in the top six.

14° – Danilo Petrucci

2’18.657

It was a difficult qualifying. Unfortunately there was a lot of traffic and I had to slow down to be able to run alone. The problem is that in that lap the others have made their best lap-times. And When I started to push, it started to rain again. It has been a mistake I have made at the strategy level. It is a shame, we were many fast riders under the rain and I was out. But this is the qualifying format. I hope that tomorrow it will be a dry race because I feel I have more confidence.

More, from a press release issued by Aprilia:

MOTOGP – SIXTH AND SEVENTH ROW FOR THE APRILIAS AT SILVERSTONE

Qualifying complicated by the rain ended the second day of the Silverstone weekend, the day that decides the starting grid for the race tomorrow. After an FP3 session that showed progress compared with yesterday, Alvaro Bautista (also victim of a fall) and Stefan Bradl had to adjust the settings on their Aprilia RS-GP machines to deal with the foul weather.

Alvaro Bautista showed good progress in FP4, finishing with the 14th best time.

The Aprilia Racing Team Gresini therefore tackled Q1 in wet track conditions, a rather complex situation given how little time there was to find the specific setup. Stefan stopped the clock with a best time of 2’19.115, which earns him the second slot on the sixth row. Bautista, with a best lap of 2’20.299, finished qualifying in nineteenth place.

ALVARO BAUTISTA

“We worked primarily on the electronics in order to make the bike easier to handle and we were able to improve a bit, especially in terms of pace. Unfortunately, in FP3 I had a crash on turn 12, where a lot of riders fell, and that kept us from trying a few changes. With the rain in FP4, I tried to gain confidence in the wet, also in view of qualifying. The weather seemed to be improving slightly, so we decided to start Q1 with used tyres and change them later, but it actually started raining harder and I struggled a bit to get the tyre up to temperature in the three flying laps”.

STEFAN BRADL

“Today was not an easy day either for us. Unfortunately, in FP3 a technical problem kept me from using the bike with the updated frame. That was a pity because we need to take it out in order to develop the bike. In the wet we had to take care. It did not take much at all to make a mistake. In any case, I tried to achieve as much as possible. I would have like to start a few positions farther forward, but given the situation, I think it would have been difficult to do better. I just hope that tomorrow the conditions will be stable so we can work without complications”.

More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

Andrea Iannone eighth and Andrea Dovizioso tenth in British Grand Prix qualifying. Ducati Team riders to start from rows 3 and 4 of the grid tomorrow at Silverstone

It was a difficult qualifying session today for the two Ducati Team riders at Silverstone. In Q2, held in heavy rain, Andrea Iannone was eighth quickest with a time of 2’21.446 and will start from the third row of the grid for the British GP at the famous airfield circuit. Andrea Dovizioso crashed on his fifth lap and suffered bruising to his right knee, which he had injured in private testing last week at Misano. The Romagna-born rider notched up tenth quickest time with a lap of 2’22.420 and will start from the fourth row.

In the third free practice session, held this morning on a dry track, Iannone placed third while Dovizioso finished FP3 in seventh. As a result, both Ducati Team riders went through directly into the afternoon’s Q2 session.

After the early afternoon’s FP4 session, which was held on a wet track and which ended with Dovizioso in second place and Iannone fifth, the two factory Ducati men then went out on track for qualifying, which finished with Iannone eighth and Dovizioso tenth.

The British GP, round 12 of the MotoGP World Championship, will start at 16.30 CET tomorrow afternoon.

Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team #29) – 2’21.446 (8th)

“We went very well in FP4 on a wet track but in qualifying it started to rain very heavily and the conditions changed. I tried to push hard, also taking some risks, but I was unable to do any more than I did. I’m disappointed about having to start from row 3 because we have always been competitive this weekend and once again the rain that fell at the last moment ruined everything we’ve done. However I’m quite satisfied with my bike in the dry and this morning we made a big step forward with the set-up, even though I crashed in FP3. We worked well and made the bike easier to ride and so tomorrow, if it’s dry we have a chance to do a really good race.”

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 2’22.420 (10th)

“I feel really bad about the crash, because I was doing a good lap and I could have probably got onto the front row, but the conditions were very difficult and I made a mistake. Unfortunately I crashed on the same injured knee from the Misano test, but luckily I didn’t suffer anything more serious. At the moment my knee is pretty swollen and has a few cuts and scrapes, so we’ll have to see if it’ll give me any trouble tomorrow. I think that without the mistake I could have been a lot further up the grid, so it’s a real shame having to start from row 4 because this makes my race a bit more complicated.”

More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:

Positive second row start for Pedrosa and Marquez after wet qualifying session

Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez qualified on the second row for tomorrow’s British GP, setting the fourth and fifth fastest lap times, respectively, after the forecast rain duly arrived at Silverstone to affect the FP4 and QP sessions.

Marc had shown great pace and had recorded the fastest time both in the morning’s dry FP3 and in the afternoon’s wet FP4, and he was improving his best qualifying effort when he crashed at turn 1, causing him to miss the last five minutes of the session. Nonetheless, the time he had already set was fast enough to place him fifth on the grid.

Dani also was feeling comfortable in both conditions, showing positive progress and a good pace. He steadily improved his speed and lap times to ultimately record the fourth best lap time, just 37 thousandths of a second off a front row position.

The Repsol Honda Team wishes to congratulate Toni Bou for clinching the 2016 FIM Trial World Championship in Italy today, bringing his overall tally to an amazing 20 World Titles (10 Indoor and 10 Outdoor).

The MotoGP British GP will start tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. local time.

Dani Pedrosa

4TH

“I’m happy with today’s result because the track conditions were really difficult and super slippery; the grip wasn’t good, so the rear tyre wasn’t getting the temperature, especially in qualifying under heavy rain. Anyway, I improved my pace lap by lap, and in the end fourth on the grid is positive in view of the race. We need to start well and catch the front group to find a good rhythm. We’ll see what the weather brings us and we’ll try to get the best result possible. I would also like to congratulate Toni (Bou) for winning the Title today. I know him very well, we’re friends and I’m very happy for him. You can learn a lot from him; he’s very special and he deserves this 20th title. Now it’s time to enjoy it!”

Marc Marquez

5TH

“My feeling was very good both in the dry and wet, but we implemented a small change to the setup for the rain that didn’t work as expected. I went out in Q2 and couldn’t feel the rear tyre too much, nor did I have the confidence I had in FP4, but I decided to push and try to do a good lap. When I was about to do the next, final lap, I ended up crashing. Nevertheless, I’m pleased because in general the feeling was very good and we just need to return to the previous setup tomorrow. I want to take this opportunity to congratulate Toni Bou for his 20th Trial World Championship because it shows his ambition and the desire that he has to keep on winning. We also get along well personally, he’s an amazing guy and I’m very happy for him.”

More, from a press release issued by Avintia Racing:

Baz just misses out on Q1, Barberá with problems in the wet

Just before the start of FP4, the expected rain finally hit the Silverstone circuit. Although the feeling of Avintia Racing’s riders was quite positive before Q1, the rain got stronger just before the start of the 15 minutes session and the strategy of both riders was not the best for their Q2 assault. Even though, Loris Baz missed his pass to Q2 by just 0.021s, despite having chosen the hardest wet compound of Michelin’s allocation for this Grand Prix, which was not the best for the track conditions. The Frenchman will start from the fifth row tomorrow and he’s confident to recover during the race, with the aim of trying to finish in the Top 10 in any condition, dry or wet.

Things went even worse for Hector Barbera. After finishing FP4 with less water on the track, he decided to go into Q1 with harder suspension settings and less traction control, in a bet to get the maximum performance out of the bike. But as soon as he took to the track, the rain returned with a vengeance and Barbera dropped back to 18th. This is certainly not the result that he and the team were expecting after the last successful races. But like Baz, he is confident that he’ll recover during the race, rain or shine.

Loris Baz | 2’18.552 | P13

“I’m a little bit disappointed because we know that it’s possible to do better in wet conditions. But considering the terrible feeling I had on the bike, finishing 13th was a surprise for me. I had no grip at all in the rear and I had to do the lap times pushing really hard and taking many risks under brakes. I missed Q2 by only a little and the position is not bad considering the horrible feeling I had. After FP4 we decided to use the hardest rear tyre, because there was not much water on the track. But after the first lap, the rain came back heavily, so I realized that maybe we hadn’t made the best tyre choice. Tomorrow the forecast says the race will be dry, and I hope to have the warm-up session in dry conditions also, because we struggled this morning in the dry and we have something to test ahead of the race. But nonetheless, it’s not so bad to start from the fifth row, because it’s a long time since I started that close to the front.”

Hector Barbera | 2’19.125 | P18

“I’m really angry and I think this is the worst weekend of the season so far. I crashed yesterday, and we did too many changes on the set up, as usually we don’t touch it too much. But I’m struggling at this track and I don’t know what more we can do. The team makes a big effort to help me, but I’m not comfortable riding the bike. I think that we have a better performance in the wet that we have shown today, so we failed. In the last minutes of FP4, the track was drying, so we decided to make the bike stiffer, and we also reduced the traction control. But when Q1 started, the rain returned and my bike setting was too stiff for those conditions. Tomorrow we’ll try to change the situation, in wet or dry conditions.”

More, from a press release issued by Aspar Team:

Pole attempt foiled by a crash for Eugene Laverty

Pull&Bear Aspar Team rider slides off halfway through potential pole position lap, Yonny Hernández to start 20th after mechanical woes

Cal Crutchlow carried the form that saw him take victory last time out at Brno through to qualifying for his home Grand Prix today as the British rider took pole position in wet conditions by a massive 0.998 seconds at Silverstone. Crutchlow’s effort came halfway through the session and looked out of reach for the rest of the field until Pul&Bear Aspar Team rider Eugene Laverty emerged with a late attack that was ultimately foiled by a crash, leaving the Irishman in sixth place. As such Valentino Rossi and Maverick Viñales will start alongside Crutchlow on the front row of the grid, with series leader Marc Márquez at the head of row two in front of his team-mate Dani Pedrosa and Laverty, who is the top Ducati on the grid with Redding, Iannone and Dovizioso on the third and fourth rows.

For the Pull&Bear Aspar Team it was hard to imagine how the day could get much better after Pecco Bagnaia’s pole in the Moto3 class but Eugene Laverty came within a few corners of equalling the feat in the premier class as he lapped inside the benchmark set by Crutchlow through the first two splits, only to lose rear grip and crash. Laverty had made it through to Q2 by dominating Q1 but a small bike issue at the start of the decisive second session cost him crucial tyre temperature and, ultimately, the opportunity to dislodge his old rival Crutchlow. The Pull&Bear Aspar Team are hoping it continues to rain tomorrow, to give Eugene the chance to shine once more. On the other side of the garage Yonny Hernández struggled with mechanical issues in both free practice and Q1, the Colombian forced to settle for 20th on the grid as he targets a repeat of his points-finish from Brno.

6th Eugene Laverty 2’20.821: “The second row is our best ever qualifying so I have to be happy in some ways but our potential was so high there. At the start of Q2 I had some problems with the bike and I had to pit in, then the tyres got cold and I just couldn’t get the temperature back in, it was like I was riding around on ice. On the last lap I could see on the big screen that Cal had a big gap so I knew I had a good chance to be second but I thought “why not go for pole?”. I had a shot at it but unfortunately the tyre was too cold and I crashed. It wasn’t for not trying, that’s for sure. Still, it’s always nice to shine when you have so many people supporting you; a second row start is good for us and now I will hope for this rain to keep up! If it is dry I will just try and hang on near the front and a top ten result, as always, will be our goal.”

20th Yonny Hernández 2’21.255: “Today has been a difficult day because the bike has stopped on us twice. The first time was in the last free practice and we couldn’t finish the session. We thought we had fixed it for qualifying but we had some mechanical problems, such as a glitch in the traction control system. I did what I could, it’s a shame because in these wet conditions we can be fast. Tomorrow is the race so hopefully we can fix the problem in time and have a good race. We are starting from the back but we will be pushing to the maximum to get in the points. If the bike works well I know we can run at the front in the wet.”

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

Espargaro and Lowes power through the rain in British GP qualifying

Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team rider Pol Espargaro battled against the British weather to qualify on the fifth row for the round 12 fight at the high-speed Silverstone circuit. The Spaniard began the day by completing 18 laps in FP3, which was more than any other MotoGP rider as he determinedly continued adjusting the setup of his Yamaha YZR-M1. Despite his best efforts, he finished the session in 11th which meant that he just missed out on the cut off point for Q2 by 0.110. Later on, the expected rain fell and the Tech3 riders had to contest the remaining practices in wet and windy conditions. Nevertheless, when QP1 commenced, Espargaro got straight to work as he dodged the rain before producing his quickest time of 2’18.871 on the penultimate lap. This performance leaves the 25-year-old in 15th for the start of tomorrow’s 20 lap sprint as the leading satellite rider in the championship standings remains fully confident of clinching a top 10 result.

On the other side of the Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team pit box, Alex Lowes will kick off his debut MotoGP race from one position behind his teammate after delivering an impressive display today at Silverstone. Lowes started his second day aboard the Yamaha YZR-M1 by notably finishing FP3 with a lap that was only just over a second back from 9 time World Champion, Valentino Rossi. In addition, his time was eight-tenths of a second quicker than his fastest lap from yesterday. This performance left him highly motivated for success in the afternoon qualifying session and after superbly completing the wet FP4 practice in 12th, he immediately attacked at speed in QP1. There, Lowes produced a personal best that left him a mere 0.029 behind his teammate, plus, his ideal lap time would have seen him top the session and finish ahead of Eugene Laverty. The young Briton fully intends to continue his learning experience tomorrow, having already completed a total of 75 laps, including 16 in the wet, on the Yamaha MotoGP bike as he seeks to open his MotoGP account with a point scoring finish.

Pol Espargaro

Position: 15th Time: 2’18.871 Laps: 7

“It hasn’t been too positive today and now we have a bit of a challenge tomorrow after the tricky qualifying. Fortunately, the FP3 session was completely dry, so we were able to take advantage of the track time where we tried to find some solutions to the issues that we were struggling with yesterday. However, as the temperature was quite low, we couldn’t find the information that we needed. At the end of the practice, I pushed as hard as I could in order to qualify for QP2, but similarly to yesterday, I finished just outside the top ten. I had another rider in front of me, and he made a mistake in the last sector which ended up disturbing me and so I had to cancel my lap. This was a big shame because qualifying one was going to be tough anyway, but like I imagined, it also turned out to be wet. In the damp, my feeling was not the best and we were struggling with the front half of the M1, just like in FP4. The bike seemed to be floating and at the end of the session, the tyre felt like it was brand new. In addition, I also think that we have a large margin of improvement to make in the acceleration department. In Q1, I pushed as hard as I could but things didn’t turn out too positively and as a result, I have to start quite far back tomorrow. With unpredictable weather forecast, I’m not sure what to expect, and of course, I haven’t given myself an easy task with the grid position. Yet, I am confident that in the warm up, we will have the same conditions as the race, so we need to take advantage of the track time in order to refine a few things so that we can be as competitive as possible in the afternoon.”

Alex Lowes

Position: 16th Time: 2’18.900 Laps: 6

“I have to say that I am really enjoying this experience and I tried my best even if it was a bit challenging today as it was my first time in the wet on the YZR-M1 but I am looking forward to more track time tomorrow. I hoped that there was a chance to get through to Q2, but I can’t be too unrealistic as this is my first weekend on a MotoGP bike and I only completed my first laps in the damp in FP4. Here, I felt good and I finished in 12th which set me up well for qualifying. I would have liked to have done a bit better in QP1 but I lost a bit of confidence tipping into the corner and that made me lose some time. I know that I really can’t be disappointed but as a racer, I always want to do better, so maybe I could have got into Q2 but that would have been because of the weather. However, when I take a step back, I’ve got to remember that it’s only day 2 and that I have learnt a lot in this short space of time. Whether it is wet or dry tomorrow, I have a realistic goal which is to try and get into the points. It was nice to try the bike in the wet, so I have had a bit of preparation if it does rain in the race, but let’s see what happens. I had fun today and I enjoyed riding the YZR-M1 and now I am excited for my first MotoGP event. I must also say that it’s fantastic to see the support around the track so thanks to my fans for spurring me on, and it’s a pleasure that my first Grand Prix is at my home GP.”

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

VIÑALES AND SUZUKI ECSTAR ON BRITISH GP FRONT ROW

Maverick Viñales – 3rd.

Aleix Espargaró – 11th.

Team SUZUKI ECSTAR’s Maverick Viñales battled treacherous wet weather conditions to put his GSX-RR onto the front row of the grid in tomorrow’s Octo British GP at Silverstone while team-mate Aleix Espargaró will start from row four.

Both riders qualified directly to Q2 from FP3 this morning’s drier session, Viñales scoring second position just 0.003 from fastest and Espargaró in ninth. But conditions worsened during the afternoon. The expected rain finally arrived and the team reacted as planned. FP4 proved to be a hard session for both riders, struggling to find a good feeling and lap with consistent and fast times.

The modifications applied for the Qualifying, and with the track becoming more consistent in grip, helped Viñales to score his third front-row start of the season.

Davide Brivio – Team Manager:

“It’s been a great performance from Maverick in the wet, where we recently have been struggling. After a very good weekend on the dry when he has been consistently fast, when the rain came in FP4 he initially struggled but finally the team did a great job changing some set-up and he was able to also be fast in the wet, and so qualifying on the first row. It’s a great result that I think he could have achieved in the dry as well. For this we are double happy as the rain didn’t ruin our plans. Unfortunately, plans were ruined by the rain for Aleix, it’s a pity because this morning in dry conditions, he could be very fast; probably Maverick and him were the fastest in terms of pace. He struggled for the qualifying and so his position on the grid is not so positive, he’ll have to fight hard and recover in the race tomorrow, but if it’s going to be a sunny day I think he could also be very competitive.”

Maverick Viñales:

“The session today was really difficult, in FP4 when rain came I really couldn’t find any feeling with the bike, the track was so slippery and I was very worried. Luckily my team did a great job, I must be grateful to them because they changed the set-up and the electronics for the Q2 and the machine resulted to be much more easy to ride. We have also struggled a lot in the wet, while now finally all in a sudden we are there and competitive with the others. The position looks good for a positive race, either in sun and rain.”

Aleix Espargaró:

“The morning was very good with the tyre for the race, the hard one, as Maverick and myself have been the only riders to ride consistently in the 2’01s. Unfortunately, the qualifying was not good, I struggled a lot with the rain both in FP4 and in Q2, the feeling with the rear end was not good at all and couldn’t find the needed confidence. I hope that tomorrow the weather forecasts are right and we’ll get a dry race, as in those conditions, I feel very competitive.”

More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda:

 HOME HERO CRUTCHLOW SECURES POLE AT SILVERSTONE

Just two weeks after a maiden victory in the Czech Republic, the LCR Honda Team had more reason to celebrate at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on Saturday, as their home rider Cal Crutchlow took his third career pole-position in the MotoGP World Championship, and first since 2013, before joining LCR.

With rain hitting the Northamptonshire circuit just minutes before the qualifying session, the 30 year-old was in his element as he steered his Honda RC213V through the puddles, eventually stopping the clock in a best time of 2’19.265, a second quicker than anybody else could manage in the treacherous conditions.

Crutchlow was already fourth-fastest in the dry but chilly morning practice, so is hopeful he can perform whatever the weather for Sunday’s race. He will start the 20-lap event as the first Briton on pole for a home MotoGP race since Barry Sheene did so in 1977, and the first for the LCR Honda Team since Stefan Bradl at Laguna Seca in 2013.

#35 Cal Crutchlow – 1st (2’19.265)

“We’ve all worked so hard for this, so it doesn’t come as a great surprise in the wet. In the dry or the wet though my pace is good, and I have felt great all weekend. I’ve been doing some small tests for Honda and it has been difficult jumping from bike to bike. Then in qualifying I made sure I pushed to the maximum to make sure I kept the front tyre up to temperature because we went with the harder option.”

“When I set the fastest lap we were three seconds clear and the rain was getting worse so I didn’t take any more risks after that because I didn’t want to crash out on the last lap. I was pleased with the way it went with the limited track time we had in the rain.”

“It’s a really good result for the LCR Honda Team, they are one of the hardest working outfits in the whole paddock. They never complain, and they keep backing me, so it’s great to be able to reward them today. I’m proud to get the pole position in the British Grand Prix and although it’s going to be long and difficult, I will be giving my best whatever.” 

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Crutchlow takes stunning Silverstone pole

Wet weather fairytale continues for the Brno winner – as Marquez crashes out

Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) has taken an incredible home pole position at the Octo British Grand Prix, as the Brit kept his stunning wet weather form from the Czech GP running and took only his third career pole. Crutchlow, who has shown good form at Silverstone Circuit throughout the weekend, sees his fairytale continue as he lines up in P1 once again for Sunday’s race – fresh from taking the first British win in 35 years last time out. It is the first British pole position in a home GP since 1977. Movistar Yamaha MotoGP rider Valentino Rossi took P2, with Maverick Viñales (Team Suzuki Ecstar) completing the front row in a big improvement in the wet conditions.

The top ten in Q2 were joined by Q1 graduates Eugene Laverty (PULL&BEAR Aspar) and Jack Miller (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) as the two men made the most of the weather to come to the fore, with big casualties including Pol Espargaro (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) just forced out as the wet weather shook up the order. Espargaro’s temporary teammate Alex Lowes, riding in place of injured Bradley Smith, put in an impressive Q1 performance to line up behind Espargaro on the grid for Sunday’s race, as the rain gave the WorldSBK rider a good opportunity to show his skill set.

Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) has been having a solid weekend at Silverstone after a tough start to the season, and despite wet weather problems in Brno the Spaniard made good on his impressive FP4 improvements in the British GP. The cool conditions on track didn’t seem to cause the problems Pedrosa has often suffered recently, and the 3-time world champion crossed the line on his final effort to pip teammate Marc Marquez to P4. Marquez, who had been a frontrunner in the session, crashed in the last third and sat the final few minutes of Q2 out as he watched on from behind the barriers. Initially on the front row, his time was still good enough for a good starting position for Sunday’s showdown.

Eugene Laverty (PULL&BEAR Aspar) will line up P6 after graduating from Q1 – despite a late crash in the session that saw the Irishman lose out on a possible pole lap – in another impressive showing in tough or changeable conditions. Scott Redding (Octo Pramac Yakhnich) heads up row 3 at his home race, with a solid session that saw him recover well from a fall in FP4. Redding has a great record at Silverstone and will be looking to impress on Sunday once again, having now taken 2 podiums in the premier class. Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team) had an uncharacteristically anonymous session in the wet to cross the line for P8, ahead of reigning champion Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP). Lorenzo, just pipped by teammate Rossi in wet FP4, put in some good laps under the rain and was the initial leader of the session before Crutchlow struck back and he was unable to improve.

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) suffered a fall in the session and will begin the race from P10, with the Italian heading for the Medical Center to get checked out and subsequently being declared fit. Aleix Espargaro (Team Suzuki Ecstar) was P11, ahead of Q1 graduate Jack Miller (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS), who suffered a crash near the beginning of the session as he recovers from another fall in Austria in which he suffered two hairline fractures.

The race will get underway at the later time of 15:30 local time (GMT+1), with the weather looking set to improve overnight – and a local hero on pole.

Home run: Lowes leads the charge in qualifying

Title contender puts in a stunning last dash for pole

Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) has taken an impressive pole position under pressure at his home GP in the UK, topping the drenched QP session in the final minute, ahead of reigning champion Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport) and wet weather Brno winner Jonas Folger (Dynavolt Intact GP).

Threats of rain became buckets of rain as the qualifying sessions for all three classes were hit by the English drizzle – throwing up a few surprises and opportunities for those wiling to take them. In Moto2™, the early pace was set by Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider Alex Marquez as the 2014 Moto3™ world champion took provisional pole, before title defender and points leader Zarco struck back. It was Lowes who then came up with the goods in the final minutes, and pulled it all together to eventually cross the line almost four tenths clear. Lowes had also been quickest at his home GP in the dry and will be feeling confident ahead of race day.

Zarco, with a good rhythm and improving his pace bit-by-bit, looked the man to beat for the honors, before Lowes hit back on his last attempt. Zarco then lost his Ajo Motorsport machine into T1, also losing the chance for one final push at pole position. The Frenchman has a 44 point advantage over Lowes in the title fight however, and a front row start will prove a good position as he looks to defend or increase his lead.

Folger, fresh from his first win in over a year at the Automotodrom Brno, showed hit wet weather skill set off once again as the German knocked Marquez off the front row by a tiny 0.004 margin. The German will be looking for back-to-back wins, but the weather may change for Sunday.

Alex Marquez then heads up Row 2 after a late lowside denied him the chance to improve his lap, the last rider within a second of Lowes, with Hafizh Syahrin (Petronas Raceline Malaysia) and Marquez’ teammate Franco Morbidelli completing row 2.

Isaac Viñales (Tech 3 Racing) was P7, ahead of Lorenzo Baldassari (Forward Racing) and Simone Corsi (Speed Up Racing) on Row 3, with Tom Luthi (Garage Plus Interwetten) completing the top ten despite a crash. The Swiss rider will be looking to move forward if the race is dry, having had good pace in better conditions.

Moto2™ get out on track for another battle at 14:00 local time (GMT+1), on the slightly later British GP timetable.

Drama in the wet as Bagnaia bites back

The rain and the riders fall in Moto3™ qualifying

The skies opened at Silverstone for the promised Saturday drizzle at the Octo British Grand Prix, and unfortunately for Moto3™ it was just ahead of their qualifying session that the rain came down. After almost no track time for the lower class having been affected by the weather, the session was sure to throw up a few surprises and it didn’t disappoint, with high rates of attrition and one big name suffering a small mistake with big consequences.

The pacesetter in the dry at the British GP has undoubtedly been 2015 pole sitter Jorge Navarro (Estrella Galicia 0,0), but the Spaniard was one of the first major casualties of the weather as he took a tumble and was unable to restart the bike to get back to pitlane. Heading back to the garage with the clock ticking down and bike en route, Navarro was left at the mercy of the weather, along with his contemporaries. With the rain not improving and conditions treacherous over the length of the 5.9km circuit, it was Francesco Bagnaia (PULL&BEAR Aspar Mahindra) who put the lap together when it counted, taking his Mahindra to the top of the timesheets. The Italian heads his compatriot Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing Moto3) on the front row, ahead of Dutch rookie Bo Bendsneyder (Red Bull KTM Ajo), who qualified in P3. Navarro will begin the race from a difficult P18, although the Spaniard will be looking to move forward quickly if Sunday proves to be drier – having topped FP3 by seven tenths of a second.

Bagnaia, who won the Moto3™ race in Assen in a first career victory, has now added another string to his impressive 2016 bow with his first career pole. The Italian is set to make the move to the new Sky Racing Team VR46 Moto2™ outfit at its inception in 2017, and will also be looking to fight for the victory in the dry if the race proves to be so – having topped FP1 on Friday. Enea Bastianini will be happy for another front row start in the Moto3™ class, as the race winner continues to get back to the front of the pack in the lower category. Bastianini has shown good dry pace at Silverstone but had some competition from teammate Fabio Di Giannantonio before the rain came down; then moving up the order into P2. Bo Bendsneyder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) continued his progress in the Moto3™ world championship as he took his first front row start at the British GP, with a previous best qualifying position of P4 at the Sachsenring. The Dutch rookie excelled in the tough conditions to outqualify teammate Brad Binder – no mean feat with the South African 61 points clear at the top of the championship – but has a grid penalty and will line up P8.

Niccolo Antonelli (Ongetta-Rivacold) qualified in P4 despite a late crash at the final corner and will move onto the front row, just ahead of championship leader Binder, who was fifth fastest and will head the second row of the grid. Rookie and Austrian GP winner Joan Mir (Leopard Racing) was sixth in the rain at Silverstone, ahead of Jules Danilo (Ongetta-Rivacold), with both gaining a place after Bendsneyder’s penalty. As does Jorge Martin (PULL&BEAR Aspar Mahindra), who took P8 in the session, with Bendsneyder slotting in ahead of another crasher in Sky Racing Team VR46 rookie Nicolo Bulega. Bulega’s teammate Lorenzo Dalla Porta, who is the current leader in the CEV Repsol Moto3™ Junior World Championship and comes into the MotoGP™ paddock full time for the first time in Silverstone, put in an impressive performance to complete the top ten.

The lights go out for the Moto3™ race at 12:30 local time (GMT+1), with the pack shuffled and the race sure to be another modern classic.