FIM Moto2 World Championship Phillip Island, Australia October 15 Qualifying Results (wet-dry conditions, all using Honda engines and Dunlop tires): 1. Alex DE ANGELIS, San Marino (MOTOBI), 1:34.574 2. Mike DI MEGLIO, France (TECH 3), 1:34.662 3. Yuki TAKAHASHI, Japan (MORIWAKI), 1:34.689 4. Scott REDDING, Great Britain (SUTER), 1:34.699 5. Kenan SOFUOGLU, Turkey (SUTER), 1:34.729 6. Pol ESPARGARO, Spain (FTR), 1:34.797 7. Bradley SMITH, Great Britain (TECH 3), 1:34.867 8. Stefan BRADL, Germany (KALEX), 1:34.902 9. Thomas LUTHI, Switzerland (SUTER), 1:34.958 10. Mattia PASINI, Italy (FTR), 1:35.092 11. Max NEUKIRCHNER, Germany (MZ-RE HONDA), 1:35.267 12. Michele PIRRO, Italy (MORIWAKI), 1:35.281 13. Dominique AEGERTER, Switzerland (SUTER), 1:35.399 14. Jordi TORRES, Spain (SUTER), 1:35.519 15. Mika KALLIO, Finland (SUTER), 1:35.564 16. Andrea IANNONE, Italy (SUTER), 1:35.647 17. Esteve RABAT, Spain (FTR), 1:35.668 18. Anthony WEST, Australia (MZ-RE HONDA), 1:35.675 19. Raffaele DE ROSA, Italy (SUTER), 1:35.700 20. Claudio CORTI, Italy (SUTER), 1:35.735 21. Jules CLUZEL, France (SUTER), 1:35.830 22. Simone CORSI, Italy (FTR), 1:35.912 23. Xavier SIMEON, Belgium (TECH 3), 1:36.354 24. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (PONS KALEX), 1:36.366 25. Axel PONS, Spain (PONS KALEX), 1:36.471 26. Kenny NOYES, USA (FTR), 1:36.539 27. Ricard CARDUS, Spain (MORIWAKI), 1:36.695 28. Valentin DEBISE, France (FTR), 1:36.732 29. Yonny HERNANDEZ, Colombia (FTR), 1:37.145 30. Joan OLIVE, Spain (FTR), 1:37.187 31. Ivan MORENO, Spain (SUTER), 1:37.414 32. Kris McLAREN, Australia (SUTER), 1:37.600 33. Randy KRUMMENACHER, Switzerland (KALEX), 1:38.227 34. Santiago HERNANDEZ, Colombia (FTR), 1:38.827 35. Blake LEIGH-SMITH, Australia (FTR), 1:38.902 36. Robertino PIETRI, Venezuela (SUTER), 1:38.933 37. Mashel AL NAIMI, Qatar (MORIWAKI), 1:39.658 38. Marc MARQUEZ, Spain (SUTER), 2:35.298* 39. Ratthapark WILAIROT, Thailand (FTR), no time recorded** * Time includes 60-second penalty for infringement of ART 1.21.2. ** 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: Difficult qualifying session for Xavier Siméon Down under The qualifying session for the Australian Moto2 race, that will take place tomorrow at Phillip Island, started off slow for Xavier Siméon, as the session was accompanied with a lot of Ups and Downs regarding the weather conditions. It was not easy to find the best settings and tyres for the qualifying as the conditions changed from one minute to the other. Most of the session the riders had to sit out in the box and wait before they could decide what is best to set up on their bikes. Siméon went out in the wet first, but had to come back to his garage to change the tyres as it started to dry off. A few minutes later it rained again, so the move was to change the tyres again. This happened a few times backwards and forwards and did cost the Tech3 B Team valuable time to set up the bike for the 25 laps race tomorrow. At the end the young Belgian was happy with the improvements his team was capable of finding for him and his feeling with the Mistral 610 bike as the mix of a rain set up and slick tyres helped him to improve his lap time and at the end he finished in 23rd position. The race target will be a Top 15 finish. Xavier Siméon, 23rd – 1’36.354: “žIt was a strange qualifying session as it started with slight rain, then after a few laps it was dry again and then another few laps later it rained again. It was not easy to adjust. We had to wait about 10 minutes until we had dry conditions once again, but then it started to drizzle a bit stronger. And after another 10 minutes it started to dry off another time. But I already had decided to try the wet tyres as it could rain also tomorrow, but after a few laps it was dry again. So I decided to enter the box again and we changed to the dry tyres but with the set up for the rain and after a few laps the bike was already better than all the weekend so far. For us it was good we had the chance to try out the rain settings. The target for tomorrow is a Top 15 result.” More, from another press release issued by Tech 3: Di Meglio storms to front row at Phillip Island The Tech 3 Racing Team celebrated its best Moto2 qualifying result of the 2011 World Championship today after Mike di Meglio stormed to a stunning front row at a wet and windy Phillip Island circuit. Qualifying started on a dry track but as heavy clouds hovered ominously over the fast and technical Australian venue, light rain started to fall that made it impossible to continue on slick tyres. The weather disruption continued for the majority of the session and it was only in the final minutes that the surface had dried sufficiently for the field to begin an exciting time attack. French rider di Meglio quickly mastered the tricky conditions, with the c oastal circuit battered by a gusting and chilly wind this afternoon, to claim a brilliant second place on the grid for the 25-lap race. He powered his Mistral 610 machine to a best time of 1.34.662 that left him just 0.088s away from a stunning pole position in the ultra-competitive Moto2 class. Today’s outstanding result was only the second time this season that di Meglio has qualified inside the top 10. And his Tech 3 Racing crew are now hoping he can mount a top six challenge on the track where he won the 2008 125cc World Championship. British team-mate Bradley Smith will start tomorrow’s race from just five places further back in seventh on the grid. The 20-year-old has been battling a heavy cold since he arrived in Australia but he didn’t let that distract him on his way to recording a best lap of 1.34.867. That was only 0.293s away from pole position and just over 0.2s behin d di Meglio and he has high hopes that he can fight for a fourth rostrum of the season tomorrow. Mike di Meglio 2nd 1.34.662 11 laps: “I am really happy to be on the front row because it has been a very difficult season. But together with my team we have never stopped giving our maximum effort to improve and today is a big reward for all that hard work. We managed to improve the bike from this morning and in the end it all worked out well because it was a very difficult session and made complicated by the rain. I was much faster immediately in qualifying but then the rain came and it was frustrating having to sit in the pits because the track wasn’t wet enough for rain tyres. But it was too risky to go out on slicks. We managed to get out for one last exit at the end and I had a good feeling with the bike, even though the track was a little dam p and the wind was blowing very hard. That made riding very difficult but I pushed at my maximum and almost grabbed pole position. Second is still a fantastic result and I hope to be fighting at the front in the race tomorrow.” Bradley Smith 7th 1.34.867 12 laps: “This afternoon’s qualifying was quite complicated with the weather and I am happy to have done the lap time I did because the conditions certainly weren’t ideal. The wind was very unpredictable and even at the end you had a few rain spots on the visor, so it was quite tricky to push with a lot of confidence. It would have been nice to be on the second row instead of the third but I’ll be looking to get a good start and be aggressive in the first few laps like always. Looking at the lap times it could be a close and exciting race at the front, and I’m looking forward to it a nd being right in the middle of the battle.” More, from a press release issued by Marc VDS Racing Team: REDDING FIGHTS FOR POLE AT WET AND WINDY PHILLIP ISLAND The Marc VDS Racing Team’s Scott Redding finished just 0.125s away from claiming a fantastic maiden Moto2 World Championship pole position in a dramatic qualifying session at the Phillip Island circuit in Australia today. With threatening grey clouds lurking above the super-fast 4.4km track at the beginning of qualifying, Redding immediately pushed for a fast lap time in full dry conditions in the early stages of the session, the 18-year-old conscious that rain would almost certainly play a decisive role in proceedings. The predicted rain duly arrived with Redding only completing four laps, but his decision to push hard from the off was fully vindicated as a lap of 1.36.213 put him on top of the timesheets. But when it looked like Redding might claim a stunning pole position having immediately gelled with the new 2012 Suter MMXII frame and swingarm package, the rain stopped and a strong gusting wind quickly dried out the track. Redding dropped down the order but delivered a blistering final lap of 1.34.699 in a frenetic finale to claim a deserved place on the second row in fourth place. His final lap perfectly demonstrated Redding’s skill and bravery, as his time was a personal best of the weekend, beating his practice benchmark of 1.34.783 despite the far from ideal conditions. Mika Kallio’s luck deserted him once again, the Finnish rider unfortunately falling foul of the rain disruption to finish down in 15th position. That result was cruel on Kallio and his Marc VDS Racing crew after the 28-year-old showed he was one of the fastest and most consistent riders during practice. He was confident of challenging for a second row starting position, but he couldn’t produce a quick lap when conditions were at their best at the beginning and end of the session. Scott Redding #45: 4th Position – 9 Laps – 1’34.699 “I’m not disappointed that I didn’t get pole position but there was a point where I was thinking I hope we get a monsoon so I could stay in first. When it started raining it was quite heavy, so I was thinking it was never going to dry up and pole would be mine. I got in one fast lap at the end when I needed to and I’m happy about that because the pressure was on and the track conditions weren’t perfect. I can’t be too disappointed to be fourth on a bike I’ve never even had chance to test. We made a change for qualifying because I was struggling a bit to get into the low 35s this morning and immediately the bike felt awesome. It was a gamble that’s paid off and tomorrow I’m sure like last year we’ll be fighting for the podium. ” Mika Kallio #36: 15th Position – 13 Laps – 1’35.564 “The weather really hurt us and that’s a big shame because in practice we’d been consistently fighting for the top six. At the start of the session we ran with used tyres to work on the race set-up because we didn’t expect the rain to come so fast. When the track dried a little I went back out ansd I was fast in the first three sectors. But in T4 it was raining again and I missed that chance to improve. And right at the end I just couldn’t get into my rhythm because in some places there was spots of rain and this disturbed me a little bit. I am disappointed because we expected much more and I thought I’d be on the second row at least. This track usually is good for close racing and keeping the pack together, so hopefully with a good start I can be fighting for the top six.” Michael Bartholemy – Team Manager “At one stage we thought we might get a pole position but the rain made it a lottery for everybody. Scott was unbelievably fast at the start with the modifications to his bike and that gave him the confidence to go back out at the end of the session and put in a fast lap when he really needed to. On the last lap he made his best time of the weekend, so this showed he was confident to push hard in tricky conditions. And it proved our decision to use the 2012 Suter MMXII machine was a risk worth taking, even though he’d never done a lap on it before yesterday. I’m sure he’ll be fighting for the podium tomorrow but I feel very disappointed for Mika because he has been incredibly fast all weekend and without the rain disruption we were confident he was going to be battling for the second row. But he didn’t have the same confidence as Scott to push hard at the end of the session and he is 15th. I’ve no doubt though that the speed he’s shown all weekend means he can have a strong race and a top six is definitely possible.” More, from a press release issued by Italtrans/AGP Racing: Qualifying Claudio Corti (1’35″735 20°) Robertino Pietri (1’38″933 36°) We wanted more, no doubt. After three almost perfect free practices, in which Claudio Corti classified twice in fourth position, and once in six, the rain, pouring on track just in the middle of the qualifying session, upset the scheduled working plan. At the beginning, when the track was still dry, Claudio was sixth, with good chances to place himself in first or second row. When the asphalt dried up, after the rain, and riders went back on track for the last assault, Claudio went off just a few seconds too late, and missed the chance of a flying lap, being stopped by the chequered flag. Claudio Corti: “Pure misfortune. Our pace is good, our bike is well set-up, but I will be forced to start from midfield. We did a great job, and deserved more. At least a second row. We must run a different race”. Robertino Pietri: “We did not read correctly the weather. We were convinced that rain would not come so early, and didn’t realize, at the end, that the tarmac was drying up so quickly. I hope that tomorrow the condition is stable: wet or dry, but non changing from one to the other”. Claudio Macciotta (Technical Director): “We lost the flying lap just for a whisker but our bike is well set-up and our pace is quite good. Our strategy, for tomorrow, is simple: a good start, making up position in the first laps, then play our cards”. More, from a press release issued by QMMF Racing Team: Cardús caught out in weather lottery – A-Naimi still lacks confidence Everything seemed to go according to plan for QMMF Racing Team rider Ricky Cardús on the second day of qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix. With improved track knowledge and quicker cornering lines, the 23-year-old Spaniard was clearly on his way up with 22nd place in the third free practice session on Saturday morning. For qualifying in the afternoon, he fine-tuned the set-up of his Moriwaki prototype and was ready to attack, but was caught out when it started to rain. With ever-changing track conditions, the rest of the qualifying session turned into a lottery in which Cardús lost his chance to win when he missed the right moment for a fast lap toward the end of the session. He ended up in 27th spot on the grid but is confident to turn things around in the race. Whereas Cardús felt comfortable on his bike, team-mate Mashel Al-Naimi had a difficult day altogether. In the morning he was disturbed by strong winds. And with the tricky track and weather conditions in the afternoon, he only managed to mount a late attack to qualify in 37th position. Mashel Al-Naimi 37th in 1.39,658 “Today was really difficult for me. This morning, it was way too windy. And this afternoon, I had a good set-up, but then it started to rain and for the rest of the session, the weather changed every five minutes. My last lap was my fastest one, but I am clearly not fast enough. This track is especially difficult for me because I don’t have a lot of experience here and I lack the confidence with the bike to go fast in the corners. But even though, I am positive about my perspective for the race tomorrow. I will use the hard tyre compound because it gives me more stability and I will try to push for a good result in the race!” Ricky Cardús 27th in 1:36.695 “I am starting to get to know the circuit a bit better and my team has put in 200 per cent in order to get the maximum out of the bike, so we are on our way up. We were in 22nd place this morning and there was still a big margin for improvement. The bike felt much better again this afternoon and in dry conditions, I am sure I could have scored a good lap time and a decent position on the starting grid. But due to the weather, it all went a little bit crazy. I did my fastest time on the third lap, then it started to rain. I rode again for a few laps when the track was still damp, but when it dried up again in the end, everybody else was improving whereas I went out too late and missed my chance. All I needed was one good lap when the conditions were alright, but I wasn’t able to do it and I am not looking for excuses because there are none. The good thing is the bike has improved, which gives me the chance to prove something tomorrow in the race that I haven’t been able to demonstrate today!”