FIM Moto2 World Championship
Misano World Circuit, San Marino
September 13, 2014
Qualifying Results (all using Honda engines and Dunlop tires):
1. Mika KALLIO, Finland (KALEX), 1:38.043
2. Esteve “Tito” RABAT, Spain (KALEX), 1:38.110
3. Thomas LUTHI, Switzerland (SUTER), 1:38.114
4. Maverick VIÑALES, Spain (KALEX), 1:38.202
5. Dominique AEGERTER, Switzerland (SUTER), 1:38.236
6. Johann ZARCO, France (CATERHAM SUTER), 1:38.413
7. Ricard CARDUS, Spain (TECH 3), 1:38.499
8. Takaaki NAKAGAMI, Japan (KALEX), 1:38.506
9. Randy KRUMMENACHER, Switzerland (SUTER), 1:38.522
10. Axel PONS, Spain (KALEX), 1:38.626
11. Marcel SCHROTTER, Germany (TECH 3), 1:38.671
12. Jonas FOLGER, Germany (KALEX), 1:38.706
13. Julian SIMON, Spain (KALEX), 1:38.729
14. Sandro CORTESE, Germany (KALEX), 1:38.784
15. Luis SALOM, Spain (KALEX), 1:38.865
16. Nicolas TEROL, Spain (SUTER), 1:39.028
17. Xavier SIMEON, Belgium (SUTER), 1:39.040
18. Franco MORBIDELLI, Italy (KALEX), 1:39.081
19. Lorenzo BALDASSARRI, Italy (SUTER), 1:39.148
20. Jordi TORRES, Spain (SUTER), 1:39.177
21. Louis ROSSI, France (KALEX), 1:39.235
22. Mattia PASINI, Italy (KALEX), 1:39.355
23. Anthony WEST, Australia (SPEED UP), 1:39.510
24. Sam LOWES, UK (SPEED UP), 1:39.598
25. Hafizh SYAHRIN, Malaysia (KALEX), 1:39.670
26. Florian MARINO, France (KALEX), 1:39.746
27. Azlan SHAH, Malaysia (KALEX), 1:39.832
28. Gino REA, UK (SUTER), 1:39.878
29. Ratthapark WILAIROT, Thailand (CATERHAM SUTER), 1:39.898
30. Thitipong WAROKORN, Thailand (KALEX), 1:40.056
31. Roman RAMOS, Spain (SPEED UP), 1:40.088
32. Riccardo RUSSO, Italy (SUTER), 1:40.096
33. Federico FULIGNI, Italy (SUTER), 1:40.135
34. Federico CARICASULO, Italy (TSR), 1:40.416
35. Robin MULHAUSER, Switzerland (SUTER), 1:40.742
36. Miroslav POPOV, Czech Republic (SUTER), 1:40.865
More, from a press release issued by Marc VDS Racing Team:
Qualifying one-two for Marc VDS at Misano
Misano, Italy – 13 September 2014: Mika Kallio will start tomorrow’s 26-lap Moto2 race at Misano from pole position, with his Marc VDS teammate, Tito Rabat, lining up alongside him on the grid in second place.
After the rain dampened proceedings of yesterday, conditions were almost perfect today at Misano, with warm and sunny weather greeting the riders as they headed out for qualifying this afternoon.
Rabat made the early running, but it was Kallio who topped the timesheet as the chequered flag brought qualifying to a close, despite encountering brake issues during the session.
It is Kallio’s third pole position of the season – he won from pole both times previously – but it’s also the third time the two Marc VDS riders have lined up one-two on the grid this year.
With the front row of the grid separated by just 0.071s and the top ten within 0.5s of each other, tomorrow’s Moto2 Grand Prix promises to be a real battle.
This morning’s Moto3 free practice was Jorge Navarro’s first dry session at Misano, but he adapted quickly to finish inside the top ten aboard the Marc VDS Kalex-KTM. The 18-year-old Spaniard looked all set to claim a top ten finish in qualifying too, but he lost time to a minor crash at the midpoint of the 40-minute timed session and will start tomorrow’s 23-lap Moto3 race from 13th on the grid.
Mika Kallio // Pole Position // 1’38.042
“I’m really satisfied to be on pole here, as Misano has never really been one of my favourite tracks, but now we are faster than last year. It’s really tight, with the top five really close, so it’s going to be a tough race tomorrow. The bike felt okay at the start of qualifying, but when we switched to new tyres I immediately had a problem with the front brake. To not lose time, we switched back to the front wheel with the used tyre we’d used at the start of the session and that was better. I knew I had to push for in the last ten minutes and I was really on the edge during my fastest lap, but that’s what was needed for pole position today.”
Tito Rabat // 2nd // 1’38.110
“It’s good to be on the front row for tomorrow, but I’m not happy because Mika was faster today and I missed the focus I normally have in practice and qualifying. We had some issues with the bike, which the team did a good job of sorting out, but by then we were into the last minutes of qualifying. It will be a tough battle tomorrow, as the top ten are so close on pace, but I’ll be pushing as hard as always for the win.”
Jorge Navarro // 13th // 1’43.974
“Today was a good day for me. From the beginning this morning my lap times were good and I ended the free practice session in tenth. In qualifying it was difficult at the start because of the traffic, but after we pitted for new tyres I managed two flying laps that put me into the top ten. Unfortunately I then had a small crash, which lost me both time and a bit of confidence. On my final run I was on a quick lap behind Alex Marquez when he crashed right in front of me and then, on my final flying lap, I had a bit of a moment myself. I’m happy, because today was my first time on this track in the dry and I’m just one second from pole. Now I’m looking forward to the race tomorrow.”
More, from a press release issued by AirAsia Caterham Moto2 Team:
Second Row Start for Zarco
Circuit: Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli
Circuit Length: 2.626 miles
Bike # 5 – Johann Zarco
FP3: P6; 1’38.674 – 21 laps
Qualifying: P6; 1’38.413 – 19 laps
Bike # 14 – Ratthapark Wilairot
FP3: P26; 1’39.923 – 20 laps
Qualifying: P29; 1’39.898 – 22 laps
Weather
FP3: (Conditions) Dry; (air temp) 21°, (track temp) 28°
Qualifying: (Conditions) Dry; (air temp) 24°, (track temp) 37°
As the sun came out for day two at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, AirAsia Caterham Moto Racing rider Johann Zarco continued to maintain his pace qualifying on the second row for tomorrow’s race, just 0.370s off pole position.
Having impressed throughout practice in the wet, teammate Ratthapark Wilairot was challenged to adapt to different conditions in only his first dry session of the weekend.
#5 Johann Zarco: “Today was the first day in dry conditions and the most important day to prepare for tomorrow, because Sunday should be dry too.
“This morning I could be first during practice and feel good on the bike. We tried to further improve this afternoon but we did not do so well in the beginning. Then at the end of the qualifying we could improve but it was not easy and it was sliding more on the track, so everybody had to push a lot to do the lap time. This is why I was a little disappointed at the end because I could not fight for the first position, but finally I was sixth and it’s the second row, which is not so bad.
“We still have one solution to try for the warm up and if it is good we will have a good setting for the race. Then I must fight, fight and fight to stay with the top riders for these twenty six laps.”
#14 Ratthapark Wilairot: “My feeling on the Caterham Suter this morning was not so bad. My only reference on this bike in the dry is from Jerez, so we started with a similar set-up to what we used there. It didn’t really work in the beginning as I felt it was difficult to stop the bike and so I could not carry more speed into the corner, but then throughout the session the team made some small changes and it felt a lot better.
“In qualifying I think I let too much pressure get to me and I struggled to focus. In the end I did my best lap on my own, but unfortunately it was too late to better the position. I am not happy with qualifying in twenty ninth and I am sorry to the team. In the warm up I will push to do my own lap for the whole twenty minutes and I think tomorrow will be a better day.”
Team Manager – Johan Stigefelt: “Well we must be quite happy with the sixth position of Johann, and we’re not that far off. I know he was a little disappointed but I think we should be pleased with this result. We are top six and on the second row, which was our target here, so let’s see tomorrow. There will be a lot of riders up there to try and fight and we must try to keep calm and be patient.
“For Wilairot this is his first weekend on the bike in a long time and it was raining on Friday, then dry today, so it’s been difficult for him to adapt between the varying conditions. We’re not so happy about the position, as this could have been better, but we will keep working and improve it for tomorrow”
More, from a press release issued by AGT Rea Racing:
Frustrating qualifying for AGT REA Racing at Misano following a positive Friday
Despite finishing 1.8 seconds from the front, Gino Rea concluded Saturday’s Moto2 Qualifying in 28th position.
Rea lost valuable track time during Saturday’s Free Practice Three session due to the quickshifter failing again. Gino spent over half of the practice in the pits however was able to put in a few laps towards the end. In struggling for grip, Rea had a high side crash, landing on his head and arm, putting an end to the session for AGT REA Racing.
The team were making progress in their second run during Moto2 Qualifying however were unable to improve when new tyres were put in towards the end of the session. Gino Rea comments on a difficult day at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli”:
“Today didn’t go as planned and it’s disappointing after a good day yesterday. The morning started off with a technical problem, which saw us miss a lot of the session and then ended in a high side crash. Qualifying started off OK and I went faster on my second run but I was unable to improve when we put new tyres in at the end. The lack of dry time from yesterday and this morning has cost us. I will need a good start in the race and will give it everything I can to improve.”
The AGT REA Racing team will line up for the Misano Grand Prix tomorrow at 12.20 local time. Follow the team on Facebook www.facebook.com/agtrearacing and Twitter @AGT_REA_Racing for live updates.
More, from a press release issued by QMMF Racing Team:
West happy with set-up but slowed by gearbox problems – Ramos gets into the swing and is confident for the race
Sunshine returned to the Misano World Circuit on the second day of practice for the San Marino Grand Prix and provided QMMF Racing Team riders Anthony West and Roman Ramos with ideal track conditions for both the free practice session in the morning and for the qualifying heat in the afternoon. Both riders managed to find a good set-up on their Speed-Up prototypes and gained confidence for the race tomorrow, even though their positions on the starting grid could have been better than 23rd and 31st. West, who was delighted with a new generation of Dunlop rear tyres that all but solved his ongoing issues with grip on the rear, ran into gearbox problems that ruined several fast flying laps. Ramos improved steadily and without any technical issues, but never found the slipstream of another fast rider to further boost his performance.
Anthony West – 23rd in 1.39,510
“Dunlop have provided us with the new tyres and things are definitely better than before. We’re not having so many problems with the rear grip any more, so the new tyre suits our bike and masks some of the problems. I am also quite happy with our dry set-up. In comparison to other races, the bike is actually working quite well. But I am still having gearbox problems. This morning it was only a small problem, but this afternoon it got worse. Every fast lap I was on, the bike would jump out of gear, either from first to second into a false neutral, or downshifting from fifth into second on the backstraight. When I go into the turn, do the last shift into second and then take my foot away from the gear lever, I can feel the engine rocking backwards and forwards and then it would just run into neutral and I would run off the track. This happened six times over the whole session, so it was six times that I was on a good rhythm and lost. I just could not get a good clean lap in!”
Roman Ramos – 31st in 1.40,088
“It was a much nicer day today and I was really looking forward to ride around this track in dry conditions. In the free practice session this morning, I started to find a good rhythm and I was going faster and faster. I enjoyed riding and I was confident for the afternoon. In the qualifying session, I didn’t like the first tyre we had mounted, so I came in for a tyre change. With the second tyre, I was able to improve my lap time in comparison to this morning and even though I am in 31st position now, I am quite confident for the race because I did my laps all by myself and I am in striking distance to the guys in front of me. I want to thank my team because they did a great job this weekend and I want to try and reward them with a good result in the race!”