FIM MotoGP World Championship
Autodromo Termas de Rio Hondo, Argentina
April 2, 2016
Qualifying Results (all on Michelin tires):
From Qualifying Session Two:
1. Marc MARQUEZ, Spain (HONDA), 1:39.411
2. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (YAMAHA), 1:39.786
3. Jorge LORENZO, Spain (YAMAHA), 1:39.944
4. Dani PEDROSA, Spain (HONDA), 1:40.011
5. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (DUCATI), 1:40.198
6. Andrea IANNONE, Italy (DUCATI), 1:40.272
7. Maverick VIÑALES, Spain (SUZUKI), 1:40.375
8. Hector BARBERA, Spain (DUCATI), 1:40.524
9. Cal CRUTCHLOW, UK (HONDA), 1:40.528
10. Pol ESPARGARO, Spain (YAMAHA), 1:40.654
11. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (SUZUKI), 1:40.708
12. Bradley SMITH, UK (YAMAHA), 1:40.893
From Qualifying Session One:
13. Loris BAZ, France (DUCATI), 1:40.744
14. Scott REDDING, UK (DUCATI), 1:40.750
15. Jack MILLER, Australia (HONDA), 1:40.881
16. Stefan BRADL, Germany (APRILIA), 1:40.897
17. Eugene LAVERTY, Ireland (DUCATI), 1:40.990
18. Michele PIRRO, Italy (DUCATI), 1:41.116
19. Tito RABAT, Spain (HONDA), 1:41.157
20. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (APRILIA), 1:41.611
21. Yonny HERNANDEZ, Colombia (DUCATI), 1:41.692
More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3:
Espargaro and Smith to leap forward from fourth row at Argentina Grand Prix
Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team rider Pol Espargaro will charge from 10th on the grid after pulling off a resolute qualifying campaign at the Autodromo Termas de Rio Hondo. The 25 year old started his day by just missing out on QP2 by 0.070, yet, he remained fully focused and leapt into gear when qualifying one began. Here, he confidently posted a best lap which clinched 2nd and saw him safely through to the proceeding shootout. When QP2 began, the Spaniard surged forward and after gathering pace, he eventually scored a time that left him only 0.382 from the second row.
Meanwhile, Bradley Smith will commence the second round of the 2016 World Championship two places behind his teammate after producing a determined effort in Argentina. The young Briton kicked off today by finishing FP3 in 13th, yet he forcefully topped the time sheets in Q1 with a time of 1’40.552 that allowed him to graduate straight through to the second practice. Here, Smith pushed onwards and set his personal best on the third lap, but his hopes of cutting this time further were halted when he fell at turn 1, in the final minutes of the session. However, the British star aims to undertake a rocket start tomorrow and join the battle for the top independent bike position in what will be a challenging race in the 25 lap Gran Premio Motul de la Republica Argentina.
Pol Espargaro
Position : 10th Time : 1’40.654 Laps : 8
“Today I can’t be too pleased with the final result because we were aiming to qualify higher up the field, but at the end of the day, 10th is not bad when you consider how challenging the track was. Of course, if I set a lap time that was only one tenth quicker, I could have been on the row in front, which was my target, but a lot of riders crashed and the important thing for me is that I did not. It would have been very risky, so now we will have to make the most of it and move forward in the race tomorrow. For sure, many things will change; the grip as well as the temperature and 25 laps is a long time, therefore we will see what happens. However, we still have some more work to do and we will use the warm up to retest a few factors and then make a decision about the tyres. In any case, my aim remains to fight in and hopefully win the top independent bike battle.”
Bradley Smith
Position : 12th Time : 1’40.893 Laps : 5
“All in all, it was a bit of a disappointing QP2 after the successful session that we had before. The team found a few small changes at the end of FP4 which we used in qualifying and which helped us to make a good step. I did a really good job in QP1, so I was confident for the later practice, but I didn’t get to take advantage of the hard rear tyre in the final part. This was due to the fact that I locked the front going into turn one. It’s not anyone’s fault but I was just trying to push a bit too hard and I lost the front. It’s a big shame because if we look at the ideal lap times from both qualifying sessions, it’s clear to see that we could have been on the third row, which would have made everything easier for the race. However, it didn’t happen so we must ensure that we get a good start. The GP will be long and the tyres will play a critical part, but above all, I must not make any mistakes and find a good rhyme to feel comfortable with as I want to finish strongly.”
More, from a press release issued by Aprilia:
BRADL AND BAUTISTA’S RS-GP MACHINES ON THE SIXTH AND SEVENTH ROW IN THE ARGENTINA GP
The drop in temperature the riders had hoped for came about, but only in the morning sessions at Termas de Río Hondo. In fact, during the qualifiers that decided the starting grid order, the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini riders had to deal with conditions much like yesterday, with very little grip.
Despite the slippery asphalt, Stefan Bradl performed well in the qualifying session, managing to be incisive on the flying lap and earning the first spot on the sixth row. In addition to the final result, the time of just under two tenths that separated him from the second fastest time in Q1, which would have sent him through to Q2, is definitely worth a mention.
Alvaro Bautista was a bit farther back, unable to find the right feeling in the decisive laps, finishing on the seventh row. For the Spanish rider the goal for tomorrow will be to build on the hard work done thus far in terms of race pace.
ALVARO BAUTISTA
“The qualifying did not go as I had hoped. This morning we made a few changes that I liked and I had a good pace. In FP4, on the other hand, with the higher temperature I couldn’t find the same feeling. I struggled quite a bit with the rear and stability. I expected that I would be able to go faster in qualifying, but in any case we need to remember that we’re discovering a new bike little by little so the sudden change in conditions between the morning and the afternoon created some problems for us. We have a lot of work left to do. The race is tomorrow and we need to improve the feeling as much as possible”.
STEFAN BRADL
“This was definitely the best day so far with the new RS-GP. We made a lot of progress compared to yesterday. We know we could be faster if we got all the small details sorted. It was in FP4 that we made took the important step forward, especially where the electronics are concerned and wit a change to the rear shock absorber. In the qualifiers our strategy of using two rear tyres paid off. I was able to get a good lap in. Now we just need to see what the decision will be for the tyres. We’re quite ready, but if we’re forced to use the hard tyre it would be a shame since we haven’t tried it”.
More, from a press release issued by Marc VDS Racing Team:
Miller confident of strong race in Argentina
Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider Jack Miller is confident he has the pace for a strong showing in tomorrow’s Argentine Grand Prix, the second round of the MotoGP World Championship.
Despite the setback of two harmless crashes in qualifying Miller was again impressively fast on the 4.806 km Termas de Rio Hondo circuit with pace that threatens a top ten finish.
The 21-year-old Australian will start 15th on the grid with his rookie teammate Tito Rabat qualifying in 19th position.
Miller made a bold but unsuccessful bid to improve his time on his final qualifying run after being forced to switch to his spare bike which was not fitted with his ideal set-up.
Former Moto2 World Champion Rabat continued with his steady transition to MotoGP to beat his target time in qualifying. The Spanish rider qualified 4.8s faster than his best time in Friday’s opening free practice session.
The forecast rain stayed away and the slightly cooler track conditions plus improved grip levels saw times tumble dramatically from the Friday free practice sessions.
Jack Miller: 15th – 1’40.881
“Despite the crashes the positive is that I have some really good speed so I’m confident of a strong run in the race. The second bike was set-up differently for the final practice session and when I switched to it after my first crash at turn one it was shaking like hell on my final lap. I was committed to a fast time but got on a dusty part of the track and used too much angle to get back to the racing line and went down.”
Tito Rabat: 19th – 1’41.157
“I beat my target time in qualifying and I’m happy about that, it has been a very productive practice and qualifying because I improved my times in every session. Our focus was to work on race set-up in FP4 so I wasn’t completely focussed on qualifying even though I improved my time. The Honda is working well here so I need to change my style more to take maximum profit from the bike. I hope to make another step in the race.”
Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal
“When Jack was on the bike he was always posting fast sector times and he had the opportunity to be in the top ten for the final qualifying session. But two crashes cost him and this is part of racing. It was good performance by Tito. We had a target of 1’41.2 and he did a 1’41.1 and he is getting closer to the front guys each day.”
More, from a press release issued by Avintia Racing:
Eighth place for Barbera and thirteenth for Baz in qualifying for the Grand Prix of Argentina
Positive qualifying sessions for the Avintia Racing riders, Hector Barbera and Loris Baz in Argentina. The Spaniard went straight to the Q2 after a strong performance on this morning FP3 where he was the fourth fastest rider. In the crucial 15 minutes Q2 session in afternoon, Barbera did a lap in 1’40.524 that gave him a spot in the third row of the grid for tomorrow’s race. A great performance from the Avintia Racing rider after suffering fever and treated with antibiotics during the last couple of days.
Loris Baz had also some symptoms this morning, but even so the Frenchman gave his best in the Q1 and missed the pass to the Q2 by just 0.029s. But he is happy because the 13th place, is his best qualifying performance since his debut in MotoGP last season.
Hector Barbera | 1’40.524 | P8
“I’m very happy because I’ve been with flu and fever attacks since I arrive to Argentina, I’ve spend a lot of time in bed and taking antibiotic. So I have to say big tahnk you to the Medical Team. Once again we can see that the word team is really important in this championship and the doctors are a vital part inside the big MotoGP team. So they deserve a big credit, because without them, instead of eight on the grid, I should have been in my bed. We are in the third row like in Qatar, and I think is a great place to start the race tomorrow. The 25 laps will be hard because of the heat, but we are ready to fight.”
Loris Baz | 1’40.744 | P13
“I missed a place in the Q2 by a very narrow margin, and right now I would like to give something more, but after what happened with Scott in the FP4 and because I have been feeling bad and treated with antibiotics from this morning, to get the 13th place is not so bad. In addition, this was my best qualifying result in MotoGP… To be in the Q2 was the target, but little by little we are getting there and recovering the feeling from the winter test. I’m happy because we made a step forward and the bike is working well here and we have a good pace for the race with the hard rear tyre. We will see tomorrow, but I think we can do a good race.”
More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing:
Scary moment for Scott in FP4 at Termas de Rio Hondo. Pirro confident for the race
Octo Pramac Yakhnich Saturday at Termas de Rio Hondo circuit in Argentina he will be sadly remembered for the scary unexpected which involved Scott Redding.
In the second run of FP4 the British rider had to deal with a sudden problem with the rear tyre. Tv footage showed that the tread came away from the tyre, first destroying the rear of the Desmosedici GP and then hitting Scott’s back causing him visible bruising and abrasions.
The British rider managed to keep his nerve and was able to ride the bike off the track limiting the damage.
Michelin are making the required investigations in order to understand the causes of the problem.
This incident has obviously affected the Redding’s confidence as in Q1 he failed to make that small step that would allow him gain access to Q2. Scott finished 14th with a lap-time of 1’40.750 just 35 thousandths of a second behind the qualifying for the last Saturday’s round.
A round of applause goes to Michele Pirro who was able to complete a full day of intense activities having to deal with fatigue from the travel which saw him only arriving yesterday afternoon in Termas de Rio Hondo. Having finished on Thursday Ducati tests in Valencia, in fact, Pirro took off for Argentina and this morning was up on his Ducati Desmosedici GP to take part in FP3. Pirro was ranked 18th (1’41.116) by showing interesting things as evidenced by his ideal time of nearly half a second lower, and in the light of the first two free practice sessions that the Ducati test rider was forced to miss on Friday.
14th – Scott Redding
1’40.750
“It was not a good day for me since the beginning. The FP3 haven’t gone well. And when I began to glimpse the right path in FP4 it has come the problem. It was really scary. I felt chattering with the rear tyre then something hit me. I saw pieces of the bike fly anywhere. I thought the tire had exploded and I was getting ready for a nasty crash. But a few moments later I felt that the tyre working again as there was still air in. I managed to run off the track without falling and I feel lucky to be standing here to tell it. I went in Q1 determined but it is clear that my confidence, especially in that turn, wasn’t at the maximum. To be honest I feel good for tomorrow. This morning we struggled a lot but in the afternoon I was close the Q2 laptimes. Tomorrow will be a long race, if I can find consistency then everything will happen.
18th – Michele Pirro
1’41.116
First of all I want to thank the team who gave me a very competitive bike. And I’m sorry because I could have done a bit better. I expected a little more, but I could not make a complete good lap, as the ideal time shows. I am sorry because I would have been able to gain some position. I’m missing something, it is normal. But I hope to do a good race. I miss a little feeling because in Valencia I run with a different bike. We will try to check the data and make an improvement for tomorrow because I’m convinced he can do a good race.
More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:
Fantastic third Argentine pole for Marquez, Pedrosa fourth
Marc Marquez clinched a fantastic pole position today, his third in a row in Argentina, while his Repsol Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa posted a very close fourth-fastest time to put him on the second row.
Marc had already set the pace in both FP3 and in FP4, during which he alone had managed to lap under the 1’40 barrier. That session was red-flagged twice after Scott Redding suffered a rear-tyre issue that is still under investigation by the Michelin technicians.
Two laps into the qualifying session, Marc set the fastest time of the day at 1’39.411. He suffered a small crash during his second attempt, and although he was uninjured, he was unable to lower his mark. Dani steadily improved his pace throughout the course of the day and missed a front-row spot by less than a tenth of a second, setting the fourth-best time of 1’40.011.
The race will start tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. local time
Marc Marquez
POLE POSITION 1’39.411
“I’m happy with how the bike is going and with the pace we have. Tomorrow it will be vital to choose our rear tyre well, because with the soft I feel very good but I do not know if we can use it. We will have to wait for the decision from Michelin. We know what my crashes today were due to; the first was down to changing the setup but the second was because we pushed too hard. That is what happens in the qualifying session. Tomorrow we’ll give everything we have in the race”.
Dani Pedrosa
4TH 1’40.011
“The grip level of the track has improved today. There was more traction than yesterday and although we have advanced in terms of pace, we will continue working to go faster and be more consistent tomorrow. With such an improvement in grip, we have to find a setup that best suits these conditions. Tomorrow we will start from fourth place and try to have a good race.”
More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:
Row 2 start for Ducati Team riders in the GP of Argentina at Termas de Río Hondo with Dovizioso fifth and Iannone sixth on the grid
Following qualifying, both Ducati Team riders will start Sunday’s Grand Prix of Argentina, the second round of the 2016 MotoGP World Championship, from row 2 of the grid.
In the afternoon’s all-important Q2 session, Andrea Dovizioso was able to clock the fifth quickest time on his second run, while his team-mate Andrea Iannone was one place behind in sixth.
During FP3 in the morning, all the MotoGP riders managed to improve their times, and Iannone (third) and Dovizioso (ninth) were thus guaranteed their slots in Q2.
The final free practice session, not valid for the overall results, took place before the two qualifying sessions. Iannone was second quickest and Dovizioso sixth in FP4, which was interrupted by red flags towards the end after a crash by Redding.
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 1’40.198 (5th)
“Today was an important and positive day: we found the track to be in a better condition than yesterday and the feeling with the bike is now very good. We managed to improve above all the front and so now I can push a lot harder. It’s not going to be easy to stay with the leaders in the race, in particular Marquez and Rossi, but seeing as all the sensations are good, we really must try to do so. We may also have to take into consideration the conditions tomorrow, because every day here in Argentina the track changes, and so we’ll have a good look at the situation during the warm-up.”
Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team #29) – 1’40.272 (6th)
“I have to say that this afternoon I struggled a bit: for sure we could have scored a better result but unfortunately I was not able to do a perfect lap. Oh well, tomorrow it will be important to make a very good start and so for sure we’ll be focusing on that. We have to be ready for everything, because it will be a race where it’s not that clear what the actual performance values of everyone are. We are not that far off the pace, and if we manage to improve a little but more, the race could become really interesting.”
More, from a press release issued by Aspar Team:
ASPAR riders looking to improve on Sunday
Eugene Laverty will start from the sixth row of the grid and Yonny Hernández will try to repeat his strong start at the GP of Qatar in front of the South American fans
The MotoGP action in Argentina on Saturday was interrupted twice by red flags, the first two of the season. The first pause came due to a problem with the rear tyre of Scott Redding, before uncertainty about the performance of the tyres at this tricky circuit led to another break a few minutes later. Spaniard Marc Márquez was the fastest in qualifying at the Autodromo de Termas de Rio Hondo, three tenths faster than any other rider on track. Next to him on the front row of the grid are Yamaha teammates Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo, second and third respectively. The rain held off on Saturday but could make an appearance tomorrow.
The Aspar Team riders both struggled in Q1 to get the best grid spots for the race tomorrow. Eugene Laverty fell just over two tenths of a second short of making Q2. The Irishman had concluded the last free practice in 11th place but was not able to repat the result in qualifying. However, he is still confident of a good race pace. Meanwhile, Yonny Hernández suffered mechanical problems which prevented him from keeping up the pace he had shown during the last free practice session. However, the Colombian rider hopes to repeat his good start in the first GP of the season to put on a good show for the South American fans.
Eugene Laverty 17th 1’40.990: “The position is not fantastic but the lap times were really close. We know we have a good setting for the race because in FP4 I used the hard tyre and did a really good lap time, so hopefully we can finish much higher than seventeenth! It seems some other riders were able to gain more of an advantage than me with the soft tyre, so I am happy to use the hard tyre for the race – our performance is good.”
Yonny Hernández 21st 1’41.692: “I’m disappointed because we had a good pace on used tyres in the final practice session and we were working hard, but things just didn’t go to plan. We had a problem with an engine and only had one bike working well for qualifying, but then we had another issue with the chain. In the end we will start from the last row, so I hope we can solve the mechanical problems and get a good start like in Qatar. I will try to recover all the positions I can in order to get into the points and have a good race.”
More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:
DOUBLE FRONT ROW FOR MOVISTAR YAMAHA IN TERMAS DE RÍO HONDO QUALIFYING
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo made a step during a tense second day in Argentina. Rossi waited until after the chequered flag went out to take second place on the starting grid at the Termas de Río Hondo Circuit. Teammate Jorge Lorenzo continued his impressive pace from the third free practice in the afternoon and rode his Yamaha YZR-M1 to a third place starting position for tomorrow‘s Gran Premio Motul de la República Argentina.
Termas de Rio Hondo (Argentina), 2nd April 2016
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Valentino Rossi had his fans at the Termas de Río Hondo Circuit cheering today when he qualified second for tomorrow‘s Gran Premio Motul de la República Argentina. Doubts on tyre choice didn‘t slow down teammate Jorge Lorenzo either. He gave a solid performance during the tense 15-minute session, taking third on the grid.
Tension ran high in the paddock today as the fourth free practice session was red-flagged and re-started twice, due to safety conditions after Scott Redding had an incident whilst riding with the softer option, medium rear tyre.
Rossi used the delayed final minutes of FP4 to get back into rhythm again, in preparation for the time attack during the ’Qualifying 2‘ session, which was pushed back by a little more than half an hour.
The Doctor bided his time at the start of the qualifying session to avoid traffic. The nine time World Champion soon dropped a 1‘40.791s to move up to fourth position. Unable to improve on his second try he was pushed back to eighth place, but he soon responded by picking up the pace. Riding on the edge, he was one of just three riders to dip under the 1‘40s mark with a 1‘39.988s lap for second place, before quickly returning to the box with five and half minutes remaining.
One and a half minutes later he was back on track to pick up the pace. Though Rossi didn‘t beat his personal best time thus far on his fourth flying lap, he kept his head down. Having been pushed back to third by teammate Lorenzo after the chequered flag came out, he set a 1’39.786s on his final attempt, cutting the margin to the man in pole down to 0.375s as he returned to second place.
When the FP4 session was restarted for the second time, teammate Lorenzo headed out for the final four minutes of the session, but a slide down the track in turn one meant he was forced to start ’Qualifying 2‘ on his second bike.
Despite the earlier commotion the Majorcan kept his trademark focus when the 15-minute qualifying session kicked off. He was the first rider to come out of the box and needed little time to put the hammer down. His first hot lap was a 1‘40.574s for provisional second place and he immediately returned to the pits for a fresh rear tyre with more than nine minutes left on the clock.
The current World Champion was pushed back to fifth and found a clear space on the track for his second attempt to improve his starting position. Dropping a hot lap of 1‘40.140, he shot up to third place in the standings to make a second stop with four minutes of the session remaining. A little more than a minute later he made his way out of pit lane and had just enough time left for a final try. At the time holding fourth place, he dropped a hot lap of 1‘39.944s to reclaim third position, 0,533s off the front.
Tomorrow the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP teammates will continue the action at 10:40 – 11:00 (local track time) in the morning warm-up session, followed by the race at 16:00.
MASSIMO MEREGALLI
TEAM DIRECTOR
Today was challenging because it was filled with many questions about the settings, grip provided by the tarmac and tyres allocation. We got positive feedback since the beginning of FP3 so we could improve consistently throughout qualifying. Valentino and Jorge did a really good job today, being continuously fast in all the sessions. Even though they had different strategies for qualifying they both set good times and considering the issues we had yesterday, a double front row start is a very satisfying result. The solid teamwork paid off and we still have the opportunity to better the set up for tomorrow. We still have to decide on the tyre we will use for the race based on further information that we might receive from Michelin. We expect a hard race but we have the pace to be competitive at the front so it should be an exciting battle to watch.
VALENTINO ROSSI
Last year in Qatar and also here in Argentina the qualifying was bad, but on the other side the races were fantastic. Now we have done a good qualifying, but the race will be tomorrow. Anyway I‘m quite happy because we worked well on the bike and also the track improved a lot today, we can push more and also have a good pace. I think battling with Marquez will be hard because he is faster, but I‘m not so bad and the most important thing is to fight for the podium and make it a good race. About the hard rear, we need to wait for Michelin‘s decision and try to understand which tyre we should use.”
JORGE LORENZO
Today we got a better day overall and we could make some important improvements with the set up and especially the track improved a lot so we had a very good first session. Unfortunately in the afternoon during FP4 a tyre issue put the session on stand by, due to the red flag and after that I crashed so we lost the opportunity to swap the bikes in the qualifying, but despite this the first row was the main goal and we were able to achieve it so I‘m quite satisfied. Let‘s see what happens with the tyre allocation for the race, but I think we are ready to fight. I would like maybe to use the medium tyre. If we have to ride with the harder option we will have less grip but we will do well.”
More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda:
CONFIDENT CRUTCHLOW QUALIFIES ON ROW THREE
It was a stop-start day of qualifying for the MotoGP riders at the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit in Argentina, with a couple of red flag incidents breaking up the normal flow of the day. Despite suffering his own crash during the final qualifying session, Cal Crutchlow still managed to slide his LCR Honda onto the third row of the grid in ninth place, and was positive about his chances in Sunday’s 25-lap shootout.
The British rider became one of eight different riders to fall foul of the tricky turn one, but after rushing back to the pits he powered on to improve his best lap time on his second bike, eventually stopping the clock in a time of 1’40.528. Crutchlow has high hopes of a decent result in Argentina, scene of his third-place in 2015.
#35 Cal Crutchlow – 9th (1’40.528)
“Today was quite a good day, but I’m a bit disappointed with my qualifying position. I felt that we actually had a really strong pace. I made a small mistake into turn one – I braked a little too late and it wasn’t possible to make the corner and unfortunately I crashed. That wasted some important time.”
“I went out after with the second bike which didn’t quite have the same feeling. It’s a little bit of a different bike and it just wasn’t quite the same as the other one. Overall though, I’m quite confident for tomorrow because we have a good pace and I feel good on the bike. I think a good result is possible, but we have to get away with the leaders.”
More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
Not even even two crashes could stop Marquez from roaring to pole
A late crash couldn’t stop Marc Marquez from taking pole position with Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo behind him on the front row.
It was a dramatic FP4 session as the red flag twice came out. With 19 and a half minutes remaining, Scott Redding (Octo Pramac Yakhnich) encountered an issue with the rear of his bike at Turn 6. The Brit was able to ride his bike off the track, but debris brought out the red flag. After a brief pause the session resumed.
Riders returner to the track but the session was then brought to stop again as with four minutes remaining, the red flag was deployed again on safety grounds. Race Direction chose to investigate the Redding incident fully. At 14:25 Local Time the session was resumed for the final four minutes.
As a result Michelin have withdrawn the two rear tyre options and replaced it with a ‘special’ rear featuring a harder construction to withstand the temperatures and demands of the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit. An extra 30 minute Free Practice session will be held at 09:00 Local Time to allow riders to adapt to the new situation.
Monster Yamaha Tech 3 duo Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith joined the top ten MotoGP™ World Championship riders for Q2. Track temperature was just above 40°C, slightly warmer than in FP3. All riders headed out with the hard front tyre and the medium option Michelin tyres for the start of the 15-minute session.
It didn’t take long for the fast times to come, Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) ‘easing’ into the session with a 1’39.411, the fastest lap of the weekend. This time immediately put him a second clear of the rest of the field and saw the riders playing catch up.
Unlike in Qatar, Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) returned to the pits after just a single flying lap, opting for a slightly different strategy to the rest of the field. His teammate, Valentino Rossi, chose to stay out for several laps and was the second rider to drop into the 1’39s by the half way mark of the session.
Two or three stop strategies didn’t matter as the session came to a close, Marquez untouchable in the session. A crash at Turn 1 with three minutes remaining saw the Spaniard unable to improve his time, but no rider was able to get with 0.3s of his 1’39.411. This is Marquez’s first pole position since Phillip Island in 2015 and his 13th consecutive front row start in the premier class. On each of his visits to the Termas de Rio Hondo, Marquez has started on pole.
A 1’39.786 saw ‘The Doctor’ as the only rider able to get within half a second of Marquez’s time. This is just Rossi’s 13th front row start since returning to Yamaha in 2013. Rossi’s last front row start came at the Malaysian GP in 2015, where he went on to finish third. The Italian proved in Qatar that if he can stay with the front riders he can battle for the podium, second on the grid gives him a perfect perch to launch from and stop Lorenzo and Marquez escaping.
Completing the front row is defending MotoGP™ World Champion Jorge Lorenzo, third his worst grid position since he was fourth at the Malaysia GP in 2015. His 1’39.786 was 0.533s back on Marquez’s time, both riders having fallen at Turn 1 over the course of the Gran Premio Motul de la República Argentina weekend. Due to his crash in FP4 the Majorcan had only one bike for the session, a second fall would have been devastating. The top three were the only riders able to drop into the 1’39s.
Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) will lead the charge from the second row, 0.6s behind his teammate. Fourth is a dramatic improvement over his seventh place start in Qatar. Pedrosa will be aiming to return to the podium after missing out in Qatar, the leading riders able to break away without him.
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) starts as the leading Ducati in fifth; his early pace not lasting until Qualifying as both the factory Ducati riders struggled slightly some speed. His teammate, Andrea Iannone, will start just behind him in sixth, 0.074s dividing the two riders. Both have had historically strong races in Argentina and Iannone needs to finish in the points after crashing out of the Qatar GP.
After a promising start to the weekend, Maverick Viñales (Team Suzuki Ecstar) was only able to manage seventh on the grid. This may appear as a modest result, but is a three-place improvement over his 2015 Argentina GP start.
Hector Barbera (Avintia Racing) secured the honours of top Independent Team rider once again as he grabbed eighth on the grid. Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) fell at Turn 1 as he began his second flying lap, the Brit on his feet and running back to the pits for his second machine immediately. He will begin the race in ninth.
Pol Espargaro (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) will launch from 10th and ahead of brother Aleix Espargaro (Team Suzuki Ecstar). Brit Bradley Smith’s (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) Q2 session came to a premature end as he fell at Turn 1, starting 12th as a result. All of the top 12 were within a second of a half of each other.
Colombian rider Yonny Hernandez (Aspar Team MotoGP) will start from 21st on the grid for his home round.
Racing begins at 16:00 Local Time for the premier class in Argentina, the race lasting 22 laps.
Moto2™ pole goes to Lowes in Argentina
After a frustrating session, Sam Lowes secures pole position for the Argentina GP with Zarco and Folger joining him on the front run, under 0.3s splitting them.
As the final session of the day, Moto2™ Qualifying took place in arguably the best conditions of the weekend as ample rubber had been laid down before hand. The session progressed steadily with Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport) taking an early lead with a 1’43.589, just 0.005s faster than Jonas Folger’s (Dynavolt Intact GP) best lap from practice.
Everything seemed set in stone until the final moments of the session. Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) had had a frustrating time throughout as he constantly found other riders in his path. All the tank bashing got the Brit fired up and as soon as he had clean track in front of him he flew, producing a 1’43.347. For just the fourth time in his Moto2™ World Championship career he will begin in pole position, his first pole since his home race in 2015. This is Lowes’ second front row start in 2016, having begun 2015 in a similar fashion.
Missing a repeat pole position, Zarco was a mere 0.119s behind the Brit. The Ajo Motorsport rider was not upset by missing out on pole, happy to start on the front row as he feels he has the pace to contend for victory. Throughout the weekend the Frenchman has looked strong, topping both Free Practice 1 and Free Practice 2 and never leaving the top five.
Completing the front row is Jonas Folger, the German out for redemption after his unforced error in Qatar. His 1’43.637 saw him within a third of a second of Lowes, the pair having a near coming together on the circuit. It has been an incredible start to the 2016 season for Folger who secured his first ever back-to-back front row starts in the intermediate class. The last time Folger had back-to-back front row starts was in 2013 in the Moto3™ class.
Forced to settle for fourth, Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) had been primed to start from the front row until the final flurry of fast laps bumped him down. The Japanese rider has been much more consistent than in previous years and appears back to his best.
Franco Morbidelli (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) repeats his Qatar GP Qualifying as he once again secured fifth on the grid. The hyper aggressive Italian came from 22nd to end the 2015 Argentina GP in fifth; no doubt he will be a contender come race day. Morbidelli showed in Qatar that he is capable of battling for victory, even against hyper experienced riders like Luthi.
Thomas Luthi (Garage Plus Interwetten), Sandro Cortese (Dynavolt Intact GP), Danny Kent (Leopard Racing), Lorenzo Baldassarri (Forward Team) and Axel Pons (AGR Team) formed the top ten. Ninth is a great result for Baldassarri given that he was forced to miss the Qatar GP just two weeks prior due to a double shoulder dislocation.
Edgar Pons (Paginas Amarillas HP 40) has withdrawn from the weekend and the Austin GP due to contract Hepatitis A. Three weeks complete rest has been prescribed by the doctor.
Racing in the intermediate class begins at 14:20 Local Time on Sunday the third of April.
South African Binder bags first pole position for the #ArgentinaGP
Tactics were of critical importance in a crowded Moto3™ Qualifying session, Brad Binder leading the front row with Fenati and Navarro behind.
With track temperatures slowly increasing, the Moto3™ World Championship took to the track in the hunt for pole position. Ambient temperature was a comfortable 29°C with the track reaching 40°C, slightly warmer than in Free Practice 3 but not as severe as Friday. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) was once again the early leader in the session, championship leader Niccolo Antonelli (Ongetta-Rivacold) just behind.
Due to his fast start, Binder found himself frequently followed by other riders looking for a fast time, the similar situation frequently occurring to Danny Kent in 2015. But by mid-session Binder was able to improve his time and set the provisional fastest lap of the weekend.
Ten minutes from the end, the customary final assault for pole began at the Gran Premio Motul de la República Argentina with new tyres fitted. None would be able to best Binder as the South African secured his first ever pole position in the World Championship. Not only is this his first ever pole, but it is just his second ever front row start. Binder is yet to win a race in the Moto3™ World Championship, despite having started every race.
Fellow KTM rider Romano Fenati (Sky Racing Team VR46) was 0.324s back on Binder, unable to match his 1’49.767. This is the second straight race that Fenati will start on the front row, his best ever back-to-back Qualifying results. Fenati heads into the Argentina GP looking for his first podium since the Aragon GP in 2015.
Completing the front row is Jorge Navarro (Estrella Galicia 0,0), improving his pace slowly over the course of the weekend. After penalties were applied he was the only Honda in the top five on the grid.
Fourth in the session was Khairul Idham Pawi (Honda Team Asia), an incredible result for the rookie. This is just his second year racing in Europe, the Malaysian showing incredible potential and natural talent on a motorcycle. Unfortunately he was handed a penalty for riding slowly and will start down in seventh place.
Nicolo Bulega (Sky Racing Team VR46) was fifth in the session, again impressing with a 1’50.278. Joan Mir (Leopard Racing) was sixth, the top six a perfect divide of experienced campaigns and young up and comers. Pawi, Bulega and Mir have all come through the FIM CEV Repsol Moto3™ Junior World Championship, the trio demonstrating the incredibly high level of the feeder series.
Khairul Idham Pawi and Karel Hanika (Platinum Bay Real Estate) were both handed three-place grid for slow riding during practice.
Bo Bendsneyder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) was penalised four places for the same offence as this was his second offence in two rounds.
With penalties applied the front row remains unchanged while, the second row will consist of Bulega, Mir and Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing Moto3) with Pawi leading the third row from Niccolo Antonelli and Fabio Quartararo (Leopard Racing). Times at the top remain incredibly close, the Moto3™ race building to be another nail bitter as in Qatar.
Darryn Binder (Platinum Bay Real Estate) fell early in the session at Turn 3 but sustained no serious injuries. Home rider Gabriel Rodrigo (RBA Racing Team) also fell early in the session at Turn 2, then a late fall at Turn 10. Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0) also suffered a fast fall at Turn 5, ending his session prematurely.
Lorenzo Petrarca (3570 Team Italia), Karel Hanika (Platinum Bay Real Estate), Juanfran Guevara (RBA Racing Team) and Francesco Bagnaia (Aspar Mahindra Team Moto3) were all involved in a large crash at Turn 2 as the flag came out. None were injured.
Warm Up for Moto3™ begins at 09:40 Local Time with the 21-lap race commencing at 13:00 Local Time on Sunday the third of April.