Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas
FIM MotoGP World Championship
Circuit of The Americas, Austin, Texas
April 9, 2016
Qualifying Results (all on Michelin tires):
From Qualifying Session Two:
1. Marc MARQUEZ, Spain (HONDA), 2:03.188
2. Jorge LORENZO, Spain (YAMAHA), 2:03.257
3. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (YAMAHA), 2:03.644
4. Andrea IANNONE, Italy (DUCATI), 2:03.913
5. Maverick VIÑALES, Spain (SUZUKI), 2:04.247
6. Cal CRUTCHLOW, UK (HONDA), 2:04.265
7. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (DUCATI), 2:04.339
8. Dani PEDROSA, Spain (HONDA), 2:04.379
9. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (SUZUKI), 2:04.408
10. Scott REDDING, UK (DUCATI), 2:04.485
11. Bradley SMITH, UK (YAMAHA), 2:04.988
12. Loris BAZ, France (DUCATI), 2:05.159
From Qualifying Session One:
13. Pol ESPARGARO, Spain (YAMAHA), 2:04.867
14. Hector BARBERA, Spain (DUCATI), 2:04.944
15. Eugene LAVERTY, Ireland (DUCATI), 2:05.425
16. Stefan BRADL, Germany (APRILIA), 2:05.625
17. Michele PIRRO, Italy (DUCATI), 2:05.702
18. Yonny HERNANDEZ, Colombia (DUCATI), 2:06.029
19. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (APRILIA), 2:06.049
20. Tito RABAT, Spain (HONDA), 2:06.562
21. Jack MILLER, Australia (HONDA), no time recorded
More, from a press release issued by Marc VDS Racing Team:
Miller withdraws with foot injury while Rabat qualifies 20th
Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider Jack Miller has been forced to withdraw from Sunday’s Grand of the Americas because of an injury to his right foot.
Miller’s brave bid to overcome the pain and discomfort ended after just three laps in today’s FP4 session and he did not participate in qualifying.
Miller’s Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS teammate Tito Rabat will start from 20th position in his first MotoGP race at the 5.5 km Circuit of the Americas in Texas.
Despite intensive physiotherapy and a pain killing injection the team decided that the safest option was to allow the 21-year-old Australian to concentrate on being fit for the next race at Jerez in Spain.
Overnight X-rays revealed Miller broke the 5th metatarsal in his right foot when he crashed in FP1 on Friday.
The heavy fall also bruised his right ankle, which he injured in a pre-season motocross crash although fortunately there was no further damage to those earlier fractures.
The 20-turn COTA circuit is one of the most demanding on the calendar and MotoGP rookie Rabat continued to struggle in maximising rear grip under acceleration
Jack Miller: Withdrawn
“This is a really physically demanding track and with every lap the pain just got worse so in the interests of safety it is better to give this race a miss. We tried all the options with physiotherapy and a pain killing injection for FP4 but it didn’t work. I’m sorry for the team but this is racing and now I just want to be fit for the next race in Jerez. It’s unlucky but I’ve learnt a lesson from pushing too hard on a cold tyre in practice. The most pain is coming from my ankle, one of the screws in the plates from the earlier injury maybe moved a little bit when my foot hit the track.”
Tito Rabat: 20th – 2’06.562
“I am improving with every session and I go faster but the main problem is putting power onto the track and keeping stability on the bike under acceleration. In the chicanes and change of direction I feel good. But I lose time when I open the throttle and there are four corners like this and I don’t want to push harder and risk a crash for nothing. I can see what the other riders are doing and I need some help from the set-up and the bike to be faster.”
Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal
“It is disappointing Jack cannot race here, we need him in the team. It is more difficult to go into the race with just one rider. But our priority is Jack’s health for the rest of the season as there are still 15 races to go. The best decision is for Jack to recuperate and be ready for the next race in Jerez. For Tito it is has been difficult weekend to find a comfortable set-up on his first outing at this circuit so I expect it will not be an easy race for him.”
More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:
MOVISTAR YAMAHA SECURE FRONT ROW IN SCORCHING TEXAS QUALIFYING
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP riders Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi made it count in a heated qualifying session this afternoon, scoring second and third respectively on the front row of the grid for tomorrow‘s Grand Prix of the Americas.
Austin (Texas, USA), 9th April 2016
A determined build up in pace beginning from yesterday‘s free practice sessions by Movistar Yamaha MotoGP riders Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi saw the pair fly to second and third respectively this afternoon in qualifying at the COTA circuit for tomorrow‘s Grand Prix of the Americas.
Lorenzo was straight to business in the 15 minute qualifying heat, first out on track and head down to put the first time on the board, slotting in at the top with a 2‘03.613s lap. The Spaniard then returned immediately to the pits to evaluate his next move. It took until eight minutes remaining on the clock for rival Marc Marquez to challenge for the top spot, motivating Lorenzo to return to the track with a fresh rear to accept the challenge. He was immediately able to raise his game, scoring a 2‘03.257s in the hunt for pole, coming just 0.069 from the front man. The time was to stand to the end of the session, keeping Lorenzo on the front row in second place for tomorrow‘s race and very much within reach of his rival on pole.
Teammate Rossi chose to hold back at the start of the qualifying session, allowing the field to move out and ahead to provide clear space for his high speed run. The first shot on qualifying rubber got the Italian nine-time world champion up to speed, taking a 2‘05.780s lap. Having warmed up Rossi then put the hammer down and shot up the top ranking to take third with 2‘04.355s effort. With six minutes to go he then returned to the pits for new rubber before making a final challenge. Whilst in the pits, fellow Italian Andrea Ianonne had moved up to take third, bumping Rossi down to fourth. The move was quickly rebuffed with Rossi striking back in the last moments of the session, dropping under the ’04 mark with a 2‘03.664s to retake his front row slot alongside his teammate Lorenzo for the big show tomorrow.
MASSIMO MEREGALLI
TEAM DIRECTOR
The first row in today’s qualifying by both Jorge and Vale is a great result that all team members deserve for the job they have been doing since Thursday. It’s not only the front row that gives us confidence, but especially the gap from the front runner, that we have been able to reduce dramatically to less than one tenth in the case of Jorge. I knew both guys could get the front row today because I saw how hard they worked on track and in the garage with their own crews, allowing them to improve their feeling on the bike session by session. Jorge did an amazing lap, without making any mistakes. His second place today is worthy of a pole position. Valentino has had a good pace since yesterday and today he felt perfect on the bike, hence his third place on the grid. Starting from the front row tomorrow, especially on this track, is a huge advantage and we’ll try to exploit their starting positions to set the race rhythm. Today the weather conditions did not allow us to test the tyres on a long distance, so tomorrow morning, if the weather stays dry and sunny, we’ll close the program and then we’ll be ready for the afternoon’s race. I look forward to it.
JORGE LORENZO
Little by little we are coming closer and closer. I was very focused to make the fastest lap time as soon as possible, we made a great first lap then I didn’t expect to improve so much, more or less half a second more, and stay so close to Marquez. I was really pleased, really proud, it was a pity to not be in first place as we were only half a tenth slower than Marc but I think we made a great job in these two days and we are quite ready for tomorrow. It will be a long race with different tyres and for sure the physical condition and concentration will be hard, and to stay on the bike will be important!
VALENTINO ROSSI
This result is crucial for the race tomorrow and it‘s also a good result for the work that we‘ve done today, from this morning we‘ve improved the bike a lot and this afternoon in the free practice with the race tyre I was quite strong. I started qualifying quite confident and I did some good laps. The front row is always a very good target especially when I have to fight with Marquez and Lorenzo when they are quite strong.
More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3:
Tech3 pair confident and ready for American GP battle tomorrow
Monster Yamaha Tech3 team rider Bradley Smith produced a spirited performance in qualifying today after working relentlessly to turn around his fortunes in Texas. The 25-year-old began the day by carrying on his efforts as he fought his way around the physical and meandering circuit before finishing with a time that meant he would contest in QP1. Here, he got straight up to speed and posted an impressive lap that was over a second quicker than his personal best in FP3. The strong time marked a significant improvement for Smith who worked closely with his team in preparation of the following 15-minute shootout. When it commenced, the Briton continued where he left off and eventually powered to a time that will see him begin the Grand Prix from the middle of the fourth row. The 2015 fastest satellite rider now has his sights set on sealing a top tier finish in tomorrow’s 21 lap race.
On the other side of the Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team pit box, Pol Espargaro came agonisingly close to competing in QP2 twice, but just fell short after giving his all in two highly competitive MotoGP sessions. The young Spaniard kicked off his day by further adjusting the setup of his Yamaha YZR-M1 during FP3 and he missed out on the cut off to QP 2 by a blink of an eye and a mere 0.014 of a second. When the first qualifying practice commenced, Espargaro leapt forward and quickly set about speeding to a top lap. After pushing non-stop, he closed the session with a time that was just 0.018 from second, meaning that he will start the third round of the MotoGP World Championship from the head of the 5th row on the starting grid. Nevertheless, Espargaro intends to fight all the way to the chequered flag with the aim to join his teammate in the battle for the top independent rider position.
Bradley Smith
Position : 11th Time : 2’04.988 Laps : 7
“Firstly, I have to give a big thanks to the team because they didn’t pause from working throughout today and they never stopped believing in me or the direction that I wanted to go towards regarding the feeling of the bike. Without their efforts, it wouldn’t have been possible so again, I must thank them. Yesterday we made a few big adjustments and still struggled. However, step by step we’ve now come back to where we need to be due to our work in the third and fourth practice sessions today. Of course, I still believe that we can improve further tomorrow and we have a good chance to do this in the warm up as well as later in the race. I feel a lot more positive with the bike that I now have underneath me for the GP. Yet, having said that we still need to make a decision regarding the tyre choice, because we were working so hard on the setting of the bike that we didn’t decide on the tyres. It’s a fantastic result by my team and I’m really pleased with this position so now I look forward to seeing what we can achieve in the race.”
Pol Espargaro
Position : 13th Time : 2’04.867 Laps : 6
“The day ended in a disappointing way and of course, I’m not satisfied with the result and how things went. It’s strange because overall we managed to improve the bike and the feelings with the new harder rear tyre were positive. Yet, from FP3 onwards we started to experience some vibrations, which we weren’t able to solve today. Nevertheless, even if it was tricky to ride, I pushed as much as I possibly could in all of the sessions. In the morning, I just missed QP2 by 0.014 in the final seconds of the session and to be honest, this was quite frustrating. Afterwards, we experienced the same issues in FP4 and again in Qualifying 1. There, I really gave it everything I had and risked crashing out in every braking area, but in the end, it wasn’t enough to go to QP2 and once more, I missed out by only a small margin of 0.018. To start from the fifth row complicates the race a bit because the first corner is critical. In fact, I had a problem here at the beginning of the GP last year where another rider crashed into me and I couldn’t do anything about it. Anyway, this afternoon we will have to work to find a solution to our issue and I think that if we turn the situation around we have a good chance of riding to a decent result. Also, we still have to decide which rear tyre we want to use because at the moment we don’t have a clear indication. The soft is too soft for the 21 laps and with the hard one we can be more consistent but this kind of tyre makes us lose a few tenths every lap. So we have some work to do, but I am determined to finish the Grand Prix as well as I possibly can tomorrow.”
More, from a press release issued by Aprilia:
SIXTH AND SEVENTH ROW FOR THE APRILIA RS-GP MACHINES AT THE CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS
The latest MotoGP practice sessions on the Austin circuit promise a rather interesting race tomorrow. In fact, there are quite a few riders who will be contending for a position in the points, a compact group that includes Alvaro Bautista and Stefan Bradl’s Aprilia RS-GP machines.
The Aprilia Racing Team Gresini standard-bearers will start tomorrow from the sixth (Bradl, 16th) and seventh (Bautista, 19th) row on the grid after also demonstrating a greatly improved race pace. Something is still lacking on the flying lap, a condition that is definitely affected by the inexperience in the saddle of the new Aprilia prototype.
In view of the race, the weather factor is not to be underestimated. Today on the Texan track, the rain, although light, had an impact on a few of the cadet category sessions, whereas the MotoGP FP3, FP4 and qualifying sessions were held on a substantially dry track.
ALVARO BAUTISTA
“This morning we did a very important test on the setup, trying to improve, but it didn’t provide the results we had hoped for. So in the afternoon we made some less drastic changes in what we felt was the best direction and I tried using the hard rear tyre. All told, it didn’t go badly, a lot will depend on the temperature we find for the race tomorrow. We need to improve acceleration, coming out of the corners the bike tends to become unstable and that costs us time. In qualifying I improved my time and I could have done even better, but unfortunately another rider got in the way. In any case, we know that we can improve a lot in the race. We’ll see what the weather is like tomorrow and we’ll do our best”.
STEFAN BRADL
“These were good qualifiers for me. My only disappointment is that I wasn’t able to line up my best performance in the various sectors. On my flying lap I also had to overtake a rider and that cost me a few tenths in the straight stretch, but I’m satisfied anyway, especially because in the practice sessions we found some good solutions that give us a good pace even on used tyres. It will be an interesting race. On such a difficult track the RS-GP is performing well, so we are moving in the right direction. We still have a few things to try during the warmup session, especially the hard rear tyre option that we will evaluate”.
More, from a press release issued by Aspar Team:
Eugene Laverty to start the Grand Prix of the Americas from the fifth row
Yonny Hernández on the sixth row of the grid at the Circuit of the Americas
The fourth edition of the Grand Prix of the Americas is underway and for the fourth successive year the same man heads the grid for the race: Spaniard Marc Márquez. He had already been fastest in the four free practice sessions and qualifying was no different. Marquez’s pole was achieved in the closest session of the weekend so far, with Jorge Lorenzo just 0.069s behind in second place, whilst Valentino Rossi has also qualified on the front row of the grid. Sunday’s race at the Circuit of the Americas will not feature Australian rider Jack Miller, who has fractured a metatarsal in his right foot.
Eugene Laverty was the best of the Aspar riders in the qualifying session today with a final lap which put him on the fifth row of the grid. The Irish rider was just over half a second off the lap of Aleix Espargaró which took the Spaniard into Q2. However, Laverty was positive about the result today and is looking for a comeback in the race tomorrow. Meanwhile, Yonny Hernández hopes to score his first points in the championship and will start tomorrow’s race from the sixth row of the grid.
15th Eugene Laverty 2’05.425: “It’s been a tough one this weekend actually. Yesterday with the crash it was difficult to find the direction. We went the wrong way this morning and came back a little bit this afternoon in qualifying. P15 is not bad but I’d like to be getting into Q2, that’s where we need to be. I’m on the fifth row so I’ve got to try and make a good start. This Ducati gets off the line well and I’ve got the horsepower for the back straight which always comes in handy, so let’s see what we can do. It is nice compared to last year when I didn’t have that power, I now have any extra overtaking place on the straight.”
18th Yonny Hernández 2’06.029: “We changed some things on the bike to try to improve and we did not have a good feeling. I felt like I could not have given any more. I changed my bike and the second one was very different, so I was unable to pick up the pace to get into the top positions. It’s a shame, but the most important day is tomorrow. For me the best strategy is to get a good start and focus on my performance. It would be nice to score some points for the championship and have a good race.”
More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:
Marquez scores fourth consecutive pole on Texan soil, Pedrosa eighth
Today Marc Marquez scored the 60th pole position of his career, his 32nd in the premier class and his fourth in a row at the Austin GP. Marc had started the day from where he left off yesterday, emerging first in both FP3 and FP4. Those sessions were held in slightly different conditions, perfectly dry in the morning, and less than ideal in the afternoon due to an earlier brief rain.
No matter the conditions, Marc set the pace, working with an eye toward the race. In FP3 and FP4 his RC213V was always fitted with the medium-spec rear tyre, as he only switched to the soft option for the qualifying session.
Despite working hard with his crew on every aspect of his bike setup, Dani Pedrosa hasn’t yet been able yet to connect all the dots, ending his day in eighth position, just over a tenth of a second away from the second row.
Marc Marquez
1ST 2’03.188
“I’m really happy with this pole position. It looks like I feel good here in America. Maybe I didn’t do the perfect lap in qualifying and both Yamahas are closer but we’ll try to manage as best as possible tomorrow. I’m happy with how the weekend is going in general, I feel a little better with the bike every time I go out on track and our pace for the race seems competitive. The tyres are working quite well, but of course, as always here at Austin, making the right choice for the front will be crucial. It will be a tough race, both physically and in terms of lap times, because even though it doesn’t seem like it, everything is pretty tight, but I feel comfortable and I think I have the chance to fight for the victory.”
Dani Pedrosa
8TH 2’04.379
“This weekend has been a bit tough for us so far; we are working very hard but just not going fast, in particular due to the grip levels. This afternoon I tried the hard tyre, but it’s not the one that works best for us. It has been difficult for us to find the best setup for the bike. We will continue working hard for the race; we have to be very focused and make a good start.”
More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing:
Scott wins his first Top 10 qualifying of the season. Pirro finishes 17th
Saturday’s qualifying at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, ends with Scott Redding’s first Top 10 qualifying. As a result, he will start the Americas GP from the fourth row. Michele Pirro had to settle for seventeenth place after he gave up ambitions of Q2 due to a fall in his Q1 second run.
In a day marked by unstable rains, that have cooled the circuit without ever interrupting the activities, of MotoGP class, Scott Redding confirmed his good feeling with Octo Pramac Yakhnich Ducati Desmosedici GP as he conquered the direct qualification to Q2 on his FP3 last lap. The British rider lapped very fast in race pace during FP4 staying a long time with the leading group to finish fourth with great confidence for tomorrow. In Q2 he missed, however, that small step that would have earned him other positions. In fact, Scott has ended up tenth with a crono of 2’04.485, only two tenths of second from the second row.
Michele Pirro seemed to be able to fight for a place in Q2 but after fitting soft tires for time attack, he crashed at first corner of his first run having to settle for the 17th position with a time of 2’05,702. Even for the Fiamme Oro rider, however, good indications comes from FP4. In fact Octo Pramac Yakhnich #51, lapped with confidence just 134 milliseconds behind the Top 10.
10th – Scott Redding
2’04.485
This is the best qualifying of the season and I feel quite satisfied. I must admit that I have never been very strong in qualifying and to be honest, I do not know why. My target was the third row but that is okay: we are very close. Unfortunately, I have never managed to do a perfect lap. I feel confident for tomorrow. I did well in FP4 and the feeling with the hard rear tire is good. I hope to find soon the pace I had in Argentina. But it will be important to start better.
17th – Michele Pirro
2’05.702
Too bad, really. I put the new tire, and I crashed at the first corner as I lost the front. I am disappointed because I could have done better, it was also possible to get into Q2 because I’ve always been very close to the riders in front. I am confident for tomorrow even if I will start from behind. I am confident because my feeling is good and this is why I am disappointed. I have to apologize to the team because we had the potential to improve.
More, from a press release issued by Avintia Racing:
Baz and Barbera ready for the Grand Prix of the Americas
The day started really well for Loris Baz at the Circuit of the Americas, with the Avintia Racing rider setting the eight fastest time in FP3 (2’04.576) and taking a place in this afternoon’s Q2 qualifying session. Baz’s happiness was in sharp contrast with the disappointment of Hector Barbera who didn’t pass the cut and was forced to fight in Q1 for the first time in this season. Barbera had to battle hard trying to get one of the two access places for the final 15 minutes session. But the competition was high with Smith and Espargaro bros ending the session ahead of the Avintia Racing rider. But Hector is confident about his race pace and his aim for tomorrow will be to fight for a top ten finish.
Loris Baz was in Q2 for the first time in MotoGP today in Austin. The 23-year-old finished twelfth and he is eager to do a great start and recover some places to get his first championship points of the season with Avintia Racing and Ducati.
Loris Baz | 2’05.159 | P12
“This morning I was really happy, I had a good pace and a good feeling with the bike. But it rained after FP3 and during Q2 my feeling was not there. You had to ride in a different way and I was not able to adapt to the new conditions. Anyway my last lap was fast following Pedrosa, but I hit neutral and I had a big moment. Overall I’m happy, this was my best ever qualifying result in MotoGP, and although I think today was possible to fight for the third row, tomorrow the most important thing will be to manage the tyres over the race distance. I’m looking forward to start and finish my first race this season.”
Hector Barbera | 2’04.944 | P14
“So far, the weekend has been very difficult. We had unexpected problems and we tried some ideas that didn’t worked. We didn’t work well and we could see it clear this morning when we were not able to get into Q2. I had to try it in Q1, and in my final lap I knew that I had to pass Bautista, because if I would not try, my lap would be slower… But we lost the lap. I didn’t find a good feeling to set a fast lap, but on the other hand, I’m confident for the race. I’m eager to start because I know that I can complete a positive race.”
More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:
Second and third row for Ducati Team riders in GP of the Americas qualifying at Austin
Andrea Iannone set fourth quickest time in this afternoon’s Q2 session, while Andrea Dovizioso was classified in seventh place.
The rider from Abruzzo however will start from the third row in tomorrow’s 21-lap race due to the penalty he picked up following the GP of Argentina, while as a result of this Dovizioso is promoted to row 2 for the race.
In the morning’s FP3 session, Iannone was second quickest behind Marquez, while Dovizioso was classified in ninth. As a result both Ducati Team men gained direct access to the afternoon’s Q2 session.
Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team #29) – 2’03.913 (4th)
“This afternoon everything seemed to be a bit more difficult: I don’t know if the rain had made the track conditions worse, or for whatever reason, but in any case I struggled to be quicker than in the morning. On the last lap of Q2 I was improving my time, but I went long and so it wasn’t one of my best qualifying performances. Here at Austin it seems to be easier for me to have a good pace than do a quick lap, and I’d like to understand if it depended on the characteristics of the track this afternoon or on some problem of mine. Tomorrow it will be really important to make a good start, because it could be decisive for the outcome of my race.”
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 2’04.339 (7th)
“Unfortunately it’s been a bit of a troubled weekend for several reasons. We have always had small issues that prevented us from doing a complete session, except for qualifying. I don’t have much feeling on the front, especially in the middle of the curve because the front end tends to close in easily, and also in qualifying I didn’t do a great time because I didn’t ride smoothly. However we are set up better for the race: with the hard rear tyre we are quick and this is surely an advantage, but I had hoped to come into qualifying with a bit more pace. Tomorrow morning in the warm-up we will try and improve a bit more and I’m confident I’ll manage to stay in the leading group in the race.”
More, form a press release issued by LCR Honda:
CRUTCHLOW QUALIFIES AS THE TOP INDEPENDENT RIDER IN AUSTIN
Cal Crutchlow will start Sunday’s Grand Prix of the Americas from fifth place on the grid after a stunning performance during qualifying. The LCR Honda rider set the sixth-fastest time of the 15-minute Qualifying 2 session, but with Andrea Iannone hit with a three-place grid penalty, the Brit is moved forward a spot for the race.
With a couple of technical issues in the morning session it was already a stunning lap that had seen Crutchlow through to the afternoon’s qualifying final. Then he pulled out another last minute effort on his Rizoma branded RCV to qualify as the top independent rider on the grid for the first time this season, and was also the second-quickest Honda rider behind poleman Marc Marquez.
#35 Cal Crutchlow – 6th (5th on grid – 2’04.265)
“Today is a good day for us. The whole Team did a fantastic job because we had some mechanical problems in the third free practice, and we had to change the whole bike in FP4. So it was a little tough to manage the situation but overall we are doing the best job with what we have.”
“Tomorrow we have to look forward to the race because I think our pace isn’t too bad, and we should be competitive. It’s better to be on the second row for the start to give us a chance of getting away with the fastest riders.”
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office:
VIÑALES ON THE 2ND ROW AT COTA MotoGP™
Team SUZUKI ECSTAR’s Maverick Viñales will start from the second row at tomorrow’s MotoGP™ World Championship third round at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas as team-mate Aleix Espargaró qualified on row three.
Viñales set himself in between the top riders once again in today’s qualifying, resulting in being the fifth fastest rider in Q2 with a time of 2’04.247. Because of the penalisation of Iannone, who will be penalised by three places, Viñales will jump to fourth place on the grid. His positive day started in morning’s free practice, when a few improvements in his GSX-RR’s set-up allowed him to improve his lap times and get the direct access to Q2. In qualifying, some more troubles with the set-up and the new tyres made his session a little harder, but he found the pace to record a second-row start.
The improvements for Aleix Espargaró continued today as well, with significant drops in his lap times. The set-up is giving him more and more confidence and this led to a positive performance. Although in FP3 he couldn’t get direct access to Q2, his determination helped him to score a solid lap time in Q1, and the 12th rider to get into the qualifying for the top 12. In the following Q2, he could be effective and finally score the 2’04.408 that sets him on the third row.
Davide Brivio – Team Manager:
“At the end we managed to recover today that started in a hard way for some reasons. With Maverick we are still trying to fix some problems that are making his job hard, but despite these, he could get a really good position for the grid but thinking ahead to the race, we still have some work to do on making his tyre working better. Although Aleix had to pass through Q1 he finally managed to get into Q2 and he did a good job, getting the third row and he showed progress as well, which is important.”
Maverick Viñales:
“The second row is a good position to start from, but I’m not happy enough. Ok that we are fourth, but with more than a one second gap, this isn’t where I want to be. Today we couldn’t take all the profit out from our machine, in FP3 and FP4 we found an effective set-up with worn tyres, but then when I put the new ones for the qualifying we found out that it was much worse. This affected the qualifying, I felt I had the potential to get onto the first row and it’s a pity. We now have to understand what happened and what’s the solution for tomorrow. For sure we have to change our approach and try to be a lot more confident.”
Aleix Espargaró:
“I’m happy, I would have never thought that with a ninth place I would have been this happy, because this is not where Suzuki deserves to be, but it’s an improvement from where we were in the early races. In Qatar and Argentina I was feeling very bad; no way to understand how to be faster, I crashed many times, we had so many difficulties…. but now with this chassis and the new set-up I finally started to feel better, to be able to turn the bike as I want and finally to be more effective. In qualifying we did a very good job, I did many laps and finally I missed the second row by only one-tenth. Also in FP4 I made good times with worn tyres, so I think we are in a better position.”
More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
Four years produce four straight poles for Marquez in Texas
Marc Marquez remained undefeated at the Circuit of the Americas, securing pole position ahead of Lorenzo and Rossi.
The MotoGP™ World Championship headed out for a titanic 15 minute Q2 session. All eyes were on Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) as he was expected to again walk the field at a track that he has made his own. The Spaniard opted for the softer option front and rear while Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP), Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) and Cal Crutchlow (LCR) went with the medium front option.
It was Lorenzo who struck first, immediately setting a 2’03.613, the fastest lap of the weekend up to that point. Not only was this the fastest lap of the weekend, but it was also Lorenzo’s first 2’03s, having only previously managed mid 2’04s.
But Marquez responded immediately and dropped to a 2’03.188, just over a second off his own pole record and 0.425s faster than Lorenzo’s time. After their first runs were complete, Lorenzo was the only rider within a second of Marquez.
Their battled continued as Lorenzo dropped his time to a 2’03.257, 0.069s behind Marquez and the closest a rider had been to him throughout the entire weekend. Neither would be able to improve their time, despite getting tantalisingly close on multiple occasions.
This meant for the fourth consecutive year, Marc Marquez secured pole position at the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas. Not only did he continue his domination of the Texas track, but Marquez also claimed the 60th pole position of his career and will have his first back-to-back starts from pole since the German and Indianapolis GPs in 2015.
After a difficult start to the weekend, Lorenzo was relieved to take second place and gave Marquez something to think about as he got within a tenth of him. It’s clear the Majorcan has the pace to stick with Marquez for a lap, but can he do it over race distance?
The gap was slightly larger to Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) in third, the Italian 0.387s behind his teammate and 0.456s back on Marquez. He may not have challenged for pole, but Rossi remains adamant that the front row will allow him to stay with the leading duo. Interestingly, Rossi used his bike with winglets to secure third, one of the first times he has used the winglets to achieve a fast lap. This is Rossi’s first back-to-back front row starts since the Malaysian and Australian GPs way back in 2013.
Fourth and leading the Ducati charge in the session was Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team). The Italian has been strong over the course of the weekend and he had been one of the few able to consistently get within a second of Marquez. Unfortunately Andrea Iannone will be demoted to seventh for Sunday’s race as a result of his attempted last lap pass in Argentina. Expect big moves from the Italian into Turn 1 after the lights go out.
Maverick Viñales (Team Suzuki Ecstar) produced the fifth fastest time and will be moved to fourth as a result of Iannone’s penalty. Back in 2015, Viñales started from 12th on the grid at the Circuit of the Americas, riding to ninth in the race. If he can again gain at least three places in the race, Viñales could very well be looking at a first visit to the podium. COTA was the scene of Viñales’ first Moto2™ victory in 2014.
Sixth in the session and the leading Independent Team rider, Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) will move to fifth on the grid for Sunday’s race. After two difficult opening rounds, Crutchlow is out to remain upright and score his first points of the year.
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team), Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team), Aleix Espargaro (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Scott Redding (Octo Pramac Yakhnich) completed the top ten. From Viñales in fifth to Loris Baz (Avintia Ducati) in 12th, under a second split the eight riders. While the leading four may be in a league of their own, the battle for the top ten looks tighter than ever.
Jack Miller (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) did not participate in Qualifying due to a broken fifth metatarsal in his right foot after a Friday fall. It was announced during the FP4 session that the Australian will miss the race and return to action in Jerez.
The premier class battle commences at 14:00 Local Time on Sunday.
Rins claims Americas GP pole with record-breaking lap
For the fourth time in his Moto2™ career, Alex Rins grabbed pole position as Zarco and Lowes completed the front row.
The sun shone down on Qualifying for the Moto2™ World Championship, the track improving with each and every lap. Alex Rins (Paginas Amarillas HP 40) immediately set the pace with a 2’08.850s on just his fourth lap, over a second faster than the existing pole record. A rapid lap in the bank, the Spaniard then shifted his attention to making up for the time lost to rain in FP3 and tweaked his race setup.
With ten minutes remaining the red flag was brought out after Efren Vazquez (JPMoto Malaysia) fell at Turn 7. He immediately received medical attention trackside and was transported off the circuit via ambulance. The Basque rider regained consciousness while being transported to the circuit medical centre before being flown to the University Medical Center Bravkenridge via helicopter.
Qualifying would resume for the final ten minutes, producing a swarm of frantic fast laps in the dying seconds of the session. But Rins’ time would go largely unchallenged, Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport) improving to a 2’09.066 on his final lap. Zarco was also under the pole position record by a considerable amount but unable to dip into the 2’08s like Rins.
2015 Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas race winner Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) was another to set an early benchmark lap. Like Zarco, he would improve his time late in the session to secure his third place position on the front row, eventually able to set a 2’09.100. The Brit remains astoundingly confident of his ability to remain with the front-runners; able to set competitive times even on 20 lap old tyres.
The top three proved in Argentina that they’re able to match each other’s pace and produce thrilling racing. They’ll be out to do the same again on Sunday as both Lowes and Rins hunt their first wins of the 2016 season.
Dominique Aegerter (CarXpert Interwetten) will lead the charge from the second row, the Swiss rider having had mixed fortunes since switching to Kalex machinery. Only 0.008s behind him was teammate and countryman Tom Luthi (Garage Plus Interwetten) who is out to defend his championship lead.
Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia), Jonas Folger (Dynavolt Intact GP), Simone Corsi (Speed Up Racing), Franco Morbidelli (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) and Sandro Cortese (Dynavolt Intact GP) made up the top ten.
All of the top eight riders were under the 2015 pole record and within half a second of Rins. Morbidelli was almost half a second behind Corsi in eighth, two clear groups emerging in Qualifying.
The third round of the Moto2™ World Championship begins at 12:20 Local Time on Sunday.
Moto3™ riders battle ever changing conditions as Oettl lands pole
Qualifying for Moto3™ in Austin saw the track go from wet to dry to wet to dry, conditions never ideal but Oettl keept his cool for pole from Navarro and Bastianini.
After a shower just before the lunch break, Qualifying began under heavy skies but with the rain holding off. The track was not yet fully dry as the pit lane opened and riders first went out with wet tyres. As the activity increased, the track quickly dried. Most riders did just two laps on their wet tyres before returning to the pits for slicks with over half an hour to go. Fabio Quartararo (Leopard Racing) was the first to hit the track with slicks, soft in the front and rear.
The Moto3™ World Championship Qualifying began to pick up stream as Philipp Oettl (Schedl GP Racing) began to improve his times, dropping under the 2’20 barrier with 27 minutes remaining. Slicks were now clearly the choice for the remainder of the session even though times were still three seconds off the pace of FP2.
Everything looked to be progressing well until the rain flag was brought out with 20 minutes remaining. Riders out on track pushed for a final fast lap before any water settled on track. The field would soon be sent back to the pits once again. Riders returned, but many kept their helmets and tyre warmers on, ready to go back out on track as soon as the rain stopped.
With ten minutes remaining riders were back out again with slick tyres fitted. Was a hectic battle for pole position just beyond the horizon? Several riders down the order would improve their time, but none inside the top ten saw their positions changed.
This saw Oettl secure the first pole position of his career. The German rider has frequently shown well in practice but has struggled to complete a single fast during Qualifying. His work ethic saw him complete more laps than any other rider in the early part of the session. A 2’18.398 may have been three seconds off the pole record, but he was still half a second faster than anyone else in the session.
Jorge Navarro (Estrella Galicia 0,0) will line up second on the grid, repeating his front row start from Argentina. The last two times Navarro has started from the front row he has gone on to finish on the podium, a foreboding sign for Sunday’s race. With 29 points, Navarro is just seven points shy of the lead in the championship. As both of his rivals start outside the top ten, Austin could be a perfect chance for the Spaniard to grab the points lead.
For the first time in 2016, Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing Moto3) will start from the front row as the Italian took third in the session. It has so far been a disappointing start to the year as he has claimed just 11 points and has only once scored points.
Jakub Kornfeil (Drive M7 SIC Racing Team) and Romano Fenati (Sky Racing Team VR46) will head the second row of the grid. The entire top five took huge benefit from setting a banker lap during the first dry period of the session.
In just his third World Championship race, Adam Norrodin (Drive M7 SIC Racing Team) will start sixth. This comes just a week after the Malaysian produced a spirited ride in Argentina to challenge for the podium before falling at the final corner.
Andrea Locatelli (Leopard Racing), Jules Danilo (Ongetta-Rivacold), Fabio Quartararo (Leopard Racing) and Livio Loi (RW Racing GP BV) formed the top ten. Times were more spread out than usual due to the unusual conditions of the session. Many of the big names and championship hopefuls in the lightweight class missed out on the top ten, unable to make the most of limited dry track time.
Championship leader Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) will start in 12th place while Qatar GP winner Nicolo Antonelli (Ongetta-Rivacold) will launch from down in 30th place.
Karel Hanika (Platinum Bay Real Estate) crashed at Turn 14 with Stefano Valtulini (3570 Team Italia) suffering a third crash of the weekend at Turn 15.
Racing begins for the Moto3™ World Championship at 11:00 Local Time on Sunday.