FIM MotoGP World Championship
Sachsenring, Germany
July 11, 2015
Qualifying Results (all on Bridgestone tires):
From Qualifying Session One (top two advance to Qualifying Session Two):
1. Yonny HERNANDEZ, Colombia (DUCATI), 1:21.333
2. Maverick VIÑALES, Spain (SUZUKI), 1:21.566
3. Hector BARBERA, Spain (DUCATI), 1:21.628
4. Scott REDDING, UK (HONDA), 1:21.632
5. Danilo PETRUCCI, Italy (DUCATI), 1:21.760
6. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (APRILIA), 1:22.049
7. Alex DE ANGELIS, San Marino (ART-APRILIA), 1:22.195
8. Jack MILLER, Australia (HONDA), 1:22.225
9. Nicky HAYDEN, USA (HONDA), 1:22.362
10. Loris BAZ, France (FORWARD YAMAHA), 1:22.394
11. Mike DI MEGLIO, France (DUCATI), 1:22.441
12. Hiroshi AOYAMA, Japan (HONDA), 1:22.543
13. Eugene LAVERTY, Ireland (HONDA), 1:22.693
14. Michael LAVERTY, UK (APRILIA), 1:22.947
15. Claudio CORTI, Italy (FORWARD YAMAHA), 1:23.374
From Qualifying Session Two:
1. Marc MARQUEZ, Spain (HONDA), 1:20.336
2. Dani PEDROSA, Spain (HONDA), 1:20.628
3. Jorge LORENZO, Spain (YAMAHA), 1:20.921
4. Andrea IANNONE, Italy (DUCATI), 1:21.029
5. Yonny HERNANDEZ, Colombia (DUCATI), 1:21.115
6. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (YAMAHA), 1:21.220
7. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (SUZUKI), 1:21.239
8. Pol ESPARGARO, Spain (YAMAHA), 1:21.274
9. Bradley SMITH, UK (YAMAHA), 1:21.329
10. Cal CRUTCHLOW, UK (HONDA), 1:21.409
11. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (DUCATI), 1:21.503
12. Maverick VIÑALES, Spain (SUZUKI), 1:21.796
Combined Qualifying Results:
1. Marc MARQUEZ, Spain (HONDA), 1:20.336
2. Dani PEDROSA, Spain (HONDA), 1:20.628
3. Jorge LORENZO, Spain (YAMAHA), 1:20.921
4. Andrea IANNONE, Italy (DUCATI), 1:21.029
5. Yonny HERNANDEZ, Colombia (DUCATI), 1:21.115
6. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (YAMAHA), 1:21.220
7. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (SUZUKI), 1:21.239
8. Pol ESPARGARO, Spain (YAMAHA), 1:21.274
9. Bradley SMITH, UK (YAMAHA), 1:21.329
10. Cal CRUTCHLOW, UK (HONDA), 1:21.409
11. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (DUCATI), 1:21.503
12. Maverick VIÑALES, Spain (SUZUKI), 1:21.796
13. Hector BARBERA, Spain (DUCATI), 1:21.628
14. Scott REDDING, UK (HONDA), 1:21.632
15. Danilo PETRUCCI, Italy (DUCATI), 1:21.760
16. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (APRILIA), 1:22.049
17. Alex DE ANGELIS, San Marino (ART-APRILIA), 1:22.195
18. Jack MILLER, Australia (HONDA), 1:22.225
19. Nicky HAYDEN, USA (HONDA), 1:22.362
20. Loris BAZ, France (FORWARD YAMAHA), 1:22.394
21. Mike DI MEGLIO, France (DUCATI), 1:22.441
22. Hiroshi AOYAMA, Japan (HONDA), 1:22.543
23. Eugene LAVERTY, Ireland (HONDA), 1:22.693
24. Michael LAVERTY, UK (APRILIA), 1:22.947
25. Claudio CORTI, Italy (FORWARD YAMAHA), 1:23.374
More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:
Superb 1-2 for Repsol Honda as Marquez takes pole number four of 2015
Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa put on a masterclass today at Germany’s Sachsenring, dominating qualifying with a 1-2 finish.
Having led every session so far of the weekend, Marc began qualifying calm but confident. He smashed his own lap record by 0.6 seconds (1’20.937, 2014) on his second qualifying run with his time of 1’20.336 (lap 6/8). Tomorrow Marc will be looking to make it six successive wins at the German GP – all from pole position – after two wins in MotoGP (2013, 2014), two wins in Moto2 (2011 and 2012) and one win in 125cc (2010).
Teammate Dani has also been extremely competitive all weekend and qualified second for tomorrow’s 30 lap race with time of 1’20.628 (lap 7/10). Dani will be pushing for his 5th win in MotoGP class in Sachsenring after wins in 2007, 2010, 2011 & in 2012.
Marc Marquez
1ST 1’20.336
“After FP3, I was expecting to set a 1’20.7 or 1’20.6 this afternoon. However, when I saw that I had set a 1’20.3, I decided that it was best to stop and not do any more laps as that’s when crashes happen! I am happy with my fast lap, but above all I am pleased with my pace and how I feel on the bike. It seems as if we are gradually getting better with that, but I am aware that tomorrow’s race will be a tough 30 laps and that Dani is very strong here, as are Jorge and Valentino, but I feel ready to fight for the victory.”
Dani Pedrosa
2ND 1’20.628
“I’m happy because we had a good qualifying session and productive practice sessions beforehand, with a strong pace. Now that we are on the front row tomorrow it will be important to make a good start at this circuit, because it is vital for the race. The track is so small that you benefit a lot from being at the front, so hopefully this time we can go with the first group. The front tyre choice will also be important. We’ll see how it goes tomorrow, because we’re eager to get a good result. Marc has a slightly stronger pace than mine, but we will try to do well and have a good race.”
More, from a press release issued by Team Estrella Galicia:
Fifth row start for Redding in Germany
Sachsenring, Germany – 11 July 2015: Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider Scott Redding will start tomorrow’s German Grand Prix from 14th on the grid, after missing out on a place in QP2 by just six hundredths of a second this afternoon.
The 22-year-old Briton, who was third fastest in the final free practice session today, lost out in qualifying to three open class riders who all made good use of the super soft tyre that is not available to Redding as a factory rider.
Despite the disappointment of missing out on a QP2 place by such a narrow margin, Redding remains confident for tomorrow’s race, after showing good race pace throughout all three free practice sessions this weekend.
However, the Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider is well aware that a strong result is very much reliant on a good start here at the Sachsenring, as the ultra tight turn one has seen its fair share of first lap dramas in recent years.
Scott Redding: 14th – 1’21.632
“I’m not really disappointed, because we’ve had good pace all weekend, but I am annoyed not to make it through to QP2 once again. We’ve been a step higher here than we normally have but when we went into qualifying after free practice I knew that it would be difficult against the guys with the softer tyre based on their times from FP3. But we made a step and improved again and I tried to make up a bit more, but it was really difficult to find more time. The Suzuki and Ducati with the soft tyre made a little improvement and that’s why we’re not there today. Our race pace is not too bad and it’s quite consistent with low 22’s, so I’ll be looking for a good start and then trying to make up as many places as I can.”
Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal
“This hasn’t been a bad weekend for us so far. We have improved throughout free practice and then gone faster in qualifying than at any other point during the weekend. But it’s so difficult in qualifying because the other riders can use the super soft tyre so it’s crucial that in FP3 we can make it into the top ten to avoid having to do the first qualifying session. It’s a little bit frustrating because with the normal tyre we are in a strong position. It will be difficult tomorrow starting from 14th on the grid and while Scott’s race pace is very good, fighting up through the field will be very difficult.”
More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone:
Marquez obliterates Sachsenring lap record to take pole position at the German Grand prix
Round 9: German MotoGP™ – Qualifying
Sachsenring, Saturday July 11 2015
Bridgestone slick options: Front: Soft, Asymmetric Front, Medium & Hard; Rear: Soft, Medium & Hard (Asymmetric)
Bridgestone wet tyre options: Soft (Main), Hard (Alternative)
Weather: FP3 – Dry. Ambient 18-20°C; Track 32-35°C (Bridgestone measurement)
FP4/QP – Dry. Ambient 22-23°C; Track 38-40°C (Bridgestone measurement)
Marc Marquez is on track to extend Repsol Honda Team’s run of five consecutive premier-class victories at the German Grand Prix after the reigning MotoGP™ World Champion smashed his own Sachsenring Circuit Best Lap record by a staggering 0.601 seconds.
Marquez led every MotoGP session heading into Qualifying Practice 2 and increased the pace even further when it counted most, setting the quickest ever time at Sachsenring – a 1’20.336 – to take pole position ahead of teammate Dani Pedrosa, who set a best time of 1’20.628. Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Jorge Lorenzo claimed the final front row grid slot for tomorrow’s German Grand Prix with a time of 1’20.921. All three riders on the front row set their best time using the medium compound rear slick, but while Marquez and Pedrosa used the medium compound front slick to set their best times, Lorenzo utilised the asymmetric front slick to set his quickest time.
Conditions today at Sachsenring were almost perfect, with warmer ambient temperatures than yesterday, although the peak track temperature reading of 40°C during FP4 was only slightly higher than yesterday’s peak. The favourable conditions resulted in a number of riders evaluating the hard compound front slick in Free Practice 4, yet in a similar fashion to yesterday it was the asymmetric and medium front slick options which proved to be the best performers around Sachsenring and it is expected that these options will be the two front tyres of choice for tomorrow’s race. For the rear tyre, the medium compound rear slick fared best in today’s conditions, with track temperatures not reaching a high enough level for the factory Honda and Yamaha riders to try the hard compound rear slick. Rear tyre choice for the German Grand Prix should have the majority of riders selecting the medium compound rear slick, although some open class riders are likely to use the soft compound rear slick for the race.
Similar weather conditions are forecast for tomorrow, where the next MotoGP session will be Warm Up at 0940 local time (GMT +2). The thirty lap German Grand Prix will get underway at 1400 local time.
Shinji Aoki – Manager, Bridgestone Motorcycle Tyre Development Department
“Conditions today were more favourable than yesterday and it allowed the riders to experiment with quite a few tyre options. Many riders were able to make up their mind on which rear tyre they will use for the race quite early on, so the main focus today was finding out which front tyre works best for each individual rider. The addition of a fourth front slick option for the German Grand Prix made this process a little more complicated than usual, but it seems that the asymmetric and medium front slicks are the options that are working the best at Sachsenring this weekend. In terms of the difference between these two specifications of front slick, the asymmetric front gives better edge grip and warm-up performance on the right shoulder, while the medium front provides a little more cornering stability on the right shoulder, so it depends on which qualities the riders prefer that will determine their race choice. I am satisfied with how our tyre allocation has performed so far this weekend, Marquez made a sensational lap to beat his own lap record and that is the fifth Circuit Best Lap record achieved this year from the first nine rounds of the season.”
More, from a press release issued by Aprilia:
MOTOGP QUALIFIERS AT SACHSENRING
Alvaro Bautista with a good spot on the sixth row. Laverty will start from the eighth row, consistently improving his times
Sachsenring (Germany), 11 July 2015 – Today the qualifiers for the German GP starting grid were held. Alvaro Bautista confirmed the hard work done over these two days of practice and rode his Aprilia RS-GP to the sixteenth best time (1’22,049) which earned him a spot on the sixth row of the starting grid tomorrow. The good placement of the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini rider takes on even more value in light of the poor grip Alvaro had to deal with in qualifiers. Improving grip would mean being able to aim for an even better placement in the race and he is working on this with the Italian team.
Michael Laverty, making his racing début on the RS-GP, continued improving his times, finishing the qualifiers with a time of 1’22,947 that places him on the eighth row with the 24th best time.
ROMANO ALBESIANO (Aprilia Racing Manager)
“We are continuing our programme and we’ve tried various new solutions here as well. Bautista’s performance and his final position on the grid are not bad, although we need to tackle the problem of grip on the rear. Michael is doing a good job providing us with feedback consistent with Alvaro’s feelings, and he has continued to progress.”
FAUSTO GRESINI (Team Manager)
“Today in qualifiers Alvaro had a good lap pace. Tomorrow I’m sure he will ride a good race and meet our goals, which are still the same: crossing the wire to collect important data and maybe even a few points. Laverty also did well. He is having a good weekend of consistent progress. Tomorrow it will be interesting to see him again in the race and to get his impressions of the bike.”
ALVARO BAUTISTA
“We improved a bit compared to yesterday and the sixth row isn’t bad. Starting well will be important, just like in the last race. In FP4 we tried something different but in the end for the qualifiers I chose the setting that had worked the best in practice so far. I tried to push but I wasn’t able to take full advantage of the first tyre because the bike was sliding too much going into and coming out of turns. So with the second tyre I looked after it without taking too many risks. For the race we need to improve grip, especially in worn tyre conditions.”
MICHAEL LAVERTY
“I’m pleased with the way the weekend has gone so far because we have been able to improve in each session, although we had hoped to do a little better in qualifying. Each time I ride onto the track I feel more and more at home and I’m pleased with the general feeling I have with the bike. Tomorrow morning in warm up we’ll try a few more changes because I think we can improve the bike’s performance both at the front and the rear. Tomorrow I’d like to stay in the mix with the riders in front of me: my brother Eugene, De Angelis, Hayden and Aoyama.”
More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:
Lorenzo Speeds to Front Row Start at Sachsenring
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP riders Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi will start tomorrow‘s Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland from the first and second row of the grid, having taken third and sixth respectively in today‘s qualifying session.??
Sachsenring (Germany), 11th July 2015
A sunny and crowded Sachsenring set the scene today for the duel for pole position that saw Movistar Yamaha MotoGP‘s Jorge Lorenzo ride his Yamaha YZR-M1 to a third place start for tomorrow‘s race. Valentino Rossi also looked threatening for a spot on the front row at the Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland, but came just short and secured sixth place on the second row of the grid.
As often, Lorenzo displayed his determination by being the first rider out of the pit box. He moved into second position with his first flying lap, dropping immediately into the low 1‘21s with a 1‘21.481. Unable to improve his time in the following laps he came in for a change of rear tyre with eight minutes remaining, to continue his attack.
Having dropped to sixth, the Spaniard returned to the circuit two minutes later and climbed back up to second place, dipping under the 1‘21 mark with a blistering 1‘20.921. Lorenzo had three more attempts at beating his personal best time, but was unable to improve and ended the day in third, 0.585s from the front.
Teammate Valentino Rossi also went straight in to the action as soon as the green light signaled the start of the 15-minute time attack. The Italian‘s first lap initially lifted him to sixth before dropping to seventh as the pace increased, but the short German circuit allowed him three more tries and he responded soon with a 1‘21.364 for third.
He returned to the pits with a little more than six and a half minutes on the clock and quickly changed tyres in under a minute, before heading back out. He stepped up his pace in the next lap, but was still pushed back to fourth. Not letting this discourage him, he bettered his time even further on his second try with a 1’21.220 to reclaim third. He held on to this front row start until three rivals jumped in front of him in the final stages of the session, moving Rossi to sixth on the grid, 0.884s from first.
JORGE LORENZO
Third is a very good position, because we always struggle to be competitive at this track. This isn‘t the easiest circuit for Yamaha and it‘s also difficult with my riding style, but I did my best to ride a good lap time. I wasn‘t very happy about the first try, I was in sixth position, so that wasn‘t a really good lap time, but in the second one I improved so much. I was happy because I thought I was close to pole position, but when I saw that the fastest time was a 1‘20.336, I understood that today was not our day and that our rivals had a better bike to do one fast lap. Tomorrow it will be difficult to stay with Marquez, who seems to have a better pace, but everything is possible in racing and we are going to try our best to be fast from the start.
VALENTINO ROSSI
I wanted to try to start tomorrow‘s race more in front, because our potential today wasn‘t so bad. I thought and hoped that I could do a 1‘20-high, but unfortunately I made some mistakes and I couldn‘t do the perfect lap. Apart from that, I‘m on the second row and that‘s not so far behind and my pace is quite good. I can keep a good pace also with a used tyre so now we have to work and try to fix some small problems and make some small improvements for tomorrow and see what happens in the race. If you look at today‘s pace, Marquez is very strong and Pedrosa is the second, but very close. After them come me and Jorge and we are very similar. All the essential is there, I will try to fight with Jorge, ride a good race and try to arrive in front of him and score more points.
MASSIMO MEREGALLI
TEAM DIRECTOR
Starting the race from the first row was our goal, considering how difficult it is to overtake here. We are satisfied about the pace of both our riders and the job we have done so far, but there is still a margin for improvement. We will try to make another step forward during the night, which we will test during the warm up. Tomorrow is going to be a tough race, but I expect we can achieve another top result.
More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:
Row 2 start for Andrea Iannone, fourth in German GP qualifying; Dovizioso qualifies eleventh and will start from the fourth row
Andrea Iannone will start Sunday’s German Grand Prix, round 9 of the 2015 MotoGP World Championship at the Sachsenring, from the second row of the grid. The 25-year-old Italian set the fourth quickest time in the all-important Q2 qualifying session, seven-tenths of a second away from poleman Marquez. His Italian teammate Andrea Dovizioso had a less successful qualifying run: the 29-year-old terminated the 15-minute session down in eleventh place and he will start from the fourth row.
During the morning’s FP3 session, the two Ducati Team riders set fourth (Dovizioso) and ninth (Iannone) quickest times respectively, guaranteeing them direct entry into Q2. Iannone then finished the afternoon’s pre-qualifying FP4 session in eighth place, with Dovizioso eleventh.
In the decisive Q2 run, the two Italian riders went out on track with soft rear tyres and both set their best times on their second exit.
Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team #29) – 1’21.029 (4th)
“We did a good qualifying session, managing to get the best out of the bike and the package we have. It was difficult to obtain more and I am happy for this reason, but I am not very happy about our overall performance. Tomorrow I expect to improve something in race configuration, in order to try and better manage the bike’s sliding because when we are at maximum lean, my GP15 tends to slide around a bit too much. For the race it will be important to make the bike more stable in the corners, seeing as we will use the harder tyre. Here at the Sachsenring it is really important to start well and try and stay in the top positions, so a second row start is not so bad on this track.”
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 1’21.503 (11th)
“I am disappointed with my grid position because starting close to the front was what interested me the most in view of the race. It is really important here at the Sachsenring, which is a short and narrow track, but I was unable to do a good qualifying session because the front of the bike closed in on me too easily through the curves, and so I couldn’t push as hard as I wanted. However my pace is not bad and so I’ll try and make up some places in the race.”
More, from a press release issued by OCTO Pramac Racing:
Stunning second row for Yonny. Petrux will start 15°, determined to fight for the Top 10
A stunning saturday’s qualification for Yonny Hernandez who conquered the second row of the Grand Prix of Germany and equaled his best result ever in qualifying after the fifth-place in Qatar seasonal debut.
Danilo Petrucci had instead to deal with grip problems that did not allow him to win the Q1. The race pace, howewer, is good and tomorrow the rider from Terni, although starting from the fifth row, will have the chance to fight for the Top 10.
The day did not start in the best way for Yonny. During FP3 the Colombian was unable to be competitive finishing in 13th position. It was the only mistake of his saturday. Following a very good FP4 (6th time) Yonny managed to win the Q1 with a laptime of 1’21.333. In the Q2 the rider from Medellin was able to do better lowering by more than two tenths of a second his time and finishing in fifth position with a crono of 1’21.115, less than two tenths of a second behind the front row.
Petrux failed to be decisive over one lap. The Italian set a good lap time in Q1 (1’21.760) unfortunately only two tenths of a second behind the second place that would be worth the Q2. During FP4, however, Danilo lapped with laptime very close to the Top 10, taking confidence for the race. Petrux will start in the fifth row from the fifteenth position.
Stunning second row for Yonny. Petrux will start 15°, determined to fight for the Top 10
5° – Yonny Hernandez – OCTO Pramac Racing #68 – 1’21.115
I am very happy with this result. On this circuit I always manage to express myself better. The credit goes to the team that has obviously worked very well. We quickly found a good setting and then choose a map in which I found great confidence. I hope tomorrow we can do a good race to get important points for the championship. In Qatar I was able to stay for a lot of laps in the lead group. It’s a very important opportunity because lapping with the guys in front let you always learn a lot. I hope to learn a lot tomorrow and be able to defend my position.
15° – Danilo Petrucci – OCTO Pramac Racing #9 – 1’21.760
I can not be satisfied with the outcome, it is clear. In numerical terms, this is one of the worst qualifying with Barcelona. But the race pace is not bad. Unfortunately I can not find grip with the rear. I do not feel the difference between new tires and used tires, soft tires and hard tires. This does not allow me to exploit the whole power of the bike becoming a major limitation. We are trying to find a solution. The race is long and the distance between me and the Top 10 is not big. We will need to put in place even the smallest detail to be able to do better. In warm up we will try other solutions. I can say, however, that beyond the 15 ° I’m quite confident.
More, from a press release issued by Aspar Team:
Hayden and Laverty look for fightback on race day at German GP
POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar will try to end the weekend on a positive note after issues in qualifying
MotoGP, like Moto3 before it, was all about one man in qualifying. Marc Márquez had dominated all the practice sessions and continued his roll in qualifying, setting a new record at the Sachsenring (1.20.336). A rival has yet to emerge for the Spaniard, but teammate Dani Pedrosa got within 3 tenths of him today. Jorge Lorenzo completed the front row, almost 6 tenths down. The German GP takes place tomorrow at 2pm local time.
Nicky Hayden and Eugene Laverty were working against the clock on the second day of the German GP, but did not have the improved feeling for which they had hoped. The American, who saw a slight improvement in the last free practice session, had looked to set a strong qualifying time, but it wasn’t to be. He eventually took nineteenth position and will have to make a comeback on raceday –but has the pace to do so. Across the POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar garage, Eugene Laverty placed twenty-third, hindered by a problem with rear grip.
19th Nicky Hayden 1.22.362: “In the final practice session we improved a bit, with the hard compound as well. I was able to set some positive times, even with the used front tyre, and thought that in the qualifying session could again improve. We made a small change that was not the right direction to take, and I wasn’t as fast as expected. I’m a little upset because ultimately I qualified with a similar time to last year, when this year our bike is better. Fortunately our pace is optimal and if we start well we can make a comeback. In thirty laps anything can happen, so we will have to be very focused at all times. This is one of the hardest circuits for overtaking, so we have to give everything we have.”
23rd Eugene Laverty 1.22.693: “Yesterday we started well but in the afternoon we went wrong with the setup. Today we have improved our feeling somewhat, but I am still not comfortable. We worked hard during the day to try to find solutions, but I had some problems with the rear tyre which gave me several scares and close-calls. We have some ideas about how to gain grip with the rear and will work hard during the morning warmup session to achieve this, then try to approach the race confidently.”
More, from a press release issued by CWM LCR Honda:
CRUTCHLOW CONFIDENT OF PROGRESS DESPITE DIFFICULT DAY
Qualifying at the Sachsenring for Sunday’s Grand Prix of Germany saw CWM LCR Honda rider Cal Crutchlow qualify in tenth place on the fourth row of the grid, but the British rider is confident of being able to turn his and the team’s fortunes around in the 30-lap race.
Having gone directly through to the main qualifying shootout, Crutchlow was hopeful of setting a fast time, but after having crashed in the morning free practice session he wasn’t quite able to put a quick lap together, eventually having to settle for tenth. However the Isle of Man-based rider believes he has the necessary race pace to make significant forward progress when the flag drops.
Cal Crutchlow #35 – 10th (1’21.409)
“First and foremost I’m disappointed to be tenth on the grid, but I’d also like to say sorry to Dani Pedrosa for holding him up on his lap. I honestly just didn’t see him, he was approaching so fast and it was my mistake. Thankfully it wasn’t his fastest lap in the end.
“I had a big crash in FP3, I went into the corner a bit too fast and didn’t want to risk losing the front so I used the rear brake a little too much and it threw me over the handlebars. So I have a small crack in my elbow and my fibula, but honestly I’m ok and not in too much pain.”
It’s been a difficult day all in all, my qualifying lap time today was basically where I was in 2013, so it just shows how much things have come on. I still think though that we have the pace to run in the top six tomorrow, and that would be a good result. The Hondas seem to be going better around here than at other tracks, but when the grip drops we struggle a bit so we’ll try and manage that tomorrow.”
More, from another press release issued by CWM LCR Honda:
MILLER HOPING TO FINISH AS TOP OPEN IN GERMANY
CWM LCR Honda’s Jack Miller qualified as the top Open Honda rider at the Sachsenring in Germany today, and he will start the 30-lap Grand Prix of Germany from 18th place on the grid.
The Australian is a big fan of the tight and twisty venue, and made significant progress after a difficult first day of practice on Friday. After disappointment last time out in Holland, he is confident of being able to finish as top Open bike, with the focus being on getting through the crucial first laps.
Jack Miller #43 – 18th (1’22.225)
“We started off quite slowly on Friday, but we came through today and really improved the bike in free practice, especially on the used tyres. Qualifying still wasn’t quite perfect for me though, we would still like to improve on how the bike is handling. There’s a lot of spin here in Sachsenring and I was just beginning to manage it a bit better, it wasn’t so aggressive and snappy under acceleration.”
“The bike is working well, I feel comfortable here but it’s definitely a difficult circuit and 30 laps will feel very long around here. It’s one of my favourite race-tracks though, I made my debut here and won here last year so it’s kind of special to me and I’m going to enjoy it a lot. I think finishing as top Open bike is within reach, but we’ll need to get a decent start and stay out of trouble for the first five or six laps.”
More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
Marquez secures pole for German GP
The Repsol Honda rider’s 1’20.336 lap was enough to net him first position on the grid for this weekend’s MotoGP™ battle.
This is Marc Marquez’s 6th consecutive pole at the Sachsenring, leading to victory for the Spaniard for the last 5 years in a row. He said: “We will try for six wins, the most important thing is the confidence with the bike is really high. In this circuit I always get good results but this weekend I feel good and I’m constant. I was also fast over one lap so I’m happy, also happy with the work that we have done. Tomorrow is the most important so we have to keep on like this.” Joining him on the front row are his team mate Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha).
Second place on the grid is Pedrosa’s best qualifying result of the season: “Yeah, I was happy with my first feeling in the first run but Crutchlow didn’t see me and ruined my lap. Unfortunately I had to stop and change tyres and I wasn’t sure if we could do it on the second tyre because sometimes you don’t get the same feeling. Actually I produced a good lap and to get the front row at this track is very important. Hopefully we can make a little step tomorrow as Marquez’s pace is very high and we’re still missing a little. Hopefully we can make a good start and make the right tyre choice, which will be critical.”
After starting from 8th in Assen, Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha) is back on qualifying form but concerned by the pace show by the Repsol Honda duo: “Impressive, it seems the Honda has no problems. They’re able to brake later and accelerate very soon. It will be tough to stay with them, I am the first Yamaha to do a 1’20 in this track so I am very happy with this lap time. I did my best and I didn’t get even close to them. I think our goal is to try to get the podium, the victory will be difficult but you never know. The podium is definitely achievable.”
Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team) will start from 4th place, with Yonny Hernández (Octo Pramac Racing) in a very respectable 5th after having to fight his way through Q1. Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha) completes the second row in 6th.
The Espargaro brothers will have a chance to wish each other luck before the lights go out, given that they start together on the third row with Aleix (Team Suzuki Ecstar) in 7th and Pol (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) in 8th.
Rounding out the top 10 are British riders Bradley Smith (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and Cal Crutchlow (CWM-LCR Honda), who start from 9th & 10th respectively.
The MotoGP action continues on July 12 at 09:40 local time with the warm up session, with the race to start at 14:00.
The French rider will start from pole for the German GP Moto2 race, ahead of Xavier Simeón & Franco Morbidelli.
A lap time of 1’24.044 earned Zarco his fourth pole position of the season. He will be hoping to break away early in the race, but expects a fight: “We’ve had to work hard because yesterday we were not so fast. I also try to understand my strength and weaknesses. The pace for the race was good in the morning and our first target is to win the race tomorrow. We have to stay focused tomorrow because I think the race will be quite hard. I’ll try and break away but maybe we will have to fight with the others – I’ve enjoyed fighting this year.”
Xavier Simeón (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) makes a return to the front row – his last front row start was at the Americas GP when he took pole: “I think I can be strong in the race, we had a good pace in the morning and we rode well in Qualifying.I have good feeling with the bike and I think we can fight for the podium, but so can a lot of other riders as the lap time is very close. It’s four or five races we’ve fought for the top five but we’ve been lacking that last step to fight for the podium, hopefully we can make it today.
For Franco Morbidelli (Italtrans Racing Team), this is only his second ever podium, having started from 3rd in Valencia in 2014: “I push very hard, it has been a pretty good lap. I had to do it a bit before the end because at the end everyone is looking for a tow so it was easier to set a lap time earlier. The important thing is the pace and it’s pretty good. Looking forward to tomorrow.”
Thomas Luthi (Derendinger Racing Intewetten) will start from 4th place, with Simone Corsi (Athiná Forward Racing) and Tito Rabat (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) joining him on the second row in 5th and 6th respectively.
German riders Sandro Cortese (Dynavolt Intact GP) and Jonas Folger (AGR Team) will start from 7th and 8th, with Brit Sam Lowes (Speed Up Racing) in 9th. Mika Kallio (Italtrans Racing Team) completed the top ten.
The Moto2 action continues on July 12 at 09:10 local time with the warm up session, with the race to start at 12:20.
Kent overshadows all to claim pole
The Leopard Racing rider laps the Sachsenring over 0.5 sec faster than the rest of the pack to take pole.
The Brit rider crashed out of the session on Turn 6, taking wild card rider and local boy Maximilian Kappler (SaxoPrint RTG) out with him. Amazingly this was Danny Kent’s first crash of the season so far, but clearly Danny needn’t worry. Even after missing the last 15 minutes of the session, none of the other riders were able to get close to his pace, leaving us to wonder how many tenths he might of been able to shave off if given the chance. After the session Kent stated that his crash was caused by a new rear tyre being used with an old front, resulting in the front pushing too much.
Joining the Brit on the front row are Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing Team Moto3) and Karel Hanika (Red Bull KTM Ajo). Bastianini was denied his 3rd pole position in a row today, the Italian having claimed pole in Catalunya and Assen. This is also the second front row start in a row for Hanika, having started from 3rd in Assen to finish the race in 8th.
French rookie Fabio Quartararo (Estrella Galicia 0,0) will start from 4th on the grid, ahead of Efrén Vázquez (Leopard Racing) in 5th. Vazquez ended the session 0.585 sec off the pace set by his team mate Kent.
Andrea Locatelli (Gresini Racing Team Moto3) claimed 6th on the grid and will be followed by Spaniards Jorge Martín (Mapfre Team Mahindra) and Jorge Navarro (Estrella Galicia 0,0) in 7th and 8th respectively.
That leaves Niccolò Antonelli (Ongetta-Rivacold) and Niklas Ajo (RBA Racing Team) to round out the top ten. It was an interesting session for Finnish rider Ajo once again. He followed up his spectacular save in Assen with a rather spectacular crash here at the Sachsenring. He ran in to the back of team mate Ana Carrasco on the last corner – Ana wasn’t lapping at full pace at the time, possibly with the intention of entering the pits after the turn.
Miguel Oliveira was conspicuous by his absence, as he unfortunately suffered a high side at turn 1 during FP1, ending his German GP weekend.
The Moto3 action continues on July 12 at 08:40 local time with the warm up session, with the race due to start at 11:00.
More, from a press release issued by Avintia Racing:
Barbera rules in the Open Class qualifying for the German GP
11/07/15 Avintia Racing MotoGP – Grand Prix of Germany – QP
The Avintia Racing team rider Hector Barbera got his seventh Open Class “pole position” of the season today at the Sachsenring. With a impressive lap time of 1’21.628s in the Q1, the Spanish rider missed a place in the final qualifying by just 62 thousandths of a second. Even so, he was the best Open Class rider on track and 0.5s faster than the next rider using the control Magneti Marelli software and ahead of several factory riders. Barbera hopes to make a good start and try to fight to be the best rider of his class in the German Grand Prix.
Mike Di Meglio was happy with his race pace and the improvements made during the weekend, but obviously he is not so happy with his grid position. The Avintia Racing riders will start tomorrow’s race from the seventh row of the grid and aiming to score some points in the last race before the summer break.
HECTOR BARBERA #8 / 13th (P1 Open) 1’21.628 @HectorBarbera
To be honest I’m happy because during the weekend we have been working really well. I’m ready for the race, although it will be hard and long with 30 laps. We have one thing clear, and it’s that we have to finish the race without incidents and get some points. Is the last race before the summer break and we have to punch on the table and show that we want to win this championship. I think the race will be funny. If I manage to do a good start I would like to get with the group of Petrucci and those guys. In the Open Class I think Hayden and Miller are going fast here… Maybe we have a group race and we can enjoy the fight. Germany is always a good track for me, and I’ve been always fast. After two unlucky races I hope to finish this one.
MIKE DI MEGLIO #63 / 21st (P6 Open) 1’22.441 @Mikejpp63
We have improved during all the weekend and this is positive. I did my time alone in the qualifying and it was not bad, the problem is that the rest of the riders were very strong. We still have some issues in the corner exits, in my second try we made some small modification that help me to open the gas early, but we need to keep working to get a better control of the bike with the throttle. My pace during the FP4 was okay and I made several laps in 23s lows in old tyres. Only Hector seems to be able to lap in 22s, the rest of the Open bikes are quite close, so the race will be funny. The only negative is starting 21st in a track where overtaking is really difficult.
More, from a press release issued by Suzuki:
SOLID IMPROVEMENTS FOR TEAM SUZUKI ECSTAR IN GERMANY
The second day in Germany for the ninth round of the MotoGP™ World Championship saw both Team SUZUKI ECSTAR riders steadily improve their performances, with both competing in Q2 to battle for the top-12 positions on the grid.
At the end of the session Aleix Espargarò classified seventh with a 1’21.239s-lap and Maverick Viñales finished in 12th with a 1’21.796 lap-time.
In this morning’s FP3 session, Espargarò tried to improve the feeling with his GSX-RR that he missed yesterday, finally managing to be more-confident and scoring improved lap-times as a result. Despite the little crash he suffered – without injuries for the rider, which slowed down the crew’s job of making machine changes – he finally found the 1’21.689-lap that granted him direct access to a place in Q2. The work continued in FP4, with the definition of the set-up for overall race pace. In qualifying his feeling constantly improved and he could finally find a positive set-up to head the third-row of the grid.
Viñales, as well, did a positive job today improving his feeling with the GSX-RR compared to yesterday’s less-exact feeling. After FP3 he was only 0.034s from 10th place, preventing him direct access to Q2. He was therefore forced to have a good Q1, which he did, finally going into Q2 being one of the top-two finishers. However, in Q2, he struggled to find the confidence needed to be within the top riders and ended the session with the 12th time, which means the fourth row on tomorrow’s grid.
Davide Brivio – Team Manager:
“Despite what the final classification of qualifying says I believe that this has been another positive day for us. We made many improvements from yesterday and our work schedule proceeded smoothly. Aleix this morning entered Q2 directly after FP3, the crash he suffered complicated a little of our job but he immediately regained his confidence despite the pain and this is the most important thing. Maybe he could have done a little better but he is in seventh place and it’s not bad. Maverick as well entered Q2 at the end and we are proud to see both of our riders in the top qualifying session. They both worked well, thinking about the race, running many laps with worn tyres with a good pace overall.
“As we are new on this track we lack information and data and this time this has probably made the adaptation process harder and slower than in the other races. The riders suffered two different problems: for Maverick we need to find better traction while Aleix is not completely confident with the front-end, even if he has very good feeling in the high-speed corners and we don’t want to compromise this feeling. They are different riders and therefore have different riding styles. We will work hard to deliver them two machines that can assist them in the most efficient way and I think we have all the potential to stay in the group and to enjoy the fight tomorrow.”
Aleix Espargaro:
“I hoped for something better at this track because it is tight and we don’t need so much engine power as at other circuits, but we are struggling and I can’t be as competitive as I was at the other tracks. Here I lack in confidence with the front, preventing me making the machine turn as I want it to; especially in the slower part of the circuit. Our pace is not bad, we improved a lot since yesterday and also in FP4 I ran many laps with worn tyres and this satisfied me. In qualifying my one quick lap was not perfect, but I’m on the third row and I’ll try to make a good race.”
Maverick Viñales:
“I think we worked really well with used tyres and a full-tank to prepare for the race and my pace is good with this configuration. The problem in qualifying is that we struggle to find the best traction: I feel the rear is spinning a lot and I can’t deliver the power to the ground as I would like. In addition, I had a little slide when I was trying the fast lap and this prevented me from scoring a good time. Anyway we improved a lot both in the bike set-up and in my riding style, with some modification also to the lines I follow. I feel confident with the race configuration and I think that if tomorrow I can keep calm and focused, I can fight to stay in the middle-pack and aim for a good position at the end.”