Disappointing end to overseas races for Márquez

Sepang, Malaysia: Álex Márquez was an early casualty in Sepang with the Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider crashing out of the Malaysian Grand Prix on lap five.

Having qualified on the third row Márquez had looked set for another strong race in his rookie Moto2 campaign but the higher temperatures of race day played havoc with the balance of his bike. The Spaniard struggled with a lack of feeling throughout the race with a lot of movement from the front and rear of the bike. Márquez’s crash occurred at the slow speed hairpin, turn nine, after he lost the front end.

It has been a difficult trio of overseas races for the reigning Moto3 World Champion with only seven points to show for his outings in Japan, Australia and Malaysia. However, his pace in practice and qualifying from this weekend once again showed the potential that is yet to be fully realised.

Álex Márquez: DNF

“The feeling from this weekend was positive because we improved a lot in every session and we’re not too far from the top five. We had a similar rhythm to them but in the race my start wasn’t perfect and then from the first lap until the crash I felt a lot movement from the front and the rear and I couldn’t get the bike stopped or get it turned on the brakes. I could feel the front closing a lot. When I was in P11 I thought that there was nothing to lose so tried to push harder but I had some movement and I crashed. Also the conditions changed a lot and we need to see in the data what happened in the race for us because the crash was so strange.”

Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal

“For sure I was expecting more. I thought that we could finish in the top eight because the lap time was there from Álex but maybe he was too quick to try and catch back places lost at the start. To crash out of the race in this position, and so early on, is always hard and it would have been better to back off slightly and finish today. This hasn’t been the best overseas trip for us in Moto2, but we need to head back to Europe now and focus on finishing the season on a high in the final race at Valencia.” 

More, from a press release issued by QMMF Racing Team:

Kallio takes points despite a lack of grip – lonely race for Simon

In steaming hot conditions with 35 degree air and 45 degree track temperatures, QMMF Racing Team riders Mika Kallio and Julian Simon finished the Grand Prix of Malaysia in 12th and 25th position. Kallio battled grip problems throughout the race, but managed to score four valuable world championship points nevertheless. Simon had a lighting fast start and was within the group of top riders on the opening lap, but ran off the track after a collision with another rider. He recovered quickly, but lost the front and crashed later on in the race, when he was back battling for points.

Mika Kallio – 12th place

“It was more or less like we thought and what my feeling was yesterday. We missed a lot of tyre grip, which is basically the whole story of the day. I expected to be much faster at the beginning, on the opening laps, but we couldn’t do anything. It was frustrating. We don’t know why we drop so much on the lap time when the track temperature rises, it seems to be a problem of all Speed Up bikes. I just tried to stay within the points and finish the race. Of course I pushed as much as I could, but it doesn’t reflect on our result. It was difficult even just to stay on the bike!”

Julian Simon – 25th place

“It was an unlucky day and an unlucky overseas trip, because I didn’t score any points and I am very sorry for the team. Today I started very well again, like in the previous race, and I was with the front runners in the first corner. But on the second lap, Corsi entered the last corner too hot, touched me and I went out of the track. I came back and was in 15th place behind my teammate Mika Kallio, when he ran wide in one corner and I tried to pass him and I lost the front. After the crash, I continued for myself and for the team because they deserved at least a race finish. Now it’s important to focus on the last race at home and to finish the season in the best way possible. The analysis of the season is that I am happy with bike. I was always close to top ten in the first half of the year and I was in ninth position overall after the German Grand Prix. Then I lost a lot of points in the second part of the season. But as I said, I am happy about the bike and the team, they did very good work. Now I think about Valencia!”

More, from a press release issued by DRIVE M7 Racing:

HARD FOUGHT SIXTH PLACE FOR KORNFEIL; DISAPPOINTMENT FOR FAHMI AT HOME GRAND PRIX

Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia – Sunday 25th October

Circuit: Sepang International Circuit

Circuit Length: 5.5 km

At a hot and humid Sepang International Circuit the DRIVE M7 SIC Racing Team concluded their home Grand Prix with mixed emotions.

Starting from fourth on the grid DRIVE M7 SIC Racing Team rider Jakub Kornfeil immediately got in the mix, dicing with the leaders and temporarily leading the race on lap three. Locked in an eight rider battle, the Czech rider continuously switched places within the group, fighting hard throughout and relentlessly challenging for a podium position. Being pushed wide with four laps to go Kornfeil was demoted to eighth position but determined not to give in, fought his way back to a solid sixth place as the chequered flag came out, elevating his Championship position to thirteenth place.

After showing good form all weekend, Malaysian hero Zulfahmi Khairuddin made a sensational start off the line, immediately launching himself into the leading group. In front of his home crowd Fahmi continued to close in on eighth position whilst setting the fourth fastest lap time of the race. Pushing hard bad luck struck the Malaysian rider and on lap three the 24 year old unexpectedly lost the front of his #63 KTM machine, causing him to crash out of the leading battle. Remounting his bike Fahmi attempted to regain his rhythm but having lost his previously good feeling on the bike, was forced to retire from the race.

Johan Stigefelt – Team Manager

“It was a nerve racking race today, especially in the beginning when we had both riders in the front group. Jakub and Fahmi made a good start and really fought hard in the first two laps; Fahmi got up to seventh and Jakub was in the top four. Everything looked really good until Fahmi had a small crash going into turn nine; he lost the front, which is easy to do when you are pushing and the pace is high. Unfortunately for him after remounting the bike he wasn’t able to finish the race, which is a real shame. It would have been good to see him continuing to push hard and trying to finish in the points, but it is like it is and we have to move forward to Valencia now.

Jakub did another great race and he was fighting in the leading group. Unfortunately with four laps to go he got pushed out by another rider and almost crashed, which knocked his momentum a bit. He fought his way back but in the end he couldn’t really go for the win or the podium because the other riders had a bit of an advantage on him. He still rode very hard and overtook Kent in the last corner to finish sixth, which is great. Overall these three overseas races have been very good for the team; both riders have made a lot of progress and done a lot of good work, so we’ll take this to Valencia and try to aim for a podium there.”

#63 Zulfahmi Khairuddin – DNF

“The start of the race was great. I felt really good with the bike and I was able to catch the leading group. I was pushing hard but then on the third lap I just lost the front; I went to brake like normal into turn nine and then as soon as I wanted to release the brake, the bike just went underneath me and I crashed. I didn’t want to give up so I got back on the bike and tried to get into a rhythm again but the bike didn’t feel the same after the crash, so I had to retire. I don’t know what to say; I’m so disappointed. To not finish the race in front of my home crowd feels really bad. I’m sorry to my team, the sponsors, SIC and all the supporters who came here to watch me race. I hope that I can do them all proud in Valencia.”

#84 Jakub Kornfeil – P6

“Today was a very difficult race from the start. My first couple of laps were quite good but then the other riders were going so fast and it was a real battle to stay with them. I got my head down and pushed as hard as I could. I really had to fight to stay in the leading group and to control the situation. When we got to the last eight laps I tried to study a little bit more and be clever but I couldn’t find any point where I was faster than the riders in front. In the last three laps I just stayed behind them. There was one moment when I passed them and I got back to around second position but unfortunately they just passed me back again and I couldn’t find a solution to go through the pack. I’m really disappointed for this. It was a really hard race but of course sixth place is not bad and I’m happy to have taken some more points in the Championship. We have been up there the past few races and are continuing to improve race by race, which is important, so let’s see what we can do in Valencia.”

More, from a press release issued by KTM:

 MASTERLY WIN FROM OLIVEIRA TAKES MOTO3 TITLE FIGHT TO FINAL ROUND

Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Miguel Oliveira of Portugal on Sunday rode yet another masterly tactical race at the MotoGP Moto3 penultimate race at the Sepang Circuit Malaysia not only to take his third victory in five races but also to keep the championship alive going into the final round. Oliveira has not finished less that second place in those five races.

Red Bull KTM Ajo teammate Brad Binder of South Africa finished second and Jorge Navarro was third. Two other KTM riders, Romano Fenati of Italy (Sky Racing Team VR46) and Czech rider Jakub Kornfeil (Drive M7 SIC) finished 5-6 to register another good Moto3 day out for the Austrian brand.

Oliveira went into the race with a 40-point deficit on championship leader Danny Kent with 50 points still up for grabs. He knew that if he won the race Kent only had to finish top five to take the title. Kent crossed the line in seventh place but still has a 24-point advantage going to the final round in Valencia with a tantalizing 25-points still on the table.

Oliveira has been the dominant rider in the competition since KTM introduced the 2016 chassis to the KTM RC 250 GP machine. He was a major player all weekend, picking up his seventh consecutive front row qualification and was the fastest off the grid in the 18-lap race. He stayed out in front for the first five laps but was momentarily edged wide in the sixth before quickly recovering the lead. Aware that there were a number of slipstream opportunities on the sweeping Malaysia circuit, he continually tested out the possibilities, knowing that position in the final laps would be vital.

Miguel Oliveira: “I didn’t know anything about Danny (Kent) from my pit board, so I just forgot about him and went for the victory. In the last lap I didn’t want to be first on the final straight and luckily it was Brad, because he could push me down the straight. Like me, he also has a very fast bike. I’m really happy with the win and that championship is still alive. I know its quite hard but I will fight till the end. Before beginning these three rounds I never thought that I could take the championship to Valencia. In the end I am very happy with the job the team has done. They have given me a great bike to be on the podium consistently, and to have taken a fifth win of the season is very important.”Oliveira’s main challenger in the first half of the race was Fenati but in the last four laps Binder was also a constant contender. The South African came back from a fifth row start to move into podium contention by Lap 15 and was the race leader going into the penultimate lap.

Brad Binder: “I am really happy, even though I didn’t get the win that I was obviously hoping for. But I just felt strong the whole race. One good thing is that my fitness is very good, so it didn’t affect me in this long race. This is my first second of the season and I feel stronger in every race. I gave 110 percent throughout the race and I was leading into the last corner. I was trying to save myself for the end, not wearing out my tires and staying out of battles. I did what I could, overtaking when possible and staying in the group. I stayed in the front until the end, trying to push as much as possible but Miguel did an extraordinary job. He kept the championship alive and that’s always good, so I’m happy about that. I feel very good on the bike and I look forward to going to Valencia and to see what happens.”Karel Hanika, the third Red Bull KTM Ajo rider crashed out in the eighth lap while in a top 10 position.

While forecast haze did not materialize to affect rider visibility at Sepang, temperatures of around 45 degrees Celsius and the extremely high humidity in Malaysia made the 18-lap also an endurance test for riders and bikes.

The 2015 World Championship wraps up in Round 18 with the traditional final in Valencia, Spain in two week’s time.

Moto3 Results Round 17 (of 18)

1. Miguel Oliveira (POR), KTM, 40 min 33.277 (Takes the championship fight to the final round in Valencia)
2. Brad Binder (RSA), KTM, 40:33.366
3. Jorge Navarro (ESP), Honda, 40:33.550
4. Niccolo Antonelli (ITA), Honda, 40:33.582
5. Romano Fenati (ITA), KTM, 40:33.693
6. Jakub Kornfeil (CZE), KTM, 40:33.807
7. Danny Kent (GBR), Honda, 40:33.867
8. Enea Bastianini (ITA), Honda, 40:37.267
9. Alexis Masbou (FRA), Honda, 40:40.267
10. John McPhee (GBR), Honda, 40:43.307
Other KTM
14. Isaac Viñales (ESP), KTM, 40:52.406
15. Philipp Oettl (GER), KTM, 40.52.430
23. Ana Carrasco (ESP) KTM, 41:30.839
24. Andrea Migno (ITA), KTM, 42:19.567
DNF
Gabriel Rodrigo (ARG), KTM
Karel Hanika (CZE), KTM
Zulfahmi Khairuddin (MAL), KTM

Moto3 Standings after Round 17 (of 18)

1. Kent, 253
2. Oliveira, 229
3. Bastianini, 196
4. Fenati, 176
5. Antonelli, 174
6. Vazquez, 155
7, B. Binder, 146
8. Navarro, 137
9. Viñales, 105
10. Fabio Quartararo (FRA), Honda, 92
Other KTM
13. Kornfeil, 73
15. Oettl, 67
16. Kornfeil, 49
17. Hanika, 43
20, Migno, 30
23. Khairuddin, 19

Moto3 Manufacturers Standings after Round 15

1. Honda, 391
2. KTM, 316
3. Mahindra, 117 

More, from a press release issued by Tech 3:

Vierge completes relentless run to 22nd at Sepang

Tech3 Racing Team rider Xavi Vierge produced a solid effort today as he completed the 17th round of the Moto2 World Championship in 22nd. The 18 year old Spaniard lined up in 25th on the grid for the 19 lap battle and leapt into action when the GP began. He moved up two positions at the close of the first lap as he quickly set into his race pace and by the second lap he was running in 22nd. Vierge continued to muscle his way through to the front of the group and clinched 19th shortly after. He then lost a position, but carried on his solid pace as he locked his sights on the rider in front. The CEV race winner lapped consistently around the 5.5 kilometre circuit and at just past the midway point, he was in 20th. As the race distance progressed in the GP at the Sepang International Circuit, which the young Spaniard was competing at for the first time, Vierge slipped back one position. Yet, he remained fully focused and gave his all before crossing the line in 22nd place. The end result marks another weekend of constant improvement for the young Spaniard and leaves him confident ahead of the final round at Valencia, which is finally a familiar track for him.

On the opposite side of the Tech3 Racing Team garage, Marcel Schrotter endured a tricky Moto2 race today which unfortunately ended prematurely and marks a disappointing close to the final flyaway event. In the hot and humid conditions, the young German kicked off the penultimate round of the 2015 Moto2 World Championship from 17th on the grid and when the lights went out, he shot forward as he determinedly set about trying to climb through the field to a points scoring finish. He completed the opening lap in his grid position but was then squeezed back one place in the following lap. Yet, he aimed to bite back straight away as he fought in the pack of five. He continued his momentum, but luck went against him and he fell during the 3rd lap. However, Schrotter bravely remounted and attempted to see out the race, until he was forced to retire on the 9th lap. The 22 year old will seek to bounce back and make amends at the next Grand Prix in Valencia in two weeks. .

Xavi Vierge – Position : 22nd – Championship : Not Classified

“It goes without saying that it was a very tricky race for me but I am happy that I could finish it. Yesterday when I completed the qualifying, my feeling with the Mistral was very good and I had a solid rhythm which left me confident for the race today. However, in the event itself, the sensations on the bike were just not quite the same due to the conditions. It was challenging in every lap, so I tried to change my riding style and I did my best to adapt, but no matter what I tried, I felt no improvement. Therefore , I just focused on finishing the race halfway through, as I need to learn as much as possible this year. I gave my all right until the chequered flag, but in the last corner Raffin touched me, yet I luckily caught the bike and crossed the line. It was really tough today, but I will stay confident for Valencia. I want to say thanks to the team for their great work and hopefully we can have a much more positive time in Spain at the final round.”

Marcel Schrotter – Position : DNF – Championship :21th – Points : 31

“In the end, it’s a disappointing close to the event because no matter how difficult the weekend is, you never want to crash out of a GP. We are here to fight and we all want to finish the race but unfortunately that didn’t happen for me today. This weekend it took us quite a while to understand which direction to head towards at this track. It’s normal to make a few small alterations at each different circuit, but for us we always have to undertake some big adjustments to the setup. It was the same situation here today. The conditions changed as it was much hotter and so the bike behaved differently this morning when compared to yesterday. We also struggled with the tyres in this race and it was a real challenge as soon as the GP began. I had quite a good start and was then fighting as hard as I could in order to climb up the field. However, I didn’t feel comfortable and people passed me because I couldn’t brake late and the bike struggled to turn. Eventually, I fell, which is a real shame, so I want to say sorry to the team. However, I will certainly look to finish my collaboration with the Tech3 Racing Team with a strong result in Valencia.“

Hervé Poncharal : Team Manager :

“Obviously it’s hard to hide our disappointment about today’s result. We were quite optimistic about Marcel going for a point scoring finish, which would have been a positive close to the three fly away races. Yet, unfortunately like a few other riders, he crashed which is a real pity because he had a good pace, but at the end of the day, this is racing. On the other side of the garage, for sure, I was expecting more from Xavi. In the closing moments of the race he made a mistake and lost a lot of time, but still, he had a really good start and in the end, he could have been a lot closer to the guys in front. Nevertheless, we have to see the positives and it’s clear that he learnt a lot at this race. He already knew how tough it is to compete at the World Championship level and now he has experienced how challenging the conditions are in Malaysia. In addition, he has gained some more important knowledge about how crucial the riders physical conditions are and also the tyre management. Now we hope that both riders will bounce back at Valencia and close the season positively.”

More, from a press release issued by Forward Racing:

  Top10 for Baldassarri and Corsi at Sepang

The three overseas races ended with another good result for the riders of the Forward Racing team at the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang. Lorenzo Baldassarri and Simone Corsi, after a great race, crossed the finish line respectively in fifth and ninth place.

Baldassarri, who started from the second row on the grid, after a race in the top positions, always fighting with Nakagami, has passed under the checkered flag in fifth position. The young Italian, after the podium in Phillip Island, has achieved another good result and he is confident to finish the season in two weeks time in Valencia in the best way.

Positive race also for Simone Corsi who started from eleventh place on the grid. Corsi, after a difficult start, managed to set a good pace and recovered several positions until the place 9th.

Simone Corsi:

“It ‘was a difficult race, but I’m glad to have achieved this points and the Top10. I did not start well, I made some small mistakes in the first laps, but from mid-race I managed to find a good pace. I recovered until the ninth position and I am satisfied. I hope to be close to the top guys in Valencia for closing in the best way the season and the 3 years adventure with this team”.

Lorenzo Baldassarri:

“It has been a tough race, but I’m happy with the result. Doing well on a very technical track like this one is a really positive sign. I did a good start and I had a great pace. After few laps I started to lose the front and I could not push hard but I managed the tyres for arriving at the finishing line. Thanks to all the team: they did, as always, a great job”.

More, from a press release issued by Gresini Racing:

 DETERMINED SIMEON TAKES ANOTHER TOP TEN FINISH IN MALAYSIA

Aboard the Team Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 Kalex machine, Xavier Siméon crossed the finish line of today’s Malaysian Grand Prix in tenth place. After a good start from the fourth row, Xavier was eighth placed on the first lap, then he was unable to set the same pace shown during pratice due to lack of front end grip, which didn’t allow him to push as hard as he wanted.

Thanks to this result, his ninth top ten finish of the season, Siméon nevertheless collected good points and rose to 113 in the Championship, consolidating the seventh position with only one race left, scheduled at Valencia next November 8.

XAVIER SIMÉON (10th)

“It was a very challenging race: during all the weekend in practice I had always maintained a good pace on used tires and for this I was convinced that I could do very well today. Unfortunately however I had problems with tyre performance over the distance, especially on the front. I couldn’t push hard and every time I tried to go a bit faster I was losing the front. Therefore I kept a slightly slower pace than I expected: we still collected some points, but I was hoping to get more today”.

FAUSTO GRESINI

“Given the performance shown during practice, today we were hoping to do a very good race; Xavier instead failed to replicate the same pace, complaining about some front grip issues. However, the tenth place is useful for the championship: we reach the final round in Valencia in seventh place in the standings with a good margin on the first pursuer, so our target will be to maintain this position, maybe closing the season with a great result on a track where we’ve been very fast in winter testing”.