Editorial Note: The Qualifying lap record is 1:54.596, which was set by Marc Marquez In 2016.

Monster Energy Grand Prix Ceske Republiky

FIM MotoGP World Championship

Brno, Czech Republic

August 4, 2018

Qualifying Two Results (all on Michelin tires):

1. Andrea Dovizioso, Italy (Ducati), 1:54.689 

2. Valentino Rossi, Italy (Yamaha), 1:54.956 

3. Marc Marquez, Spain (Honda), 1:54.961

4. Jorge Lorenzo, Spain (Ducati), 1:55.038

5. Cal Crutchlow, UK (Honda), 1:55.055 

6. Danilo Petrucci, Italy (Ducati), 1:55.203 

7. Johann Zarco, France (Yamaha), 1:55.221 

8. Andrea Iannone, Italy (Suzuki), 1:55.270 

9. Alex Rins, Spain (Suzuki), 1:55.431

10. Dani Pedrosa, Spain (Honda), 1:55.474 

11. Tito Rabat, Spain (Ducati), 1:55.686

12. Maverick Vinales, Spain (Yamaha), 1:55.823  

More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3:

Zarco and Syahrin set to launch Czech Republic attack from third and sixth row

In scorching conditions Monster Yamaha Tech3 star Johann Zarco initiated Saturday in Brno with one second off his pace from Friday morning and was able to improve again during Qualifying this afternoon. In a tough battle, he finally missed out on the pole time by just half a second and will start the Monster Energy Grand Prix Ceske Republiky from the front of the third row.

On the other side of the Monster Yamaha Tech3 garage Hafizh Syahrin did some great steps in the course of the second day. The Malaysian rookie was working hard on his pace, which proved to be the right direction as he improved his lap time from FP1 to FP3 by 1.415 seconds. In Qualifying he was fighting the heat to eventually end up in sixth, whereby he missed out on Q2 by only 0.433 seconds. Syahrin is primed to start his tenth MotoGP race tomorrow at 14.00 local time from the sixth row of the grid.

Johann Zarco

Position: 7th – Time: 1’55.221 – Laps: 7

“Today has been good, I got a decent feeling on the bike and I think it’s always great to work well with the team. I’m also happy that I was able to get into Q2 directly as with the hot weather it’s always useful to save some energy. In Qualifying I found improvements from the first to the second exit, but everyone is just so fast. In the end, it was simply not enough to find myself fin the first two rows. The competition is high, it’s MotoGP and I want to enjoy that because it pushes myself to the limit.”

Hafizh Syahrin

Position: 16th – Time: 1’56.285 – Laps: 6

“The Qualifying has been really tough for me. I thought I could challenge the top, but apparently I was struggling a bit with the rear soft tyre. Anyway, we are not very far from Franco Morbidelli, who is quickest rookie. I aim to find a comfortable feeling with the setup of the bike during the Warm Up on Sunday morning and try to have a good start for tomorrows’ race. I’m sorry to my team and all my fans that I didn’t manage to get a better Qualifying position in order to start more in front.”

More, from a press release issued by Angel Nieto Team:

BAUTISTA MOTIVATED FOR CZECH GP RACEDAY

Ángel Nieto Team rider is unable to complete his hot lap in qualifying when battling to break into Q2

Grid positions for the Czech Grand Prix were decided at a scorching Brno on Saturday, with Andrea Dovizioso taking pole position since the 2016 Malaysian GP. The Italian stopped the clock at 1:54.689 on his final attempt at pole, and snatched the top spot from Marc Márquez. The latter will start from third, as he was also bested by Valentino Rossi for second place. Jorge Lorenzo, Cal Crutchlow and Danilo Petrucci make up the second row.

The Ángel Nieto Team and Álvaro Bautista just missed out on a spot in Q2, after the Spaniard crashed on his final attempt at setting a hot lap. He had been running a similar pace to the frontrunners in Q1 at the time. Bautista will start the race from fourteenth, but is motivated after having clocked some quick times this weekend. Karel Abraham has found a better feeling with his bike than on Friday, and on Saturday this was reflected in his lap times. He set a 1:56.964 in the morning practice, but in qualifying he could not better that marker as he crashed on his final stint. The Czech rider will begin his home race from 23rd.

14th Álvaro Bautista 1:56.031: “We wanted to try various things today in order to see if we could improve our feeling, but we didn’t manage to find what we wanted. We weren’t able to ride faster than we had yesterday with these modifications. We didn’t get into Q2 directly and in the end we went back to the setup I liked, leading to me feeling better in FP4 and placing fifth. In qualifying I was making improvements, and I think I could have progressed to Q2, but when you’re riding at the limit these things can happen. I lost the front end, and couldn’t stay up. Luckily I wasn’t hurt. We have a good race pace and we will try to get a good start; I’m confident and motivated for tomorrow.”

23rd Karel Abraham 1:57.217: “I felt better this morning than I did yesterday, and I got a better lap time too -almost the same as my best at this track. I wanted to push a little more in the afternoon, to start from a good position on the grid, but on my second stint I lost the front coming into Turn 5 and crashed. It’s a shame, but I feel that we are close to the limit with the bike, and it isn’t easy.”

More, from a press release issued by Aprilia Gresini Racing:

AFTER GOOD FREE PRACTICE, A PROBLEM HINDERS ALEIX ESPARGARÓ IN QUALIFYING

SCOTT REDDING IN DIFFICULTY WITH TYRE CHOICE

The day of practice had begun on the right foot for Aleix Espargaró, fast in FP3 at Brno, so much to miss going straight through to the second qualifying session by less than a tenth of a second. The Spanish rider improved his feeling, finding better sensations than yesterday and he was also comforted by improving physical fitness. Only a technical problem, currently being assessed by the Aprilia techs, hindered Aleix during Q1, just as he was turning his best lap of the weekend. The disappointment in the number 41 garage is understandable as the race now promises to be a comeback ride for a points finish.

Scott Redding’s difficulties continue as he struggles to find a satisfactory tyre combination. The English rider will tackle the race striving to squeeze the most out of the technical package, always on the hunt for a points finish.

ALEIX ESPARGARO’

“Physically I feel better. Yesterday evening I was tired, but I was able to rest and this morning I felt like I had the right energy to be effective. In fact, in FP3 I was much faster straight away, doing a good 1’55.8 and missing out on going straight through to Q2 by just under a tenth. In any case, I was sure that I would be able to make it in Q1 and, in fact, on my second run I was doing a good lap with a red helmet in the first sector, but then the bike switched off and I was unable to continue. We still do not know what the problem was, and we are investigating it now. This means that tomorrow we’ll have to start from the back of the grid, but I will give it my best, as always, to try to recover as much as possible. This morning with the new engine we were competitive and not far behind the leaders, so we are still confident.”

SCOTT REDDING

“I knew some weekends would be more difficult than expected and Brno is one of them. I am in a complicated situation with tyre choice. If I use the medium on the front, I’m unable to be fast, whereas when I put the hard on the front and the soft on the rear, I risk crashing when I push. There are no macroscopic problems, but a series of small things that are keeping me from improving at the end of the day. I don’t want to make any drastic changes for tomorrow. It is what it is and we’ll need to get the most out of the package we have available. The race is usually my best session of the weekend, so I’ll give it my all and we’ll see what the result is.”

More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki ECSTAR:

THIRD ROW START FOR IANNONE AND RINS IN BRNO

Andrea Iannone: 8th – 1:55.270 (+ 0.581)

Alex Rins: 9th – 1:55.431 (+ 0.742)

Sylvain Guintoli 21st – 1:57.037 (+ 1.499)

• Iannone strong on one lap pace and race pace.

•Rins’ hard work in FP4 and Q1 pays off.

•Guintoli improving despite lingering injury.

Saturday morning’s FP3 session was an important one with the track at near-optimum temperature and the riders keen to cement a place in Q2. Andrea Iannone hovered around the Top 5 for the entire session, while Alex Rins missed out on a Top 10 placing, despite being less than a second off the top time.

For Rins FP4 was a session of fine-tuning settings ready to push for a fast lap in Q1. Iannone, already into Q2, could instead concentrate on race set-up and simulation. The Italian used one set of tyres for the entire session.

An exciting and dramatic Q1 session saw a determined Alex Rins push hard and take his place in the final qualifying session. Meanwhile, Sylvain Guintoli improved and closed Q1 in 11th, meaning a 21st place grid spot for the French Wild Card. The track temperature reached 51c for Q2 and the session was highly competitive. Iannone and Rins fought their way to the front row but were knocked down the order in the closing seconds. However, the pairing will start 8th and 9th respectively for tomorrow’s race.

Davide Brivio – Team Manager

“Today we were working very well with race pace, especially in FP4 where both Andrea and Alex had good pace, this is a very good sign for the race. Then in qualifying we wanted to do a little bit better, but anyway both riders are on the third row. Alex did a good recovery because he had to go through Q1, and he managed to qualify in 9th. The positions are not bad for the race because our pace is good, but of course lower grid positions require more effort at the beginning of the race. I hope we don’t lose too much time because I think we have the pace to stay in the top group. But let’s see tomorrow, it’s very hot and the conditions will be difficult. Sylvain also did a very good job, qualifying in front of many permanent riders despite carrying an injury he got at the Suzuka 8 hours last week.”

Andrea Iannone

“Qualifying was really difficult because the lap times were unbelievable and everybody was very fast and close on times. But in any case, I think we’ve worked in a good direction this weekend. In FP4 we rode really well with good pace and a good feeling with the bike. We just need to improve the rear grip a little for the race. But in terms of consistency I think we’re going in a good way. I hope tomorrow we can improve, but I’m happy and I will try my best. I think the race will be very close.”

Alex Rins

“It looks like our race pace is quite good. In FP4 we did a great job with the hard rear tyre, and I will race with this one. We definitely can’t race with the soft tyre. I feel confident with the bike, and I was able to make it to Q2 which was good news. Third row for tomorrow is quite good, we need to start well, manage the early laps, and try to overtake some riders. If I’m with the front group I can go with them, I will try to do an intelligent race.”

Sylvain Guintoli

“I’m happy with the weekend so far, we’ve been progressing every day. In qualifying I managed to put five guys behind me, so that’s quite good for me as I’m just doing a Wild Card appearance. Unfortunately I crashed during the Suzuka 8 Hour race last weekend and the pain has been quite bad. I did an X-Ray at lunchtime and I have two broken ribs so now I know why I have the pain. We’ll try to manage this, but I can’t recommend riding a GP bike with broken ribs! But everything else is going well and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda Castrol:

SECOND ROW START FOR CRUTCHLOW IN CZECH GP

Cal Crutchlow will start Sunday’s Monster Energy Czech Republic Grand Prix from the second row of the grid after setting the fifth fastest time (Best Independent Team racer on the grid) in a sweltering qualifying session at the Brno circuit.

The LCR Honda CASTROL man, riding in new Flex-Box livery this weekend, was in line for a front row start until late laps from his opponents relegated him to row two. Nonetheless, he showed excellent pace during the free practice sessions, and he is hopeful of making yet another assault of the podium positions in the 21-lap race.

Cal Crutchlow – 5th

(1’55.055 – lap 6 of 7)

“We’re happy enough with the second row of the grid, because we have a bit of trouble managing the front tyre in the hot conditions this weekend, and we know that if the other rival manufacturers are using the hard tyre we know we are up against it”.

“We did the best job we could, and I enjoyed the qualifying session. Fifth place was the best we could do today. The LCR Honda CASTROL team and HRC are doing a fantastic job, and we are doing our very best to be competitive. I feel we have the pace for the podium, but let’s wait and see what happens weather-wise.” 

More, from a press release issued by Reale Avintia Racing:

Tito Rabat conquers Q2 and scores a fourth row grid position

Team Reale Avintia Racing and their Spanish rider Tito Rabat had a fantastic second day of practice at the Grand Prix of the Czech Republic, with Rabat moving straight to the Q2 of the Top 12 riders and scoring a fourth row grid position for the race on Sunday.

After a strong Friday, Rabat confirmed his good feelings with his Ducati on Saturday morning and ended up in ninth position, which paved his way to the Q2 session. In FP4, he concentrated on the best possible race set-up and came to very good conclusions once again. In the Q2, he pulled all stops and improved his lap time significantly, but the others in the top group of MotoGP riders raised the bar as well and Rabat finally took eleventh place.

Teammate Xavier Simeon also improved his lap times in comparison to Friday, but it was not enough to improve his position in the time sheets. Even though his feeling with the bike and with the soft tyre option from Michelin was clearly better, he will have to start from the end of the grid. Nevertheless, Simeon is determined to put up a fight and to battle within a group from the first to the last lap.

Tito Rabat | 1’55.686 | P11

“I am very happy because we went directly to Q2 today and this is an amazing achievement. I rode a great lap in qualifying, but the guys in front also pushed very hard. Now we will have to wait and see what tomorrow brings. It will be a very tough race, in which you have to be fully concentrated because the smallest details can be crucial. The key will be to manage tyre wear with throttle control. Physically, we are all very strong, so the heat won’t be a problem. But you have to be smooth with the throttle and you also have to avoid sliding under brakes. This is the only way to keep the tyres in good condition until the end and to score a strong result”.

Xavier Simeon | 1’58.048 | P26

“Things went well this morning and I had a better feeling with the bike. We made a big step forward and I was confident about a good qualification. With the first tyre I didn’t have as much grip as I had in the morning, but when I went out with the second one, the good feeling with the bike returned. I was about to put in my fast lap when Pol Espargaró squeezed past. We slowed each other down and lost this lap. It’s a shame because I could have been closer to the front. Tomorrow I’ll grit my teeth in the race. 21 laps will be tough, but I hope to do well”.

More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda Idemitsu:

ROW SEVEN FOR NAKAGAMI IN BRNO

LCR Honda IDEMITSU rider Takaaki Nakagami will start Sunday’s Grand Prix of the Czech Republic from the seventh row of the grid as he battled hard against a baking Brno circuit during qualifying.

The MotoGP rookie has improved his qualifying over recent weeks, but with grip levels severely hampered due to track temperatures of around 50°C, finding traction in the Q1 shootout proved difficult. However, after an impressive run during the final free practice session, starting 20th the Japanese star is confident of making serious progress through the field in the 21-lap race.

Takaaki Nakagami – 20th

(1’56.512 – lap 7 of 7)

“From yesterday we have struggled with the general feeling with the bike, it is hard to get the bike stopped and also the rear grip isn’t great. We have been checking the data of the other Honda riders like Cal (Crutchlow), Marc (Marquez) and Dani (Pedrosa) and I can see that I’m losing in the first part of the turn-in. We are improving little by little, but there is still a big gap”.

“At this race I wasn’t as confident with the soft tyre in the rear during qualifying. The hard tyre is better, and that means my race pace is actually a lot better than it might look. In the FP4 we were in the top 11 and that is positive for the race. I’m disappointed with the qualifying position, but we will push on in the race and I hope to get our best result yet.”

More, from a press release issued by Alma Pramac Racing:

Grand Prix Ceské republiky – Qualifying

CzechGP Quali. Petrux conquers a great second row. Jack crashes in Q1 after a stunning lap

Danilo Petrucci will start tomorrow from the second row in the grid of the Grand Prix Ceské republiky. Jack Miller had to settle for 17th place after a great Q1.

The qualifying for the Ceské republiky Grand Prix gave Alma Pramac Racing the satisfaction of the second row of Petrux, who finished the Q2 in 6th position, confirming the great confidence of free practice (P2). The rider from Terni also has a good feeling in the FP4 and the confidence for tomorrow’s race is great.

Jack’s race pace is also extremely positive (P4 in Fp4) but in the second time attack of Q1 the Australian driver crashes in the third sector after recording the best time in T2. Miller will start tomorrow from row six.

P6 – Danilo Petrucci

“We have worked a lot on the set up today. The problem with the FP4 has created some problems but I am still very happy with the second row. My goal is to be in the Top 5 even though it will be very difficult with this heat. We will try”.

P17 – Jack Miller

“I saw a yellow flag during the second time attack and probably made a mistake. I am sorry for this qualifying because the race pace is very good. It won’t be easy to start from 17th but I am sure I can do well”.

More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:

Front row start for Marc Marquez at Brno, Dani Pedrosa 10th

On another hot and sunny day at Brno, with asphalt temperatures reaching 50° C at the time of the qualifying session, Marc Marquez secured a very important front-row start, setting the third-fastest time of the day, just 0.272” down on pole-setter Andrea Dovizioso and 0.05” off Valentino Rossi in second.

Teammate Dani Pedrosa set the sixth-fastest lap time and displayed a competitive pace in both FP3 and FP4 (the latter topped by Marc), but was unable to repeat yesterday’s strong performance when it was the moment for the time attack; he had to settle for the 10th starting spot for tomorrow’s Czech GP, which starts at 2 p.m. local time.

Marc Marquez 93

3RD 1’54.961

“We had realized this morning that with the setup we chose, we’re missing a little bit in a single lap with the new tyre, but I feel more comfortable when the tyres start to drop. Anyway, a front-row start is a very positive result at this track. So far we’re having a solid weekend, and I decided to not try a final time attack at the end of qualifying, as it would’ve been a bit too risky. I’m especially happy with my race pace, because step-by-step, we’ve been able to improve over the weekend. Dovi and Lorenzo have a great pace too, actually the best, but we’re close enough, so it will be interesting to see where we can finish tomorrow. I think Valentino will also be there, so it will be a nice race. It will also be a very long one, so it will be very important to be focused and consistent, and of course tyre choice and management will be very important. It will be tough to make the podium, but we’ll try and go for it.”

Dani Pedrosa 26

10TH 1’55.474

“Today we were able to have two positive free sessions and to work well enough on our race setup, but qualifying was difficult. It’s a shame because 10th is not what we were hoping for. I tried to improve with the soft tyre, but unfortunately I wasn’t able to take a bigger step forward than I did. It’s not the best situation for tomorrow, but I hope I’ll be able to get a good start and especially to be fast in the first couple of laps, as it will crucial to move up.” 

More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

Andrea Dovizioso powers to a superb pole position for the Czech Grand Prix at Brno. Jorge Lorenzo, fourth in qualifying, will start from row 2

Andrea Dovizioso put in a superb lap at the Automotodrom circuit in Brno to clinch pole position for the Czech Grand Prix. The Ducati Team rider set a time of 1’54.689 on his second run in Q2 and will start from pole for the tenth round of the season, which gets underway on Sunday at 14.00 CET over a distance of 21 laps. The last time Dovizioso set the quickest time in qualifying was the Malaysian GP in 2016, and the last time a Ducati was on pole in Brno was even further back, in 2008 with Casey Stoner. This morning Andrea set the tenth time in FP3 to move straight into the Q2 session in the afternoon.

Fourth place on the grid and a row 2 start goes to Jorge Lorenzo, who this morning was third overall in the combined three free practice sessions. The Spanish rider set a best time of 1’55.038 during his second run in Q2.

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04): 1st (1’54.689)

“Until now it’s been an almost perfect weekend! We immediately started off quickly and this allowed us to work calmly for the race and arrive competitive in qualifying. More than the pole position, which is in any case important, I’m pleased with the time that we did. I didn’t expect to set this lap time, but when the others began to push hard I realised that my bike was so quick and I could push really hard as well. The Desmosedici responded well and I set an extraordinary time. For the race it’s not easy to understand who’s going to be in a good position, but my feeling is very good.”

Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team #99): 4th (1’55.038)

“Today I’m very pleased because we were able to overturn the situation we found ourselves in yesterday. The modifications we made to the bike gave good results this morning, I found the bike easier to ride and I could lap with more confidence, using the new fairings which help in this sense. What is more important however is the step forward we’ve made: we came very close to the front row and we will start from fourth, which is in any case a good position. For tomorrow it’ll be very important to choose the correct rear tyre to get an idea of where we can arrive in the race.”

More, from a press release issued by KTM:

FIFTH ROW QUALIFICATION SLOT FOR SMITH AT BRNO AS KORNFEIL TAKES MOTO3 POLE

QUALIFYING 10th Rd. MotoGP 2018 – Automotodromo Brno (CZE)

Red Bull KTM tackled tight qualification times and high summer temperatures at Brno for the Grand Prix of Czech Republic and saw Bradley Smith secure 15th position through the Q1 period as Pol Espargaro clocked the 19th best lap-time. In Moto2 Miguel Oliveira and Brad Binder qualified on 4th and 7th place while Czech Jakub Kornfeil secured his first ever pole position on home soil.

MotoGP

The enduring and baking European summer remained firmly in place as MotoGP reconvened after a small two week hiatus to attempt the tenth round of nineteen on the 2018 calendar. The wide, quick curves of the Brno Circuit are again the stage for the popular Czech Republic fixture.

Red Bull KTM Factroy Racing Team wheeled out the KTM RC16 for both Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith as the riders attempted to find the best speed, traction and performance for only their second competitive blast around the 5.4km course.

Despite a small glitch in FP4 that limited his track time, Smith rode positively to record a circulation that left him in the final spot on the fifth row of the grid. The Brit will now analyse the conditions and climate to identify the best Michelin tyre choice for the 21 lap race on Sunday. Espargaro dropped his chrono effort from FP1 and FP2 on Friday by a second today but was plagued with grip issues and some bad luck on his Qualification run. The Spaniard will line-up on the seventh row.

Smith: “I felt good this morning and it was interesting to see that a few people struggled or slowed down in the afternoon while I was able to go a bit faster it shows good potential for tomorrow. FP4 was tricky because I didn’t get many laps in and I’m not too sure on the tyre choice for tomorrow. The hard would be a safe option but it is not working so well on our bike at the moment. The soft would be a risk. We will have to wait and see.”

Espargaro: “It has not been the best weekend for us so far and it seems in the high temperatures we are not catching the best grip. I didn’t make my best lap in the first run in qualifying and then in the second I found traffic so I could not improve the lap-time. Anyway, tomorrow is the race and it looks like the weather will be a bit cooler and we might have more of a chance. We improved by over a second from yesterday and we are trying to find more traction. With a good start we’ll see for the race.”

Sebastian Risse (Technical Director MotoGP): “A turbulent start to the second half of the season and with some ups and downs. With Bradley the qualifying position was quite good and better than the last races; we know he can start brilliantly so let’s see where this leads us in the first laps. For Pol we went a bit back and forth with the lap-times but it is important to remember that qualification tyres and speed is one thing at this track; race pace is another. It was particularly obvious here and all weekend we were split between working on one-lap pace and race pace. We’ll see if our compromise is the right one, and we’ll try something else in the warm-up and focus on the tyres as much as possible. This was an area we wanted to look at closely with Bradley in FP4 but unfortunately a technical issue meant we couldn’t. I think it won’t be so hot tomorrow so that should be good for us.”

Moto2 & Moto3

In Moto2 Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Miguel Oliveira ended Qualification practice with the 4th fastest lap-time and just two tenths of a second away from Luca Marini’s pole position feat. Promisingly it was the Portuguese’s best Saturday performance on his KTM Moto2 bike since the opening round of the season in Qatar when he also sat on the second row of the grid. Brad Binder was only four hundredths of a second behind in 7th.

Oliveira: “It was a positive qualifying session. Our strategy changed this weekend; we worked to improve the bike for a fast lap. In the end everything went as we had expected, but of course having only five minutes to set a time means that my lap had mistakes and could have been better. Compared to my grid positions from the last few races it is a much better situation. It’s my best qualifying result of the season, equaling what we did in Qatar, so we are back on the second row and I hope that this is the beginning of a change and that we can continue in this way. Tomorrow we know that the heat will be a factor that might be decisive. We have a very good pace and I feel comfortable, so we will have to manage the physical side of the race in the best possible way to achieve a good result.”

KTM filled the first four positions of the Moto3 QP session. Redox PruestelGP’s Jakub Kornfeil sealed pole position on the KTM RC250 GP – his first of the season and indeed his career –- by almost half a second from John McPhee, Marcos Ramirez and Philipp Oettl.

Races: August 5, 2018 – Moto3 11:00 | Moto2 12:20 | MotoGP 14:00

Results Qualifying MotoGP Automotodromo Brno 2018

1. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA), Ducati, 1:54.689 min

2. Valentino Rossi (ITA), Yamaha, +0.267 sec

3. Marc Marquez (ESP), Honda, +0.272

4. Jorge Lorenzo (ESP), Ducati, +0.349

5. Cal Crutchlow (GBR), Honda, +0.366

KTM

15. Bradley Smith (GBR), KTM, +1.529

19. Pol Espargaro (ESP), KTM, +1.664

Results Qualifying Moto2 Automotodromo Brno 2018

1. Luca Marini (ITA), Kalex, 2:02.244 min

2. Alex Marquez (ESP), Kalex, +0.115 sec

3. Mattia Pasini (ITA), Kalex, +0.173

4. Miguel Oliveira (POR), KTM, +0.202

5. Marcel Schrötter (GER), Kalex, +0.205

KTM

7. Brad Binder (RSA), KTM, +0.249

9. Dominique Aegerter (SUI), KTM, +0.276

Results Qualifying Moto3 Automotodromo Brno 2018

1. Jakub Kornfeil (CZE), KTM, 2:07.981 min

2. John McPhee (GBR), KTM, +0.419 sec

3. Marcos Ramirez (ESP), KTM, +0.445

4. Philipp Oettl (GER), KTM, +0.464

5. Fabio di Giannantonio (ITA), Honda, +0.492

KTM

7. Gabriel Rodrigo (ESP), KTM, +0.797

19. Darryn Binder (RSA), KTM, +1.728

More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Corporation (HRC):

Stefan Bradl qualifies on sixth row for tomorrow’s Czech Grand Prix

On Saturday at the Czech Grand in Brno, Stefan Bradl improved on his best lap time from yesterday in both the morning FP3 session (1’56.686”) and the hotter weather conditions that marked the afternoon qualifying session, in which his 1’56.330” lap was good enough for 18th-fastest, securing a sixth-row start for tomorrow’s 2 p.m. race.

Stefan Bradl 6

Team HRC – MotoGP

“Today we concentrated on one setting only, and that was helpful for me to get some more speed. Honestly, I also improved my riding style a little, adapting it a bit more to the RC213V. This morning I started to feel a little bit more at ease in letting the bike roll, getting some more corner speed but I’m not there yet, as I’m still missing a bit of front feeling. I’m not yet satisfied with my qualifying time, but I think that with the race pace we’re able to keep, we have a chance to gain some positions tomorrow.”
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More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:

ROSSI SECURES FRONT ROW START IN BRNO

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Valentino Rossi will be starting tomorrow’s Monster Energy Grand Prix Ceské republiky from 2nd place on the grid. Maverick Viñales also put in hard work today, battling his way through Q1 to take 12th place in Q2.

Brno (Czech Republic), 4th August 2018

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Valentino Rossi had the fans on the edge of their seats in today’s Q2 session. He left his best time-attack effort until his very last lap to secure 2nd place on the grid for tomorrow’s Monster Energy Grand Prix Ceské republiky. Maverick Viñales breezed through Q1 but was unable to get hold of the same feeling in Q2 and took 12th position.

Rossi was eager to reproduce the P1 result he set in this morning’s FP3 session, especially since he loves the Automotodrom Brno so much. The Italian let most riders leave ahead of him before making his way down pit lane. His second hot lap put him in tenth place, but he knew he could push more.

He arrived back in the pitbox with six and a half minutes on the clock. After a quick stop the Doctor was ready for his final run and had time for two more tries. Though his first attempt didn’t succeed, he started the second with a red sector, followed by personal bests in the remaining three. This resulted in a strong 1’54.956s, moving him up from twelfth to second place, with a 0.267s gap to pole.

Viñales had to come through Q1 but did so without much opposition from the other riders. His first flyer, a 1’56.109s, put him in first place. The youngster then returned to the pit box with slightly less than eight minutes remaining.

Two minutes later he returned out on track for his second run. He upped his level even further, setting four red sectors to clock a 1’55.538s, putting him more than 0.6s ahead of the field for the time being. The number 25 rider kept pushing but was unable to improve. Nevertheless, he safely came through Q1 with a 0.314s advantage.

A brief stop later, he headed back out for the second qualifying. His initial attempt, a 1’55.823s, put him in seventh place, but he dropped to tenth as the pace quickened. The Spaniard stuck to the same strategy as in Q1 and made his way back to pit lane early, with eight minutes remaining.

With six minutes on the clock he headed back out, eager to climb the rankings. However, he was unable to make a further improvement and ended Q2 in 12th place, 1.134s from the top.

MASSIMO MEREGALLI

TEAM DIRECTOR

First of all, congratulations to Valentino for securing the front row. It wasn’t easy to accomplish this in today’s heat. He already showed he had the speed to do it this morning and he proved it again when it mattered most. Maverick also did a good job in Q1, he was clearly the strongest rider of the field. It was a pity he didn’t feel as comfortable on the bike on the harder tyre in Q2, because starting from the fourth row will make tomorrow’s race a challenge. As for the race pace, we made a step today, but we’re not satisfied yet. We will continue to work on tyre degradation with the aim to give Vale and Maverick the best package possible for tomorrow’s race, which will be hard on both the riders and the tyres.

VALENTINO ROSSI

It’s true that it was very difficult with these hot temperatures. I knew I could be quite competitive with a new tyre, because already this morning I did a good lap. This afternoon I was able to improve. I pushed that bit more and rode very much on the limit on braking and entry. A 1’54.9s is a great lap time. I’m very happy, especially with this temperature! For tomorrow’s race it’s very important to start from the front row. My race pace isn’t fantastic, after some laps I will suffer, but for sure we will try.

MAVERICK VIÑALES

I tried to focus on the here and now and give the maximum. There’s still a lot of points up for grabs. We’re going to try to keep doing our best. I used the medium tyre in Q1, thinking the hard was going to be better for Q2, but finally it turned out to be the opposite, with the medium I felt much better. It didn’t leave me with any questions: the medium was much better, with the hard it was difficult to push. There’s still a lot of room for improvement. This weekend our setting isn’t perfect, so we need to keep working. I don’t think I will use the harder tyre tomorrow. I will see if I can make the soft last, and if it gives me something extra on the first laps. Let’s see tomorrow, I will try my best as always.

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Dovi & Rossi storm past Marquez to take Brno 1-2

An Italian 1-2 locks out the top as Marquez is forced to settle for the front row in his 100th premier class start

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) will be starting the Monster Energy Grand Prix Ceské republiky from pole position – his first since 2016 – as he just edged out an equally incredible lap for compatriot Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) at the Automotodrom Brno, making it 1-2 for the veteran Italians. Reigning Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) – who is making his 100th premier class start – completes the front row as the last man able to get into the 1:54 bracket, setting up a tantalising prospect for race day in Czechia.

Everything went down to the wire and on the first run it was advantage Marquez, but Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team) soon hit back to pull out exactly half a second. The story was far from over, however, as Marquez was then able to do a 1:54 – the first of the weekend. It looked like it could be a done deal, but a final run for Dovizioso and Rossi saw the two leapfrog the Spaniards in the final seconds of the session. For ‘DesmoDovi’ it’s a stunning 1’54.689, with Rossi 0.267 back but able to edge Marquez – by only 0.005.

Lorenzo heads up the second row after just missing out on that front row, and the number 99 will surely be a threat from there as he remains the man to watch when the lights go out. Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) takes fifth and is top Independent Team rider at the venue that hosted his first ever GP win, with Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Racing) taking sixth and bouncing back well despite a technical problem with one of his machines at the end of FP4.

Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) took P7 and leads the charge on Row 3, with the Frenchman joined by both Team Suzuki Ecstar machines. Andrea Iannone just leads teammate and Q1 graduate Alex Rins as they followed up their frontrunning FP4 pace in P8 and P9 respectively in Q2, with Friday’s fastest and 11-time Brno podium finisher Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) completing the top ten.

Tito Rabat (Reale Avintia Racing) will line up eleventh, with Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) down in P12 after coming through Q1 and then proving unable to replicate his laptime from that session.

Franco Morbidelli (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) is top rookie in P13 after just missing out on Q2, ahead of Alvaro Baustista (Angel Nieto Team) – a Q1 crasher – and Bradley Smith (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), who completed the top 15 for the Austrian factory.

So that’s qualifying done and dusted and race day is set up to be a corker. Three manufacturers on the front row, a whole host of proven Czech GP winners with incredible pace and everything to play for…come back on Sunday at 14:00 (GMT +2) as the big show begins at Brno.

Marini marks maiden pole in Czechia

The Italian continues his fine form to take a first career pole position ahead of Marquez and Pasini

After taking his first Moto2™ front row and podium at the German GP, Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46) continued his fine form at the Monster Energy Grand Prix Ceské republiky by securing his maiden Grand Prix pole position, beating Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) and Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team) by less than two tenths.

It was another intermediate class qualifying session where the early times set proved to be most vital, with Francesco Bagnaia (Sky Racing Team VR46) and pole man Marini going out in tandem – the latter setting his 2:02.244 on his third flying lap behind the Championship leader, 0.115 ahead of Marquez’ fastest time and 0.173 quicker than Pasini.

After a more difficult Friday on board his KTM, Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) equaled his best qualifying result of the season in P4 after a fast opening run in the session. After setting the pace on the opening day, Marcel Schrötter (Dynavolt Intact GP) will launch from the middle of the second row in fifth, just 0.003 behind the Portuguese rider. Championship leader Bagnaia played a leading role for Marini, and his own time is good enough for sixth on the grid as the second row is split by just 0.005 seconds.

After finishing FP3 down in 19th, Sachsenring winner Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) lines up seventh for Sunday’s race, 0.012 ahead of Xavi Vierge (Dynavolt Intact GP) in eighth – the Spaniard was 17th after FP3.

Dominque Aegerter (Kiefer Racing) came from outside the top 20 in the morning to ride to an impressive P9 in qualifying – the Swiss’ best grid slot of the season. After a crash at Turn 6, Lorenzo Baldassarri (Pons HP40) had to settle for P10 as he aims to bounce back from his Sachsenring crash.

Super Luca spearheads the grid in the Moto2™ class for the first time in his career, but can he hold off the stiff competition on Sunday? Don’t miss the intermediate class race when lights go out in Brno at 11:20 local time (GMT +2).

Czech mate: Kornfeil storms to home GP pole

The Czech rider timed his final run to perfection to lead McPhee and Ramirez in qualifying

Jakub Kornfeil (Redox PrustelGP) claimed a first Czech pole in any class since Misano 2007 and was the first Czech rider to take pole in Brno at the Monster Energy Grand Prix Ceské republiky after timing his lap to perfection to delight the home crowd, as John McPhee (CIP – Green Power) set the second quickest time of the session with the two leading the one-lap charge at the end of qualifying.

In a Moto3™ session where a whole host of riders missed the chance to set a hot lap time at the end, Kornfeil and McPhee took full advantage as they soared to P1 and P2, the Scot 0.419 behind. Marcos Ramirez (Bester Capital Dubai) secured third place on the grid after a stellar final lap, with Friday’s quickest man Philipp Oettl (Südmetall Schedl GP Racing) spearheading the second row of the grid in fourth after also timing it just right to get quick lap in as the clocked ticked down.

Fabio Di Giannantonio (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) was P1 with two minutes of the session to go, but the Italian left pit lane too late and took the checkered flag before he could set a final lap – meaning ‘Diggia’ had to settle for fifth. Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0) had the same problem and will start from sixth after looking set for a front row start, with Gabriel Rodrigo (RBA BOE Skull Rider) suffering the same fate – it’s seventh for FP3’s quickest man.

Nakarin Atiratphuvapat (Honda Team Asia) did manage to set a time right at the end and propelled himself into eighth place – his best qualifying result of the season. Two more riders who failed to get their timing right were Nicolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) and Enea Bastianini (Leopard Racing), and the two Italians round out the top ten in ninth and tenth respectively.

With Championship leader Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) sidelined with a left radius fracture, Marco Bezzecchi (Redox PrustelGP) has a chance to take the lead in Championship again this weekend. However, the Italian was another rider to miss out on the chance to improve on his eighth position before the final run and dropped to P14. Can he mount a podium challenge from there?

Can home hero Kornfeil covert pole into his maiden Grand Prix victory? Find out when the lightweight class go racing at 11:00 local time (GMT +2).