Motul Grand Prix of Japan

FIM MotoGP World Championship

Twin Ring Motegi, Japan

October 20, 2018

Qualifying Results (all on Michelin tires):

From Qualifying Two:

1. Andrea Dovizioso, Italy (Ducati), 1:44.590

2. Johann Zarco, France (Yamaha), 1:44.658

3. Jack Miller, Australia (Ducati), 1:44.727

4. Cal Crutchlow, UK (Honda), 1:44.820

5. Andrea Iannone, Italy (Suzuki), 1:44.832

6. Marc Marquez, Spain (Honda), 1:44.889

7. Maverick Vinales, Spain (Yamaha), 1:45.140

8. Alex Rins, Spain (Suzuki), 1:45.225

9. Valentino Rossi, Italy (Yamaha), 1:45.265

10. Alvaro Bautista, Spain (Ducati), 1:45.396

11. Dani Pedrosa, Spain (Honda), 1:45.519

12. Takaaki Nakagami, Japan (Honda), 1:46.168

From Qualifying One:

13. Bradley Smith, UK (KTM), 1:45.722

14. Pol Espargaro, Spain (KTM), 1:45.742

15. Danilo Petrucci, Italy (Ducati), 1:45.759

16. Hafizh Syahrin, Malaysia (Yamaha), 1:45.765

17. Franco Morbidelli, Italy (Honda), 1:45.969

18. Karel Abraham, Czech Republic (Ducati), 1:46.072

19. Aleix Espargaro, Spain (Aprilia), 1:46.183

20. Katsuyuki Nakasuga, Japan (Yamaha), 1:46.441

21. Scott Redding, UK (Aprilia), 1:46.571

22. Xavier Simeon, Belgium (Ducati), 1:46.573

23. Thomas Luthi, Switzerland (Honda), 1:46.817

24. Sylvain Guintoli, France (Suzuki), 1:47.106

25. Jordi Torres, Spain (Ducati), 1:47.147

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

A third time on pole at the Japanese venue puts the Italian in a perfect position for race day as the number 93 starts sixth

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) is doing everything he can to deny Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) the crown in the Motul Grand Prix of Japan, going fastest on Friday and following it up with pole position on Saturday – his third in the premier class at the track – as Marquez heads into the battle for his seventh title from sixth. ‘DesmoDovi’ won’t go down without a fight and the news gets even worse for Marquez on the rest of the front row, with Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing) taking second and third respectively – two men with no Championship pressure and everything to gain.

It was a quickfire end to Q2 qualifying at Motegi and ‘DesmoDovi’ avoided the drama to perfection. That wasn’t quite true of Zarco, who put in a spectacular last ditch all-or-nothing lap and only just missed pole, but it was even less for Miller as the Australian set a stunner and then ended the session in the gravel trap. No harm done and rider ok, his earlier exploits made sure he held on to his front row – and he’s optimistic ahead of race day.

The second row also has some big contenders for Marquez to pick his way past: fellow Honda rider Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol), who was on provisional pole until the last push, took fourth and Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Andrea Iannone was a man who, like Zarco, left it late to pounce but then pushed Marquez back down to sixth.

The threats could also come from behind for the reigning Champion, however. Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) is in seventh and edged out Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) by less than a tenth, with the gap even smaller back to the second Movistar Yamaha of Valentino Rossi. Rossi, a former premier class winner at the venue, left it late to move through to Q2 in the morning and wasn’t able to challenge ahead of Row 3 in qualifying, with the Italian now looking for gains on Sunday.

Alvaro Bautista (Angel Nieto Team) completes the top ten after he made it through Q1 – his final lap breaking Red Bull KTM Factory Racing hearts as he pushed out Bradley Smith – and three-time Motegi winner Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) had a more difficult session in P11. Home hero Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) was the other graduate from Q1 and he lines up in tweflth after getting through to Q2 for the fourth time this season.

Smith was pushed down to P13, with his teammate Pol Espargaro and Alma Pramac Racing’s Danilo Petrucci locking out the fastest fifteen on Saturday.

So the stage is set and it’s Dovizioso in the driving seat so far at the Twin Ring Motegi. Will that be true on Sunday? A win can stop Marquez taking the title but anything less would likely see the Spaniard crowned. Tune in for the all-or-nothing Motul Grand Prix of Japan at 14:00 (GMT +9)!

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

Stunning Qualifying performance by Zarco and Syahrin in Motegi

Monster Yamaha Tech3 star Johann Zarco missed out on the pole position for the Motul Grand Prix of Japan today by just 0.068 seconds in an incredible tight Q2. However, the Frenchman will start the 16th round of the MotoGP World Championship tomorrow from the second position on the grid, being confident of a consistent and strong race at 14.00 local time (7.00 CET) on Sunday, after he lowered his Friday’s best again by 0.346 seconds to defend his third spot in the Free Practice classification this morning.

Meanwhile, Hafizh Syahrin gained momentum in FP3 and improved his fastest lap time from Friday by impressive 1.147 seconds. In Qualifying 1 the Malaysian rookie came extremely close to his first Q2 entry as he did an amazing lap time of 1’45.767 minutes to miss out on P2 by just 0.019 seconds. Full of confidence, Monster Yamaha Tech3’s Syahrin aims to bring home as many points as possible in tomorrow’s 24 laps race, launching from the front of the sixth row.

Johann Zarco

Position: 2nd – Time: 1’44.590 – Laps: 7

“This has for sure been a great lap! I think I missed the pole position just in the last chicane as I struggled to shift down from third to second gear and I guess that’s where I probably lost a few thousands of a second. Anyway, I’m so happy with this Qualifying! I was fast here from FP1 onwards and proved my good feeling once again. I could show clearly, how much I like this track and that I can push. Overall, it’s working well. Tomorrow we need a good start, maybe try to lead the race and it will be very important to ride the Yamaha well from the first lap on.”

Hafizh Syahrin

Position: 16th – Time: 1’45.765 – Laps: 7

“We did a good job in FP4 and also in Q1, it was just so close. We missed Q2 by just 0.1, but anyway, we are back in the rhythm and I feel really good together with the team. I was just a bit nervous during Qualifying. Anyway, we have a strong pace and believe that tomorrow will be a good day for us. We need to make a clever choice on the tyre. From P7 to P15 everything is really close, so I think if we can do a good start tomorrow and stay within that group, we can score points. Thanks a lot to my team, because the guys found a very good package for me. I just need to improve on my confidence, but we keep working hard and are highly motivated.”

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

SEVENTH ROW FOR THE APRILIA MACHINES IN THE JAPAN GP

The qualifying session on the Japanese Motegi track placed both the Aprilia riders on the seventh row of the starting grid for the GP tomorrow.

Aleix Espargaró, despite demonstrating his potential for a much better position, stopped at the 19th best time at 1’46.183. After putting on the tyre for his flying lap toward the end of the first of the two sessions that decide the grid order, Aleix battled down to the last turn for one of the top two spots, a position that would have opened the doors to the next session. He recovered in the second and third sector, coming within just 22 thousandths of the first place position, but a mistake on the final corner cost him what he had recovered up to that point.

Scott Redding fell victim to a crash (without consequences for the rider), precisely during what would have been his best lap. His qualifiers finished there and the time of 1’46.571 that he had previously put on the boards earned him the 21st spot on the starting grid, also on the seventh row.

ALEIX ESPARGARO’

“In qualifying I was at the limit because I wanted to go through to Q2. I was doing a very good time, but a mistake on the final part of the lap cost me fundamental tenths. Unfortunately, that’s the way the qualifiers are. It only takes the smallest mistake and you lose positions. Today was a difficult day. We had grip problems at the rear that keep us from stopping the bike and accelerating quickly. I’ll give it my all in the race. Right now, our pace is not exceptional, but we should be able to battle in the points zone.”

SCOTT REDDING

“During practice I felt good. We still have a couple of problems that we were able to partially mitigate. There is still some chattering which was also what caused my crash in qualifying. It gives us trouble on a couple of turns, but it costs us a lot of time and, above all, it exposes us to the risk of making mistakes. I’m still not sure about the tyre choice. I used the soft on the front, but I have some doubts. We’ll evaluate it in the technical debriefing and see what the race conditions are.”

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

BAUTISTA AIMING TO FIGHT AT THE FRONT AT MOTEGI

Ángel Nieto Team rider to start from tenth position at Motegi, with Karel Abraham in 18th

Marc Márquez heads into the Grand Prix of Japan tomorrow with his first chance of lifting the MotoGP title tomorrow but his task will be made more difficult by the fact that Andrea Dovizioso, his main and virtually only rival given that Valentino Rossi is 99 points adrift with 100 left in play, will start from pole position. The Spaniard, meanwhile, will start from the second row in sixth, equalling his worst qualifying result of the season. Three Independent team riders will line up in between the pair, with Johann Zarco and Jack Miller on the front row and Cal Crutchlow at the head of row two, ahead of Andrea Iannone.

Ángel Nieto Team rider Álvaro Bautista is aiming to fight with the front group in the sixteenth round of the MotoGP World Championship at Motegi tomorrow. Bautista will line up on the fourth row of the grid at the Grand Prix of Japan, which should allow him to run with the pace of the guys in front of him and challenge for a strong result. His teammate Karel Abraham qualified on the sixth row of the grid with his best position of the weekend so far, after missing out on Q2 by just six tenths of a second. Well placed to fight for the points, the objective for the Czech rider is a top fifteen finish in Japan.

10th Álvaro Bautista 1:45.396: “I am happy because the feeling is good. It was important to get into Q2 because in other races this season we have had the pace to fight at the front but I have had to fight too much to come through on the early laps. I will try to get a good start tomorrow to stick with the front group and have fun. It was just a shame that we had a little issue in Q2 that was constantly bringing the traction control in, which cost me a few tenths. The positive side is that we have a good feeling with the bike for tomorrow.”

18th Karel Abraham 1:46.072: “Eighteenth on the grid is a good place to start a nice battle tomorrow. In FP4 we managed to set some consistent lap times and as soon as I went out in qualifying I set a 1’46.6. The second lap was heading for a 1’46.0 but I had a little issue so it could have been better. I tried again after that a couple of times but it was impossible.”

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

 Grand Prix of Japan – Qualifying

#JapaneseGP Quali. Stunning front row start for Jack (P3). Difficult Saturday for Petrux (P15)

The qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix gave Jack Miller an extraordinary front row, the third in the season after the Pole Position in Argentina and the second place in Misano. For Danilo Petrucci a very difficult Saturday also due to a mistake in his best lap during Q1 time attack.

Jack confirms the good sensations of Friday and in the FP3 he wins once again the direct qualification to Q2. The Australian rider laps very fast in FP4 and in Q2 he is amazing. After the first lap of the second run he is in pole position, then in the second lap, after the best time in T1, he makes a mistake but finishes anyway in front row behind Dovizioso and Zarco.

Petrux seems to have overcome the problems of Friday but a crash in the time attack of the FP3 does not allow him to qualify to Q2. The race pace in the FP4 (fifth lap-time) is very incisive and in the first run of Q1 Danilo is in the lead. In the T1 of the last time attack, he gets a red helmet but a mistake in the T2 doesn’t allow him to qualify for Q2. Petrux will start from row 5.

P15 – Danilo Petrucci

“It’s a very difficult weekend. On Friday we made the wrong choice in the setup but in the FP3 the feeling was good. Unfortunately, qualifying didn’t go as I had hoped. Starting from the fifth row will be hard but the race pace is positive. The goal is to get in the Top 10 to get valuable points”.

P3 – Jack Miller

“I am very happy for this qualifying. The team has done a great job and the feeling with the bike has been very good since the free practices. In the second lap of the time attack, I thought I could win the Pole Position and I pushed to the maximum, probably over the limit. It’s ok. I have great confidence for the race”.

More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:

Tomorrow to be Marc Marquez’s first chance to clinch 2018 MotoGP Title, at Japanese Grand Prix

Marc Marquez qualified on a very close second row for tomorrow’s Japanese Grand Prix, which will be his first opportunity to clinch the 2018 MotoGP Title.

On a sunny Saturday at Twin Ring Motegi, Marc was fourth in this morning’s FP3 session and first in FP4 before setting the sixth-fastest time in qualifying, less than three tenths of a second from pole position.

Dani Pedrosa will start the Grand Prix, which begins at 2 p.m. local time and 7 a.m. Central European time, from the fourth row of the grid.

Marc Marquez 93

6TH 1’44.889

“In FP4 I crashed on the bike that I was feeling very strong and constant with, while my second bike had quite a different setup that I didn’t like as much. We had no time to change it, so I started qualifying expecting to struggle a bit, although still with the aim of earning a start position on the front two rows. That said, we know that our race pace is good for tomorrow, and we’re happy with that. We’ll try to start well, and then we’ll see where we are at the end of the first lap; from then on we’ll try and manage the race well, with the target of getting on the podium and, if possible, of fighting for the victory.”

Dani Pedrosa 26

11TH 1’45.519

“This weekend we tried to improve in qualifying, but it didn’t work out, which is a pity because a good starting position is very important at this track. We’ll have to recover, even if it’s always tough to overtake in the first few laps. We have to make a good tyre choice and start well, and then we’ll see what options we have.”

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

NAKAGAMI THROUGH TO Q2 AT MOTEGI

LCR Honda IDEMITSU rider Takaaki Nakagami put on a show for his home fans on Saturday as he progressed to Q2 at the Japanese Grand Prix. The local hero eventually claimed 12th position on the grid and will start Sunday’s race at the Twin Ring Motegi from the fourth row of the grid.

Although he finished in 16th position in both FP3 and FP4, Taka was never far off the top ten and saved his best until last in Q1 with a flying final lap which saw him snatch the second spot in Q2. Although a front brake issue then undermined his efforts, the 26-year-old was satisfied with his performance in front of his passionate home support.

Takaaki Nakagami – 12th

(1’46.168 – lap 6 of 6)

“Qualifying was a little bit tough. At the last minute in Q1 I did a great lap and I was really happy to go into Q2 in front of all my fans, so overall it was a good qualifying. Unfortunately in Q2 we had a problem with the front brakes and I was a bit disappointed with my lap times as we couldn’t really show our potential. But it was a good Saturday and I’m really looking forward to the race. I will do the maximum in front of my fans and will try to enjoy it. Let’s do it!”

More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:

THIRD ROW START FOR MOVISTAR YAMAHA AT TWIN RING MOTEGI

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Maverick Viñales will be starting tomorrow‘s Motul Grand Prix of Japan from seventh place on the grid. Teammate Valentino Rossi will line up in ninth for round 16 of the 2018 MotoGP season.

Motegi (Japan), 20th October 2018

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi came out fighting in today‘s Q2, featuring at the top of the rankings at the start of the session. However, the teammates were unable to keep their challenge going during their second run. They secured seventh and ninth place respectively for tomorrow’s race at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit.

Viñales was quick to start the 15-minute shoot-out and left the pits making sure there was enough space between him and the rest of the field, before starting his first flyer. He immediately put his Yamaha in second place, just behind his teammate. The Spaniard was one of the many riders flashing red sectors on their second try and improved his time. Nevertheless, he found himself in seventh place as he entered pit lane with a little under seven minutes on the clock.

The youngster was soon back out on the track, eager to put the hammer down once more. Unable to further improve on the next attempt, he gritted his teeth and pushed even harder on his seventh and final lap. He dropped a 1’45.140s, 0.550s from pole, which briefly moved him up to sixth, but some last-gasp track activity after the chequered flag had come out pushed him back to seventh place again, on the third row of the grid.

Rossi was quick to start the qualifying session and left the pits shortly before his teammate, hoping to find some clear track. He immediately made his mark with his first flying lap securing provisional pole and bettered his time on his second effort. As the pace intensified he dropped to fifth position whilst making his way back to the box with slightly more than seven minutes to go.

A quick stop later, the nine-time World Champion was back in action. With just enough time for two more hot laps, he put his head down, yet he was unable to produce a faster lap than the 1’45.265s he set on lap 3, which was 0.675s from the session‘s fastest time. He will start tomorrow’s race from ninth position.

Yamalube Yamaha Factory Racing Team wild card rider Katsuyuki Nakasuga had a tough second day at the Motegi track, suffering a crash in FP4. Thankfully unharmed, he was able to still put in a solid performance in Q1, taking 20th place, on the seventh row of the grid. His fastest lap, a 1’46.441s, was 1.012s from pole.

MASSIMO MEREGALLI

TEAM DIRECTOR

It was fundamental that the FP3 and FP4 sessions were dry, so we were able to proceed with the work on the dry set-up, especially after losing dry track time in yesterday’s damp FP2. We had some solutions to try today, but in the morning practice session we found that not all of them worked, so we had to continue our work in FP4. Though we made progress in terms of getting more power on the ground, and both Maverick and Vale had a good start to Q2, we had expected to be more competitive. Unfortunately, Vale’s qualifying result was compromised. He actually felt good with the bike earlier, so it’s a pity it cost him a row. It will be a hard race for both riders, starting from the third row. We are preparing a different setting tweak for tomorrow’s warm-up with the aim to make a further step. We still have some small doubts about the decision on the race tyre, so we’ll see in the morning.

MAVERICK VIÑALES

Taking seventh on the grid is not disappointing to me, because we are actually trying to learn some things for next year, but for sure it also wasn’t the result I wanted. After yesterday’s FP1 I thought I could be close to the top and that a front-row start was possible, but we got worse on the braking areas, so that’s what we need to work on tomorrow. Tonight we will have a look to see where we are losing in terms of braking power compared to yesterday, and we’ll see if we can improve it. I don’t know what to expect for tomorrow’s race. I hope to be at the front, which I should be able to fight for if we improve the braking. We have to keep focused tomorrow and try to make another step. I’m actually happy about the traction, I didn’t expect to have such good traction here, so that’s very positive.

VALENTINO ROSSI

Today was not fantastic, but it was also not so bad – it was a bit average. My pace improved compared to yesterday. It’s nothing great, but we’re with about five riders who have a similar pace, so the race will be very much open. Unfortunately, I could have done better in qualifying, but we made a mistake in the box with the rear tyre and I didn’t have any grip, so I didn’t try my fullest on the second run. If that hadn’t happened, I think I could have started from the second row. To me, that’s my potential. We’ll see tomorrow. We have to improve in some areas, because I’m not very happy about the setting. We have to try to do better.

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

Reale Avintia riders ready to fight in Japan

MotoGP GP of Japan – Twin Ring Motegi

Reale Avintia Racing riders completed the qualifying practice for the Japanese Grand Prix at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit in sunny and warm conditions.

Xavier Simeon will start Sunday’s 24-lap-race from the 22nd place of the grid, while his teammate Jordi Torres qualified in 25th place. Both expected much more from the qualifying session, but both suffered small setbacks with early crashes.

Torres was the first to fall on Saturday morning in FP3 and, although the mechanics did a great job to repair his bike on time, was not able to take advantage of fresh Michelin tyres in qualifying.

Simeon suffered a minor crash in FP4. However, an important piece broke on his Ducati, which prevented him from going to Q1 with the same bike. Although the set-up of the second bike was similar, the Belgian rider didn’t have the same feeling and will therefore start the race from the penultimate row of the grid.

The MotoGP warm-up session is scheduled for 9:40h, while the race will start at 14:00h local time.

Xavier Simeon | 1’46.573 | P22

“We had a really good pace throughout the weekend so far and we made a step forward for sure. Unfortunately, I was not able to go into qualifying with my first bike. I had a small crash in FP4, in which an important piece broke, and my team did not have enough time repair the bike for qualifying. I felt okay with the second bike, but I didn’t have the same feeling as with the number one bike, because the set-up was slightly different. Nevertheless, I think I can do a good race tomorrow and fight to get my first points in the championship.”

Jordi Torres | 1’47.147 | P25

“Today I had a good feeling with the bike. Unfortunately, I trusted the front tyre a little too muuch and crashed ona corner entrance. The team did a fantastic job repairing the bike and I had both bikes ready for FP4. We did several laps with used tyres and we kept the same pace, which is very good. But when we mounted a new rear soft tyre for time-attack, I was not able to use it to my advantage. I still have to learn to brake at the right time, maybe a little earlier, so I can prepare the entrance of the turn better and exit with more throttle.”

More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

Andrea Dovizioso takes a splendid pole position in the Japanese GP at Motegi

Ducati Team’s Andrea Dovizioso powered to a splendid pole position this afternoon in qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix, which will be held tomorrow at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit. The Italian, who had also been quickest in the morning’s FP3 run, then went out in Q2, in which he set a time of 1’44.590 in his second exit. Today’s pole is the second of the season for Dovizioso, his seventh in MotoGP and also the seventh pole of the 2018 season for Ducati.

The Japanese GP will get underway tomorrow afternoon at 14.00 local time (07.00 CET) and will be held over a distance of 24 laps.

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 1st (1’44.590)

“My qualifying session went very well and I’m happy with the feeling I had during my pole run. We’ve got a good pace, but so has Marquez and not only him. I think we still have to improve something if we want to fight for the win tomorrow, so we’ll analyse the data to see what the tyre wear is like, because probably we’ll be able to adopt a different strategy than in the last two races, where we had to save the tyre for the final few laps. We went strongly both with the soft and the medium, and we haven’t decided yet which one to use. I want to thank my team for their great job, because with a few small modifications we were able to make a big improvement and in qualifying I did a really great lap. This morning my aim was to set a time of 1’44.6 and I ended up lapping in 1’44.5!”

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

SECOND AND THIRD ROW STARTS FOR IANNONE AND RINS

Team Suzuki Press Office – October 20.

Andrea Iannone: 5th – 1:44.832 (+ 0.242)

Alex Rins: 8th – 1:45.225 (+ 0.635)

Sylvain Guintoli: 24th – 1:47.106 (Q1)

• Andrea Iannone with great pace and 5th place spot.

•Alex Rins to start close behind in 8th position.

•Team ready for the Japanese GP with three riders.

Following mixed conditions on Day 1 at Twin Ring Motegi, it was all to play for in Saturday morning’s FP3 session. Andrea Iannone and Alex Rins used their time well and, importantly, were able to secure direct passage to Q2.

In FP4, with a threat of rain in the air, Team SUZUKI ECSTAR’s riders were keen to get a good run of laps and prepare for qualifying. Iannone held 2nd position for much of the session, finishing 3rd while Rins was 7th.

Sylvain Guintoli, riding as a Wild Card entry for the team, was in Q1 as he continued his important work towards the 2019 season. Meanwhile, Andrea and Alex entered an exciting and close Q2. The Italian, breaking into the 1:44 bracket, was just 0.242 seconds from the pole when the chequered flag came out, he will start 5th on the grid. His young Spanish team-mate will start close by in 8th, rounding off a positive Saturday for the team.

Davide Brivio – Team Manager

“It was a positive day for us, qualifying 5th and 8th, and these are good positions for tomorrow’s race. Both riders seem to have good pace, and Andrea was very close to the top during qualifying. Alex made good progress, ensuring he was in Q2 and then finishing on the third row in 8th. We’ll make some final adjustments tonight to see if we can improve further, but we’re looking forward to the race. Sylvain is continuing his development job and we hope top be able to use at our best the tomorrow race to understand the progress.”

Andrea Iannone

“Today has not been so bad, and I’m happy with my qualifying result. I pushed really hard during the last minutes of the session and I improved a bit, which meant I can start from 5th. For us it’s really good for tomorrow, and we also had strong pace in FP4, so we’re confident. The track conditions could be different tomorrow, and for sure everyone will be close together, but I’ll try my best to stay at the top.”

Alex Rins

“Everything is going in a good way. I rode alone almost all the time and still the lap time was quite fast, so I think this 3rd row tomorrow is really important. I will push from the beginning and I think my race pace is good. I’ll try to stay at the front for as long as possible, and try to fight!”

Sylvain Guintoli

“Today we’ve kept working on the 2019 bike set-up, and we’ve found some new things. It’s good to be here because race weekends are the best way of testing, and we have a lot of new things on the bike, so it really helps with working towards next year and the development. When we’re here at the races we can understand better which direction to take and we can make good choices.”

More, from a press release issued by Red Bull KTM:

 SMITH AND ESPARGARO MISS Q2 AT MOTOGP GRAND PRIX OF JAPAN BY ONLY FRACTIONS OF A SECOND

QUALIFYING 16th Rd. MotoGP 2018 – Twin Ring Motegi (JAP)

Red Bull KTM’s Bradley Smith and Pol Espargaro were within hundredths of a second of making the Q2 qualification cut at a sunny Motegi today. The pair showed promising speed at the Japanese circuit with the KTM RC16 and will line-up 13th and 14th respectively on the grid for the sixteenth round of nineteen in 2018 MotoGP tomorrow.

MotoGP

The distinctive curves and demanding sections of the Twin Ring Motegi opened the first of MotoGP’s ‘triple’, taking in Japan, Australia and Malaysia in three weeks. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing arrived with the rest of the paddock to the renowned course and were happy to find bright weather conditions for the last Free Practice sessions and Qualification runs today.

Heavy on braking and acceleration, Motegi is a special test for the riders and their technical set-ups and both Bradley Smith and Pol Espargaro got down to work immediately; setting lap-times that placed both KTM RC16 motorcycles in the midst of the MotoGP pack.

When it came to a frantic Q1 session Smith’s penultimate effort meant he was just seven hundredths of a second from Takaai Nakagami at the chequered flag and from the last slot to make the Q2 cut. Espargaro was not far behind with his final flying lap: only two hundredths from his teammate.

With good potential for the 24 lap (115km) race tomorrow Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team will be looking to continue their buoyant run on Japanese soil so far.

Smith: “Overall it was a positive day. We played the ‘long game’ because I didn’t have the best feeling yesterday so we tried a lot of ideas and used bike one and two as much as possible. Some ideas were working and some weren’t and that was right through FP4. It was a bit stressful but I felt that the package was coming together. At the right moment I set a good rhythm in FP4 and I was confident that we had a good motorcycle for qualifying. It is a shame we had some yellow flags because it held me up in sectors 3 and 4 of the last lap and it would have been nice to go to Q2. Anyway, 13th is a good position for us and I’m excited to see what happens tomorrow. We’ve created a stable bike for all the hard braking points here in Motegi – it will be a tough race but we’ll try to take advantage of our good set-up as much as possible.”

Espargaro: “We should be happy, we are doing a good job here in Japan. FP4 did not go as expected and we had the chance to go into Q2 and every time we put a Ssft tyre it was a big mess. Finally we got the result we wanted with the tyre but it was too late and for qualifying you need everything to go perfectly to get the lap-time. Anyway, we made the top twelve with a used tyre in FP4 and we’ll be looking for the same in the race.”

Sebastian Risse (Technical Director MotoGP): “We had to use every minute we had on the track because this place is new for us in the dry. I think our bike suits Motegi quite well. We already had a picture after FP1 that our bike is in the ballpark here. We had a few surprises with the tyres today and when they are so different then it makes our job that much harder. Anyway, overall, I think qualifying showed where we are: we’re close to Q2 but not quite there yet. We have to keep developing the bike. There is always a difference between ultimate lap-time and race pace and we will try to use this to our advantage.”

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

CRUTCHLOW FASTEST HONDA RIDER IN MOTEGI QUALIFYING

LCR Honda CASTROL rider Cal Crutchlow will start Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix from the second row of the grid. The Briton was impressive throughout Saturday’s sessions at the Twin Ring Motegi, but just failed to translate his pace into a place on the front row.

As he was in Friday’s FP1, Crutchlow was second fastest in both FP3 and FP4 as he laid down a marker ahead of qualifying at HRC’s home race. However, a small error on his final lap in Q2 saw him miss out on the top three by less than a tenth of a second, although the LCR man remains in confident mood.

Cal Crutchlow –4th

(1’44.820 – lap 6 of 7)

“We are happy about the pace for today, the Team have worked very hard over the weekend to improve our package and be competitive, and we are. But I’m disappointed about the qualifying position, I made a mistake in the last corner and I was unable to take advantage and go on the front row. It would have been very helpful for tomorrow’s race to be starting on the front row. I’ve had great pace all weekend and I feel comfortable and confident for tomorrow, I look forward to seeing what happens in the race.”