FIM MotoGP World Championship

Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit

Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia

October 26, 2018

Free Practice Two Results (all on Michelin tires):

1. Andrea Iannone, Italy (Suzuki), 1:29.131

2. Danilo Petrucci, Italy (Ducati), 1:29.291

3. Maverick Vinales, Spain (Yamaha), 1:29.354

4. Andrea Dovizioso, Italy (Ducati), 1:29.406

5. Cal Crutchlow, UK (Honda), 1:29.616, crash

6. Johann Zarco, France (Yamaha), 1:29.686

7. Marc Marquez, Spain (Honda), 1:29.739

8. Jack Miller, Australia (Ducati), 1:29.838

9. Alex Rins, Spain (Suzuki), 1:29.918

10. Valentino Rossi, Italy (Yamaha), 1:30.133

11. Hafizh Syahrin, Malaysia (Yamaha), 1:30.179

12. Bradley Smith, UK (KTM), 1:30.346

13. Dani Pedrosa, Spain (Honda), 1:30.472, crash

14. Pol Espargaro, Spain (KTM), 1:30.545

15. Alvaro Bautista, Spain (Ducati), 1:30.734, crash

16. Aleix Espargaro, Spain (Aprilia), 1:30.736

17. Franco Morbidelli, Italy (Honda), 1:30.787

18. Takaaki Nakagami, Japan (Honda), 1:30.830, crash

19. Karel Abraham, Czech Republic (Ducati), 1:31.166

20. Xavier Simeon, Belgium (Ducati), 1:31.275

21. Thomas Luthi, Switzerland (Honda), 1:31.539

22. Jordi Torres, Spain (Ducati), 1:31.570

23. Scott Redding, UK (Aprilia), 1:32.045, crash

24. Mike Jones, Australia (Ducati), 1:33.633

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

Zarco and Syahrin perform strong on day one in Australia

Monster Yamaha Tech3 rider Johann Zarco displayed an impressive pace from the word go today at the Phillip Island circuit. Following the eighth fastest time in FP1, he improved by impressive 0.972 seconds in the second session of the weekend in order to finish Friday just 0.555 seconds off the top of the overall classification.

Meanwhile,Hafizh Syahrin quickly discovered a new passion at Australian venue and was up to speed equally fast this morning. The Malaysian rookie lowered his lap time by 0.777 seconds in the second Free Practice to miss out on a provisional direct Q2 entry by just 0.046 seconds in finishing 11th of the highly competitive MotoGP field.

Johann Zarco

Position: 6th – Time: 1’29.686 – Laps: 41

“This has been a decent first day. We got acceptable conditions. The track here in Phillip Island is just amazing and I’m happy that I was quickly on the pace. Then, it’s difficult to improve every lap and find a good setting on the bike to feel very comfortable. There are some riders, who are very fast. I feel I can’t find the same speed as them, but we try to work on the bike to make this step, because you need confidence. The bike gives me this confidence, but we are still missing in acceleration and on this track this is very important. At the moment, I’m happy. I hope to improve tomorrow on the dry to be competitive for the race.”

Hafizh Syahrin

Position: 11th – Time: 1’30.179 – Laps: 40

“I felt really good! To be honest, I didn’t expect I could be so fast from the beginning in Phillip Island, because this track didn’t belong to my favourites in the past. With the GP bike it’s different and I felt confident with this machine on this track. I’m very close to Q2 and I have to admit that I’m a bit disappointed about myself because it looks like I have something extra to use the speed a little bit more. But overall, it’s ok. We keep this in the pocket and I hope we have nice weather again tomorrow, so we can try to fight again. The bike works very well for the moment, but tomorrow we definitely have to work on my race pace and I wish all this goes well.”

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

ESPARGARÓ SIXTEENTH ON THE FIRST DAY OF PRACTICE AT PHILLIP ISLAND

The low temperatures (16° C) on Phillip Island made the first day of practice at the GP of Australia rather demanding, generating conditions of poor grip and causing difficulties in keeping the Michelin tyres up to temp.

Aleix Espargaró used the two sessions to compare the two bikes available to him, each with a different configuration. These tests will continue tomorrow as well, given the difficulty interpreting the results on such cold asphalt.

Garage mate Scott Redding complained primarily of chattering problems that led to a harmless crash in FP2. The English rider’s work tomorrow will focus on this problem and tyre selection.

ALEIX ESPARGARO’

“It was a complicated day. The low temperatures and poor grip made our job difficult. We have two different bikes to compare and these conditions are not exactly ideal. In the final stages of FP2, I began to find the pace, but I am still far from the feeling that I expect to have on this circuit. We will continue the comparative tests tomorrow. We want to improve, and we will do whatever it takes to make that happen.”

SCOTT REDDING

“Riding was really very difficult for me today. I had problems with chattering from the start, decidedly more pronounced than they were on the first day in Japan. Precisely because of the vibrations, I crashed during the second session. Tomorrow we will work on this and on other tyre options.”

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

IANNONE TOPS THE TIMESHEETS ON DAY 1 IN AUSTRALIA

Andrea Iannone: 1st – 1:29.131

Alex Rins: 9th – 1:29.918 (+ 0.787)

• Andrea Iannone on top form on opening day.

•Alex Rins slots into 9th place with good pace.

•Team looking forward to qualifying.

The first day of action at Phillip Island in Australia saw a cold and damp start followed by long delays due to an oil spillage in Moto3. However, there was still plenty of action in the top class and Team SUZUKI ECSTAR used the FP1 session to fine tune their GSX-RR.

As FP2 rolled around both riders were feeling confident and ready to show their pace. Alex Rins spent the majority of the session within the Top 10, and closed it in 9th place. Andrea Iannone, pleased to be back at one of his favourite tracks, was able to top the time sheets in FP2 with a 1:29.131, as well as setting the fastest time in two of the four track sectors. With cold temperatures likely for FP3, both riders being provisionally in Q2 was an important step.

Davide Brivio – Team Manager

“It’s been a good start here in Phillip Island. Andrea had a very good day and he was fast in both sessions. Alex had a good start as well, he was able to try the different tyres available so we’ll analyse the information he got. We have both riders in the Top 10 so we’re happy. We’re still working on fine tuning the bike so we hope to improve some things for tomorrow. But overall, we’re pleased with this first day.”

Andrea Iannone

“We started well, and we were hoping to put in a good performance because our bike always works well at this track. But in any case, it’s always difficult to be at the front, especially here. We need to continue like this and still improve in some areas because I feel I’m losing a bit on acceleration. But we’ll try to arrive at 100% for the race. Tomorrow I’ll give my maximum.”

Alex Rins

“I feel very good and I was comfortable with the bike from FP1 onwards. On my last run I put in a new tyre and tried to improve my lap time and it worked out like this. It’s always cold at Phillip Island so I tried the soft and medium tyres and I felt good, especially with the soft tyre, but we’ll see what the conditions are like tomorrow. Anyway, we’re feeling good.”

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

 Michelin® Australian Motorcycle GP – Free Practices

#AustralianGP FP. Petrux powers to a superb P2. Jack finishes 8th with great confidence

An extremely positive Friday for Alma Pramac Racing at Philip Island. Danilo Petrucci and Jack Miller start the Michelin® Australian Motorcycle GP in the best way, lapping fast in both FP1 and FP2.

Petrux finds a great feeling with his Ducati Desmosedici GP since the morning practice (P3) and in the afternoon he confirms himself at the highest level ending up in second position behind Andrea Iannone.

Jack greets his fans with a superb FP1 that finishes in second position. In the afternoon practice, the Australian rider is constantly in the front group and ends in 8th position.

P2 – Danilo Petrucci

“I’m very happy. I did a good lap even though I used Vinales as a reference. I feel like I have a great feeling with the bike. I made a reset compared to Japan where I made some mistakes. With the new tyres I am very fast but in the race it will be essential to manage the consumption”.

P8 – Jack Miller

“I am satisfied with the work we have done even though the result is not the best. In the time attack of FP2 the tyres didn’t work at their best. We have a few things to fix on the bike but I’m still confident. Tomorrow we will have to improve our speed”.

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

DAY OF ADAPTATION FOR ÁNGEL NIETO TEAM

Karel Abraham and Mike Jones get first rides on Ducati GP17 and Ducati GP16 respectively during free practice for Australian Grand Prix

The first day of practice since Marc Márquez was crowned MotoGP World Champion for the fifth time saw the Spaniard lap seventh fastest on an incident-packed day at Phillip Island. Ahead of him the top six is made up by riders from four different manufacturers, separated by just half a second, with Andrea Iannone (1’29.131) on top ahead of Danilo Petrucci and Maverick Viñales. The first day of practice in Australia was set back by two hours because of a mechanical breakdown for a Moto3 rider.

The first day of free practice at the Australian Grand Prix was a day of adaptation for the Ángel Nieto Team, with Karel Abraham making his debut on the Ducati GP17 normally ridden by Álvaro Bautista and Mike Jones joining the team to ride the Ducati GP16. Both riders have a good feeling after the first day and have targeted areas to improve tomorrow. For Abraham the goal is to improve straight-line stability so that he can maximise the potential of the Ducati GP17, and even though he was seventeenth fastest today he is confident he has plenty of room to improve. On the other side of the garage Mike Jones lapped four seconds off the best time of the day and his goal is simply to close that gap tomorrow.

17th Karel Abraham 1:30.772 (27 laps): “This morning started well, everything was going perfectly with the Ducati GP17 despite the problems with the track conditions and the delays. This afternoon was more difficult, the bike is moving a lot on the straight and it is difficult to ride like that. I think we could have been faster than in the morning but this held us back. After my first day with the Ducati GP17 I have to say that there are a lot of differences, so it works differently and we need to solve this issue so that we can get the best out of the bike.”

24th Mike Jones 1:33.633 (38 laps): “I am very happy to have completed my first laps today with the Ángel Nieto Team. We have worked well together on this first day but I still need to get comfortable with the bike and that’s a matter of getting laps. We are going to work hard and think about the best way to ride this bike in order to progress. My main target for tomorrow is to be faster than today, and I think we have the room to improve because there are certain aspects that are holding me back at the moment. If we can make the right adjustments, the lap time will continue to come down.”

More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:

PRODUCTIVE FIRST FREE PRACTICE SESSIONS FOR MOVISTAR YAMAHA AT PHILLIP ISLAND

The Movistar Yamaha MotoGP riders were back in action today to prepare for this weekend’s Michelin Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix. It was a positive start for Maverick Viñales, who, after topping FP1, secured third place in the FP2 and the combined times. Valentino Rossi worked diligently on his bike’s settings but continues to look for ways to breach into the 1’29s. He took tenth position in both sessions.

GRAND PRIX OF AUSTRALIA

Phillip Island, Australia – 26th October 2018

FREE PRACTICE

16:20 LOCAL TIME GMT+11AIR 16°C / TRACK 32°CWINDY (SUNNY) / HUMIDITY 72%

3rd

MAVERICK VIÑALES

1’29.354 (FP2) / 23 + 21 LAPS

10th

VALENTINO ROSSI

1’30.133 (FP2) / 19 + 21 LAPS

Phillip Island (Australia), 26th October 2018

The Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team had to wait a while for action to get underway at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, as the Friday riding schedule was delayed due to an oil spillage in Moto3’s FP1. However, Maverick Viñales’ first efforts at the Michelin Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix were worth the wait. He showed good form in both free practice sessions and secured third place in the combined times. Valentino Rossi needed a bit more time to warm to the breezy and somewhat chilly track, taking tenth position in both sessions.

Viñales showed his competitive pace right from the start of the rescheduled first session. The track conditions were tricky, catching out various riders, but the Spaniard remained undaunted. He rode several fastest laps on his YZR-M1 and kept hold of the top spot for the remainder of the session after setting a 1’29.952s on lap 11, to end FP1 in first place, with a 0.037s advantage over his closest rival.

The Spaniard booked further improvements in the FP2 session whilst perfecting the balance of his bike. With weather conditions uncertain for tomorrow’s FP3, he decided to play it safe, like most MotoGP riders, and switched to a soft-soft tyre combination for his last two runs. He concluded the day in third place with a personal best lap of 1’29.354s, 0.223s from today’s fastest time.

Rossi got straight to business in FP1. He was fully committed to his goal to decrease the 9-point gap to second place in the championship standings. He worked on preparing a base setting for Sunday’s race and finished the first free practice in tenth place with a 1’30.828s best lap, 0.876s from his teammate.

He resumed his work in FP2, continuing to adjust the bike’s set-up. The track conditions remained treacherous, but with the temperatures rising and the times dropping, the Doctor saved his best for the last stint. He bettered his FP1 time by nearly 0.7s when he clocked multiple low 1’30s laps during his final stint. He completed FP2 and the first day in tenth place with a 1’30.133s, 1.002s from the front.

MASSIMO MEREGALLI

TEAM DIRECTOR

You never know what to expect in Phillip Island with its changeable weather conditions, so we’re taking this GP session by session. We started the weekend with a more conventional base set-up than the one we used in Motegi. Our riders were quite comfortable on their bikes and they have been fast in both sessions, especially Maverick. We tried a few different tyre specifications and we’ll finish what we couldn’t get done today in tomorrow’s sessions, which is mainly the hardest specification. In general, both riders complained about movement coming out of some corners. We will try to find a solution to make this better for tomorrow, and also we will work on some electronic settings in an effort to improve the tyre life. The weather conditions of tomorrow are uncertain, it might rain, but we’re sure we can make another step.

MAVERICK VIÑALES

It’s been a good Friday. I always like being in Phillip Island. It has a really nice lay-out, so I can push myself even more. I’m happy because we worked in the correct way. Maybe in the afternoon we tried a bit too much. We should continue with the same bike, I have a great feeling on it. I was able to really concentrate and be precise, so we can be there in the top-3. This track really flows, and it seems to work for us, but we still have Saturday and Sunday to go. Today has been very positive so let‘s see tomorrow.

VALENTINO ROSSI

We worked on the bike and on the tyres today, because here in Phillip Island it’s always difficult to find the right balance. I was lucky at the end, because I was able to stay in the top-10, which is good and important because the forecast for tomorrow predicts that improving in FP3 could be difficult. We have to continue to work on the balance of the bike, we have to improve, because our pace isn’t fantastic.

More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:

The Repsol Honda Team starts work in preparation for the race

The action on day one of the Australian Grand Prix was delayed until long after Moto3 FP1 was red-flagged seven minutes into the session. Stefano Nepa’s bike suffered a problem and spilled liquid on track, requiring an extensive clean-up job, while a strong downpour further complicated the situation. Consequently, the MotoGP class headed out for FP1 at 1:50 p.m. local time and for FP2 at 4:20 p.m., with both sessions luckily run in dry conditions.

Newly crowned World Champion Marc Marquez was sixth-fastest in FP1 and seventh in FP2, with teammate Dani Pedrosa finishing both sessions in 13th place.

The action for the MotoGP class will resume tomorrow at 11:55 a.m. local time.

Marc Marquez 93

7TH 1’29.739

“We didn’t start the day very well in terms of feeling with the bike and front tyre, and we had a crash that was quite unexpected. Anyway, I think we made a good step in the second session, so we’re happy with the work we did, even if we ended in seventh place. We made some changes on the bike and did kind of a long run, looking to better understand the feeling, and I think we’re now heading in the right direction, even if we still have work to do. We’re all very close, and it’s not clear yet where everyone is, so we’ll see how it goes tomorrow. Of course we’ll try and give one hundred per cent.”

Dani Pedrosa 26

13TH 1’30.472

“I went out this morning and the feeling wasn’t bad, but when I exited for the second run, with the same tyre and having made no particular changes on the bike, I lost the front and crashed. The feeling still wasn’t perfect in the second session, with turning and the front in general. We tried the soft and the medium spec tyre, and we must keep working. We’ll see tomorrow.”

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Iannone leads Friday at Phillip Island, with four factories in the top five

Suzuki, Ducati, Yamaha and Honda fight for top honours on Day 1

Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar) left it late to leap to the top of the combined timesheets at the Michelin® Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, setting a 1:29.131 on his final lap to oust Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Racing) from P1. The two Italians were separated by 0.160, with FP1’s quickest man Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) completing the top three made up of three different manufacturers. One of the biggest headlines of the day was less positive, however – with LCR Honda Castrol rider Cal Crutchlow, who currently leads the Independent Team rider standings, suffering a crash in FP2 that has seen the Brit declared unfit for the rest of the weekend. He was fifth fastest on Friday before the incident and will now undergo surgery on a broken right ankle and tibia in the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne.

It was an incident-filled day on the Island as Moto3™ saw an early Red Flag and subsequent delays due to track conditions, and even after there were a few riders finding the limits. Crutchlow’s fellow Honda rider Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), crowned Champion in Japan, was also a crasher – escaping unscathed from a fast one at Turn 10. He also suffered a run off later in the day, as did arch rival Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP). The two men ended the day a little down the timesheets, with Marquez in P7 and Rossi rounding out that all-important top ten; inside it by 0.046. But Rossi’s key rival for second overall in the standings, Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team), outpaced both as he took fourth just ahead of Crutchlow – and steered clear of the drama.

Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), meanwhile, was only 0.070 behind Crutchlow to complete the top six. The Frenchman was back on front row form at Motegi and opened the Australian GP well, ahead of Marquez. With Crutchlow now unable to complete the weekend, both Zarco and Petrucci will be looking to gain on the Brit in the Independent Team rider standings.

In P8 there was some top news for home fans with another Independent Team rider as Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing) ended the first day well within that all-important initial top ten – as well as only a tenth off Marquez. He was just ahead of Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Alex Rins in P9 to make it both Hamamatsu factory machines in the top ten.

Hafizh Syahrin (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) was top rookie in P11, ahead of Bradley Smith (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) as top Austrian machine. Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) suffered a crash – rider ok – and ended Friday in P13, ahead of Pol Epsargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Alvaro Bautista (Ducati Team) – another crasher.

That’s it from a frantic Friday on Phillip Island. Come back for FP3 on Saturday morning to see who will make it through to Q2 qualifying, before the grid is decided from 16:10 local time (GMT +11).

Binder sets the early benchmark Down Under

South African leads the combined times on Friday, from Schrötter and Pasini

Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) has come out the Moto2™ blocks blazing on Friday at the Michelin® Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix to beat Marcel Schrötter’s (Dynavolt Intact GP) FP1 time by 0.087 to go top overall, but the German rider remains second at the end of action. Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team), also by virtue of his time from the morning session, completes the top three.

Binder got in his groove in the afternoon and was able to top FP2 by over two tenths from Schrötter, with Iker Lecuona (Swiss Innovative Investors) finishing third in the session and fourth overall after improving by over three tenths. That was despite a fast crash at Turn 1 for the Spaniard, who headed to the medical centre for a checkup. Fifth overall is title race leader Francesco Bagnaia (Sky Racing Team VR46), who had a positive start to the weekend on which he faces his first match point; able to improve by over two tenths in FP2. Who was just behind him? Last year’s winner and biggest rival Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo), and it was by just 0.021 seconds.

Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) was another rider to improve his time from FP1 and the Spaniard ends the day seventh overall, just over half a second off Binder’s pace. Fellow Spaniard Augusto Fernandez (Pons HP40) ends up eighth fastest despite crashing at Turn 4 in FP1, another good result for the returner to the class, with Xavi Vierge (Dynavolt Intact GP) and Andrea Locatelli (Italtrans Racing Team) rounding out the top ten.

FP2 saw a host of fallers in the Moto2™ class. Khairul Idham Pawi (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) collided with stand-in Tech 3 Racing rider Bryan Staring at Turn 4 – the latter will be assessed on Saturday morning to see if he’s fit to continue – and Jorge Navarro (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) suffered a second fall of the day at Turn 4 at almost the same time. Steven Odendaal (NTS RW Racing GP), Simone Corsi (Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2), Tetsuta Nagashima (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) and Luca Marini (SKY Racing Team VR46) also all crashed.

The intermediate class will be heading back on circuit at 10:55 local time (GMT +11) for FP3, can anyone break Binder’s early stranglehold before qualifying? And how will Championship contenders Bagnaia and Oliveira fare in a vital QP? That will be on from 14:30.

Canet claims the top from Martin on Friday

Spaniard strikes in FP2 to depose compatriot Martin

Friday at the Michelin® Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix got off to a fairly dramatic start as a Red Flag brought proceedings to a halt for some time, causing delays throughout the day. What happened? Stefano Nepa (CIP – Green Power) failed to check the state of his bike as he re-joined – and he put oil down on track. Championship challenger Marco Bezzecchi (Redox PruestelGP) fell victim to that and it prefaced a long delay for the track to be cleaned – as the rain also came down as an extra complication – before we finally got back underway. Nepa was suspended from FP2 as a consequence.

Once action began again it was Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) who went quickest in FP1, but he didn’t remain there as FP2 saw everyone improve their laptimes in much better conditions. Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0) took back the top and bettered Martin’s time from the morning, with the points leader pushed down to second. Marcos Ramirez (Bester Capital Dubai) was only two thousandths in arrears to complete the top three, just ahead of twice-crashing Bezzecchi.

Gabriel Rodrigo (RBA BOE Skull Rider) was fifth quickest on Day 1, ahead of Motegi podium finisher Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing) and Ayumu Sasaki (Petronas Sprinta Racing) as the Japanese rider once again showed top pace on Friday. Tony Arbolino (Marinelli Snipers Team) and Enea Bastianini (Leopard Racing) completed the top ten.

One big crash saw Fabio Di Giannantonio (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) running into trouble and then into Nakarin Atiratphuvapat (Honda Team Asia), although the Thai rider was able to take to the run off and rejoin. ‘Diggia’, who suffered a big highside in Japan, was taken to the Medical Centre for a check up and declared fit to continue at Phillip Island.

That’s it from Day 1, FP3 for the lightweight class begins at 10:00 (GMT +11) on Saturday and they head out for qualifying at 13:35.

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

Simeon and Torres take it easy on the first day at Phillip Island

MotoGP GP de Australia – Phillip Island

The first free practice sessions for the Australian Grand Prix took place today at the fast and spectacular Phillip Island circuit, with Reale Avintia Racing riders Xavier Simeon and Jordi Torres finishing 20th and 22nd in the combined time sheets.

The whole program of the day was delayed when a Moto3 rider sprayed oil all around the track, but following the intervention of the Race Direction and the circuit marshalls, action resumed two hours later. After rain showers in the morning, finally all sessions were held in dry and sunny, but cool conditions, which is the usual weather for this time of the year on Phillip Island.

Xavier Simeon discovered Phillip Island on a MotoGP bike today. The Belgian was satisfied with his pace using the hard rear tyre option of Michelin, although he hopes to improve also with the soft compound in order to get the best grid position for Sunday’s race.

His teammate Jordi Torres also used the first day to discover the 4.4km circuit on his Ducati MotoGP bike. Torres knows the Australian venue well, as he finished on the podium in Moto2 back in 2013 and was fourth in his debut race in WSBK in 2015. However, all his former references were not valid for MotoGP and today he made sure to go step by step in learning the circuit again and getting comfortable with his Desmosedici. Tomorrow, with all references re-set, he hopes to take a step forward in qualifying.

Xavier Simeon | 1’31.275 | P20

“It was a crazy day. This a real circuit and riding a MotoGP bike here is another world compared to Moto2. I got injured here last year, which is why I took it easy on the first few laps today. Later on, with increasing confidence, we started to improve and got faster on each exit. I’m satisfied with my pace, but when I grabbed a soft rear tyre towards the end, I was not able to improve. My feeling was not good and I didn’t have enough grip to go faster. It should not be like that, but at the moment I find myself more comfortable with the hard tyre. Tomorrow I hope to enjoy riding the bike again and to improve my position on the grid.”

Jordi Torres | 1’31.570 | P22

“We had a good day. We took things calmly because even though I know the circuit, my references from the past were different because and I was used to get to the turns at a different speed. Once I had adjusted to the additional spee of the MotoGP bike, we started to improve the set-up step by step. Maybe we took it a little bit too easy, because in the end we ran out of time and couldn’t push for a faster lap. But overall we worked well. There were a lot of crashes today and I didn’t want to destroy the bike or get hurt. It was very important to finish both sessions on the bike. With the additional experience, I ‘m sure I can take another step tomorrow.”

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

Crutchlow Out Of Australian GP

LCR Honda CASTROL rider Cal Crutchlow will sit out the remainder of the Australian Grand Prix after sustaining a broken ankle in FP2 on Friday. The Briton headed into the event at Phillip Island in great form having claimed second place in HRC’s home race at Motegi last time out.

Crutchlow started well at the iconic Melbourne circuit and was fifth fastest in the morning session. However, he suffered a heavy fall at turn one with 15 minutes of FP2 remaining which resulted in a fracture of his right ankle involving both malleoulus and distal tibia. After being seen by medics at the track, the 32-year-old was taken to Melbourne Alfred City Hospital where he will undergo surgery to correct the injury.

More information on Cal’s condition will be released as soon as possible.

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

NAKAGAMI AIMING TO IMPROVE IN AUSTRALIA

LCR Honda IDEMITSU rider Takaaki Nakagami is looking for improvement after a difficult first day at the Australian Grand Prix on Friday. The Japanese talent could not find his best rhythm at the legendary coastal circuit near Melbourne and eventually finished down in 18th place on the timesheets.

After it was delayed by a couple of hours due to an oil spill, Nakagami managed the 16th fastest time in FP1. Looking to improve on that, he then suffered a fall during the afternoon FP2 session as he came off at turn six, but was able to walk away uninjured.

Takaaki Nakagami – 18th

(1’30.830 – lap 16 of 19)

“I’m ok, I had quite a big crash into turn six as unfortunately I lost the front on the entry to the turn. I was pushing a little bit too much as I had a new soft front tyre and was looking to improve the lap time. Anyway, I’m lucky not to have any injury and we’ll look to try and improve tomorrow if the weather forecast stays good. We’ll try to be more consistent on the lap time and I know that I can improve the riding style. Hopefully we can adapt as soon as possible. I’m sorry to hear the news about Cal and hopefully he’ll come back as soon as possible.”

More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

Andrea Dovizioso fourth on first day of practice for Australian GP at Phillip Island. Fifteenth place for Álvaro Bautista

Andrea Dovizioso finished the first day of practice for this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix at the Phillip Island circuit in fourth place. The Ducati Team rider, who was also fourth in the morning’s FP1 session, improved during the afternoon’s run to end up with a best time of 1’29.406.

Álvaro Bautista, making his debut with the Ducati Team’s Desmosedici GP in place of Jorge Lorenzo, crashed coming into Turn 6 shortly after the start of FP2 and was unable to continue the session. The Spanish rider ended the day in fifteenth place with a time of 1’30.734.

Tomorrow the riders will be out on track again for FP3 at 11.55 local time (02.55 CET), with FP4 scheduled for 15.30, Q1 for 16.10 and Q2 for 16.35.

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 4th (1’29.406)

“Today’s practice went quite well because we found good track conditions with very little wind, and we were able to complete a good amount of the work that we had planned. In the end my lap times were in line with those of the top riders, so I have to say that I’m satisfied. The Desmosedici GP is more stable than last year and so we are able to be quicker, even though we are still having a bit of difficulty mid-corner, but for sure we are losing less than in the past. Tomorrow we’ll have to continue working and improve even more because I can see that there are a lot of riders who might have a competitive pace in the race. Phillip Island is a peculiar track and has to be interpreted well: let’s see what weather conditions we will find tomorrow.”

Álvaro Bautista (Ducati Team #19) – 15th (1’30.734)

“It was a bit of a strange day, both because of the delay in getting out on track and because of my crash in the afternoon session, which didn’t allow me to do many laps. Overall, I’m pleased with the feeling on the bike and it all feels really good. In FP1 I tried the usual team setting and in FP2 one that was similar to what I usually have on my Desmosedici GP17 and I felt better with this second option. Pity about the crash, because I’m sure that I could have done a good time, but I went into the corner in the wrong gear, rolled off the throttle and when I changed gear again I lost the front and couldn’t avoid crashing. In any case I’m sure that tomorrow we’ll manage to improve.”