Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas

FIM MotoGP World Championship

Circuit of The Americas

Austin, Texas

April 20, 2018

Free Practice Two Results (all on Michelin tires):

1. Andrea Iannone, Italy (Suzuki), 2:04.599

2. Marc Marquez, Spain (Honda), 2:04.655

3. Maverick Vinales, Spain (Yamaha), 2:04.863

4. Valentino Rossi, Italy (Yamaha), 2:04.958

5. Cal Crutchlow, UK (Honda), 2:05.088

6. Alex Rins, Spain (Suzuki), 2:05.452

7. Jorge Lorenzo, Spain (Ducati), 2:05.487

8. Andrea Dovizioso, Italy (Ducati), 2:05.647

9. Aleix Espargaro, Spain (Aprilia), 2:05.739

10. Dani Pedrosa, Spain (Honda), 2:05.761

11. Danilo Petrucci, Italy (Ducati), 2:05.889

12. Tito Rabat, Spain (Ducati), 2:05.910

13. Johann Zarco, France (Yamaha), 2:05.933

14. Jack Miller, Australia (Ducati), 2:06.016

15. Scott Redding, UK (Aprilia), 2:06.078

16. Hafizh Syahrin, Malaysia (Yamaha), 2:06.219

17. Takaaki Nakagami, Japan (Honda), 2:06.397

18. Karel Abraham, Czech Republic (Ducati), 2:06.555

19. Tom Luthi, Switzerland (Honda), 2:06.625

20. Franco Morbidelli, Italy (Honda), 2:06.640

21. Alvaro Bautista, Spain (Ducati), 2:06.683

22. Bradley Smith, UK (KTM), 2:07.033

23. Pol Espargaro, Spain (KTM), 2:07.136

24. Xavier Simeon, Belgium (Ducati), 2:08.021

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

Zarco and Syahrin wrap up day 1 at the Americas GP

Monster Yamaha Tech3 rider Johann Zarco concluded the opening day at the Circuit of the Americas in 13th position, following a significant improvement of 1.191 seconds from FP1 to the FP2 in the course of a quite tricky day. Yet, the French star is eager to increase his pace during the third Free Practice, which commences at 9.55 local time tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Hafizh Syahrin initially had to learn one of the most demanding tracks of the MotoGP calendar aboard the Yamaha YZR-M1. The premier class rookie mastered his task to perfection, lowering his lap time by impressive 2.6 seconds from the first session to the second, which made him earn the top rookie honors again by the end of day one.

Johann Zarco

Position: 13th – Time: 2’05.933 – Laps: 29

“This was a difficult first day in Texas. This morning I was unlucky with some mechanical issues, so I couldn’t work like I wanted. In the end, the laps I did were quite good. In the afternoon, we were honestly struggling a lot. During the practice, I had some good feelings and I thought we could improve with the soft tyre, but finally it has been even worse with the soft one. It’s kind of strange and it’s a pity, because we are not inside the top 10. I hope that it will be dry, so I can push during FP3 and over all be able to have a good bike and find my pace.”

Hafizh Syahrin

Position: 16th – Time: 2’06.219 – Laps: 30

“I felt really good in FP2, we improved a lot. Eventually I had some great sensations. By the end of the session, I was very close to Lüthi, but Nakagami crashed in front of him, so we both had to slow down, which was unfortunate, because I had a lot of confidence with the bike and I think I could have been even faster. In the end, it was a mistake in planning my strategy, but I think that I can do better tomorrow. I hope the weather stays like this and we can get closer to the front in the course of the weekend.”

More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:

CONFIDENT START TO THE COTA WEEKEND FOR MOVISTAR YAMAHA MOTOGP

Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi started their Grand Prix of The Americas campaign with two encouraging first free practice sessions, securing third and fourth place respectively in the combined timesheets.

Circuit of The Americas (Austin, Texas), 20th April 2018

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP riders Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi kicked off the Grand Prix of The Americas showing good form. Making the most of the perfect riding conditions in today‘s two free practice sessions, the teammates both aimed for a top-10 finish, in case of rain tomorrow, and fulfilled their goal securing third and fourth place respectively in the combined free practice times.

Viñales used FP1 to reproduce his strong form at COTA from last year. Though the forceful thrust of the MotoGP bikes made the dust fly everywhere in the first free practice session, the 23-year-old was quick to show a competitive pace. He worked diligently on his bike‘s settings throughout the morning and put his head down in the final stages. He earned third place in the FP1 results, with a 2’06.257s best time and a 0.727s margin to the top.

Feeling encouraged by his strong start in FP1, the Spaniard gave another strong performance during the second 45-minute session. Having bettered his bike, he soon dropped a 2‘07s lap and went on to secure third place in the final minute, setting a 2‘04.863s lap, 0.264s from the front.

Rossi stuck to his plan to get a top-10 time in FP1. He showed a good pace in the morning and got into a solid rhythm. The Italian steadily dropped his times and frequently posted provisional top-3 laps. He ultimately slotted into second with a 2‘05.926s lap, directly ahead of his teammate, and held on to this position with a 0.396s margin to first place.

The nine-time World Champion also had a productive session in the afternoon. Once again pushing hard, he worked on fine-tuning his bike‘s balance, the tyres and the electronics. Finding himself in eighth place, with six minutes to spare, Rossi headed back out to put the hammer down. He set a 2’04.958s on his penultimate lap to ultimately take fourth place, 0.359s from first.

The Movistar Yamaha MotoGP teammates‘ FP2 results earned them the third and fourth place respectively in the combined times, ahead of tomorrow’s sessions.

MASSIMO MEREGALLI

TEAM DIRECTOR

It was a pretty good first day for us here. COTA has quite a unique character and with the tricky conditions of this morning, Maverick and Valentino were given a bit of a challenge. However, both riders felt comfortable on their bikes right from the start of FP1 – even if the conditions of the track were pretty bad – and rode fast times. They clearly showed that they have good pace and speed. In the afternoon, we tried to improve the bikes’ set-up, especially focusing on creating better bump absorption, which is critical, and we also tried to improve rear grip. We were also able to try two of the three tyre options, but most of all it was important to finish within the top-10. The weather forecast for tomorrow doesn‘t look good, but even if it rains, thanks to today‘s results we will automatically promote to Q2.

MAVERICK VIÑALES

FP2 went quite well and I‘m quite happy over all, even considering we didn‘t try the soft at the end because in the beginning I didn‘t feel good on the soft on the first laps. I still think we could have had good potential on the soft. So, I think we still have a margin to improve. We started better than we did on the previous two tracks. I hope we can go faster and have a bit more stable bike for tomorrow.

VALENTINO ROSSI

The second session has been positive again because I was fourth and pretty fast. We worked on the race pace because with the medium tyres there’s a bit less grip, so we still have some work to do, but the feeling is positive. The track was a bit better than this morning. Let’s see what the weather is tomorrow, although the forecast says rain.

More, from a press release issued by Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS:

Lüthi and Morbidelli make dusty MotoGP debut in Texas

Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS riders Tom Lüthi and Franco Morbidelli battled a dusty, low grip track surface in today’s free practice at the Circuit of The Americas.

In difficult conditions both riders made impressive rookie outings on the demanding 5.5km layout in advance of Sunday’s Grand Prix of the Americas in Austin.

Conditions improved significantly for the afternoon FP2 session with Lüthi going 1.6s faster compared to FP1 to finish 19th with a time 2’06.625.

Morbidelli was just a fraction slower than his teammate at 2’06.640 and 20th position overall.

A project to smooth out the notorious bumps at COTA meant that much of today’s two 45 minute sessions were spent cleaning the track and maximising set-up options for the race.

Tom Lüthi: 19th – 2’06.625

“The main issue today was that I didn’t find any grip with the rear tyre and I had a lot of sliding. But then when you get some grip on the edge of the tyre on corner exit the bike is very nervous which makes this track very physical and tiring to ride. For the race we need more grip and stability overall. A constant slide is okay in the long corners but you need to load the rear with more grip out of all the slow turns.”

Franco Morbidelli: 20th- 2’06.640

“We are working a lot on the set-up, both the bike and electronics and we made a good step in the afternoon improving by 1.7 seconds. There are still many small steps we can make and my focus is just to ride at my best in the conditions. The bumps are less this year and despite the dusty surface I found the grip levels not so bad.”

Gilles Bigot: Tom Lüthi Chief Engineer

“This is a very physical track for MotoGP so Tom did a good job today considering it was his first time here in the premier class. This afternoon we did a long run on a race tyre and Tom made good improvement, even though it was very tiring session. Our focus is on the set-up for the race not so much the lap time and it seems the weather forecast for tomorrow is rain but for the race dry conditions. For sure Tom is finding MotoGP with more horsepower more physically and mentally demanding here than Moto2 last year, when he finished second in this race to Franco.”

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

ÁNGEL NIETO TEAM KICK OFF IN AUSTIN

Karel Abraham and Álvaro Bautista get first feel for COTA track surface

The Circuit of the Americas has been Marc Márquez territory since 2013, his rookie season in MotoGP, when he took the first of his five consecutive victories at the American circuit. The Spaniard looks unlikely to loosen his grip having started this year’s event on top form, with only a late effort from Andrea Iannone as the chequered flag beckoned denying him top spot in free practice. Behind the leading pair, Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi made a decent start to the third round of the season, with series leader Cal Crutchlow fifth on a day that saw Dani Pedrosa return from his injury in Argentina and subsequent surgery to lap tenth fastest.

The Ángel Nieto Team spent the day laying foundations for the weekend on a circuit that was some way off the best condition it has previously been in. Karel Abraham was the fastest of the team’s two riders, in eighteenth overall, after making improvements in the second session that he hopes he can carry through to tomorrow. Álvaro Bautista continued to struggle for feedback from the tyre and the fact the track surface was so dirty today did not help his cause. The Ángel Nieto Team rider will be working with his team tomorrow to improve his pace and his position.

18th Karel Abraham 2:06.555 (28 laps): “FP1 was very difficult for me, it was very slippery and I had many problems with the bike so I was not happy at all. FP2 I had to push harder, the guys were working on the bike as well and we went instantly faster. Towards the end of the session we also tried different front and rear tyres and it seems like it worked because on the last exit we made a big step and improved the lap time quite a lot. Result-wise it doesn’t look great because we are 18th but we have improved the lap time a lot and I have to say I am happy with the afternoon session.

21st Álvaro Bautista 2:06.683 (30 laps): “It has been a difficult day. We have the same problem as recent races, with a lack of feel from the tyre. We tried some different things but couldn’t improve. The track was also dirty and I just didn’t feel comfortable on the bike. The bike is not turning well on the throttle in the longer corners and since we have not found a solution on the rear we need to work hard with the front to get it to turn. Let’s see if we can find some time tomorrow.”

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

Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas – Free Practices

#AmericasGP FP. Petrux 11th and Jack 14th after first day of free practice action in Texas

The free practice of the Grand Prix of the Americas did not give high lights to Alma Pramac Racing, who grabbed the Top 10 with Danilo Petrucci and recorded the 14th position for Jack Miller.

Both riders have struggled a lot especially in the FP1 due to the non-optimal conditions of the Circuit of the Americas.

Danilo Petrucci has managed to significantly improve his pace in the FP2 after working hard on the set up with his team. In the afternoon the Italian rider lowered his time by more than a second and a half but he wasn’t able to conquer the Top 10 finishing just a tenth of a second from Dani Pedrosa’s tenth position. Petrux recorded the Top Speed of the day (347.9 km/h) that represents the new record of the Circuit of the Americas.

Also Jack Miller made precious progress during the day but the gap from the Top 10 remains wide. The Australian had a better feeling in the FP2 and this gave him confidence ahead of Saturday’s qualifying session.

P11 – Danilo Petrucci 2’05.889

“I did two fast laps but I was on the limit. I was out of the Top 10 by a tenth and this could be a problem in case of rain tomorrow. The bike suffers a lot on the many bumps scattered on the circuit. We’ll try to do something to improve tomorrow. It’s only the first day but I didn’t expect to struggle so much”.

P14 – Jack Miller 2’06.016

“I am quite satisfied with what we have done in the afternoon although I can not be happy for this first day. I’m losing too much in the first sector, especially in changing directions and I can’t make the bike work well. However, we’ve made some progress in FP2 so I still have confidence in tomorrow’s qualifying session”.

More, from a press release issued by Aprilia Racing:

APRILIA DOES WELL STRAIGHT AWAY ON THE FIRST DAY IN TEXAS

ALEIX ESPARGARÓ EARNS A VIRTUAL SPOT IN Q2, SCOTT REDDING CLOSE TO THE TOP TEN

There was no time to relax on the first day of practice at the Austin circuit. The uncertain weather forecast for tomorrow forced the MotoGP riders to push hard straight away, looking for a top 10 time that (in the event of rain on Saturday) will guarantee direct access to the second qualifying session.

Aleix Espargaró succeeded in the undertaking, very satisfied with the performance of his 2018 RS-GP on a historically difficult track. The work done on the American circuit’s asphalt did not solve the problem with dips, but the Spanish rider was able to find good speed anyway and, with a ninth place time in the combined results, clinched a virtual spot in Q2. In the event that improving the times is not possible tomorrow, this is an excellent starting place for Aleix’s weekend.

Scott Redding struggled with his feeling on the bumps of the COTA, fifteenth in the combined standings. Not having fully capitalised on his soft tyre in the finale of FP2, Scott was unable to move up in the standings for a spot in the top 10, but in any case, he was only 3 tenths of a second off.

ALEIX ESPARGARO’

“I am very happy. I can consider this the best Friday practice since the season start. A year ago, this tracked proved to be the toughest one for me, whereas today we started off well, getting into the top ten straight away, and I am convinced that we still have margin for growth. This is further demonstration that the RS-GP is truly competitive, with clear improvements compared to last year’s version. I am convinced of this and I think that to demonstrate it, all we need to do is finish the weekend without obstacles. We found a lot of bumps on the track. I know they did work to reduce the dips, but I think that the only solution for the problem in the future is to resurface the track.”

SCOTT REDDING

“This is the first time I’ve had to ride on such bumpy asphalt and that created some difficulties for me, but I can be satisfied with the way the day went. I think that I have the speed to get into the positions that will send me straight through to Q2, but I was unable to take advantage of the first soft tyre, so I dropped back a bit. With the soft tyre on the front, the bike moves around a lot, so tomorrow we’ll have to improve in this area and try a different tyre.”

More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:

Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas

MotoGP 2018 Round 3

Marquez second-fastest at a dusty Austin track, Pedrosa a brave 10th

Marc Marquez enjoyed a strong start today at the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas, showing top form right from the morning session and ending the day second-fastest despite an insubstantial tip-off at Turn 11 with 20 minutes to go in FP2.

After ending this morning’s FP1 session in 21st place, the recovering Dani Pedrosa bravely brought his RC213V to 10th place in the FP2 session.

With the weather forecast calling for possible rain tomorrow, Marc’s and Dani’s performances today could prove enough to secure them top-10 overall qualifying positions, which would advance them directly to QP2.

Marc Marquez 93

2ND 2’04.655

“I’m quite happy with how things are going because I felt strong from the beginning, and we worked for the race. Most importantly, I did my lap time with a hard rear tyre. They also say it may rain tomorrow, so it’s positive to be up in second place. Our pace is already good, but there are a few things we want to improve because I don’t yet feel 100%. This afternoon I had a small crash when I tried another setup, so we need to keep working, also because there are some riders looking strong, in particular Vinales. Today we were able to try several tyres but we must also understand more on that side. Anyway, let’s wait and see; there’s so much that remains between now and Sunday.”

Dani Pedrosa 26

10TH 2’05.761

“I’m happy with this afternoon’s result, as we finally managed to get a bit better position than I was expecting, and this is very positive. That said, both of today’s sessions were tough, especially FP2, because this afternoon I gave maximum effort in order to understand if there’s any reason to race on Sunday. This morning I felt quite a lot of pain, but I just tried to feel what I could do on the bike. My pace wasn’t so good, so I tried to put myself in a better position this afternoon, and I’m very pleased with the outcome. Now we have to try and control the swelling ahead of tomorrow’s action. This is one of our biggest targets now, as the swelling has increased due to the efforts. We’ll try our best to handle a bit better pace tomorrow so that we may approach the race with the aim of getting some points.”

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

Strong start for Tito Rabat at the GP of the Americas

MotoGP GP of the Americas – COTA

Reale Avintia Racing rider Tito Rabat had a strong start at the Grand Prix of the Americas. With every time he takes to the track, the Spanish rider gains more confidence with his Ducati GP17 and on the first day of practice on the spectacular Circuit of the Americas, he was within the ten fastest riders for most of the time. Only at the very end of both free practice sessions, he dropped out of the Top Ten rankings. He finished the day in twelfth position despite a heavy crash, which he luckily walked away from without any injuries. If it doesn’t rainon Saturday, Rabat hopes to move to Q2 directly.

For his teammate Xavier Simeon, the day felt like beginning from scratch. For the MotoGP rookie from Belgium, the Circuit of the Americas seemed like a completely new track aboard his MotoGP bike. He struggled a bit in the first session, but then his riding style got more and more fluid and his feeling improved. On Saturday, he hopes to make another step forward and to achieve a good grid position for the race on Sunday.

Tito Rabat | 2’05.910 | P12

“It was a very good day. I thought that I would be struggling a lot, but things went better than I expected. In the morning, the track condition was really poor, but in the afternoon, the grip improved as there was less dust on the tarmac. I had a lot of confidence and I felt comfortable all day long. I had a crash this afternoon, but I went out again after that and immediately settled into my rhythm again. My goal tomorrow is to do a good job in FP3 and move up to Q2 directly.”

Xavier Simeon | 2’08.021 | P24

“It was a tough challenge for me to understand this track with the Ducati and I didn’t feel comfortable in the first session. The second session was much better, but I still need to improve in many ways. Mor than anything I have to work on my seating position because I am a bit tense on the bike and this track is physically very demanding. If I achieve that, I can make a lot of progress. I simply have to ride more relaxed in order to be fast. The Ducati is one of the most difficult bikes to ride on this track, especially in the first sector, where it is really tough to get the bike to turn”

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Marquez has company: the King of COTA overthrown on Friday

Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar) left his best till last at the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas, as the ‘Maniac’ slammed in a 2:04.599 to depose the King of COTA Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) from the top on Friday. The gap between the two was just 0.056, and Marquez also suffered a crash on Friday – rider ok. Behind the number 93, Movistar Yamaha duo of Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi completed the top four, within another couple of tenths as it tightened up at the top.

With weather looking set to change on Saturday in Austin, the end of FP2 saw a mad dash to get into the top ten and secure provisional entry to Q2 qualifying. In that rush, Iannone was the last to strike big – and win – but there was another big headline, too: Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) ending the day in P13 overall; heading for Q1 if the rain comes.

Behind the four men at the top, the timesheets remained tight and it was Championship leader Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) locking out the top five as he aims to hold onto that advantage heading back from the US. One of the men fighting him for the win last time out, Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar), was on his tail in P6 as the Spaniard got Texas off to a positive start – keeping compatriot Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team) just behind him by a mere three hundredths.

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) was eighth, moving up late on in the day and securing a safe move through to Q2 if the skies changes on Saturday, with an impressive performance from Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) seeing the Spaniard take ninth, just under a tenth off the 2017 Championship runner up.

Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team), meanwhile, completed the top ten. The three-time World Champion found FP1 tough going as he rides just over a week after surgery on a broken wrist, but was back at it in FP2. Pedrosa also put in a representative amount of laps as he tested his fitness, as well as being able to take a stunning provisional place in Q2.

So will the skies change over COTA? Will the King take back his throne on Saturday? Or will the competition get even closer as we count down to Round 3…

Qualifying begins on Day 2 from 14:10 local time (GMT -5) as the grid gets decided for a rodeo with a difference.

Oliveira on top in Texas

As the times tumbled from FP1, Miguel Oliveira continued his perfect start to the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas as the Portuguese rider consolidated his place at the top of the standings in FP2 with a 2:.11.104 to go fastest overall. Sam Lowes (Swiss Innovative Investors) put in his best lap at the end of the session to finish the day in P2 and just, 0.021 was the gap splitting the two KTM riders at the front.

Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) was a close third on the combined times, the Spaniard also improving his time late on to get within 0.069 seconds of Oliveira’s time – a good day for the number 73, who ended both sessions less than a tenth off the top. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) was also right in the hunt throughout, setting his best time mid-way through FP2 and, ending the day P4 – could a front row start is certainlybe on the cards for the 2016 Moto3™ World Champion?

The ever impressive and improving rookie Joan Mir (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) leaped into fifth position on his last lap of the day – his time just 0.346 seconds off provisional pole. Below the Spaniard, sixth to tenth on the combined times were split by less than a tenth of a second. Isaac Viñales (SAG Team) was a solid sixth, with Swiss Innovative Investors rider Iker Lucuona seventh, Hector Barbera (Pons HP 40) eighth, Championship leader Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team) ninth after mechanical problems in FP1 and Jorge Navarro (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) rounding out the top ten.

Championship protagonists Franceso Bagnaia (SKY Racing Team VR46) and Lorenzo Baldassarri (Pons HP40) were 12th and 13th respectively, and will be looking to move forward on Saturday.

There were two crashes late on for both the Tech 3 Racing riders, with Bo Bendsneyder and Remy Gardner falling but. Bboth riders were ok.

With the times as close as they are, be sure to tune into the Moto2™ action tomorrow, starting with FP3 at 10:55 local time, with qualifying getting underway at 15:05 local time (GMT -5).

Martin deposes Canet on Day 1

Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) went fastest on Friday at the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas, topping both sessions on Day 1 but leaving it late in the day to strike on his final lap in FP2. Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0), the Championship leader, was second quickest and the man who lost out to Martin’s scorching last lap, with Fabio Di Giannantonio (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) completing the top three – only 0.004 down on Canet.

After a dusty first session, FP2 saw times tumble by more than two seconds as more rubber got laid down. But as Martin remained top, so too did Argentina GP winner Marco Bezzecchi (Redox PruestelGP) retain his presence in the top echelons, taking P4. Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing), who took his maiden podium in Qatar, completed the top five.

Enea Bastianini (Leopard Racing) was sixth quickest as Italians showed some serious pace in the top ten, just ahead of German rider Philipp Oettl (Südmetall Schedl GP Racing) and another Italian in the form of Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse). Livio Loi (Reale Avintia Academy) took P9 after some trouble in FP1, with the top ten completed by an impressive sophomore performance from Ayumu Sasaki (Petronas Sprinta Racing).

Jaume Masia (Bester Capital Dubai) was quickest rookie overall and was well within the top ten in FP1 before ending the day in P15.

There weren’t a lot of incidents on Day 1 but one high profile crash saw Mugello winner Andrea Migno (Angel Nieto Team Moto3) take a high-speed tumble, rider ok.

Moto3™ get back out for FP3 on Saturday morning, before qualifying and the fight for pole from 12:35 local time (GMT -5).

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

ANDREA IANNONE TOPS THE TIMESHEETS IN TEXAS

Andrea Iannone: 1st – 2:04.599

Alex Rins: 6th – 2:05.452 (+ 0.853)

• Fastest time for Iannone in FP2 gives him combined lead.

•Alex Rins shows strong pace in both sessions.

•COTA conditions challenging.

The opening session of track action at the Circuit of the Americas was difficult in the MotoGP class as the asphalt was incredibly dusty and dirty. That, coupled with several bumps around the twisty track meant a period of adaptation was necessary in FP1, but both riders showed strong pace from the very beginning. In FP2 Iannone and Rins confirmed their provisional places in Q2, which may be crucial as rain is forecast for Saturday.

Andrea Iannone slotted into the Top 3 early in FP1 and spent most of the morning session within the Top 10. He ended this session 8th (2:07.093), and hinted at more to come; proving to be the fastest rider through sector 4. In FP2 the track became warmer and cleaner, allowing all the riders to up their pace. Andrea spent the majority of the session in 2nd place, but slipped to 10th as other riders switched to soft tyres and began to set fast laps. With a few moments of the session left, the Italian set an incredible lap of 2:04.599 and took 1st place, despite using a medium-soft combination. He was also fastest in both sectors 2 and 4.

Alex Rins completed FP1 in 10th place (2:07.211) and looked comfortable and confident throughout the morning session. In FP2 he started the session well and was able to improve several times, keeping himself in Q2 contention. Just before the chequered flag came out, the Spaniard put in a 2:05.452 which elevated him to 6th place, +0.853 behind his teammate.

Davide Brivio – Team Manager

“Of course it’s nice to be in first position, even if it’s only Friday. I take positives from it because Andrea had good pace throughout the whole session and he was fast for several laps. And this is despite the fact that we’re still working on bike setup with him, and trying different things, so this has been very good. I’m also glad that Alex managed to improve the bike at the end of the session and stay in the Top 10; this could be important tomorrow if it rains. So we’ll continue to work with both riders, to improve and be ready for Sunday.”

Andrea Iannone

“I have a good feeling at this circuit, and a good feeling with the bike. The conditions are difficult because the track is dirty, but it’s the same for everybody. I’m really happy because we worked in a good way today, and the most important thing is to continue like this tomorrow and remain focused. For sure the target for us is to stay at the top during qualifying, because overtaking is difficult so it’s better to start at the front for the race. It’s hard to recover from the back, and harder to show our potential. We hope to improve tomorrow, and I believe that anything is possible because I feel positive and ready to fight for the top.”

Alex Rins

“I’m quite happy because we did a good job from FP1 onwards, and where we lacked a little bit we were able to adjust the bike well for FP2 and it was better. With the race tyre I feel strong and I have good pace, we still need to work a bit on setup but we’re going in a good direction. Usually our rhythm in wet conditions is good and I like it a lot, so we will see what happens tomorrow.”

More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

Both Ducati Team riders inside the top 10 on Day 1 of practice for GP of The Americas at Austin: Jorge Lorenzo seventh and Andrea Dovizioso eighth at the Texan track

Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Dovizioso of the Ducati Team both finished the first day of practice for the GP of the Americas inside the top 10 at the Circuit of The Americas near Austin, Texas.

In the afternoon session all the MotoGP riders improved their times from the morning’s run: Lorenzo was seventh quickest with a lap of 2’05.487, while Dovizioso was one place down in eighth after a lap of 2’05.647.

Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team #99) – 7th (2’05.486)

“After this first day of practice my sensations are certainly much better than Qatar and above all Argentina. In general the track is slower for everyone, but in the afternoon the surface was much cleaner, there was more grip, and we were all able to go quicker. My lap time is not bad, but I lost almost half-a-second when Nakagami crashed in front of me, otherwise I think that I could have got inside the top 5. We still have to improve and this will also depend on the weather that we will find tomorrow, but in any case if it rains we are already in Q2.”

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 8th (2’05.647)

“It was rather a difficult day and it’s a real shame that the surface of this fantastic track is ruined so much. This morning the track was still dirty, something that complicated our work even more, but in the afternoon we managed to improve enough. We haven’t got the right set-up yet, but we knew that we were going to struggle at this circuit and all things considered we’re not doing too badly. We must continue working on the set-up, and let’s hope we have the time tomorrow to do it because it looks like rain is on its way. In any case it’s positive to be already inside the top 10, so at least now we can approach things calmly.”