Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas

FIM MotoGP World Championship

Circuit of The Americas

Austin, Texas

April 22, 2017

Qualifying Results (All on Michelin tires):

From Qualifying Session Two:

1. Marc MARQUEZ, Spain (HONDA), 2:02.741

2. Maverick VIÑALES, Spain (YAMAHA), 2:02.871

3. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (YAMAHA), 2:03.673

4. Dani PEDROSA, Spain (HONDA), 2:03.866

5. Johann ZARCO, France (YAMAHA), 2:03.928

6. Jorge LORENZO, Spain (DUCATI), 2:04.151

7. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (DUCATI), 2:04.431

8. Jonas FOLGER, Germany (YAMAHA), 2:04.623

9. Cal CRUTCHLOW, UK (HONDA), 2:04.661, crash

10. Scott REDDING, UK (DUCATI), 2:04.673

11. Andrea IANNONE, Italy (SUZUKI), 2:05.741, crash

12. Jack MILLER, Australia (HONDA), 2:05.970, crash

From Qualifying Session One:

13. Danilo PETRUCCI, Italy (DUCATI), 2:05.221

14. Loris BAZ, France (DUCATI), 2:05.231

15. Hector BARBERA, Spain (DUCATI), 2:05.541

16. Tito RABAT, Spain (HONDA), 2:05.920

17. Karel ABRAHAM, Czech Republic (DUCATI), 2:05.931

18. Bradley SMITH, UK (KTM), 2:06.258

19. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (DUCATI), 2:06.295

20. Sam LOWES, UK (APRILIA), 2:07.232

21. Pol ESPARGARO, Spain (KTM), 2:07.601, crash

22. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (APRILIA), no time recorded, crash

23. Alex RINS, Spain (SUZUKI), no time recorded

More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:

Marquez’s fifth consecutive pole at Austin, Pedrosa just off front row in fourth

Today at the Circuit of the Americas, Marc Marquez extended his record of most Pole Positions in Grand Prix history across all classes, taking the 67th pole in career (his 39th in the MotoGP class, his second in a row this season and his fifth in a row at Austin). Marc worked hard with his team on race pace on used tyres and despite suffering two crashes (without consequences) in FP3, he was able to regain good confidence on his RC213V and keep a fast pace.

Dani Pedrosa, who was another victim (among many others today) of the tricky track conditions and had a small, inconsequent tumble at the end of FP4, also lapped among the fastest during the day and set the fourth-fastest lap in qualifying, missing out on the front row by just 0.193”.

Marc Marquez 93

POLE POSITION 2’02.741

“This pole makes me feel really good because I honestly didn’t expect it, or actually I thought it would be difficult. In fact, even considering that this circuit suits my riding style, I’ve been struggling a bit this weekend. We knew that our opponents were very strong on new tyres and we worked a lot on race distance, and I felt better on race pace than on qualifying pace. But anyway, this is a track I love, so I told myself, ‘Let’s try!’ and on my last lap I pushed to my maximum, doing my best, and we got another pole here in Austin which is very good. I’m happy with the team; we changed many things on the bike over the weekend and step-by-step we regained some confidence, so this afternoon we just focused on keeping a good pace and it worked well. We did a good job in FP4. I feel quite good on used tyres so we’ll see what we can do tomorrow.”

Dani Pedrosa 26

4TH 2’03.866

“Fourth isn’t so bad. I could’ve been third but it’s okay, let’s hope tomorrow Valentino will return the favour! The day was demanding because of the weather conditions—quite a bit cooler than yesterday—and of the track in general. There were many crashes, so this morning we stayed very calm. In the afternoon we definitely improved our pace and only in the end we suffered a small crash (in turn 1), luckily with no consequences. In qualifying we gave our maximum but we suffered some chatter on the front and I couldn’t improve much. We’ll try to sort out some more little things before tomorrow and give our best in the race.”

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

Zarco shines in Americas GP qualifying to clinch 5th – Folger to bolt forward from 8th

The Monster Yamaha Tech3 pair starred in today’s nail-biting qualifying shootout in Austin, Texas to seal two top tier grid positions for the headline event tomorrow. With slippery track conditions occurring this morning, both riders graduated for Q2 courtesy of yesterday’s FP2 times, with Zarco finishing in 4th and Folger in 9th in the combined standings. When the session began, Johann Zarco immediately laid down his pace before storming to a personal best that eventually left him just 0.062 behind Dani Pedrosa and as the top independent rider. Whilst Jonas Folger pushed the limit in the 15-minute shootout at the COTA track and will start the round 3 battle from the middle of the third row on the grid after producing a solid effort. The main event will commence at 14:00 local time, or 21:00 in Europe.

Johann ZARCO

Position: 5th – Time: 2’03.928- Laps: 6

“Today went positively for myself and the team and we are very pleased with the qualifying result for tomorrow’s race. In Q2, we used the soft compound of tyre, like almost everyone else, and my feeling was strong on the Yamaha. I set a solid lap time, and I held third at the end of the session, but then Rossi and Pedrosa, who have a lot of experience, were able to improve their times and I ended up in 5th. The result is still fantastic and I will use this opportunity to push for a great finish. I aim to undertake a solid start and then stay with the top guys for as long as possible and learn from them because this is the best way to gain knowledge. Throughout this weekend my ambition has been to work in preparation for the race, but at the same time, I have been able to post a fast lap time whenever it was necessary. So, I am still learning and I will need some more time to get closer to the front, but at the moment everything is going well which is why I can smile.”

Jonas FOLGER

Position: 8th – Time: 2’04.623 – Laps: 7

“I am happy with my qualifying result today and I am looking forward to the fight tomorrow in Austin, Texas. We had a bit of a tricky beginning to the day and I had a few issues in the morning. Yet, the team and I worked hard and we found the correct direction to head toward for the qualifying, and here, I got my confidence back. In the end, we scored a solid 8th place on the starting grid which is positive and I know I can do a good job from there. In Q2, Perhaps we could have found a few more tenths, but I made a small mistake at the end. Nevertheless, I am still pleased and tomorrow, if I ride smart and undertake a strong start plus ride a consistent pace, then I know that we can take a lot of points home.”

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

Miller and Rabat qualify strongly in Texas

Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS riders Jack Miller and Tito Rabat completed their best qualifying performances of the season so far in advance of Sunday’s Grand Prix of the Americas.

Miller will start 12th on the fourth row while Rabat will launch for the 21-lap race from position 16 on row six for the third round of the MotoGP World Championship in Texas.

Miller was forced to switch to his spare Honda RC213V after an early crash cost him a chance of a much faster time.

The Australian rider had progressed into the Q2 session with an impressive lap of 2’04.438 that put him top of the timesheets in Q1 ahead of three time world champion Jorge Lorenzo.

Finally Miller posted a time of 2’05.970 in Q2 on his back-up machine with a strong comeback after his spill at turn two.

Rabat’s qualifying time of 2’05.920 matched his pace and steady improvement during free practice. The Spaniard believes it is a strong platform to continue his points scoring streak from the Qatar and Argentina races despite not maximizing his qualifying pace.

Qualifying at the bumpy and fast 5.513km Circuit of The Americas was run in chilly and overcast conditions with the track temperature 12 degrees cooler than Friday’s hot and sunny free practice.

Jack Miller: 12th – 2’05.970

“I always knew that Q2 was going to be difficult because we didn’t have enough new tyres left and in the cooler conditions I got caught out. I was wide at turn one, completely off line, and then went to cruise through turn two and completely lost the front. A slow and strange crash. But I am happy with my speed for the race and I’ve started from much worse than 12th position and got into the top ten. I’m not fussed if it’s warmer like Friday or cool for the race, I have a good feeling for this track.”

Tito Rabat: 16th – 2’05.920

“It was much cooler today and we did a very good job in the morning FP3 session and made a lot of progress. But I lost time in the afternoon qualifying, it was my mistake waiting for other riders and I know I need to take more confidence to go alone but it is not easy in this track with such a long lap. But I’m happy with my race set-up and looking to again finish in the points.”

Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal

“It was good for Jack to be in Q2 and we know this is what he is capable of. The crash was a pity and for sure Jack lacks some experience in doing the Q2 session but he made a strong comeback on the spare bike when we did not have another new front tyre to use. Jack’s race pace shows that he can get a good result here. Tito dropped his pace slightly in qualifying but overall it has been a strong weekend for him and I believe tomorrow we can have both riders in the points like in the opening two races.”

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

UNLUCKY FP4 AND QUALIFYING HOLD UP ALEIX ESPARGARÓ

SEVENTH ROW FOR SAM LOWES

It will be an uphill race for Aleix Espargaró and his RS-GP tomorrow on the Circuit of the Americas. A series of unfortunate circumstances kept the Spanish rider from participating in the Q1 session where, after his promising performance in the first two races of the season, he was looking forward to tackling with the ambition of going through to Q2.

Instead, a technical problem stopped him right in the final stages of the last free practice session (FP4), where he finished in twelfth place with a minimum gap behind the top ranking spots. The diagnostics system switched off the engine and the team is currently investigating the cause of the fault, probably a simple problem, but enough to stop number 41’s RS-GP just a few minutes before of the decisive session. On his second bike, Aleix crashed during his first good lap, a fall without consequences for the rider, but one that denied him taking even one lap, relegating him to the last spot on the starting grid for tomorrow.

Sam Lowes finished with a time of 2’07.232 that earned him the twentieth spot and the seventh row on the starting grid.

ALEIX ESPARGARO’

“Today was perhaps the most difficult day of my MotoGP career: two crashes in FP3, a technical problem, and then another fall in qualifying. We have work to do. Our bike does not seem to handle the bumps well and this creates problems in all of the riding phases. Despite what happened today, I am confident that things will be different in the race tomorrow and, even starting from behind, my goal is to fight for a top 10 finish.”

SAM LOWES

“Let’s just say that one of the nice things about today is that tomorrow could go surprisingly well! The conditions were anything but easy. This morning the temperature was low and in the afternoon it did not improve too much. The different tyre options have a precise temperature range within which they perform the best, so understanding that and choosing the right one at the right time is essential. Given the time lost in the two sessions, I used the qualifiers as a practice session, staying on the track the whole time without coming in to change tyres. In any case, I am pleased with my pace. The RS-GP is probably the bike that performs the best on used tyres and that will help us tomorrow.”

More, from a press release issued by Pull&Bear Aspar Team:

Pull&Bear Aspar riders look to Sunday fightback in Austin

Karel Abraham and Álvaro Bautista will start from sixth and seventh row, respectively, for the Grand Prix of the Americas

In five editions of the Grand Prix of the Americas, only one man has been on pole position. Marc Márquez took his fifth consecutive pole at the Circuit of the Americas in the final moment of the qualifying session, under the chequered flag and snatching the spot from Maverick Viñales. The two were the only riders capable of going round in under 2:03, and will be accompanied on the front row by Valentino Rossi -9 tenths back. Dani Pedrosa, Johann Zarco and Ducati rider Jorge Lorenzo will occupy the second row of the grid, for a 21-lap race that will start at 2pm local time.

The Pull&Bear Aspar team will have to attempt a fightback at the Grand Prix Of The Americas, in order to continue adding points to their tally. Karel Abraham and Álvaro Bautista will start from the sixth and seventh rows of the grid, respectively, meaning they will need to overtake other riders to enter into the points. Abraham took 17th position on the grid after setting a best time of 2:05.931. He was riding with problems with his ankle, meniscus and neck, and was satisfied with his result considering his condition. Bautista’s time of 2:06.295 put him nineteenth on the grid.

17th Karel Abraham 2:05.931 (6 laps): “In the morning I didn’t know how the day would go; I didn’t not know if my foot would be OK or not. Unfortunately, I have problems with my meniscus and my neck as well, and it hurts when I’m on the bike. In any case, I can ride. I took painkillers for qualifying. I’m happy with seventeenth position, which in these conditions is very good. Tomorrow will be a tough race; this morning many riders crashed. Besides that, I don’t feel 100 percent fit. I want to be able to have a good race. I still get angry thinking about the crash yesterday, but sometimes these things happen and we have to accept it.”

19th Álvaro Bautista 2:06.295 (6 laps): “Yesterday I explained that the feeling I had was better than the result. Today, and I don’t know if it was because of the track conditions or something else, but the morning didn’t go well. We crashed without really knowing the reason for it. On the first lap, I noticed that I had lower grip than yesterday. I tried to heat the tyres up, and at Turn 2 I lost the front. If the conditions were right, then you’d go in there at more or less the same speed, but the grip was much lower. In the afternoon, I didn’t feel comfortable. We suffered a bit, and we have been looking at the data. In the warmup tomorrow we will look for something that will help me achieve more tyre contact with the track. I find it hard to warm the tyres up and they feel cold, but I can’t heat them up because I can’t push -because I can’t get them in contact with the track enough. It’s a vicious circle. We hope the temperature will help us tomorrow too. It has been one of my most difficult days on the Ducati.”

More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:

MOVISTAR YAMAHA RAISE THE STAKES IN THE STATES WITH A DOUBLE FRONT ROW

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team‘s Maverick Viñales scored a position on the front row with second place in this afternoon‘s qualifying for tomorrow‘s Grand Prix of The Americas. Teammate Valentino Rossi also pushed his YZR-M1 to the limit at the Circuit of The Americas (COTA), claiming third place on the grid in the final minutes.

Austin (Texas, USA), 22nd April 2017

The Movistar Yamaha MotoGP riders wrapped up today‘s intense Qualifying 2 session with some red-hot laps, securing Yamaha its first double front row start of the 2017 MotoGP season and setting the stage for a thrilling race.

Viñales waited for most of his competition to head out at the start of the 15-minute qualifying session. Wasting no time, his first flying lap was looking promising, but traffic on the track spoiled his efforts in the final corner. His second attempt, a 2‘03.912s, moved him to second place before he rushed back to the box for a fresh set of tyres.

With four minutes remaining, the young Spaniard pulled out all the stops to earn first place. He narrowed the gap to provisional pole to 0.083s with a 2‘03.125s, but knew he had a margin for improvement left. He made good on his promising pace, when he dropped a 2‘02.871s to briefly take over pole, before being pushed back to second after the flag was out. Nevertheless, Viñales is perfectly satisfied to have secured his second front row start for Yamaha, 0.130s from the front.

Teammate Rossi went straight into action as soon as the green light signalled the start of the 15-minute time attack. The Italian’s first lap initially lifted him to fifth, but he dropped to eighth when all riders had completed their first attempt. The long American track allowed him one more try and he responded soon with a 2’04.758s for seventh, but was back in eighth when he entered pit lane for a quick stop.

The Doctor returned to the pits with around six minutes on the clock and quickly changed tyres in under 60 seconds, before heading back out. Having dropped to tenth place, he was determined to show what he got and cleverly searched for some clear space on track. He perfectly timed his final attack, stepping up his pace on his seventh lap to better his time to a 2’03.673s to take third, 0.932s from first.

MASSIMO MEREGALLI

TEAM DIRECTOR

Starting the race from the first row was our goal, and considering how tricky this circuit and today‘s conditions were, we can be very satisfied. This afternoon‘s Q2 session was challenging, but we ended up with both riders in a good place nevertheless. Maverick has been fast all weekend and his amazing lap at the end of qualifying shows his potential and confidence, which is very promising for tomorrow. Valentino did a great job as well. He found a clear space on track, right when it mattered, and secured third place. Today, unfortunately, the drop in temperature partly compromised the work we started yesterday and it might play a vital role in our tyre decision. So far, we‘ve done a good job, but we aim to make another step during the night. We expect tomorrow‘s race to be a tough one, but our confidence is high.

MAVERICK VIÑALES

Honestly, I thought I had the pole. When I looked at the screen and saw that Marc was behind Valentino I said “ah, maybe he will do it” and in the end he did, so congratulations to him, because it was a nice lap for sure. We pushed at 100% and the bike was working really good. We had to push for one lap, but I‘m also happy about the race pace. We still have tomorrow to improve. We will be working hard this night to find a new set-up to try and stop the bike better, but I think we did a great job and we can be there for sure. Pushing 100% from lap one until the last lap I think will be the best strategy. There were many riders on track. I‘m not angry at what happened today. When you‘re riding a good lap it‘s normal, riders are like this. There are no bad feelings between me and Valentino. This is a normal thing that can happen, I‘m not complaining. It can happen to me as well, maybe one day I‘m in the middle.

VALENTINO ROSSI

It was difficult because it looked like Maverick and Marquez had a better pace, but starting from the front row is very important. We improved the bike a lot and I knew that, if I had a clear lap, I would be able to do a good lap time. I did it, so in the end it was OK. Starting from the front row is important, as always, this is good also because it‘s the first real qualifying. Starting like this is not so bad also for the rest of the season. Now we wait and see what happens tomorrow.

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

IANNONE ELEVENTH IN AMERICAS GP QUALIFYING

Andrea Iannone: 11th, 2’05.741

Alex Rins: NC

The qualifying day at the Americas GP has been a tough one for Team SUZUKI ECSTAR, with Alex Rins out of the game after FP3 because of a fracture to his left wrist and Andrea Iannone struggling to find the proper touch for a good qualifying run. While Rins was undergoing a stabilizing intervention at the University Medical Center Brackenridge in Austin, Iannone went through the Q2 finishing in 11th place with 2’05.741.

The morning session saw the track in very precarious conditions, with many riders crashing. Both Team SUZUKI ECSTAR’s riders crashed as well, but Alex Rins suffered the most serious consequences, with a displaced fracture to his wrist. Iannone struggled as well to demonstrate the proper confidence with his GSX-RR, but thanks to his tenth place time, scored yesterday in the afternoon, he was able to keep his tenth place in the combined classification which will allow him direct access to Q2.

The qualifying session saw the Italian rider in another slide, which had no major repercussions to him or the machine but made him lose some time, and – most important – the possibility to fully take advantage of the potential of soft tyres. This resulted in the 11th place time, which will require him to undertake a catch up race.

Davide Brivio – Team Manager

“Today we had a really bad start with the crash of Alex who is reported to have a pretty serious injury to his left wrist. We are now monitoring his situation and his recovery. And the day didn’t improve in qualifying, since with Andrea we worked very hard, but we couldn’t yet put him in the conditions that would best push him forward. The track conditions changed radically since yesterday. The grip was much poorer, and also we saw many other riders crashing. Indeed, Andrea is one of the riders who is struggling to adapt to the new conditions, without being able to show the proper confident racing style. Throughout the day we tried several improvements, but so far we couldn’t find the proper pace. We have to further investigate which options we have for tomorrow to improve and deliver him a machine that can give him a better feel for the race.”

Andrea Iannone

“Honestly we weren’t expecting to struggle so much. I’m pretty worried. It’s a shame we cannot perform as good as we’d like and we deserve, but for me it’s also a part of the growing process we are in. Therefore, we will already be trying to improve tomorrow. Anyway we hope to get some improvements pretty soon and we will see if we are heading in the right direction. The situation got worse today because of the track conditions. Yesterday we were not so far off, and I was confident, but with these new conditions I am struggling more.¨

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

 Top 10 finish for Redding in the qualifying for the Grand Prix of the Americas.

Petrucci will start 13th

It was a very unusual Saturday of qualifying at Austin. The rain fell in the night and the temperature that dropped by more than fifteen degrees compared to Friday made the conditions of the Circuit of the Americas even more tricky. As a result only five riders, including Scott Redding, have been able to improve in FP3 their lap-time set on Friday.

Scott confirmed his excellent shape and lapped fast in the FP3 (5th time) gaining direct qualification for Q2, already mortgaged with the 9th place won on Friday. However, in all-important Q2 session the English rider failed to make that small step that would have allowed him to gain a better position. Scott ended up with a time of 2’04.673 only 12 millisecond from the third row and 50 millisecond from 8th place.

Petrux managed to improve after the difficulties faced on Friday but he has still encountered some problems in finding the best feeling with his Ducati Desmoedici GP 2017.

However, the rider from Terni was able to get the best in Q1, finishing in third with a time of 2’05.221 which would have given him 11th place in Q2.

10° – Scott Redding – 2’04.673

“I had so many problems with the front in Q2. I tried to push hard but every time I was on the middle of the corner I felt the front closing. I tried to did the best I could in the situation we had even though I felt I had more feeling this morning. But I’m still confident for the race. I’m getting faster and faster in each session and the race pace is good”.

13° – Danilo Petrucci – 2’05.221

“It was not one of my best days. I never found the right confidence to go faster. I miss the feeling on the front and this does not allow me to push as I would like. Now we have to relax, look at the data, see where we lose and where we can improve. Luckily the race is tomorrow and we will try to make the most of it”.

More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda:

CRUTCHLOW TO START FROM THE THIRD ROW IN TEXAS

LCR Honda rider Cal Crutchlow qualified on the third row for Sunday’s Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas after a frustrating qualifying session. Conditions on Saturday proved much more testing at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin with cold weather ensuring the riders struggled to improve on their efforts from Friday.

Crutchlow performed well in the morning’s free practice sessions and went through to Q2 with the fifth fastest time in the field. However, the Briton could not capitalise and saw his hopes of a spot amongst the frontrunners quashed when he came off his RC213V when on a quick lap. That left him down in ninth spot on the grid, although the 31-year-old remains hopeful he can still challenge during Sunday’s main event.

Crutchlow’s fellow Honda rider Marc Marquez claimed his fifth consecutive pole in Texas, with championship leader Maverick Viñales just behind him.

Cal Crutchlow – 9th

(2’04.661 – lap 3 of 5)

“I’m disappointed to be ninth on the grid for tomorrow when I thought the front row was possible, especially the lap I was on. But unfortunately we’ve been having a lot of vibration in the first-gear corners all weekend and I made a mistake and went down which was disappointing, because it would have been a good lap from the time I was setting”.

“But we have to start from scratch tomorrow and try to make a good job. My team has been working very hard and I feel confident for the race, definitely. We either have to go hard from the start and be aggressive or be patient and play the long race – at the moment we don’t really know from the tyre selection what we’ll do, but I’m hopeful of getting into a good position.”

More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

 Second and third row starts for Ducati Team riders in GP of the Americas. Jorge Lorenzo sixth and Andrea Dovizioso seventh in qualifying at Austin

The two Ducati Team riders will start tomorrow’s GP of the Americas, held at the modern Texan circuit on the outskirts of Austin, from the second and third rows of the grid.

At the end of this afternoon’s qualifying session, Jorge Lorenzo obtained the sixth quickest time with a lap of 2’04.151 while his team-mate Andrea Dovizioso was classified in seventh with a time of 2’04.431.

In the morning the MotoGP riders went out on track under dark skies and with a temperature of 16°, more than 10 degrees lower than yesterday. The session was characterized by a high number of crashes, including one apiece for both Ducati Team riders, but luckily they came away unscathed.

In the end neither Dovizioso nor Lorenzo were able to improve the times they set yesterday in FP2 and so the Spanish rider had to take part in Q1, in which he was second quickest, thus going through to Q2 together with Miller.

The 21-lap GP of the Americas is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon at 2 pm local time (21.00 CET).

Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team #99) – 2’04.151 (6th)

“Fianlly today we were able to obtain a good result, after a few difficult weeks. I am the best Ducati on the grid, but the most important thing is that I had a good feeling on my bike, and I managed to confirm what I had wanted to demonstrate in Argentina. Tomorrow it’ll be very important to get off to a good start, try and take as few risks as possible in the early laps, and above all finish the race because I want to put behind me the disappointment of the last GP. It’s going to be a very tough race physically, but I feel strong and I am very happy with the work that me and my team are doing.”

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 2’04.431 (7th)

“Once again today we found strange conditions, but in the end I’m happy with the way the afternoon went. Despite a couple of little problems, we did however manage to do a run at the same time as the race and we were able to improve. I don’t think it will be possible to fight for the win tomorrow, but for sure we can go for a good result. Unfortunately in qualifying on my second run I made a few mistakes and was not able to set the time that I could have done. Pity about seventh place on the grid, but in my opinion tomorrow we can do a good race.”

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

Fifth row for Baz and Barbera in Texas qualifying

Reale Avintia Racing riders will start tomorrow’s Grand Prix of the Americas from the fifth row of the grid. Loris Baz will start the race from 14th place, Hector Barbera will line up next to the Frenchman in 15th position. Both riders fought hard in Q1 to get into Q2 and although Baz was quite close to make it happen, he lost all his chances in the last corner when he almost crashed. But the brave Reale Avintia Racing rider saved the crash in Texas rodeo style, and definitely played a main starring role in today’s first qualifying session. The race will be tough, but nevertheless he will try to fight for a top 10 result tomorrow.

Hector Barbera finished very close to his teammate. The Spaniard still tries to adapt his riding style to the desmands of the Ducati Desmosedici GP16. Although 15th is not the place he wanted to be at, Barbera was happy at the end of the day with his progression. Tomorrow, he expects to keep improving his riding style with his Ducati during the 21-lap race.

Loris Baz | 2’05.231 | P14

“It was a difficult day and more so in the morning. In FP4 we found something positive that helped us to improve and during qualifying the feeling was really good. I tried to hook up to somebody else to make a fast lap, but there was nobody around. Nevertheless, I had a good pace riding by myself and the lap was not so bad. In my second attack I pushed to the maximum and in the last corner maybe too much… I realized when I was braking that it was going to be difficult to make the turn without going wide, but I really wanted to get in Q2… After all I was not able to do it, but I managed to safe the crash, and at least my sponsors will be shown all around the world.”

Hector Barbera | 2’05.541 | P15

“I’m happy, but not over the moon. We are in a phase of adaption, which sounds strange from a rider that is in his 16th season in the World Championship. But I have to start from zero and change my riding style. With my style this bike does not work, and we know that it’s me who has to change. We have improved a lot compared to the last race, not as much as I would like to, but I think that we are going the right direction, even if we know that it is not going to be easy, because I have to change all my riding habits. The main problem is that when you want to go fast, you don’t actively think about your riding. You ride by instinct and in this moment, my old style comes back, which is the problem. I have to look at the race as another practice session and my target tomorrow will be to improve my riding style, without thinking about the result.”

More, from a press release issued by KTM:

BEST QUALIFYING FOR RED BULL KTM’S BRADLEY SMITH ON THE KTM RC16 IN TEXAS MOTOGP

QUALIFYING 3rd Rd. MotoGP 2017 – Circuit Of The Americas (USA)

Red Bull KTM MotoGP Factory Racing Team on Sunday will contest the team’s third MotoGP race at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, another new and difficult track for the debut factory team. Bradley Smith (GBR) will start from the sixth row of the grid for Sunday’s race, but factory teammate Pol Espargaro (ESP) will start from the back after crashing out in turn two in the last minutes of the qualifying session. Red Bull KTM Ajo rider Miguel Oliveira (POR) was seventh fastest Moto2 qualifier but was just 0.938 seconds off the fastest time. Fastest KTM Moto3 rider was Niccolo Bulega of the Sky Racing Team VR46.

The long, sweeping American circuit has 20 corners and both free practices and qualifying sessions were peppered with action and multiple crashes among riders of all three classes of the competition.

Bradley Smith: “The pace in the front is fast and here we always knew it was going to be difficult for us. We’ve done a lot of work this weekend but finally at the right moment I think we were where we needed to be. I didn’t do the perfect lap, but it was my best of the weekend so we have to be happy with that. Tomorrow we’ll have to see what the weather is like and that will help us make the right decision about tire choice. Obviously, it’s more critical with the rear tire because at the moment it is quite cool conditions. I feel good that we can at least push on tomorrow and see what we can do. It’s going to be a long race and we know that tire degradation here is always the most difficult part. But I know the KTM is quite easy on tires, so fingers crossed Sunday will bring us even better performance, just like in the other two rounds. It is going to be 21 hard laps.”

Pol Espargaro: “This morning was not bad. We found a good setting for the bike and a good balance and it looked like we had everything ready for the qualifying. Actually, I did the first lap quite fast then some riders spoiled my lap. I thought we were too slow in that lap so I pushed, and I crashed. I had a good feeling on the bike and I thought I would be able to improve the lap times much more. In the end what counts for tomorrow is that we have to start from the back. It will be more fun because we will have to fight a little bit more. Anyway, I’m happy because we have a good balance on the bike and we will fight tomorrow.”

Sebastian Risse (Technical Director MotoGP): “For sure this track is special and it has many corners that need different things from the bike. So you need to compromise. To find this compromise you need experience, and you need kilometers on this track, so we are learning. You can see we are improving but we are not improving enough to be as close to the top in terms of lap times as at the other race weekends. But okay, I think we are going forward, we need to continue to move forward, and we’ll see how it goes tomorrow.”

Moto2

Miguel Oliveira, who took Red Bull KTM Ajo’s first Moto2 podium place in the second round in Argentina, continues to look very strong on the track. Oliveira was also fourth in the first round in Qatar and his qualifying lap time indicated he would be a strong contender in Sunday’s race.

Oliveira: “The qualifying session here in Austin went quite well. In the end, with this seventh position we are a little bit further back than we were hoping to be, bearing in mind how the Free Practice sessions went. Nevertheless, we were able to ride at a good pace, completing more laps in the 2:10s. I am happy with how the bike is behaving, but we can still continue improving some details to make it easier for the whole race. Tomorrow we will try to make a good start and hold on in the top positions. I think the second half of the race will be very important, because it is a very physical circuit.”

Spanish rider Ricky Cardus, the team’s test rider for the Moto2 project is replacing Brad Binder this weekend. The South African is recovering from corrective surgery on an arm fracture.

Cardus said there were some places on the circuit that they were losing time. “We know where they are and what we have to work on,” he added. “I am fully confident in this team for tomorrow, because every time we go out on track there is a giant step forward with the bike. Tomorrow we will be ready to fight.”

Moto3

Top Moto3 qualifier for Sunday’ race in Texas was Italian Nicolo Bulega of the Sky Racing Team VR46 who was fourth fastest, 1.171 seconds off the fastest pace of Aaron Canet. Red Bull KTM Ajo rider Niccolo Antonelli (ITA) registered eighth fastest to start tomorrow in the middle of the third row. Teammate Bo Bendsneyder (NED) was tenth fastest. The first 15 riders were within two seconds of Canet’s fastest time, setting the stage for a thrilling race on Sunday.

Bulega: “Compared to yesterday we did a great step forward. I was able to feel my bike, to ride as I wanted and I’m very happy with this fourth place. I could improve a little bit more my lap time, but in my last attempt, I was fighting with Mir, Oettl and Antonelli and lost something. I am confident about the race, it will be crucial to choose the right tyre.”

Antonelli: “Today went well. We improved our best times by a lot in each session, and we took an important step forward. I’m a little short of finding the perfect traction to get the best angle, because I still can’t do it consistently. Let’s see if in the warm-up we can finish defining it. We’ll see what happens in the race, but I think we can fight for the podium.”

Races: Sunday, April 23, 2017 – Moto3 18:00 | Moto2 19:20 | MotoGP 21:00 CET

Results Qualifying MotoGP Circuit of the Americas 2017

1. Marc Marquez (ESP), Honda, 2:02.701 min

2. Maverick Vinales (ESP), Yamaha, +0.130 sec

3. Valentino Rossi (ITA), Honda, +0.932

4. Dani Pedrosa (ESP), Honda, +1.125

5. Johann Zarco (FRA), Yamaha, +1.187

Other KTM

18. Bradley Smith (GBR), KTM, +3.517

21. Pol Espargaro (ESP), KTM, +4.860

Results Qualifying Moto2 Circuit of the Americas 2017

1. Franco Morbidelli (ITA), Kalex, 2:09.379 min

2. Mattia Pasini (ITA)), Kalex, +0.167

3. Alex Marquez (ESP), Kalex, +0.242

4. Takaaki Nakagami (JAP), Kalex, +0.581

5. Thomas Luthi (SUI), Kalex, +0.601

Other KTM

7. Miguel Oliveira (POR), KTM, +0.938

10. Ricard Cardus (ESP), KTM, +1.038

Results Qualifying Moto3 Circuit of the Americas 2017

1. Aron Canet (ESP), Honda, 2:14.644 min

2. Joan Mir (ESP), Honda, +0.987 sec

3. Romano Fenati (ITA), Honda, +0.997

4. Nicolo Bulega (ITA), KTM, +1.171

5. Jorge Martin (ESP), Honda, +1.277

Other KTM

8. Niccolo Antonelli (ITA), KTM, +1.416

10. Bo Bendsneyder (NED), KTM, +1.640

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Painting Texas red: Marquez starts from a stunning pole

The King of COTA pulls it out the hat to take another incredible P1

Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) has taken a scorching pole position for the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas, putting in another signature stunner at COTA as he pulled out an ace on his final lap to take it back from key rival Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP). Viñales’ teammate Valentino Rossi was another on a late charge, shooting up into third to complete an incredible front row.

Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) heads up the second row at a venue that has seen him on the podium twice, with Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) once again top rookie in another impressive performance to line up P5.

Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team) progressed from Q1 in Austin for the first time since moving to the Borgo Panigale factory, and the five-time World Champion had an impressive Q2 session – lining up in P6 on the second row, just out-qualifying teammate Andrea Dovizioso.

Jonas Folger (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) looks to keep his points lead in the fight for Rookie of the Year from P8, with Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) just behind in ninth after a crash. Compatriot Scott Redding (Octo Pramac Racing) completes the top ten.

There were also crashes for Jack Miller (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) and Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar) in the session, with the two men set to line up in P11 and P12 respectively.

From Q1 laptimes, the top fifteen is completed by Danilo Petrucci (Octo Pramac Racing) and Reale Avintia Racing duo Loris Baz and Hector Barbera.

Viñales vs Marquez vs Viñales vs Marquez…qualifying at COTA should whet appetites well for Sunday’s 14:00 (GMT -5) race, with the two men seemingly set for a showdown.