Race Lap Record: 1:39.019, Valentino Rossi, 2015

All Time Lap Record: 1:37.683, Marc Marquez, 2014

FIM MotoGP World Championship

Termas de Rio Hondo, Argentina

March 30, 2019

Qualifying Results (all on Michelin tires):

From Qualifying Session Two:

1. Marc Marquez, Spain (Honda), 1:38.304

2. Maverick Vinales, Spain (Yamaha), 1:38.458

3. Andrea Dovizioso, Italy (Ducati), 1:38.468

4. Valentino Rossi, Italy (Yamaha), 1:38.545

5. Jack Miller, Australia (Ducati), 1:38.548

6. Franco Morbidelli, Italy (Yamaha), 1:38.886

7. Fabio Quartararo, France (Yamaha), 1:38.897

8. Cal Crutchlow, UK (Honda), 1:38.955

9. Takaaki Nakagami, Japan (Honda), 1:39.038

10. Danilo Petrucci, Italy (Ducati), 1:39.093

11. Pol Espargaro, Spain (KTM), 1:39.489

12. Jorge Lorenzo, Spain (Honda), 1:39.520

From Qualifying Session One:

13. Aleix Espargaro, Spain (Aprilia), 1:39.288

14. Miguel Oliveira, Portugal (KTM), 1:39.298

15. Karel Abraham, Czech Republic (Ducati), 1:39.331

16. Alex Rins, Spain (Suzuki), 1:39.384

17. Francesco Bagnaia, Italy (Ducati), 1:39.387

18. Johann Zarco, France (KTM), 1:39.571

19. Joan Mir, Spain (Suzuki), 1:39.605

20. Tito Rabat, Spain (Ducati), 1:39.978

21. Hafizh Syahrin, Malaysia (KTM), 1:40.053

22. Andrea Iannone, Italy (Aprilia), 1:40.118

More, from a press release issued by Red Bull KTM Tech3:

Oliveira goes fourth quickest in close Q1 – Syahrin to start Argentina GP from row seven

In a very close first Qualifying session today, Red Bull KTM Tech3 rider Miguel Oliveira missed out on his first ever Q2 entry by just 0.081 seconds. The Portuguese MotoGP rookie displayed a strong performance throughout day two at the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit, lowered his FP1 time by 1.961 seconds already this morning to further progress during the fourth Free Practice and the Qualifying session and eventually start his second premier class race tomorrow from the fifth row of the grid.

On the other side of the Red Bull KTM Tech3 garage, Hafizh Syahrin likewise improved by strong 2.061 seconds from FP1 to FP3 and concluded the first Qualifying this afternoon just 0.755 seconds behind his teammate, whereby he also improved on his position and lowered his pace again by more than half a second. The Malaysian star will start the second Grand Prix of the year from seventh row tomorrow at 15.00 local time (20.00 CET).

Miguel Oliveira

Position: 4th

Time: 1:39.298

Laps: 8

“Overall it has been a positive day. We improved our Qualifying position from the last race, which is a good fact. I improved my riding, actually I’m very close to get into Q2, so it was not a bad day. I felt better with the bike, the team worked really good and we just keep improving all the time. I understand more how to ride the bike – many steps forward, so now I’m just excited to do the race tomorrow.”

Hafizh Syahrin

Position: 11th

Time: 1:40.053

Laps: 8

“We made a quite big improvement today, but we still need to find something a bit easier to ride with regards to the race pace, because at the moment, we have a really good rhythm, but we were missing something in terms of traction in the exit of the corners. Anyway, we believe that we are getting closer and closer now, but we still need to work more, understand more. I’m happy about this Qualifying, although I know we are still quite far from the top, but my feeling with the bike is a lot better than in Qatar and all the tests before. We just need to keep working hard and even more. Let’s see what we can do in tomorrow’s Warm Up in order to find a bit extra traction for the race distance.”

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

ARGENTINA GP QUALIFIERS

FIFTH ROW FOR ESPARGARÓ AND EIGHTH FOR IANNONE

On the second race weekend of the 2019 MotoGP season, Aleix Espargaró just barely missed out on going through to Q2, finishing third by just 71 thousandths in Q1, which places him in the best spot on the fifth row with the overall thirteenth place time of 1’39.288.

Aleix demonstrated that the second qualifying session was within his grasp but, just as he was on his good lap, he had to slow down in the finale because of a slower rider on his line. In any case, the extremely small gap behind second place is a testament to the good potential of Aleix and his RS-GP.

From the morning session, after making a few changes to his bike, Andrea Iannone was unable to find the good sensations that had led him to finishing the day yesterday ahead of his teammate. Not even going back to Friday’s settings in view of the decisive session gave Iannone the bike from the first day and the Italian lapped at 1’40.118, stopping at the eighth row of the starting grid for tomorrow. He and his team will now need to analyse the data to understand what happened.

ALEIX ESPARGARO’

“We did a good job. In terms of pace, we have the potential to finish in the first eight. Unfortunately, qualifiers complicate things a bit. On my last lap, I was very fast, but I lost a few tenths in the finale and Q2 got away from us. Tomorrow managing grip will be fundamental, as well as tyre wear, because it is particularly high here. From this point of view, we are ready. The second half of the race will be crucial and we are prepared as best as possible. As long as the track is dry tomorrow, which I hope, but especially I would prefer stable conditions, unlike last year.”

ANDREA IANNONE

“We need to understand what happened. This morning I did not find the same bike as yesterday. We made some changes that did not give us the expected results. To the contrary, we went in the opposite direction and when we went back, we did not re-create the same conditions as Friday. The telemetry data shows it well, so that will help us understand. We are still in our apprenticeship and these things can happen. Tomorrow we’ll need to get back to at least yesterday’s level and find that feeling to make a good start. It’s a pity because we could have battled for much better positions here.”

More, from a press release issued by PETRONAS Yamaha Sepang Racing Team:

Excellent qualifying performances for Morbidelli and Quartararo in Argentina GP

PETRONAS Yamaha Sepang Racing Team riders will start from sixth and seventh, respectively, for Round 2 of the season.

CLEAR SKY | AIR 27ºC | TRACK 39ºC | HUMIDITY 66%

FRANCO MORBIDELLI +0.582

FABIO QUARTARARO +0.593

Franco Morbidelli achieved his best grid position in MotoGP to date this Saturday, obtaining the sixth fastest time in Q2 for the Argentina GP. Teammate Fabio Quartararo will be close behind when the race gets underway, after qualifying in seventh place.

The PETRONAS Yamaha SRT pair earned direct access to Q2 thanks to their good work during Free Practice at the Termas de Rio Hondo Circuit. FP3 saw Morbidelli go sixth on the combined timesheets with a 1:38.982 lap, more than half a second faster than his best time from Friday. Quartararo found it more difficult to set a new personal best, but his 1:39.202 lap was enough for tenth place.

In the afternoon, following FP4, both riders broke into the 1:38s and took spots in Q2. Morbidelli was sixth, with a 1:38.886 final lap, and will start tomorrow from the second row of the grid. He is a previous Moto2 race winner in Argentina, in 2017. Quartararo finished in seventh place, maintaining the great speed he showed at the opening round of Qatar. The Frenchman was the top rookie in qualifying and was only 11 thousandths of a second off his teammate’s time.

Today the PETRONAS Sepang Racing Team are participating in Earth Hour, a global awareness campaign about climate change.

The 25-lap Argentina GP takes place tomorrow at 3pm local time.

#21 Franco Morbidelli

“I am very happy with today. It was a great qualifying session for us. Today we focused especially on the rear of the bike, and in general we have worked very well all weekend. I rode my hot lap in Q2 alone and I made some mistakes, but it was still a quick lap. Tomorrow we have to choose the right tyre; I think it will be a race in which there will be groups and we can be up there with the frontrunners. The key is going to be sticking in the front group until the end. It will be a fun race, like in Qatar, but the important thing is that we are able to enjoy ourselves right up until we see the chequered flag.”

#20 Fabio Quartararo

“It was a very positive day at a circuit where I had never ridden a MotoGP bike before. In Qatar we had three days of testing beforehand, and we started with a base setup. Here everything is new and we started from scratch in FP1. It’s good to know that our performance in Qatar was not a coincidence and that by working hard we can achieve good results. It seems that everything is pointing to the weather changing tomorrow, but we hope the race will be dry. We have done a great job so far, achieving all the goals that we had set out, and now we will try to have a good race. We had a good FP4, we have a good pace and the setup of the bike is working well, so I’m looking forward to tomorrow and to fighting for a good result.”

More, from a press release issued by Mission Winnow Ducati:

First-row start for Andrea Dovizioso (3rd) at the Argentina GP, 10th place on the grid for Danilo Petrucci

The Mission Winnow Ducati team resumed action today at Termas de Río Hondo (Argentina) for the second round of the MotoGP World Championship. After moving forward with the work on the race setup with positive feedback – gaining direct access to Q2 with both riders at the end of free-practice – the team then focused on a flying lap during the decisive qualifying session.

Andrea Dovizioso – who posted the best provisional time on Friday – confirmed once again his competitiveness to claim first row with the third-best time in 1:38.468, just over a tenth of a second behind pole position. On the other hand, Danilo Petrucci faced a somewhat more difficult session, which put him in tenth position with a personal best of 1:39.093, but nonetheless has shown significant improvements in terms of race pace.

Andrea Dovizioso (#04 Mission Winnow Ducati) – 1:38.468 (3rd)

“I’m very happy with our speed here so far, we’ve been competitive in each session and this first row shows it. Over the last few years we had to play defense here in Argentina, but now we have further confirmation that our base has improved. We managed to get progressively closer to Marquez, he is still the man to beat here but he’s not far. There are several riders with a strong pace and weather conditions may change tomorrow, so it was particularly important to start at the front. It’ll be a tough race, but I’m quite confident about our chances to go on the attack.”

Danilo Petrucci (#9 Mission Winnow Ducati) – 1:39.093 (10th)

“We’ve made a step forward compared to yesterday, regardless of our position on the grid. I’m a bit disappointed, also because during our second attempt we had some issues with our rear tyre and I couldn’t achieve the lap time I expected. Fourth row slightly complicates our plans for tomorrow, but we managed to progressively improve our base and this leaves me confident ahead of the race. Weather conditions may change significantly but, at any rate, I’m determined to race on the attack, and to this end we’ll need to be particularly smart managing the tyres.”

The Mission Winnow Ducati team will resume action tomorrow, March 31st, at 10:40 local time (CET -5) for a warm-up session ahead of the race, which is scheduled to start at 15:00.

More, from a press release issued by Monster Energy Yamaha:

VIÑALES AND ROSSI TO START ARGENTINA RUMBLE FROM FIRST AND SECOND ROW

Termas de Río Hondo (Argentina), 30th March 2019

GRAND PRIX OF ARGENTINA

QUALIFYING

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP‘s Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi were in the mix during today‘s Q2 session and secured second and fourth place on the grid respectively for tomorrow‘s Gran Premio Motul de la República Argentina.

2nd MAVERICK VIÑALES 1’38.458 / 7 LAPS

4th VALENTINO ROSSI 1’38.545 / 7 LAPS

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP‘s Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi continued the positive progress they made yesterday afternoon in all of today‘s MotoGP sessions at the Termas de Río Hondo circuit. The team-mates showed they are feeling comfortable on their YZR-M1s, qualifying for the race in second and fourth place respectively.

A solid run in this morning‘s FP3 saw both Viñales and Rossi secure a place in Q2, allowing them to fight for a spot on the front row.

Viñales copied his successful qualifying strategy from Qatar, starting the Q2 session well after the rest of the field had left pit lane. He took eighth place initially, but he was only getting warmed up. His next lap put him in fifth position, right behind his team-mate.

With about seven minutes left on the clock, the Spaniard arrived back at the box to put fresh tyres on his Yamaha for his final push. Viñales delivered when it really counted. His next flying lap, a strong 1‘38.458s, briefly put him in first position. However, as other riders completed their bids for pole he found himself in second place, 0.154s from the top. He had one final go but didn‘t improve. He will start tomorrow‘s race from the middle of the front row.

Rossi quickly headed out of pit lane, eager to get his hot laps in. His first attempt put him in tenth place, but he started his second with a red sector and slotted into fourth in the provisional rankings before heading back to the garage.

There were more than four and a half minutes remaining when the Doctor rejoined the qualifying action, and he was on a mission. He secured a provisional place on the front row with his next effort but was pushed down a position in the final stages of the session. The Italian wasn‘t able to further improve his best time on his last lap, leaving him in fourth, on the second row, 0.241s from first.

MASSIMO MEREGALLI

TEAM DIRECTOR

“We stuck to our plan for today and made another step. It was a very strong Q2 from both Maverick and Valentino. They are feeling comfortable on the bike, and a first and second row start bodes well for tomorrow. That said, there are still some uncertainties. The weather will play a deciding role in how the race is going to play out, and therefore we still need to make a final decision on the tyres, making tomorrow’s Warm Up session very important. In any case, we feel positive about what happened today. Tomorrow we’ll make some final set-up adjustments. We expect it will be a difficult race and tyre life will be a crucial factor.”

MAVERICK VIÑALES

“If you told me on Friday this was going to happen, I would have said ‘No’. Yesterday, we were a bit lost, we struggled a lot, but we worked really hard. Every session we improved the bike. There’s still room for improvement, so we keep working. We need our work to pay off. We need to start well, be at the front in the first laps, and I’m going to try to ride aggressively in the first laps. Let’s see where that takes us. I’m going to try my best. I think it’s going to be a difficult race, because everyone is very close. We don’t know the race pace yet, but tomorrow we’re going to try to reduce the gap to the front even further.”

VALENTINO ROSSI

“It was a good Friday and a good Saturday. I’m happy to start from the fourth position because my lap was good, not so far from the pole position. I also had a good feeling with the bike and with the race tyres I have a good pace, it’s not so bad. It’s true that we have another five to six riders who are very strong. It will be a tough race, for sure. It will be important to try to work on the small details tonight and after we have to wait and see the conditions tomorrow, because the forecast is difficult. If it’s a wet race, it’s like we’re starting from zero. Nobody knows. In the last races in the wet I was not so bad, but here I don’t know. We hope that if it will be a wet race, we can also have a wet Warm Up.”

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Full tilt at Termas: Marquez fights off Viñales and Dovi for pole

…but Rossi and Miller make for close company as the top five finish qualifying within 0.244

Saturday, 30 March 2019

Five out of six makes good reading for Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) as the reigning Champion took a fifth pole at Termas de Rio Hondo on Saturday, setting himself up for a charge at another victory at the track. But there’s more than a couple of riders well within the number 93’s postcode, with Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) just 0.164 back in P2 and Andrea Dovizioso (Mission Winnow Ducati) only another 0.010 further off – a tantalising prospect for lights out at Round 2.

It’s not just the front row in the spotlight, however. Plenty of eyes will be on the second row as 2015 Argentina GP winner Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) lines up fourth and directly behind Marquez, with 2018 polesitter and top Independent Team rider Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) keeping the ‘Doctor’ more than a little honest in fifth. From Marquez to Miller the grid is covered by just 0.244.

The tiny margins continue in sixth and seventh, too. Sophomore Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) took P6 and his best ever premier class qualifying position to lock out Row 2, with rookie teammate Fabio Quartararo once again the fastest debutant on the grid and just point blank fast. The Frenchman was only 0.011 off Morbidelli, and will be hoping to avoid his dramatic start to the Qatar GP. Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) took P8 and he’s aiming for the podium having won from P10 on the grid last season, with the British rider joined by teammate and Q1 graduate Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) on Row 3.

Danilo Petrucci (Mission Winnow Ducati) completes a top ten covered by 0.789 at Termas de Rio Hondo, with Q1 graduate Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) starting from P11. That was after Jorge Lorenzo’s (Repsol Honda Team) fastest lap was cancelled due to exceeding track limits – the five-time World Champion will start from 12th, nevertheless a solid Saturday as he continues both his adaptation to the Honda and his recovery from injury.

Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) starts P13 ahead of another impressive performance from Red Bull KTM Tech 3 rookie Miguel Oliveira who will likely fancy his chances at some good points, with Karel Abraham (Reale Avintia Racing) putting in a solid showing in P15.

A major shock in Q1, however, was 2018 Argentina GP podium finisher Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar). The Spaniard’s success at the track last year was his first rostrum in the premier class but in 2019 he’ll line up in P16. Can he mount a comeback from there? Sunday will reveal all…

It’s a good looking grid after qualifying at Termas and the race looks sure to be a stunner. That’s even before we mention the weather that could well mix everything up again…Don’t miss any of the action from Argentina, lights go out for the premier class at 15:00 local time (GMT-3).

Vierge on pole as just 0.012 covers Moto2™ front row

Spaniard makes it back to back Termas poles with Schrötter and Lowes hot on his heels

EG 0,0 Marc VDS’ Xavi Vierge will once again start from pole position at the Gran Premio Motul de la República Argentina, 12 months on from securing his first pole position and after bettering Johann Zarco’s fastest ever Moto2™ lap around Termas de Rio Hondo with a 1:42.726. It’s blink and you’ll miss the gap though as both Marcel Schrötter (Dynavolt Intact GP) and Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) got almost too close to comfort with their last laps; Schrötter just 0.011 off and a single thousandth in further arrears.

Vierge’s EG 0,0 Marc VDS teammate Alex Marquez will front row two of the grid thanks to a 1:42.773, making it the top four riders who all bettered Zarco’s previous best ever lap from 2015. Dynavolt Intact GP’s Tom Lüthi is in the middle of the second row, before top KTM Brad Binder who put his Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2™ machine in P6.

After showing strong pace all weekend, Remy Gardner (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) will start Sunday’s race from seventh on the grid. The Australian’s Q2 lap was over a tenth slower than the lap that saw him top FP3 earlier in the day. Qatar race winner and Championship leader Lorenzo Baldassarri (Flexbox HP 40) is eighth on the grid, joined on row three by compatriot and top rookie Nicolo Bulega (SKY Racing Team VR46).

Rounding out the top ten after ending Q1 quickest, is veteran Simone Corsi (Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2). With the top 13 covered by three tenths of a second, Sunday’s race at 13:20 local time (GMT-3) is not one to be missed!

Maiden pole for Masia in Moto3™

FP1’s fastest man strikes back on Saturday

Jaume Masia (Bester Capital Dubai) will start the Moto3™ race at the Gran Premio Motul de la República Argentina from his first ever pole position after FP1’s fastest man struck back to set the pace on Saturday afternoon. His benchmark 1:48.775 puts him over three tenths clear of Q1 graduate Aron Canet (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) in second, with 2018 polesitter Tony Arbolino (VNE Snipers) completing the front row in third.

The qualifying session at Termas de Rio Hondo initially saw riders neglecting to set laptimes and that set up a frantic finish; classic Moto3™ style. Red sectors lit up the timesheets and after first trailing Canet by 0.002, Masia then pounced soon after to leapfrog his compatriot and set the 1:48.775 – the lap that would ultimately give him his first pole position. Canet remained second, with Arbolino than snatching the final place on the front row on his final flying lap by just 0.007.

The man to lose out and who now heads the second row is Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing). The all-Italian Row 2 is completed by fifth place Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) and sixth on the grid, Andrea Migno (Bester Capital Dubai), another rider who came through Q1.

Former Argentina GP winner Romano Fenati (VNE Snipers) starts from seventh, with Qatar GP winner Kaito Toba (Honda Team Asia) and compatriot Ayumu Sasaki (Petronas Sprinta Racing) locked close together in eighth and ninth respectively. Rookie and reigning FIM CEV Repsol Moto3™ Junior World Champion Raul Fernandez (Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team) impressed once again to start tenth on his first appearance at Termas.

Less than a second splits the top fifteen in Moto3™ qualifying and with the likes of termas podium finisher John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) and home hero Gabriel Rodrigo (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3) starting from outside the top ten, we’re set for a stunning lightweight class battle. But what will the weather bring? Tune in for the Moto3™ race at 12:00 local time (GMT-3).

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

FIRST Q2 APPEARANCE OF 2019 MOTOGP FOR ESPARGARO IN ARGENTINA

MotoGP 2019 Round 2 Circuito Termas de Rio Hondo (ARG)

The second round of the 2019 MotoGP series will see Red Bull KTM’s Pol Espargaro and Johann Zarco line-up in 11th and 18th positions on the grid at the fast Termas de Rio Hondo circuit for the Gran Premio de la Republica Argentina. Espargaro made the Q1 cut-off for the first time this season.

MotoGP reconvened in South America for the second round of nineteen and a twisty and fast layout that welcomed the FIM World Championship for the sixth year in a row. The Red Bull KTM squads immediately got to work on Friday with the first Free Practice sessions and Johann Zarco displayed his fondness for the Argentine course by registering the sixth fastest time in FP1. At the end of the day almost the entire grid was split by just one second.

In cloudy but dry conditions on Saturday all four RC16s were in the Q1 period. It was Espargaro that throttled his way to a lap-time just a tenth of a second away from Takaaki Nakagami and only seven hundredths ahead of his brother Aleix and another bright charge from Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Miguel Oliveira. 2nd place meant that Pol entered Q2 and the battle for the top twelve positions on the grid while the Portuguese will finally start from 14th.

Pol could not go quicker at his next attempt and invade the top ten. He rested 1.1 seconds away from the Pole effort by Marc Marquez. Zarco will be on the sixth row for his second race appearance with the KTM RC16 and the 25 lap sprint tomorrow (he was 0.5 of a second from also making Q2) while Oliveira’s teammate Hafizh Syahrin sits in 21st.

Pol Espargaro: “The track is not the easiest for me and the low grip makes things a little bit harder. Anyway, I made a good lap in Q1, even with a mistake that could have given me a couple more tenths but it was enough for Q2. It makes me really happy that we could manage this here. In Q2 I had no more tyres to make a lap time so I put a Soft front and Medium rear and I was pretty close. I’m happy overall. We don’t know what will happen with the weather tomorrow but we have a good position for the race.”

Johann Zarco: “We didn’t really find any solutions for the improvements I wanted to make from Friday so I have to accept this and do my best with it. We are trying to make one step forward and taking two backwards. Anyway, it is a bit better than Qatar and I’m crossing my fingers to get consistency in order to have a good race.”

Miguel Oliveira: “Overall it has been a positive day. We improved our Qualifying position from the last race, which is a good fact. I’m very close to get into Q2, so it was not a bad day. I felt better with the bike, the team worked really good and we just keep improving all the time. I understand more how to ride the bike – many steps forward, so now I’m just excited to do the race tomorrow.”

Hafizh Syahrin: “We made a quite big improvement today but we still need to find something a bit easier to ride with regards to race pace. At the moment we have a really good rhythm but we were missing something in terms of traction in the exit of the corners. Anyway, we believe that we are getting closer and closer now. I’m happy about this Qualifying although I know we are still quite far from the top but my feeling with the bike is a lot better than in Qatar.”

Moto2 & Moto3

Just a tenth of a second denied Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Brad Binder from the front row in Moto2. The South African will set off from the 6th slot. The competitiveness of the category was highlighted by Jorge Martin’s 17th position on the grid: the Moto3 World Champion was 0.7 from Xavi Vierge’s Pole Position. In Moto3 two KTM motorcycles fill the first two slots on the grid with Jaume Masia earning his first ever Pole Position just ahead of countryman Aron Canet by three tenths of a second.

Races: March 31, 2019 – Moto3 17.00 | Moto2 18.20 | MotoGP 20.00 CET

Results Qualifying MotoGP Circuit Termas de Rio Hondo 2019

1. Marc Marquez (ESP), Honda 1:38.304

2. Maverick Viñales (ESP), Yamaha +0.154

3. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA), Ducati +0.164

4. Valentino Rossi (ITA), Yamaha +0.241

4. Jack Miller (AUS), Ducati +0.244

11. Pol Espargaro (ESP), Red Bull KTM +1.185

14. Miguel Oliveira (POR), Red Bull KTM Tech3 +1.565

18. Johann Zarco (FRA), Red Bull KTM +1.2

21. Hafizh Syarin (MYS), Red Bull KTM Tech3 +1.8

Results Qualifying Moto2 Circuit Termas de Rio Hondo 2019

1. Xavi Vierge (ESP) Kalex 1:42.726

2. Marcel Schrotter (GER) Kalex +0.011

3. Sam Lowes (GBR) +0.012

6. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Ajo +0.147

17. Jorge Martin (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo +0.878

Results Qualifying Moto3 Circuit Termas de Rio Hondo 2019

1. Jaume Masia (ESP) KTM 1:48.775

2. Aron Canet (ESP) KTM +0.319

3. Tony Arbolino (ITA) Honda +0.347

23. Can Öncü (TUR) Red Bull KTM Ajo +1.8

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

CRUTCHLOW ON THE THIRD ROW IN ARGENTINA

LCR Honda CASTROL’s Cal Crutchlow will start from the third row in Sunday’s Argentina Grand Prix after a frustrating qualifying session at Termas de Rio Hondo. The Briton – who won at the South American venue 12 months ago – was again impressive throughout free practice, but ultimately could not translate that into a position at the front of the grid in Q2.

After going fourth fastest on Friday, Crutchlow eased through as he improved again to claim third position in FP3. The Honda rider also excelled in FP4 as he finished second, but then struggled with rear tyre issues during qualifying. The problem meant he was unable to better his time on his final run in Q2, meaning he had to settle for eighth position.

Cal Crutchlow – 8th

(1’38.955 – lap 3 of 7)

“I’m very disappointed today with the result of qualifying. On my final run (in Q2) I didn’t have a great feeling with my rear tyre grip and I couldn’t properly stop the bike anywhere in many of the corners. I made two mistakes, both in turn nine, and so I didn’t manage to better my time from the first run”.

“We have to look at the situation for tomorrow now, I’m eighth on the grid and I have to be ready to fight at the start of the race. It will make for a difficult race, but I’m optimistic and I’m looking forward to it. We know our pace is good and we’re working hard to be competitive tomorrow.”

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

TERMAS PROVES TOUGH AS SUZUKI PAIR MISS OUT ON Q2

Alex Rins: 16th – 1:39.384

Joan Mir: 19th – 1:39.605

• Alex Rins comes close to Q2 but misses out.

•Joan Mir with good rhythm but struggling on corner exit.

•Incredibly close lap times makes Termas a hard task.

Following a tricky opening day in Argentina, which saw the track lacking in grip, Day 2 proved to be a tough one too. Although the track stayed dry, the conditions were not optimal and it was difficult to find improvements in lap times, especially as the pack remained very close.

In FP3 many riders pushed to try and ensure a place in Q2, and the early part of the session saw both Rins and Mir hovering within the Top 10. However, as the chequered flag flew the Team SUZUKI ECSTAR pair found themselves down in 15th and 17th – although, amazingly, the Top 15 were covered by less a second.

FP4 showed signs of promise and Rins finished just six tenths of a second from the top, with Mir eight tenths off.

But the Spanish duo found troubles in Q1, despite previously trying several different tyre combinations. A lack of feeling cost Rins and Mir on the time sheets, and they closed Saturday in 16th and 19th respectively.

Davide Brivio – Team Manager

“Today was difficult, now we have to check the data and try to understand where the struggles came from. The lack of grip is still causing us some issues. Alex’s race pace isn’t bad, but he wanted the big jump to get into Q2. Joan is finding corner exit tricky at the moment. We’ll do our best to recover good results because we feel that our pace is almost there.”

Alex Rins

“It’s difficult to explain what happened today, both the team and I gave our best and we’re not at fault. The Q2 pace wasn’t the best, but in the other sessions I was closer. I’ll try hard to pass as many people as possible and have a good race, I always feel stronger on a Sunday. I’ll give everything.”

Joan Mir

“I struggled to find the right settings to feel comfortable today. My base settings are good but I don’t have a great feeling when I push for fast laps. Starting so far back on the grid will make things difficult tomorrow but I’m 100% confident that we can still have a good race.”

More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:

Marquez storms to fifth Argentina GP pole, Lorenzo starts 12th

A flying Marc Marquez proved unstoppable in Argentina as he powered to pole, team-mate Jorge Lorenzo ready to fight forward on Sunday.

Saturday’s proceedings at the Argentina GP opened with the always-exciting Free Practice 3 session. Marc Marquez was fast from his first lap and quickly moved to top the session and became the first rider to set a 1’38. The final ten minutes of the session saw the customary time-attack for passage to Q2, Jorge Lorenzo finding another six tenths to lap the 4.805km long circuit in 1’39.190, meaning both Repsol Honda Team riders moved directly to Q2 together for the first time as team-mates.

Despite early fears, the weather held for qualifying and an ambient temperature of 27°C and track temperature of 39°C helped produce a riveting Q2 session. Marc Marquez continued to show impressive speed aboard his Honda RC213V and claimed his fifth pole position at the sixth running of the Argentina GP with a lap of 1’38.304. The reigning champion is confident in his race pace, but knows he will have to wait and see what weather Sunday brings.

Jorge Lorenzo’s first visit to Q2 in Repsol Honda Team colours saw him build his speed throughout the session before pushing hard at the end. Unfortunately the Mallorcan had his best time removed due to exceeding track limits and will line up for Sunday’s Grand Prix in 12th. Starting a row further forward than in Qatar presents Lorenzo with the opportunity to enter the fight at the front from the start of the race.

At over 120 kilometres long, Sunday’s Argentina GP is amongst the longest on the calendar. Lights go out on the 25-lap race at 15:00 local time.

Marc Marquez

1ST 1’38.304

“In Qualifying I was really focused to push to the maximum and fight for pole position. On the second tyre I made a small mistake at the first corner so I cancelled the lap and went back in. We had planned to do three runs and my team was ready. I am happy because it’s never easy to get pole position here, especially this weekend. Our rhythm is there but we need to wait and see what the weather does!”

Jorge Lorenzo

12TH 1’39.520

“This morning we went very well and improved the setting of the bike even more. The circuit had more grip and I was riding well so I was able to set a strong time and finish eighth. Then unfortunately in qualifying the temperature increased and with some setup changes I lost some feel on corner entry. This meant I couldn’t repeat my time from the morning and is why I was starting 11th and now finally 12th after exceeding track limits. We will keep working to improve the setting and obtain more kilometres.”