Movistar Yamaha’s Maverick Vinales picked up right where he left off after winning the opening round in Qatar when he nearly matched the race lap record during MotoGP practice Friday at Termas de Rio Hondo in Argentina.
Riding his Michelin-shod YZR-M1 in Free Practice Two (FP2), 25-year-old Vinales lapped the fast, 2.943-mile circuit in 1:39.477, nearly matching Valentino Rossi’s 2015 race lap record of 1:39.019, which was set on Bridgestone tires.
Marc Marquez bounced back from a lowside crash in Free Practice One (FP1) to post the second-best lap time, a 1:39.778, on his Repsol Honda RC213V in FP2.
The circuit at Termas de Rio Hondo is rarely used and is usually dirty and slippery on the first days of MotoGP weekends. This condition didn’t appear to have slowed Vinales much, but it appears to have kept the field quite tight. Less than one second separated the top 15 riders at the end of FP2, but it was the order of those riders that was noteworthy.
Pull&Bear Aspar Ducati teammates Karel Abraham (1:39.880) and Alvaro Bautista (1:39.922) were third and fourth, respectively, in FP2. OCTO Pramac Racing Ducati’s Danilo Petrucci (1:39.960) and Reale Avintia Racing Ducati’s Loris Baz (1:40.120) made it four Ducatis in the top six and none of them were piloted by factory riders.
Cal Crutchlow (1:40.124) was seventh on his LCR Honda RC213V, just ahead of German rookie Jonas Folger (1:40.157) and his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 YZR-M1. Aleix Espargaro (1:40.175) backed up his sixth-place finish in the Qatar GP by posting Friday’s ninth-best time on his Gresini Aprilia. And Andrea Iannone (1:40.250) secured the final spot in the top 10 on his Team Suzuki ECSTAR GSX-RR.
The top 10 riders after Saturday’s Free Practice Three (FP3) will advance directly to Qualifying Two and a guaranteed spot on the front four rows of the grid. The riders ranked 11th and below after FP3 will have to fight their way through Qualifying Session One to reach Qualifying Session Two. And with rain in the weather forecast for Saturday, the top 10 riders may already be decided.
Riders who were outside of the top 10 on Friday included: Marquez’s teammate Dani Pedrosa (13th, 1:40.345), factory Ducati riders Andrea Dovizioso (14th, 1:40.399) and Jorge Lorenzo (18th, 1:40.599), and nine-time World Champion Valentino Rossi (16th, 1:40.531).
Gran Premio Motul De La Republica Argentina
FIM MotoGP World Championship
Termas de Rio Hondo, Argentina
April 7, 2017
Free Practice Two Results (All on Michelin tires):
1. Maverick VIÑALES, Spain (YAMAHA), 1:39.477
2. Marc MARQUEZ, Spain (HONDA), 1:39.778
3. Karel ABRAHAM, Czech Republic (DUCATI), 1:39.880
4. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (DUCATI), 1:39.922
5. Danilo PETRUCCI, Italy (DUCATI), 1:39.960
6. Loris BAZ, France (DUCATI), 1:40.120
7. Cal CRUTCHLOW, UK (HONDA), 1:40.124
8. Jonas FOLGER, Germany (YAMAHA), 1:40.157
9. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (APRILIA), 1:40.175
10. Andrea IANNONE, Italy (SUZUKI), 1:40.250
11. Scott REDDING, UK (DUCATI), 1:40.338
12. Johann ZARCO, France (YAMAHA), 1:40.340
13. Dani PEDROSA, Spain (HONDA), 1:40.345, crash
14. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (DUCATI), 1:40.399
15. Hector BARBERA, Spain (DUCATI), 1:40.431
16. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (YAMAHA), 1:40.531
17. Jack MILLER, Australia (HONDA), 1:40.588
18. Jorge LORENZO, Spain (DUCATI), 1:40.599
19. Tito RABAT, Spain (HONDA), 1:40.908
20. Alex RINS, Spain (SUZUKI), 1:41.083
21. Pol ESPARGARO, Spain (KTM), 1:41.632
22. Bradley SMITH, UK (KTM), 1:42.074
23. Sam LOWES, UK (APRILIA), 1:42.179
More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
Ahead of the game: Viñales and Marquez lead in Argentina
Key rivals clear at the top – with some big names out the top ten on Friday
Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) stole the headlines again on Day 1 of the Gran Premio Motul de la Republica Argentina, taking to the top to take over from reigning Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team). Marquez had a lowside crash in FP1, but escaped unscathed to duel it out at the top of an unexpected first day at Termas de Rio Hondo.
The biggest news behind the two men at the front saw some big names outside the top ten after FP2 – with rain a possibility on Saturday and combined practice times crucial in deciding entry to Q2 qualifying.
Third on a shuffled pack of a Day 1 was an incredible performance from Pull&Bear Aspar Team’s Karel Abraham, as the Czech rider just pipped his teammate Alvaro Bautista in an impressive third and fourth for the Independent Team. Danilo Petrucci (Octo Pramac Racing) was fifth, with Reale Avintia Racing’s Loris Baz another impressive performance in P6.
Seventh was 2016 Brno and Phillip Island winner Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda), ahead of German Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rookie Jonas Folger, who was top rookie on Day 1. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) was ninth, with Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Andrea Iannone completing the top ten in what could be some critical combined timesheets if weather changes overnight.
Outside the top ten saw Scott Redding (Octo Pramac Racing) and Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) in P11 and P12, in front of Repsol Honda Team’s Dani Pedrosa in 13th – and the ‘Baby Samurai’ also suffered a lowside, low-drama crash in FP2, rider ok.
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) was another big name in P14, with Reale Avintia Racing’s Hector Barbera completing the top 15.
Just behind Barbera saw nine-time World Champion Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) taking P16 – with another five world titles outside the top ten as Ducati Team rider Jorge Lorenzo ended Day 1 in P18.
Next is FP3, and that all-important final chance to get into the top ten and gain automatic entry to Q2 – with all eyes on the sky to see how the weather changes. The session begins on Saturday at 9:55am local time (GMT -3), with Q1 and Q2 qualifying getting underway from 14:10.
More, from a press release issued by Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS:
Miller and Rabat encouraged by practice pace in Argentina
Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS riders Jack Miller and Tito Rabat were satisfied with their progress and pace on the opening day of practice for the Termas de Rio Hondo MotoGP clash in Argentina.
Miller was quick out of the blocks in windy conditions this morning to lap within 0.3s of the top three in ninth, with the usually slippery 4.8km Termas de Rio Hondo circuit offering better grip and feedback than expected.
This morning’s effort was the perfect way for Miller to capitalise on his brilliant ride to eighth place in the season’s opening race in Qatar last month, and he was confident he could battle to retain his place inside the top 10 this afternoon.
Mindful that FP3 may be run on a wet surface with rain predicted tomorrow, Miller went into soft tyre time attack mode in the final stages of today’s second session, to try and claim an all-important top 10 placing that could potentially put him straight into Q2 tomorrow if rain disrupts proceedings.
But he did not get the expected increase in performance and grip from a brand new Michelin soft rear tyre and he finished 17th overall, but only 1.1s off top spot in an incredibly closely fought session.
Rabat was also in a positive frame of mind at the end of the opening day, having been in contention for a top 15 place in both sessions. Back to full fitness after his pre-season injury woes, the Spaniard was pleased to set a consistent rhythm, which bodes well for a point scoring challenge in Sunday’s 25-lap race.
Jack Miller: 17th – 1’40.588
“I was pretty satisfied with my pace this morning and I was very optimistic that I could keep my place inside the top 10 this afternoon. But when we stuck in a soft tyre at the end of this afternoon’s session it just didn’t give me the grip I anticipated. Sometimes that scenario can happen and unfortunately this time it was me on the wrong end of it. That was a shame but the positive is that I have a good feeling with the bike, even though the track is slippery. I’ve now got to hope the weather doesn’t turn bad for FP3 because I need it dry to try and force my way back into the top 10. I can’t control that but whatever happens I will be giving it 100%.”
Tito Rabat: 19th – 1’40.908
“We can improve a lot for tomorrow but I am happy with my performance today. I wasn’t at my physical best in Qatar after the big crash in Sepang at the start of testing but now I have full power and feel confident to push myself and the bike to the limit. I’m most pleased about the consistency of my lap times and I understand the potential of the bike. I am not far behind Jack and Lorenzo and Rossi so I have to be satisfied.”
Ramon Aurin: Jack Miller Chief Engineer
“One of the main tasks for us today was to work on adjusting the electronics and gearbox to suit the different character of the engine we are now using with Honda. This engine develops power in a different way compared to last year, so we need to adjust the gearing to have more rpm in some of the slower sections. Turns 5 and 13 are second gear corners and these are the two corners Jack was looking for the biggest improvement. He also wants less movement from the front but I think his potential is higher than what the timesheets show. On his last run on the new soft tyre, we checked the data and he had the same level of spinning as he had on a used hard rear, so we missed out on challenging for the top 10.”
More, from a press release issued by Aprilia Gresini:
FIRST DAY OF TESTS AT TERMAS DE RIO HONDO
ALEIX ESPARGARÓ RIDES HIS APRILIA RS-GP TO THE TOP-10
SAM LOWES INCREASES HIS FEELING WITH THE ARGENTINIAN TRACK
As was widely expected, the first two MotoGP sessions on the Argentinian Termas de Rìo Hondo circuit were characterized by a track in constant evolution, forcing teams and riders to adjust settings and tyre selection quickly.
At the end of the day, Aleix Espargaró rode his Aprilia RS-GP into the Top-10, finishing with the ninth best time (1’40.175) at less than 7 tenths from the top. Significant performance in anticipation of qualifying: if it should rain tomorrow, it would be difficult for everyone to improve their times from today and that would mean going straight through to Q2 for Aleix. As for race pace, on the other hand, the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Spanish rider is having a few problems, especially in terms of braking. The less than perfect asphalt conditions are partly to blame for this feeling, but Aleix and his team will be working on it in order to optimize the setup solutions.
Sam Lowes continues improving and, despite the gap (best time 1’42.179), he demonstrated a better feeling in the saddle of his RS-GP. The British rookie tested various tyre solutions and worked on settings and riding style, setting up a programme with particular attention to consistent performance for the race.
ALEIX ESPARGARO’
“The feeling today was strange. I still haven’t found the sensations I had in Qatar, especially when it comes to stopping the bike. I think that as the track improves, things will sort themselves. Right now we are still too close to the limit for me to feel at ease on the bike. In any case, we were able to get into the Top-10 and that is positive, since the weather forecast calls for rain tomorrow and that could make it difficult to improve times in view of qualifying.”
SAM LOWES
“It was difficult to choose the right tyre option at the right time today, because the conditions were changing rather quickly. I feel like I could have shaved off a few tenths, but it isn’t fundamental. At the moment I am happy because I feel much more comfortable on the bike compared with Qatar. We will be able to be more competitive here, especially in terms of race pace. We know that we need to improve without making any mistakes and continuing to build our performance calmly. Trying the RS-GP in the wet would also not be bad. I have never done that but it could be interesting.”
More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3:
Top rookie Folger speeds to 8th on day 1 in Argentina – Solid start for Zarco
The Monster Yamaha Tech3 duo delivered two encouraging performances as they got straight to work in South America. Jonas Folger produced a spirited display to conclude the opening day as the fastest rookie and in 8th overall. His personal best in FP2 was just 0.277 back from third after he kicked off the weekend with a strong run to 4th in the morning. Whilst Johann Zarco commenced his round 2 campaign with an impressive ride to 3rd in FP1, which resulted in him being only 0.218 adrift of the fastest time. He then pushed onwards in the afternoon, before finishing 0.183 back from his teammate and ahead of Factory MotoGP rider Dani Pedrosa by 0.005. The action will resume at 09:55 tomorrow morning, or 14:55 in central Europe.
Jonas FOLGER
Position: 8th – Time: 1’40.157 – Laps: 40
“With it being my first time at this circuit on a MotoGP bike, today went quite well. The track has a low grip level so we focused a lot on the electronics as well as the power delivery, plus the team and I also experimented with the tyres a bit. At the end of the day I am 8th and the fastest rookie, so we can be pleased with what we have achieved so far. I know that I can especially improve in the first sector because I am losing some time there, as that area of the track is quite bumpy and I need to build my confidence in the first two corners, where some people have crashed already. We will analyse the data tonight so that we can understand how to be faster, and let’s see what we can do tomorrow.”
Johann ZARCO
Postion: 12th – Time: 1’40.340 – Laps: 40
“Overall I am happy and both of the sessions went quite positively for me. We worked well and made constant steps forward which is important as well as encouraging, plus my rhythm is good and I feel comfortable on the bike. However, at the last corner, I am losing a bit of time so we need to understand how we can improve the grip at that section of the track. This is the only area where I was not able to advance on my personal best from FP1. Therefore, it’s a bit of a pity because this limitation meant that I didn’t finish inside the top ten, and if it rains tomorrow, as it is expected to, then I will need to compete in QP1. Yet the most important thing is to stay on the pace and keep working in order to be ready for the second race of the 2017 season.”
More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:
Argentina GP gets underway for the Repsol Honda Team
The Argentina GP race weekend began today for the Repsol Honda Team riders, with Marc Marquez second-fastest at 1’39.778” after a very close FP2 session that ended with the top 15 riders separated by less than one second.
Following a busy FP1 on a dirty track and a crash without consequences in turn 2 early in the session, Marc made significant progress in the afternoon, knocking more than a second off his morning’s best and setting a promising pace with the Michelin hard front and rear tyres.
Dani Pedrosa also avoided injury in a small crash (in turn 13 during FP2) and then improved his lap times, but despite closing just 0.567” down on his teammate, his best time of 1’40.345” meant he had to settle for 13th place.
Marc Marquez 93
2ND 1’39.778
“I’m quite happy with today because although we still have some issues to sort out, we’re not far from the top. As always happens here in Argentina, today the track was quite slippery in the beginning, and I crashed this morning because I was pushing a little too hard and went a bit off line. Anyway, after that we worked really hard and found a promising setup. We’re still missing something, and tomorrow we’ll try to improve in the second sector, especially the acceleration at turns 3 and 4.”
Dani Pedrosa 26
13TH 1’40.345
“Today wasn’t the best day for us because we suffered a rear-tyre puncture in FP1 and couldn’t fully exploit the session until the end. In FP2 we started well, testing some tyres when the track conditions were good enough like we had planned, but unfortunately, when I was improving during my second exit, I lost the front and had a small crash. I was trying the hard front for the first time, it was only my second lap of that run, and I may have pushed too hard. That wasn’t ideal for the time attack at the end of the session, because the feeling was different after the crash. Well, sometimes you have days like this, and hopefully the weather will stay good tomorrow and we’ll be able to improve.”
More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda:
CRUTCHLOW MAKES POSITIVE START IN ARGENTINA
LCR Honda rider Cal Crutchlow made a solid start at the Argentina Grand Prix as he finished the opening day seventh fastest at the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit. Arriving in South America determined to bounce back after a disappointing result in Qatar, the Briton made impressive strides as the day progressed, despite it proving difficult for Honda riders overall.
The 31-year-old was down in 14th position after Friday morning’s free practice session, but improved significantly in the afternoon as he got to grips with his RC213V. He posted a best lap of 1’40.124 – less than half a second behind Marc Marquez in second spot who was the only other Honda rider to feature in the top ten. Once again it was young Spaniard Maverick Vinales who topped the timesheets after his opening victory at Losail two weeks ago.
Crutchlow was satisfied with his efforts, but believes there is plenty of room for improvement in Saturday’s qualifying.
Cal Crutchlow – 7th
(1’40.124 – lap 15 of 18)
“Today was quite good, I was happy enough with the way it went in the end. It was not fantastic and I think the Hondas struggled today to find the settings with the new configuration of the engine”.
“I’m sure tomorrow will be more positive once we’re able to look at some data tonight. We had the mandatory tyre test which I think we completed quite well and in the last run we were fast enough for my liking. But I think we can still improve tomorrow and that’s what we’ll be aiming to do.”
More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:
MOVISTAR YAMAHA MOTOGP ROARS INTO ACTION IN ARGENTINA
Today Movistar Yamaha MotoGP‘s Maverick Viñales set the tone at the first two free practice sessions of the Gran Premio Motul de la República Argentina. Teammate Valentino Rossi also had a productive day, but struggled to find the right feeling and secured 16th place.
Termas de Rio Hondo (Argentina), 7th April 2017
The Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team had a mission today. With rain expected tomorrow, Maverick Viñales was gunning for a place in the top10 and put his mark on the first day, leading both sessions. Valentino Rossi had a challenging start to his 350th Grand Prix weekend and wrapped up the first day in 16th place.
Viñales made his prediction, stated in yesterday‘s press conference, come true when he completed his first kilometres on the YZR-M1 in Argentina. His riding style matched the Termas de Río Hondo Circuit perfectly and the Spaniard swiftly moved up the timesheets, setting a 1‘40.796s benchmark. He spent the second half of the morning session completing the mandatory 5-lap harder rear tyre run and surprised friends and foes when he improved on his best lap multiple times, to end the first session with a 1‘40.356s, leading the pack by 0.206s.
The youngster continued his work on his YZR-M1 in the afternoon. He left pit lane for FP2 with a hard front and rear tyre and only needed seven laps to breach into the top2, but the pace soon picked up when all riders had completed the hard tyre test and switched back to the softer options. Viñales dropped back down the order, but upped his game in the final minutes, dropping two laps under the 1‘40-mark in quick succession, the latter a 1‘39.477s. He ended the day on top with a 0.301s margin to his closest rival in both FP2 and the combined practice times.
Rossi had a different approach to FP1. He used the first part of the session to ready his bike’s setting, before putting in a soft tyre in the final part to set a solid time. Towards the end of the session he dropped a 1‘41.311s lap for seventh place, but as the majority of the riders put in a time attack in the final minutes, he was pushed back to 16th, 0.955s from first.
The Doctor went out of the gates early in the 45-minute second outing, to test the hard option rear. He used his first run solely to make his YZR-M1 fit the Termas de Río Hondo track‘s sweeping corners and hard acceleration demands, before it was time to get down to business. He gradually improved his pace, and gained nearly 0.8s on his best time from this morning with a 1‘40.531s lap, but he was unable to climb higher in the standings. He finished the day with a 1.054s margin to the top of the timesheets, again in 16th position, also in the combined times.
MASSIMO MEREGALLI
TEAM DIRECTOR
We got quite a lot of work done today during the free practice sessions, including the mandatory hard rear tyre run. The conditions of the track were not as bad as last year and this allowed us to start working properly on the bike‘s set-up. The track seems to suit Maverick: he posted fast and consistent lap times and, though there is still some margin for improvement, he is very comfortable with his M1. Valentino worked hard in FP1 and FP2, improving the turning of the bike. They found a solution that bettered the handling, but as a result he suffered from a lack of rear grip. The countermeasure for this issue has been decided on and we will try it in tomorrow‘s FP3. The problem that remains is the weather. We hope it stays dry, at least for tomorrow morning, so we can fine-tune the settings ahead of the qualifying shoot-out.
MAVERICK VIÑALES
I feel very positive. I feel great on the bike and physically I‘m really fit. The bike is working good, we are using the basic set-up, and from the first lap I felt really comfortable on the track. Step by step we are improving and we still have some work to do for the race, but I think we have the speed, so that‘s really important. I don‘t know if the hard rear will be an option for the race. It‘s difficult to tell, because we had some wheel spin, so I don‘t know. We are trying many things, but what is sure is that we have good speed. We still have to decide on a race tyre. Tomorrow we have a lot of work to do, so let‘s start and see what the lap times are like.
VALENTINO ROSSI
We hoped to have a good feeling, like we had in the race with the bike, but it was more similar to what the feeling was like in the practice sessions in Qatar and in the tests. We have a lot of problems to enter the corners fast with this bike and I don’t feel comfortable. I’m about one second behind, but the problem is that we are all close together and we have a lot of different riders that are very fast, so we need to improve the feeling and the setting of the bike and we hope that tomorrow morning’s FP3 will be dry. We will try to improve and try to stay in the top 10 for the qualifying.
More, from a press release issued by Pull&Bear Aspar Team:
Abraham and Bautista on top in Argentina
Third and fourth position for Pull&Bear Aspar riders in free practice at Termas de Río Hondo, behind Viñales and Márquez
The early MotoGP World Championship leader remains the man to beat in Argentina. After topping every preseason test and dominating the opening round of the season in Qatar, Maverick Viñales continued his good form in round two, clocking a 1’39.477 in free practice that very few riders were able to follow. The closest was Marc Márquez, a two-time former winner at this circuit, although even he was three tenths adrift. Behind him, Pull&Bear Aspar pair Karel Abraham and Álvaro Bautista, along with fellow Independent Ducati rider Danilo Petrucci, were the only other riders able to break the 1’40 barrier. With rain forecast for tomorrow it promises to be an interesting day ahead to see who can qualify for Q2 and who will have to play their cards in Q1. The current top ten contains just three factory riders and seven Independent riders, all separated by a mere seven tenths of a second.
Karel Abraham and Álvaro Bautista were the stars of the opening day of MotoGP action in Argentina. The Pull&Bear Aspar riders were on the pace throughout both sessions and in the final stages of the second outing a good lap from Bautista was followed immediately by a slightly better one from Abraham to move them into the top two positions. In the end, only Maverick Viñales and Marc Márquez were able to post faster laps, dropping the pair to a stunning third and fourth place overnight.
3rd Karel Abraham 1:39.880 (32 laps): “The Ducati has always been a good fit for me. I was close to finishing as the Rookie of the Year on it in 2011 and now I am back on a Ducati I can say I think this is the best bike I have ever ridden. I am happy to be near the top, we will keep working hard to stay here and we’ll see what happens tomorrow. There was a little more grip this morning than this afternoon but everybody managed to improve. We started the second session on the same tyre we finished the first one with and managed to put race distance on it with good lap times right to the end. This morning we were already in the top five and to finish third at the end of the day is very satisfying.”
4th Álvaro Bautista 1:39.922 (34 laps):“I think it has been a good way to start the Grand Prix, especially after the crash in Qatar. We are back to more ‘normal’ conditions here and I felt good this morning, even though I didn’t have the tyres in to set a fast lap because they already had 20 laps on them. This afternoon we didn’t change much with the bike, just focused on trying different tyres to make sure we have a clear idea for the race in case it rains tomorrow. I am quite fast on the medium front, whilst on the rear I am lacking a bit of contact with the hard, the medium was a bit better and the soft was quite unstable and it would be impossible to go race distance with it because of the bumps. I think we have everything pretty clear.”
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office:
IANNONE 10TH AS RINS ABLE TO COMPETE IN ARGENTINA
Team SUZUKI ECSTAR’s Andrea Iannone got his first taste of the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit on the first day of practice of the Argentinian GP with Italian classifying 10th with a best-lap 1’40.250, in a hard-fought session while Alex Rins struggled with the pain in his ankle, but managed to make solid progress during the day, closing today´s session in 20th place.
Today’s sessions proved to be very fast compared to last year; pretty much all riders improved on their lap time by two seconds, which suggests that the track is in better condition. Iannone, as well, was able to shave nearly two seconds off last year’s best for Suzuki and the GSX-RR. He further-improved on his times substantially from the morning to the afternoon (1’40.701 his best in FP1). His 10th position in the provisional classification is also good news for tomorrow as if rain falls, as expected, he has likely already done enough to secure direct access to Q2.
It was a positive day for Rins, considering his physical condition. He decided to start the first session without any painkillers or support on his ankle to better understand his present condition. Then he had a bandage applied in the afternoon to give him a stronger support without restricting the foot’s mobility. He was able to make solid progress in the bike set-up and enjoy the circuit. His focus is on gaining more experience this weekend as he doesn´t feel the pressure to push himself too far.
Davide Brivio – Team Manager:
“With Andrea, we had the objective of being in the top 10 just in case tomorrow brings bad weather, and we achieved it. We still have some room for improvement. There are many things that can be better when finished, so we will work tonight to deliver him a better package for tomorrow, in case it is dry. Alex is suffering some pain due to his fracture. We spoke with doctors and riding is not compromising the injury´s recovery. It is only a matter of bearing the pain. We are carefully listening to his feedback and his feelings about this. He is a little sad because he likes this track a lot and he is not enjoying it to its fullest. Of course, we are not in the position to give it 100%, so we are mostly taking this as an opportunity to do some laps and get experience on a MotoGP machine.”
Andrea Iannone:
“The day was not bad, we started pretty well this morning, and in the afternoon things went better as well. The feeling is already good. We focused mostly on the tyres more than on the machine and we made some beneficial improvements. I already have some ideas for tomorrow and maybe also for the race, but we still need to modify some things on the machine and improve the settings so that I can be even more successful.”
Alex Rins:
“This morning I didn’t have as much pain as I expected in the ankle, and adaptation to the circuit has been very good. It has been a shame that we have come all this way with an injured foot. I can tell I’m going fast in the corners where my foot does not bother me. In the afternoon I came out with the foot bandaged, but it hurt more than in the morning. At the first start I rode well, but as the laps went by I felt more pain and could not go as fast as at first. For tomorrow, I will try to ride with some painkillers to see if it helps me to lessen the pain and try to do a good qualifying lap.”
More, from a press release issued by OCTO Pramac Racing:
Super start to Argentina week end
Petrux 5th, Scott one step away from Top10
The weekend at Termas de Rio Hondo (Argentina) has started off very well for Octo Pramac Racing.
Danilo Petrucci was fast since the morning managinf to end up FP1 with a sensational second position behind Maverick Vinales. Even in the afternoon Petrux’s feeling with his Ducati Desmosedici GP 2017 has been remarkable as the rider from Terni was able to finish in fifth position (1’39.960) just 80 thousandths of a second behind the hypothetical first row: a very important result that would allow him to gain direct qualification to Q2 in case of rain tomorrow.
Scott Redding’s friday was characterized by steady growth. After having entcountered some problems in FP1, the British rider managed to lower by more than a second and a half his lap time in FP2, setting a best time of 1’40.338, less than one-tenth of second from the Top 10.
5th – Danilo Petrucci – 1’39.960
“I’m happy with today’s work. We did not make big changes to the set up we had in Qatar and I immediately felt at ease. Since this morning we worked well on little details and I really enjoyed riding: it was also nice to be able to understand immediately what needed to be done to improve. Maybe I could have done better in the time attack, but I made a couple of mistakes and I lost something. All things considered I am very happy”.
11th – Scott Redding – 1’40.338
“It was not a bad day. I found consistently but I never had that feeling that I had in Qatar since the first exit. In any case i must say that we are on the right direction. I’m sorry for that tenth of a second that would allow me to finish in the top 10 but in the time attack I have not found any benefit from soft tire. It will be important to understand which tire we’ll use for the race”.
More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:
Tough start for Ducati Team riders on first day of practice for Argentina Grand Prix at Termas de Río Hondo
Today was a difficult day at Termas de Río Hondo for the two Ducati Team riders. At the end of today’s two scheduled free practice sessions at the Argentinean circuit, Andrea Dovizioso was classified in fourteenth place with his team-mate four places behind in eighteenth.
The Italian rider set seventh quickest time in the morning’s FP1 run, but in the afternoon session, despite improving by more than three-tenths of a second, Dovizioso had to settle for fourteenth overall in the day’s standings.
Jorge Lorenzo, who was fifteenth in the first free practice session, also improved his time by over half-a-second in FP2 but the Spanish rider was unable to go any better than eighteenth at the end of the first day of action at Termas.
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 1’40.399 (14th)
“This afternoon’s session was a bit strange: there were a few aspects of the bike that in my opinion didn’t work well and so I was not able to lap with any sort of continuity during the session. I didn’t have a good rhythm and we weren’t entirely sorted regarding the electronics, and it was a real pity to be outside the top 10 because tomorrow it might rain.”
Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team #99) – 1’40.599 (18th)
“We are certainly not happy with today’s position, but in the penultimate exit of the second session things were going well and had a good feeling with my bike. Unfortunately at the end we fitted the soft front tyre and this was probably a mistake, because I am convinced that with the harder tyre I could have knocked a few tenths off my time and improved my position a lot. Let’s hope that the weather is OK tomorrow and that it will allow us to lap on a dry track both in FP3 and in qualifying.”