FIM MotoGP World Championship
Termas de Rio Hondo, Argentina
April 6, 2018
Free Practice Two Results (all on Michelin tires):
1. Marc Marquez, Spain (Honda), 1:39.395
2. Cal Crutchlow, UK (Honda), 1:39.799
3. Tito Rabat, Spain (Ducati), 1:40.346
4. Andrea Iannone, Italy (Suzuki), 1:40.455
5. Dani Pedrosa, Spain (Honda), 1:40.494
6. Maverick Vinales, Spain (Yamaha), 1:40.510
7. Valentino Rossi, Italy (Yamaha), 1:40.577
8. Alex Rins, Spain (Suzuki), 1:40.592
9. Alvaro Bautista, Spain (Ducati), 1:40.766
10. Aleix Espargaro, Spain (Aprilia), 1:40.800
11. Scott Redding, UK (Aprilia), 1:40.839
12. Jack Miller, Australia (Ducati), 1:40.842
13. Danilo Petrucci, Italy (Ducati), 1:40.863
14. Johann Zarco, France (Yamaha), 1:40.974
15. Bradley Smith, UK (KTM), 1:41.198
16. Hafizh Syahrin, Malaysia (Yamaha), 1:41.257
17. Jorge Lorenzo, Spain (Ducati), 1:41.334
18. Takaaki Nakagami, Japan (Honda), 1:41.357
19. Karel Abraham, Czech Republic (Ducati), 1:41.784
20. Franco Morbidelli, Italy (Honda), 1:41.832
21. Pol Espargaro, Spain (KTM), 1:41.867
22. Tom Luthi, Switzerland (Honda), 1:41.898
23. Xavier Simeon, Belgium (Ducati), 1:42.242
24. Andrea Dovizioso, Italy (Ducati), 1:42.973
More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3:
Monster Yamaha Tech3 duo kicks off Argentina GP in solid form
Johann Zarco and Hafizh Syahrin performed well on day one at the Termas de Río Hondo Circuit, although some rain before FP2 this afternoon delivered tricky conditions at the partly resurfaced track.
Frenchman Zarco initiated the weekend with a considerable lap of 1’40.614 during the first session of the weekend, which secured him the fourth spot in the standings as the fastest Yamaha rider. However, the 27-year couldn’t lower his lap time this afternoon, but finished in 9th position, well placed to go straight to Q2 in case of rain on Saturday morning.
On the other side of the Monster Yamaha Tech3 garage, Syahrin opened his second MotoGP weekend impressively in 11th, less than half a second behind his teammate. Yet, he managed to stay close to the fastest, finishing Friday as the best rookie of the highly-competitive premier class field.
Johann Zarco
Position: 9th – Time: 1’40.614 – Laps: 37
“This Friday in Argentina was quite difficult and unfortunately, we were not able to improve during FP2, which is complicate. I had to fight a lot with the grip and with the bike and we couldn’t quickly find a good setup to make me feel comfortable. The most important thing was to be inside the top 10 in case of rain tomorrow morning, but if it’s dry, I really need to improve my pace and be more competitive. At the moment I don’t feel I can fight with the fastest guys, but we will work hard to make good progress on Saturday.”
Hafizh Syahrin
Position: 17th – Time: 1’41.094 – Laps: 24
“I felt really good in FP2, but also during the first session this morning. It took quite some time to clean the track, but overall, I just have some great sensations. In the afternoon, the conditions were really tricky. I was pushing a bit too much while trying to get straight into Q2. Finally, this lead into some mistakes, but in the end, I understood what I did wrong. The bike overall feels better and better for me. We’ll take a look at the data in order to improve further for tomorrow and I hope, that I can make one step forward.”
More, from a press release issued by Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS:
Learning day for Morbidelli and Lüthi in Argentina
Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS riders Franco Morbidelli and Tom Lüthi faced a steep learning curve on the opening day of free practice for Sunday’s Grand Prix Argentina.
Both riders spent time adapting to their Honda RC213V machines as they made their first appearances in MotoGP at the low-grip 4.8km Termas de Rio Hondo circuit.
Italian young gun Morbidelli posted a best lap of 1’41.538, just three tenths of a second ahead of his teammate Tom Lüthi as they took a low risk approach in less than ideal conditions.
Morbidelli’s time came in the morning FP1 session, which was conducted, on a dry but dusty track compared with stronger winds and light rain for much of FP2.
Despite the tricky conditions Lüthi was able to improve his time by eight tenths of a second in FP2 as he worked to adapt his riding style for MotoGP.
Franco Morbidelli: 21st – 1’41.538
“The weather was not perfect today although we did get time to work on a set-up for dry conditions. For sure we need to improve, I am not fast enough right now and I’m struggling with rear drive grip on acceleration, which also hurts our top speed on the straight.”
Tom Lüthi: 23rd – 1’41.898
“I was surprised in FP1, the grip level was better than I imagined although I was little lost on my first day here with the Honda RC213V. Then in FP2 it was late in the session before the grip improved when the rain stopped and I had better rhythm as I continued to adapt my style for MotoGP. It is a learning process, I need to improve and my crew can also help with a set-up for the way I ride the bike.”
Diego Gubellini: Franco Morbidelli Crew Chief
“We are working mainly to improve traction as we are missing in this area compared to other riders. However we will have to confirm this set-up tomorrow because of the mixed conditions today. With the new surface the bumps are fewer but it seems the grip is also down so we also worked to understand the tyre choice, it is difficult here because the track conditions change every session.”
More, from a press release issued by Angel Nieto Team:
BAUTISTA IMPROVES FEELING TO MOVE INTO TOP TEN CONTENTION
Ángel Nieto Team rider finishes ninth in second session and eleventh overall, with team-mate Karel Abraham 22nd
The Grand Prix of Argentina kicked off today with two free practice sessions that saw Marc Márquez top the timesheets after being one of only half the field of riders that managed to improve from the morning to the afternoon. The Spaniard holds an advantage of four tenths over Cal Crutchlow in second place and nine tenths over Dani Pedrosa in third. Early series leader Andrea Dovizioso ended the opening day in fifteenth position.
Álvaro Bautista improved his feeling on the Ducati in comparison with Qatar and was in top ten contention on the opening day in Argentina. The Ángel Nieto Team rider was ninth fastest in the afternoon but ended the day in eleventh place on the combined timesheets, missing out on direct qualification for Q2 by just 0.050 seconds. Bautista, who started the day with a 38 degree fever, gradually felt better as the day progressed as he worked hard on the front-end set-up of his Ducati. His team-mate Karel Abraham also made steady improvements to take a second off his time from the morning to the afternoon, the Czech rider now targeting the points positions or even a top ten as an achievable result on Sunday.
11th Álvaro Bautista 1:40.766 (32 laps): “This has been a better start to the weekend than Qatar. We decided not to make any big changes and made gradual improvements throughout the day. We also knew that the track would change a lot from the first session to the second as it picks up more rubber. This morning I had a 38 degree fever and didn’t have any strength, but thanks to the guys at the Clinica Mobile I was able to feel better. We are still lacking some feel from the rear but today the focus was improving the front end of my Ducati.”
22nd Karel Abraham 1:41.784 (34 laps): “This morning we had some big problems, it was very difficult for me. This afternoon felt a little bit better and we made some progress. Unfortunately we are not exactly where we wanted to be because I think P15, maybe even the top ten is achievable here. At the moment we are not there but we are going to work as hard as we can to get there. The new asphalt is super slippery, at the moment at least. Some corners more than others, but it is very slippery. There are no bumps but the grip is a lot lower, in my opinion.”
More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:
Marc Marquez tops the standings on day 1 in Argentina, Pedrosa third
Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa ended the first day of the GP of Argentina in first and third place, respectively, with fellow HRC rider Cal Crutchlow sandwiched between them in second.
As is the case every year, the Autódromo Termas de Río Hondo track proved to be dirty and very slippery in FP1, but Dani made the best of the difficult conditions and set the session’s fastest time after fitting a new set of tyres for his final exit. His 1’40.303” lap was fast enough to put him in third place in the first day’s combined times.
Though a few raindrops and a drop in temperature made track conditions even trickier in FP2, Marc was able to better his FP1 time of 1’40.781” by over a second, with his best lap of 1’39.395” putting him on top for the day.
FP3 will commence tomorrow at 10:55 a.m. local time.
Marc Marquez 93
1ST 1’39.395 (FP2)
“It was a good day for us. When we started this morning, the track was quite slippery and we struggled a bit but it was the same for every rider, and the asphalt steadily became cleaner. In the afternoon, the second session was a bit strange as conditions were kind of mixed, but all in all we were able to do good work on the bike setup, getting a pretty clear idea about those conditions. It was important to start the Argentinian GP well, but now we’ll wait and see what conditions we have going forward, as there’s a good chance things will change a lot in the next two days. It’s possible that we’ll have a very different track on Sunday, which would require a different setup, so we must keep our focus and continue working hard to be ready for the race.”
Dani Pedrosa 26
3RD 1’40.303 (FP1)
“The track is always quite slippery here on the first day, which makes the first practice a bit tougher. The parts that had been resurfaced seem better in terms of the bumps, but the asphalt was too dirty to really understand what the grip was like. This morning we worked on the tyres, trying to make the best of the dry conditions, as the weather forecasts for the weekend aren’t good. We started the day well, but in the afternoon’s mixed conditions we weren’t able to complete all the work we had planned. We’ll see how the weather is tomorrow, and we’ll keep working for Sunday.”
More, from a press release issued by Alma Pramac Racing:
Gran Premio de la República Argentina – Free Practices
#ArgentinaGP FP. Precious Top 10 for Jack. Petrux can’t find the right feeling with the tyres (14°)
The first day of activity at the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit ended with a good result from Jack Miller who finished in 10th position, securing his Q2 qualification in case of rain tomorrow. For Danilo Petrucci, some more difficulties due to the lack of grip, especially at the rear.
Jack started off well in Fp1 and after the first run he is leading the standings. The Australian rider finished the morning session in fifth place with a good time that allowed him to defend the Top 10 even in the Fp2 affected by a slight rain in the middle of the session.
Petrux couldn’t manage in the afternoon to do the step to finish in Top 10. The Italian rider had a lot of trouble finding the right feeling with the tyres as did the two official Ducati riders (Dovizioso 15° and Lorenzo 16°). His positive ideal time (8th with the best time in T2) confirms the problems encountered by Petrux, who was unable to make the most of the power of his Ducati Desmosedici GP 2018.
14th Danilo Petrucci – 1’40.863
“A very very strange day. The track was quite dirty and the conditions did not improve in the afternoon. But the main problem is that the bike can’t do the same things every lap. It seems that we can’t get the tyres to work well, we don’t have grip, and the bike moves a lot when cornering. The soft tyre was practically new after 10 laps”.
10th Jack Miller – 1’40.715
“It wasn’t an easy day even though I managed to stay in the Top 10 and this could be important for tomorrow’s qualifying. With soft rubber I have not found benefits in the afternoon and we will have to understand why. I have struggled especially with in change directions. Tomorrow we will have to improve to be competitive in qualifying”.
More, from a press release issued by Aprilia Gresini Racing:
ON THE FRIST DAY OF PRACTICE AT THE GP OF ARGENTINA, APRILIA TAKES BOTH RIDERS TO JUST OUTSIDE THE TOP TEN
TOMORROW BOTH ESPARGARÓ AND REDDING WILL BATTLE TO GO THROUGH TO Q2
Despite the uncertain weather, with a bit of rain and difficult conditions to interpret, both Aleix Espargaró and Scott Redding improved significantly between the first qualifying session in the morning and the afternoon session, an undertaking that not all the riders in the MotoGP paddock managed as they prepared for the Argentinian race on Sunday. In the end, both just barely missed the top ten. Aleix finished twelfth (in 1’40.800) just 85 thousandths of a second behind the tenth best time and just ahead of Scott, thirteenth with a time of 1’40.839.
For the Aprilia riders, it was a day of hard work, complicated by the track conditions – rather dirty in the morning – and the uncertain weather in FP2. As always in the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini garage, efforts were focused both on the flying lap and on race pace. Aleix, pleased with the progress made in terms of electronics and power distribution, is keen to improve the chassis architecture. Redding also did some comparative resting with the settings used for the first race in Qatar.
ALEIX ESPARGARO’
“We still need to find the right balance to be fast on this track. In the afternoon we improved the feeling quite a bit in terms of the electronics and power management. Now we need to work on the chassis architecture. As far as the gaps, we are not far off, but thinking about the 25 race laps, we clearly need to improve. I need more feeling especially in the transition between braking and acceleration, where I lose grip. Today was a complicated day for us and sure, the asphalt was not in perfect conditions, but we need to know how to adapt to the different conditions.”
SCOTT REDDING
“Today we tried the bike that hadn’t given me the right feeling in the Qatar race and that was confirmed again here. So, we know where to work, because with the other RS-GP I felt rather good with the same, good sensations I had in the tests. Unfortunately, I struggled with a backache today, especially this morning when I almost couldn’t get off the bike. Thanks to the treatments, in FP2 I felt a lot better. I was able to concentrate on riding and overall I am satisfied with the day.”
More, from a press release issued by Reale Avintia Racing:
Rocket start for Tito Rabat on the first day in Argentina
MotoGP GP of Argentina – Termas de Río Hondo
Reale Avintia Racing team rider Tito Rabat had a rocket start on the opening free practice day at the circuit of Termas de Río Hondo. The Spaniard finished the day with the fourth fastest lap time in the combined standings and, most importantly, had very good feelings riding his Ducati GP17 around the Argentinian track. Rabat stayed calm in the morning, when the conditions of the track were dubious due to a layer of dust. In the afternoon, everything was delayed due to a brief rain shower. When the track had dried up again, Rabat ignored the wind gusts that had started to blow across the track and pushed hard to finish the first day as the fastest Ducati rider in fourth place.
The first day at Termas was also positive for his teammate Xavier Simeon. Even though his position in the time sheets doesn’t reflect it, the Belgian MotoGP ‘rookie’ improved his feelings with the Ducati and made another step towards finding a natural riding style. In the morning, he classified ahead of some other MotoGP rookies, but in the afternoon he couldn’t improve his pace due to the rain and the shortened track time.
Tito Rabat | 1’40.346 | P4
“We had a great first day. We found a strong pace and also put in a fast lap time. In the first practice session, the track was a little dirty, but this afternoon, the conditions were almost perfect for me. Every day I feel better with the Ducati and with my team. Now we have to focus on qualifying tomorrow, because I want to improve further and get a good position on the grid for Sunday’s race. We mainly have to work on tyre life and we will also try to go a little faster.”
Xavier Simeon | 1’42.192 | P24
“This morning was very good for me and I was very happy with the feeling I had riding the bike, I tried to take the pressure off a bit, to ride with my instinct and to use all I’ve learned in Qatar, and to be honest, I enjoyed this a lot. This afternoon, the conditions were a bit more difficult, because the tarmac lost grip due to the rain. We waited for the track to dry up, but with less track time, it was harder to improve my pace. In the end, my lap time was the same as in the morning, but the feelings were worse because the track felt greasy after the rain. Overall I think that we made a step forward compared to Qatar and this is the most positive thing for me.”
More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
Blistering Marquez unstoppable in Argentina
Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez started the Gran Premio Motul de la Republica Argentina on top form, finishing the day 0.404 seconds clear of closest rival Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) despite a wobble in pitlane and a few moments for the reigning Champion. But with plenty of late chopping and changing – with all the riders battling it out to get into the top 10 for fear of the weather changing on Saturday – the Spaniard’s reign at the top of the timesheets rarely looked under threat.
Fellow Honda rider Crutchlow was his nearest challenger, however, finishing the day as top Independent Team rider at a track he’s had good results on in the past. Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) was third after topping FP1 in a last lap dash, with Honda in control at Termas de Rio Hondo so far.
Tito Rabat (Reale Avintia Racing) was the first non-Honda rider to make it straight to provisional Q2 entry as he impressed, ending the day just 0.043 behind the number 26 and as top Ducati. Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Andrea Iannone completed the top five with his laptime from FP1, with the Italian showing good pace in Argentina.
Last year’s winner Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) finished Friday in P6, 0.067 ahead of his teammate Valentino Rossi as the rider from Roses made big progress up the timesheets in the afternoon, while Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) propelled himself into eighth right at the end of the day. Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider Johann Zarco held on amongst a late flurry of quick laptimes to end the day in P9, with Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing) taking the final provisional Q2 spot in P10.
It was a difficult day for both factory Ducati Team riders, with Andrea Dovizioso 1.543 seconds back in 15th and Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team) just behind. With Rabat leading the way so far for the Borgo Panigale marque, both will want to move forward on Saturday – and will be hoping the weather stays clear to allow improved laptimes on the hunt for Q2.
Hafizh Syahrin (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) showed more impressive pace to end the day as the fastest rookie, less than a second off Lorenzo’s time on his first visit to the track in the premier class.
The battle to get the final Q2 spots looks to be red hot. Can anyone stop the number 93 from taking pole? Find out tomorrow, with FP3 kicking off at 10:55 (GMT -3).
Pasini spearheads the timesheets at Termas de Rio Hondo
Mattia Pasini’s (Italtrans Racing Team) 1.44.461 in FP1 at the Gran Premio Motul de la Republica Argentina was enough to see him end Day 1 fastest at Termas de Rio Hondo, with Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) finishing second overall. Qatar race winner and Championship leader Francesco Bagnaia (SKY Racing Team VR46) was 0.275 off Pasini’s time in third, with Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Brad Binder fourth overall. The top four all set their fastest laps in FP1, with the weather coming in towards the end of the second session and curtailing a final push for a quick laptime.
With track conditions constantly changing, Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) was one of only five riders to improve on their FP1 times in the afternoon. He finished FP2 quickest, with his time of 1.44.802 enough to place him fifth overall. SAG Team rider Isaac Viñales was 0.455 back in sixth, with Danny Kent (MB Conveyors – Speed Up Racing) seventh. Rounding out the top 10 was Jorge Navarro (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2), Dynavolt Intact GP’s Xavi Vierge and Remy Gardner (Tech 3 Racing) – with Vierge and Gardner in the top three at the end of FP2.
After duelling for the win at Losail, Lorenzo Baldassarri (Pons HP40) was 0.619 back in 13th and he’ll be hoping to climb the timing sheets as the battle for pole position heats up.
The Moto2™ riders and teams will be back on the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit on Saturday, as they head out for FP3 at 09:55 (GMT -3) and qualify from 13:30.
Bastianini blasts out the blocks fastest on Friday
Enea Bastianini (Leopard Racing) topped the timesheets by a considerable 0.408 seconds on Day 1 of the Gran Premio Motul de la Republica Argentina, with teammate Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing) giving the team a great start to the weekend to make it a Leopard 1-2.
Tony Arbolino (Marinelli Snipers Team) was third overall, the Italian impressing as he got back in the groove following a more difficult start to the season in Qatar. Livio Loi (Reale Avintia Academy) – another big improver – was a further 0.041 seconds further back in fourth, while Del Conca Gresini Moto3’s Jorge Martin rounded out the top five on a track where he grabbed a podium last season.
Kaito Toba (Honda Team Asia) was 0.023 back from World Championship leader Martin as the Japanese rider took sixth, with home hero Gabriel Rodrigo (RBA BOE Skull Rider) – who led for most of the session – a solid seventh.
Malaysian Adam Norrodin (Petronas Sprinta Racing) was eighth quickest on Day 1 as he kept his morning pace rolling in the afternoon, ahead of Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse). Honda Team Asia rider Nakarin Atiratphuvapat suffered a crash on the final lap, however he walked away unscathed and ended the day in the top 10.
After an incident in FP1 in which he collided with Marco Bezzecchi (Redox PruestelGP), Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0) took P14, with FP1 leader Bezzecchi further down the timesheets.
The Moto3™ riders will be back out again at 09:00 (GMT -3) on Saturday morning.
More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:
ASSERTIVE START FOR MOVISTAR YAMAHA MOTOGP IN ARGENTINA
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP riders Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi got off to a good start at the Termas de Río Hondo Circuit, securing sixth and seventh place respectively in the combined Free Practice results, ahead of this weekend’s Gran Premio de la República Argentina.
Termas de Río Hondo (Argentina), 6th April 2018
The Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team showed competitive form on the first day of riding at the Termas de Río Hondo Circuit. Maverick Viñales felt good on his bike at the start of the Gran Premio de la República Argentina and ultimately wrapped up the day in sixth place in the combined standings. Valentino Rossi also showed good pace, positioning his YZR-M1 towards the top of the rankings for most of the free practice sessions, and went on to secure seventh position overall.
Chasing a second consecutive win on Argentine soil, Viñales was determined to position himself as a key protagonist early on in the weekend. The self-confessed fan of the Termas de Río Hondo Circuit soon found a good feeling aboard his YZR-M1 in FP1. Though he had to hold back due to traffic on track, the 23-year-old continued to make progress. His best time, a 1’41.224s, earned him 13th place, 0.921s from the front.
The Movistar Yamaha MotoGP youngster intended on working hard in the afternoon to make another step and earn himself a placement within the top-10. Damp track conditions formed a challenge for the Spaniard, but he worked his magic towards the end of the session when the track started to dry. Despite the difficult weather circumstances he improved on his morning time by 0.714s, when he posted a 1‘40.510s, moving up to sixth place, with a 1.115s margin to the leading time.
Rossi’s name was found at the top of the standings early on in the first 45-minute free practice session. Feeling comfortable on his bike in the cooler conditions, he gradually improved his pace and finished FP1 taking seventh place with a best lap of 1’40.825s, 0.522s to first.
The afternoon saw more of the same from the Doctor. He dropped a 1’43.034s for provisional first place in the first few laps. He then worked on the tyres, electronics and balance of the bike to prepare a race set-up, until spots of rain interrupted the FP2 proceedings. He held seventh place when track action picked up again in the second half of the session. He further improved his time to 1’40.577s, but remained in seventh position as the chequered flag came out, 1.182s from the top.
Today’s FP1 and FP2 results see Viñales and Rossi take 6th and 7th place respectively in the combined timesheets. Tomorrow they will be back on track from 10:55 – 11:40 local track time (GMT-3) for Free Practice 3, followed by Free Practice 4 from 14:30 – 15:00 and the qualifying sessions from 15:10 – 15:50.
MASSIMO MEREGALLI
TEAM DIRECTOR
The first free practice sessions are always tricky here, because the surface requires the riders to put some rubber on the track first in FP1. During FP2 we lost a bit of time due to spots of rain, but luckily it held off, so we were still able to get work done in preparation for tomorrow’s qualifying and Sunday’s race. Maverick was feeling comfortable in the morning. Though he didn‘t have the same feeling in the afternoon, he was still able to move up to sixth place in the combined rankings during FP2. Vale has been consistently fast throughout the day and is quite pleased with the bike. Even though we started the weekend in the right way, we still have some work to do, especially concerning braking and corner entry, to close the gap. We expect the track conditions to improve during the weekend, but the weather for tomorrow remains uncertain, which makes a top-10 result for both riders in the combined FP1-FP2 standings all the more important.
MAVERICK VIÑALES
My feelings today have been mixed. I felt quite confident on the bike this morning, but honestly, I didn‘t feel the same way in the afternoon. I was happy that, in the end, I provisionally qualified for Q2 in FP2, because it was difficult. Tomorrow, if it rains, it would have been tricky to get inside the top-10. We have to work in order to close the gap to our opponents, so we have to stay focused.
VALENTINO ROSSI
The main target was to stay inside the top-10, because the weather is very difficult to predict – this is very important. I’m quite happy about my pace with the harder tyres, because I feel comfortable with the bike. I put the soft on in the end but, unfortunately, I wasn’t able to improve like I expected. With the softer tyre I didn’t feel very good. We have to manage this problem, especially tomorrow for the qualifying. We also have to wait for the weather, because it’s difficult to understand what will happen and I hope it will be dry.
More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda Castrol:
SUPERB FIRST DAY IN ARGENTINA FOR CRUTCHLOW
Cal Crutchlow continued his excellent start to the MotoGP season, by ending day one of the Grand Prix of Argentina in second place on the timesheets, and primed for an assault on the top spots on the grid on Saturday.
The British rider, who has scored podiums twice at the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit for the LCR Honda CASTROL team, was second fastest in the morning session behind factory Honda colleague Dani Pedrosa. He then went even quicker in a rain-affected second practice, to sit in second place overall and a half-second clear of the rest of the field.
Crutchlow was only bettered by another fellow HRC man, reigning world champion Marc Marquez, and the only rider apart from the Spaniard to dip below the 1’40 barrier with a 1’39.799.
Cal Crutchlow – 2nd
(1’39.799 – lap 12 of 14)
“I’m really positive about the first day here, I think we worked in a very good way. We have to continue this good work again tomorrow because it was particularly tricky with the weather in the afternoon session, but overall I’m delighted with how the whole LCR Honda CASTROL Team are working.”
“At the moment we have continued our good run of form from Qatar, and we need to keep focused and enjoy the day tomorrow, whatever the weather. We then will try to get a good position on the grid for Sunday’s race.”
More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda Idemitsu:
NAKAGAMI POSITIVE AFTER DAY ONE IN ARGENTINA
LCR Honda IDEMITSU rider Takaaki Nakagami was happy with day one at the Grand Prix of Argentina in Termas de Rio Hondo, as he got to grips with the track for the first time on a MotoGP machine.
The Japanese rookie finished 18th in the first session at the north-western venue, but despite being one of the riders to improve his time in the rain-affected second free practice, was a combined 20th overall. Nonetheless, having not put in a fresh tyre as many of his rivals did, Taka is confident of making progress up the timesheets on day two as the field head into qualifying for Sunday’s race.
Takaaki Nakagami– 20th
(1’41.357 – lap 16 of 17)
“It’s quite a positive day for us, despite the fact that the overall position doesn’t look so good. I actually expected a little bit more because during the session I was close to the top ten. However, we didn’t use the new tyre at the end of the session today as we wanted to get the race distance feeling, and many people improved their lap-times then.”
“I am quite happy with how the first day has gone. We need to work a lot still, but I think it was positive because we can keep pushing and keep improving on day two.”
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki ECSTAR:
TOP 10 FOR BOTH IANNONE AND RINS IN ARGENTINA DAY 1
Andrea Iannone: 5th – 1:40.386 (+ 0.991)
Alex Rins: 8th – 1:40.592 (+ 0.1.197)
The first day at Argentina’s Termas de Rio Hondo circuit was one of adjusting to the resurfaced track sections and finding feeling in mixed conditions, with high winds and rain drops making for a challenging FP2 session.
In FP1 Andrea Iannone was able to find good pace early on, setting three laps within the 1:40 bracket. He held onto the fastest time for much of the latter part of the session with a 1:40.386, and was 3rd when the chequered flag went out. The Italian was fastest through 3 out of the 4 sectors and he was happy with the feeling of the bike. In the afternoon’s FP2 session he continued to make good progress, setting a 1:40.455 despite damper track conditions.
Alex Rins struggled with front end feeling during FP1, with the track offering low grip due to its low usage and resurfaced sectors. He ended the session with a best lap of 1:41.802. However, in FP2 he found more feeling and better pace, setting a 1:40.592 and taking 8th place. This was an important step which could see him enter directly into Q2 if the weather is bad tomorrow morning.
Davide Brivio – Team Manager
“I think we had a good start today, Andrea was fast this morning and he confirmed this in the afternoon with more good pace. With Alex we were able to recover in FP2 despite difficult damp conditions at the beginning, and he was able to improve very much compared to the morning laptime. So at the moment, provisionally, we have both riders in Q2 and in the Top 10. And this is very important in case of rain tomorrow, which is possible. We need to work, but it’s been a positive day, so let’s try to continue like this.”
Andrea Iannone
“It was a solid session this morning, but in any case we need to find some more performance because we want to improve a lot. I think in this track I will struggle less, and the feeling with the bike is not bad. But this afternoon with the wind it was very difficult, the wind makes the bike unstable because it catches the wheels, so FP2 was more difficult than FP1. But we got a lot of information today in various conditions and we have a really clear idea for our adjustments. I didn’t feel a lot of difference with the new asphalt, only that it was less bumpy. Anyway, the grip will improve tomorrow and I hope we will too.”
Alex Rins
“In FP1 we had some problems, we tried many things but it didn’t work out. But in FP2 I was feeling much more comfortable with the bike and I was able to be faster, which means I’m currently in Q2. We need to see if it’s raining or not in FP3, but the important thing is the base settings, and now we need to work on race pace. In the morning I had some problems in the braking zones on the new asphalt as the track was dirty. I tried some different tyre compounds today, and I feel quite comfortable with the medium front and rear.”
More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:
Andrea Dovizioso fifteenth, Jorge Lorenzo sixteenth after first day of free practice for Argentina GP at Termas de Rio Hondo
The first day of free practice action at the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit in Argentina proved to be a difficult one for the two Ducati Team riders. Following today’s two sessions, the provisional timesheets currently see Andrea Dovizioso down in fifteenth place, with his Spanish team-mate Jorge Lorenzo one place behind in sixteenth.
In the morning’s first free practice session, Dovizioso was eighth quickest and Lorenzo ninth, but in the afternoon neither of the two Ducati riders were able to improve on their time and for the moment they are both lying outside the top 10.
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04): 15th (1:40.938)
“Our position in today’s FP2 session doesn’t respect the real situation, so I don’t think there is that much to worry about. In the afternoon we came across some rather strange track conditions and I didn’t have a good feeling with the bike, so I didn’t do many laps and finished the session quite far behind. However we’ve got some ideas about what happened, and we’re not in such a bad a position as might seem. Today, as I said, my feeling with the bike wasn’t the best and when the situation is like that it makes no sense to take risks in order to set mediocre times. Let’s hope we have at least one dry session tomorrow to be able to put together all the little details that can change our situation.”
Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team #99): 16th (1:41.019)
“It was quite a strange day because the conditions changed a lot between the morning and the afternoon. In the first session we were able to try several different things but in the second session I was not entirely at ease on the bike, above all because of the wind and the track conditions. I tried everything, but in the curve before the main straight I was losing at least half a second, I wasn’t able to keep the front wheel down on the track and, with the wind, these problems were made bigger. Tomorrow we’ll have to find some set-up solutions that help us combat these negative aspects, to improve my lap time and try and get directly into Q2.”