Scary moment for Scott in FP4 at Termas de Rio Hondo. Pirro confident for the race
Octo Pramac Yakhnich Saturday at Termas de Rio Hondo circuit in Argentina he will be sadly remembered for the scary unexpected which involved Scott Redding.
In the second run of FP4 the British rider had to deal with a sudden problem with the rear tyre. Tv footage showed that the tread came away from the tyre, first destroying the rear of the Desmosedici GP and then hitting Scott’s back causing him visible bruising and abrasions.
The British rider managed to keep his nerve and was able to ride the bike off the track limiting the damage.
Michelin are making the required investigations in order to understand the causes of the problem.
This incident has obviously affected the Redding’s confidence as in Q1 he failed to make that small step that would allow him gain access to Q2. Scott finished 14th with a lap-time of 1’40.750 just 35 thousandths of a second behind the qualifying for the last Saturday’s round.
A round of applause goes to Michele Pirro who was able to complete a full day of intense activities having to deal with fatigue from the travel which saw him only arriving yesterday afternoon in Termas de Rio Hondo. Having finished on Thursday Ducati tests in Valencia, in fact, Pirro took off for Argentina and this morning was up on his Ducati Desmosedici GP to take part in FP3. Pirro was ranked 18th (1’41.116) by showing interesting things as evidenced by his ideal time of nearly half a second lower, and in the light of the first two free practice sessions that the Ducati test rider was forced to miss on Friday.
14th – Scott Redding
1’40.750
“It was not a good day for me since the beginning. The FP3 haven’t gone well. And when I began to glimpse the right path in FP4 it has come the problem. It was really scary. I felt chattering with the rear tyre then something hit me. I saw pieces of the bike fly anywhere. I thought the tire had exploded and I was getting ready for a nasty crash. But a few moments later I felt that the tyre working again as there was still air in. I managed to run off the track without falling and I feel lucky to be standing here to tell it. I went in Q1 determined but it is clear that my confidence, especially in that turn, wasn’t at the maximum. To be honest I feel good for tomorrow. This morning we struggled a lot but in the afternoon I was close the Q2 laptimes. Tomorrow will be a long race, if I can find consistency then everything will happen.
18th – Michele Pirro
1’41.116
First of all I want to thank the team who gave me a very competitive bike. And I’m sorry because I could have done a bit better. I expected a little more, but I could not make a complete good lap, as the ideal time shows. I am sorry because I would have been able to gain some position. I’m missing something, it is normal. But I hope to do a good race. I miss a little feeling because in Valencia I run with a different bike. We will try to check the data and make an improvement for tomorrow because I’m convinced he can do a good race.
More, from a statement issued by Dorna:
Statement regarding the Argentina GP following teams’ meeting
The cause of Redding’s FP4 tyre failure is still under investigation
Both rear tyres to be withdrawn and replaced by an extra “special” rear
An extra 30 minute Warm-Up will take place at 09:00 Local time for MotoGP™
Following the incident in Saturday’s FP4 at the Gran Premio Motul de la Republica Argentina at Termas de Rio Hondo involving Octo Pramac Yakhnich’s Scott Redding, during which the rear tyre suffered a failure on track, specific actions will be taken for Sunday’s race.
Redding’s tyre – a medium compound with seven laps on it – is still being examined by Michelin’s technicians to determine the cause of the fault. Until this can be determined, Michelin has decided to withdraw both rear tyres on safety grounds, and introduce the extra “special” rear compound brought for such an occasion. Each rider will have four of these rear tyres for Sunday.
The reason both current tyres must be withdrawn is because they are both of the same construction, meaning that there is a possibility of a similar failure on the harder tyre. Michelin’s new rear tyre to be introduced from Sunday is of a harder construction, and will cope better with the hard strains and temperatures put through it – albeit at the expense of lap times.
To help teams and riders adapt to this complicated situation, Race Direction has decided to add an additional 30-minute Warm Up session for MotoGP™ to the morning schedule at 9am. After this, the schedule will continue as previously planned. For this additional track time, all riders will have one additional front tyre added to their allocation.