HJC Helmets Grand Prix Ceske Republiky

FIM MotoGP World Championship

Automotodrom Brno, Czech Republic

August 20, 2016

Qualifying Results (all on Michelin tires):

From Qualifying Session Two:

1. Marc MARQUEZ, Spain (HONDA), 1:54.596

2. Jorge LORENZO, Spain (YAMAHA), 1:54.849

3. Andrea IANNONE, Italy (DUCATI), 1:55.227

4. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (SUZUKI), 1:55.324

5. Hector BARBERA, Spain (DUCATI), 1:55.437

6. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (YAMAHA), 1:55.509

7. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (DUCATI), 1:55.748

8. Maverick VIÑALES, Spain (SUZUKI), 1:55.787

9. Dani PEDROSA, Spain (HONDA), 1:55.841

10. Cal CRUTCHLOW, UK (HONDA), 1:55.930

11. Bradley SMITH, UK (YAMAHA), 1:56.115

12. Pol ESPARGARO, Spain (YAMAHA), 1:56.522

From Qualifying Session One:

13. Danilo PETRUCCI, Italy (DUCATI), 1:56.148

14. Scott REDDING, UK (DUCATI), 1:56.263

15. Eugene LAVERTY, Ireland (DUCATI), 1:56.535

16. Stefan BRADL, Germany (APRILIA), 1:56.718

17. Loris BAZ, France (DUCATI), 1:56.797

18. Yonny HERNANDEZ, Colombia (DUCATI), 1:56.805

19. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (APRILIA), 1:57.062

20. Tito RABAT, Spain (HONDA), 1:57.606

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

MotoGP rookie Rabat searching for answers at Brno

Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider Tito Rabat will start 20th on the grid for Sunday’s 11th round of the MotoGP World Championship.

The 27-year-old Spanish rider posted a best lap of 1’57.606, his fastest so far over two days of practice and qualifying.

But the fast, undulating and technical 5.4 km Brno layout, one of the classic circuits on the MotoGP calendar, proved to be a difficult test for Rabat in his rookie season aboard the Honda RC213V.

On a sunny and warm day Rabat could not repeat the positive steps he made at last weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix and struggled to build his confidence for a faster time.

Despite a maximum effort from both the rider and his team Rabat could not unlock the secrets to fast and comfortable lap times to capitalise on his strong showing in Austria.

Rabat will be the sole representative for Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS in the 28 lap Czech Republic Grand Prix, with his teammate Jack Miller sidelined with back and wrist injuries.

Tito Rabat: 20th – 1’57.606

“There are not many positive things to say other than it is my first time here on a MotoGP bike and it is a difficult track on which to get the maximum from the Honda RC213V. I am very disappointed with how the weekend has gone so far, I didn’t expect this and I’m not sure why it’s happening like this. I have taken a lot of advice from many people to improve and now I need to find my own way to be faster. I’m getting a lot of support from the team which is great and now I want to focus on the race and try to score some points, tomorrow is another day. This track is very difficult and I don’t understand many things and even though I tried 200% I could not be faster.”

Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal

“Even though we are making small steps our rivals are making bigger steps and moving ahead so this qualifying position is not where we should be. Given Tito’s strong qualifying performance in Austria this is disappointing both for him and the team but we are working with him for the race to put him in a position to fight for some points. And it has not been easy with Tito being our only rider this weekend with Jack Miller out injured because we are missing lot of data and information from Jack that would normally help the whole team. But everyone is behind Tito and looking for answers, including the guys from Jack’s side of the garage.”

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

 Smith and Espargaro to bolt from fourth row in round 11 Brno challenge

Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team rider Bradley Smith will kick off the Czech Republic Grand Prix from 11th on the grid after pushing relentlessly today at the undulating Masaryk circuit. The young Briton started by determinedly battling in FP3 but he just missed out on the cut-off point, which meant that he had to compete in QP1. Here, however, he launched into attack mode immediately and completed the shootout only 0.064 behind the leading time, which confirmed his appearance in Qualifying two. Once this session began, Smith continued where he left off and immediately got on the pace. The British star eventually sped to his personal best on his final lap which left him only 0.606 from Valentino Rossi. Tomorrow, he will aim to leap forward and join the battle for the top independent position.

Meanwhile, Pol Espargaro will start the 22 lap fight from behind his teammate. The 25-year-old commenced the day by finishing the free practice three session in 8th after pulling off his best time on the penultimate lap, which was a huge improvement of 1.192 from yesterday. Once in QP2, he set off at speed in pursuit of seizing a top tier grid position. He built up his pace and eventually shot across the finish line after giving his all, and clinched a grid position on the fourth row, right behind his teammate. The leading independent rider in the 2016 championship will intend to close the weekend with a notable top eight finish.

Bradley Smith

Position: 11th Time: 1’56.115 Laps: 7

“To be perfectly honest, 11th on the grid is not an ideal starting point, but it has been a few races since I’ve been able to compete in Q2 so therefore I can’t be too unhappy. However, I believe we have some more work to do because I feel that we’re missing something and we’ve not improved as much as we would have liked. It seems as though everyone has progressed from yesterday to today, but we only made half a step. The Tech3 guys and I need to find some additional pace for the race tomorrow, and even though I am where I am, I want more from the team and myself. Nevertheless, I am certain that we will be able to fight well inside the top ten, and we will use the time until the GP to refine our setup for the 22 lap sprint. The weather is unpredictable at the moment, so we won’t be completely sure of what it will do until it gets to race time, however, we will do some analysis tonight and be ready nevertheless.”

Pol Espargaro

Position: 12th Time: 1’56.522 Laps: 7

“In FP3 this morning, I felt much better on my bike in comparison to yesterday which meant that I was able to improve the lap time straight away and I finished the session in 8th. Then, later on in Free Practice 4, I was riding comfortably but I made a slight mistake in corner 6 and I touched the painted white line on the inside of the corner and I lost the front. Unfortunately, when I went out with the second bike, I didn’t have the same confidence and this is the reason for our qualifying result. I wasn’t comfortable and I didn’t feel as natural on the bike as I should have, plus I struggled to ride a similar pace to this morning. Nevertheless, I am convinced that with a bit more track time we will be back up to speed, just like we have shown this morning. In addition, the weather forecast for tomorrow is rain, so we have to wait until and see. Clearly, I didn’t give myself an easy task starting from the back of the fourth row, but as soon as the lights turn green, I will push as hard as I can to fight for the leading independent rider position.”

More, from a press release issued by Aprilia:

FIFTH ROW AND A GOOD PACE FOR STEFAN BRADL AT BRNO

ALVARO BAUTISTA ON THE SEVENTH ROW

At the end of the qualifying on the Brno Circuit, the Aprilia RS-GP machines ridden by Stefan Bradl and Alvaro Bautista took the fifth and seventh row on the starting grid, finishing respectively in fifteenth and nineteenth place.

In the two sessions that preceded Q1, Alvaro and Stefan continued the usual work on finding the best setup for the race tomorrow. Both riders demonstrated good progress, especially on used tyres.

The decisive qualifying session had the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini riders on the track for a first attempt before launching an assault on the best spot on the grid with new tyres. Stefan put in his fast lap at 1’56.718, an improvement of 3 tenths compared with his performance in FP3, earning the third spot on the fifth row. Alvaro, on the other hand, had to interrupt his qualifying due to a technical problem, and was therefore forced to settle for the 19th position on the grid.

In any case, both Bradl and Bautista praised the work done during the two days of practice and they will be able to count on good race pace as they look forward to the race tomorrow with confidence. The weather is the unknown factor that could disrupt the team’s plans, given the less than encouraging forecast.

ALVARO BAUTISTA

“Today in FP3 we improved our pace with used tyres, whereas in FP4 we tried a setting that did not give us a good feeling on the front with the hard tyre. We backtracked to find the good feeling again. I started the qualifiers confidently because I knew that we would be using the soft tyre and I was aiming for a good position. I took the first lap in 1’57 quite easily and then I went in to put on the new tyres in order to really have a go, but at a certain point the bike slowed down and I had to interrupt my qualifying session. Starting from behind is never easy, but we will give it our best anyway in the race”.

STEFAN BRADL

“The FP3 session was difficult. We did a lot of work on the settings but without finding any benefits. In the second session, on the other hand, we took a step forward, improving our race pace. The situation is similar to yesterday, our pace is decidedly better than our flying lap would lead to believe. We still did not express our best potential in qualifying, but overall I am satisfied. We still have a few details to work on, especially coming out of corners where we need to find more grip. Hopefully the track will be dry tomorrow”.

More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

Front row start in Czech GP for Iannone, third in qualifying at Brno. Dovizioso to start from row 3 with seventh quickest time

Andrea Iannone will start tomorrow’s eleventh round of the MotoGP World Championship, the Czech Republic Grand Prix at the Brno circuit in Moravia, from the front row of the grid.

The 27-year-old Italian of the Ducati Team was third quickest in today’s qualifying session behind Marquez and Lorenzo. His team-mate, Andrea Dovizioso, was seventh quickest in the 15-minute Q1 session.

In the morning’s FP3 Iannone was second classified in the timesheets and Dovizioso seventh, results that put both Italian factory riders through into Q2.

After FP4 in the afternoon, which ended with Iannone in second place and Dovizioso sixth, the two Ducati Team riders went out on track again for the second qualifying session, valid for the first four rows of the grid.

Andrea Iannone finished Q2 third with a time of 1’55.227 set on his final lap, while Andrea Dovizioso (1’55.748) was classified seventh.

Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team #29) – 1’55.227 (3rd)

“It was a very difficult qualifying session because we knew that we would struggle to put in a good performance over one lap, but in the end we managed to get something better than expected. Here at Brno we are able to be more effective over race pace that over one lap. In any case we have worked really well during the weekend, because we’ve always been first or second in every session, and I am really satisfied. For sure the race will be tougher than in Austria, but I believe that tomorrow we’ll be up in the group that will be fighting for the podium.”

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 1’55.748 (7th)

“I am quite satisfied because in FP4 we managed to improve the bike again, and my feeling improved as well. We got closer to the guys up front but not as much as we would have liked. Unfortunately in qualifying I had a problem, because on my out lap the new front tyre was vibrating, and so I immediately had to come back in and replace it. At that point I had to fit the same tyre I had already used in FP4, which didn’t have the same level of performance as the new one. On my second run I then found myself in a group in which no one wanted to give it a go, and so I went ahead on my own because at that moment I hadn’t set a time. Maybe I could have been quicker by two or three tenths and I could have got onto the second row. Pity, but the important thing today was to improve and in my opinion we did a good job: let’s hope it will be enough to be in a position to fight for the podium tomorrow.”

More, from a press release issued by Aspar Team:

Pull&Bear Aspar Team to start from fourteenth and eighteenth at Brno

Eugene Laverty and Yonny Hernández target points and Top 10 finish at Czech GP after qualifying session on Saturday

The MotoGP race was given a sneak preview on Saturday in the fight for pole position. An overtaking move by Marc Márquez on Valentino Rossi and Pol Espargaró enabled the Spaniard to take pole for the Czech GP, relegating Rossi to sixth place in the process. Márquez’ 1:54.596 lap was the best to date at Brno, putting him ahead of Jorge Lorenzo in second place and taking him to 63 poles in his Grand Prix career. Andrea Iannone completes the front row after pipping Aleix Espargaró to the spot in the final moments of the session.

Tomorrow’s Czech GP will be a challenge for the Pull&Bear Aspar Team riders. Eugene Laverty will take off from the fifth row of the grid and attempt to challenge for the Top 10, just one week on from nearly doing so in Austria before being taken out by Danilo Petrucci. Laverty will be one place ahead of the Italian on the grid due to the three-place sanction imposed on Petrucci, moving up a position. The Northern Irishman is feeling confident for Sunday after some chassis changes made in between his first and second stints in qualifying, which permitted him to cut half a second off his times. Teammate Yonny Hernández is also experiencing a difficult weekend, due to a lack of race pace. The Colombian and his crew made several adjustments to his bike that allowed him to improve his feeling, but it was not enough to take him through to Q2. The aim for Hernández will be to score points at Brno.

14th Eugene Laverty 1.56.535: “It has been a good day. We set a good lap time in Q1 and managed to find our way with a change between the first and second tyre. We modified the chassis geometry and managed to lower our time by half a second. I think we are going in the right direction and we have to continue like this tomorrow. It is not a bad position that we are in, but we will have to see if it rains or if it remains sunny. We will try to go up into the fight for the Top 10, which must always be our goal.”

18th Yonny Hernández 1.56.805: “We changed a few things with the bike compared to yesterday and we noticed an improvement, but it’s still not enough. It’s been a tough weekend so far, because we haven’t found the pace or feeling to be further up the order. I need a little more grip coming out of corners, because I lose out under acceleration and my wheels sliding. I hope we can find a good pace for the race and fight to get into the points.”

More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:

LORENZO AND ROSSI BLAZE TO FIRST AND SECOND ROW IN BRNO

An extraordinary qualifying session at the Automotodrom Brno today left Jorge Lorenzo in second and Valentino Rossi in sixth place for tomorrow’s Grand Prix Ceské Republiky.

Brno (Czech Republic), 20th August 2016

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP‘s Jorge Lorenzo showed sensational speed at Automotodrom Brno today and secured second place on the grid for the Grand Prix Ceské Republiky. Teammate Valentino Rossi also put maximum effort into this afternoon‘s qualifying session and will start tomorrow‘s race from sixth place.

Lorenzo underlined how comfortable he is feeling with his YZR-M1 in FP3 and FP4, topping both time sheets, and entered the Q2 session feeling confident that he would be able to put in a hot lap.

The reigning World Champion was the last rider out of the pits in the 15-minute qualifying session to ensure a free track for his first stint. His initial flying lap of 1‘54.959s, 0.667s quicker than the rest of the field, took him to provisional pole.

With more than seven minutes to go he came into the pits. Just a minute later Lorenzo was back on the track and had three laps to show his pace. Still three-tenths ahead of his closest competitor, the Mallorcan rode against his own time and found another tenth, setting a 1‘54.849s to further extend his lead. However, he was unable to improve on his last laps and ultimately secured second place, 0.253s from pole, when his rivals made a late charge just before the flag went out.

Rossi took his time to leave pit lane as qualifying got underway, allowing the majority of the pack to depart before heading out. He put in a 1‘56.093s to slot into fourth place before being pushed back to seventh place when the pace quickened. His second flying lap shaved a little off of his previous best time, delivering a 1‘55.509s to hold provisional fourth on the second row.

The Doctor returned to the pits to switch from a hard front tyre to a soft option and with six minutes on the clock hit the track again to put the pressure on. However, the nine-time World Champion soon got stuck in traffic and was unable to better his time. He finished in sixth place, 0.913s from first.

MASSIMO MEREGALLI

TEAM DIRECTOR

It was a very strong qualifying session from Jorge, he‘s had an impressive pace all day and set some really great lap times during Q2. It‘s unfortunate that Valentino got stuck in traffic at the end of the session while he was on a hot lap, because he could have been a contender for the front row. However, both riders are satisfied with their bikes. They have a good pace, even with the front hard tyre spec, so we are optimistic for tomorrow‘s race. It‘s a shame that the weather forecast for tomorrow isn‘t looking good, I really hope it won‘t influence the outcome of the race. Let‘s hope for either a fully wet or a fully dry race.

JORGE LORENZO

I probably pushed a bit too much, too hard and was late on braking so I had not enough corner speed to be fast on the second tyre. I think the second tyre performed a bit less than the first one, so ultimately I couldn‘t be faster. We are happy with second place, especially because we have a good pace and a good set-up to keep up in the race.

VALENTINO ROSSI

It‘s a shame for me because I have a better potential and could‘ve arrived on the front row because my ideal time would have been the third one. I pushed a lot on the second tyre, because I knew I could improve by half a second, but unfortunately I got stuck in traffic and we arrived there with everybody waiting, it becomes like a big casino, you have to risk a lot, it‘s a disaster. At the end I hadn‘t done a clear lap, but anyway the second row is not so bad, because if you are on the third it‘s more difficult. The second is for sure worst than the first, but anyway you are in the top group, so we need to wait for tomorrow and understand the conditions, if it will be wet or dry and also the temperature, if it‘s colder it will become more difficult for the front tyre.

More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing:

Octo Pramac Yakhnich qualifying at Brno ends in Q1: Petrux 13th, Scott 14th

For the first time in the 2016 MotoGp season, Octo Pramac Yakhnich Team doesn’t manage to place Petrux and Scott in the qualifying for the pole position. At the same time both riders have given the feeling of having made a step forward compared to the difficulties encountered in Friday’s free practices.

Danilo Petrucci couldn’t beat Dani Pedrosa and Bradley Smith’s competition by finishing 13th in Q1. The Fiamme Oro rider will start from the sixth row tomorrow (16th position) due to the penalty after last week end clash with Eugene Laverty in Austria.

Scott Redding seemed likely to be able to center direct qualification to Q2 but on last corner of his last FP3 lap, a technical problem forced him to pass the finishing line maybe losing that one tenth of a second that would be enough to win the Q2. In Q1, however, the British rider was not incisive, finishing in 14th place (13th in tomorrow’s grid by virtue of Petrux penalty).

14th (13th on grid)

Scott Redding 1’56.263

It has been a difficult weekend so far. It was for all the satellite Ducati except for Hector Barberà. My feeling, however, is growing and this is good. Unfortunately in Q1 some small details did not allow me to be competitive. The weather? I do not want to think about what will be the conditions tomorrow. The goal is to be First Independent or Top 8.

13th (16th on grid)

Danilo Petrucci 1’56.148

Perhaps it may sound strange but I can say to be quite happy with this day of activity. We are still quite far but we found positive indications mainly on race pace. Tomorrow race will be difficult because of grid position, maybe I’ll struggle to see the light. But definitely I have to do a great job: I’m confident to do so.

More, from a press release issued by Avintia Racing:

Barbera and Avintia Racing fifth fastest and best Independent Team

The Czech Grand Prix weekend has been perfect so far for Avintia Racing rider Hector Barbera. Yesterday he was fourth in both free practice sessions and after securing a place in Q2, he was third in the final few minutes of the qualifying session. He eventually dropped two places and will start from the second row of the grid tomorrow, but thanks to this fifth place he was the best Independent Team rider today. The Spaniard knows that it is almost impossible to repeat this result in the race, but the rain forecast gives him some reason to dream of a better result. Wet or dry, Hector and the team are ready for any condition, and as usual, they will give the maximum.

After the big step made yesterday with his Ducati Desmosedici GP14.2, Loris Baz crashed during this morning’s free practice session. But despite of the pain and some trouble in his neck, he fought hard during Q1 to get the best possible grid position. In his first attempt with the soft tyre, he did a decent lap, but then, when he tried to push harder, he got stuck in traffic and he’ll start the race tomorrow from 17th place in the sixth row.

Hector Barbera | 1’55.437 | P5

“I think that we have to be happy with our weekend so far. Yesterday we were fourth in both free practices and today we are fifth. We are working in the right way, showing a positive progression in the last three races. It’s always good to dream of top results, but we can’t forget that MotoGP is not an easy championship. We are fighting against many world champions, and without an equal package. One lap is not the same as a 22-lap race distance, so my position in the race should be anywhere between fifth and ninth, because this is the group where I think we have the best chance to battle. Should the rain finally arrive for the race, it would change everything and I’m quite sure that this would give me a better chance to fight with the top group of riders. The team is working really well and we are getting the maximum out of our material. We are ready for tomorrow whatever the conditions will be. My team is giving the 200% and without them, all of this wouldn’t be possible”.

Loris Baz | 1’56.797 | P17

“Our day started to get difficult early on because I had a crash in the third free practice session. I wasn’t very fast when I hit the air fence, but I still didn’t feel very well afterwards. I have some pain in the neck, the hip and the foot, but riding wasn’t too much of a problem. In FP4, we worked on our race set-up and we did almost 21 laps on the same tyres, which is really good. We could have done better in Q1, but at the beginning of my fastest lap the tyre was still a bit cold. Later on, nobody wanted to be in front. I waited for a long time, the tyres got cold again and I couldn’t push any more. It would have been better to push regardless and wait later. But the most important thing is our race rhythm and the fact that I re-gained my confidence. In the race tomorrow, we can be within the top 12. Rain is forecasted and even though I would prefer a dry race to see where we are at, the bike works well in the wet. If it rains, I want it to be really wet, because I ride well in wet conditions!”

More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:

Marquez sets record pole in Brno with stunning overtake; Pedrosa ninth

Marc Marquez turned in yet another masterpiece today in Brno, earning a record pole position despite having to overtake Valentino Rossi during his flying lap.

After a successful setting change during the FP4, Marc was able to record the second-fastest lap time on his first flying lap in qualifying. When he went out for his second and final attempt, he was even faster in the second and third sectors as he quickly chased down Pol Espargaro and Rossi and finally moved between the two through the final corner to set the fastest lap ever at the Czech track. With his 63rd pole position, Marc today equals Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo in career poles.

Dani Pedrosa recorded the fastest time in QP1, and although the time he set later in Q2 was a bit slower, he confirmed the improvements made compared to this morning’s session, qualifying on the third row with the ninth-best lap time, just over three tenths from a second-row spot.

Marc Marquez

POLE POSITION

“I honestly didn’t expect to get this pole position. I saw myself fighting for second place or to be on the front row, which was our main objective. Jorge [Lorenzo] had a great lap this morning that I believed would be difficult to match, but I was able to find a good reference that helped me during the qualifying session. Pol [Espargaró] and Valentino [Rossi] were in front, and I was able to take advantage of their slipstream and overtake them in the final corner without losing time. In the end we did a very good time and I’m especially happy with how FP4 went, as we took a step forward in terms of our pace. We’ve completely changed the setup and things have gone much better. If the race is dry tomorrow it gives me hope, because I was finding things tough. If it rains then it will be more difficult, but I’m happy because we’re competitive.”

Dani Pedrosa

9TH

“We tried several things with the bike’s setup between yesterday and today, but this morning we didn’t manage to perform as well as we were hoping for and I had to pass through Q1. That went well but unfortunately we weren’t able to improve in Q2. We now have to understand which direction will be better to follow for tomorrow, depending also on what weather we’ll have. We’ll do our best to get the maximum in the race.”

More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office:

ESPARGARÓ & SUZUKI ECSTAR ON BRNO 2ND ROW

Aleix Espargaró put together one of his strongest qualifying performances of the MotoGP™ season in today’s final Q2 at the Brno circuit in the Czech Republic, classifying fourth and being pushed-off a front-row starting position in the closing seconds.

Both Espargaró – still in some pain from the fractured hand incurred last weekend in Austria – and team-mate Maverick Viñales, were always in the top positions at the HJC Helmets Grand Prix Ceské republiky 11th round with both automatically making selection to Q2 from this morning’s FP3 session where Viñales finished fourth with a lap of 1’55.604 and Espargaró sixth on 1’55.793.

After both riders used FP4 to test various settings on their Team SUZUKI ECSTAR GSX-RRs, the final 15-minute Q2 session, to determine the front four-rows-of-the-grid tomorrow, saw Viñales the top Suzuki with seven minutes to go (in sixth), before Espargaro jumped into third position with less than 60 seconds to go with a time of 1’55.324. But he lost his front-row slot with a matter of seconds to go by just 0.097s.

Unfortunately, a technical issue prevented Viñales exploiting his second run with new tyres, therefore being unable to improve his lap-time. The front-end of his machine didn’t provide him the full braking power and therefore his performance couldn’t be at his best.

Davide Brivio – Team Manager

“Aleix has been very good in qualifying, he managed to classify in fourth, despite not being at 100%. He did a great job, he improved his pace and refining more-and-more the set-up and he has the chance to have a good race, although the doubt is regarding his physical condition because of the injury he has in his hand. Probably also Maverick could have been closer, but he couldn’t exploit the second tyre because of a problem with his machine. We are very sorry for not having been able to deliver him a bike that could have helped him to get the first or at least second row, which he deserved. However, we’ve worked positively in the weekend and Maverick has a good pace, so he will have to struggle a little at the beginning but he could do a good race. We will also watch the weather, because if it rains, it will be another story.”

Aleix Espargaró:

“I’m satisfied with the job we did this weekend, we improved session-by-session and I felt comfortable with the machine. The hand is getting better, I suffered pain in the morning but then in the afternoon I had absolutely no issues. I’m still taking pain killers but my feeling is that the finger gets better when it warms up. In FP4 we worked positively for the race, we tried to find some solutions for the big spin I’m suffering here in order to get prepared for the last part of tomorrow’s race. I think this is going to be the key of the race; almost all riders suffer spin, so the one who will be the best to manage it will probably be the winner. Of course the race will be hard, but fourth place is a good position and I’m really looking forward to the race. With my team I’m working really positively, they are doing an excellent job in improving session-after-session. I had some bad luck this season and I really want to close this season with Suzuki in a positive way, hopefully being in the top-six in every single race.”

Maverick Viñales:

“Overall the day has been positive, this morning I improved the set-up and I felt very comfortable, then in FP4 we tested the pace and my performance was pretty satisfying. Unfortunately, the position on the grid is not the best one; when we changed the wheels for the second time attack with new tyres, something went wrong and I had issues with the front-end with the brakes not performing at 100% and this prevented me exploiting the best in the last minutes of the session. It’s a shame because I think that without this issue I could have aimed for the first or second-row, but we are a team and we will face this problem as a team. Eighth place allows a recovery, it won’t be easy, but I will give my best to try for a positive race.”

More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda:

 CRUTCHLOW RECOVERS FOR FOURTH ROW START

LCR Honda Team’s Cal Crutchlow qualified in tenth place for Sunday’s Grand Prix of the Czech Republic, having made a remarkably quick recovery from a huge crash during the fourth free practice session.

The British rider lost the front of his Honda RC213V on entry into the uphill turn 11, but his bike cartwheeled through the gravel before launching itself off the air-bag protection and up over the catch fence. Thankfully nobody, including Cal, was hurt in the incident, and on first impressions the engine was salvageable.

Crutchlow quickly returned to the LCR Honda pit garage to prepare his second bike for qualifying, and eventually set his best lap of the weekend during the 15-minute shootout to qualify at the head of the fourth row and hopeful of picking up positions in race trim. Rain is forecast for Sunday morning, but predictions are that by the time of the MotoGP race at 2pm local time it may well have dissipated.

#35 Cal Crutchlow – 10th (1’55.930)

“Brno is one of the safest tracks we go to, the thing is the track goes uphill in that corner and the gravel trap goes downhill and there’s a bit of a jump so the bike starts bouncing. It’s not ideal. I’m sorry to the marshals and the people on the service road as I’m sure they got a bit of a fright, but I’m glad that nobody is hurt. It was a silly mistake, we were running the hard front tyre and I had slowed down on the lap before and then started to push again. Maybe this was the reason why, but at the end of the day our bike isn’t entering the corner right, and the rear is pushing the front”.

“It was a tough qualifying session, tenth isn’t exactly what we wanted, I feel we’re a bit faster than that. I had a bit of a headache after the crash and felt I didn’t need to crash again in qualifying. We’re not too far away from Dani Pedrosa, but a long way from Marc Marquez. We are trying our best, and actually over a longer run we are a bit more competitive than over one lap.”

“I’d prefer a dry race tomorrow; we need to give good feedback to Honda to help develop the bike more. Along with the LCR Team we’re all working together closely and hopefully tomorrow we can have a good race whatever the weather.”

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Stunning Marquez races to record Brno pole position

Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) has taken pole position in Brno, as the points leader in the title fight left it late to overcome an ominous-looking Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) in the final minutes of Q2. Marquez, who topped Friday but had since been overshadowed by compatriot Lorenzo in FP3 and FP4, pulled out an incredible laptime in the session – including overtaking the provisional polesitter’s Yamaha teammate Valentino Rossi into the final corner in a spectacular move up the inside. Poleman and winner last time out Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team) completes the front row in P3.

Marquez had an orange first sector after Lorenzo’s second attempt saw him move further clear at the top, before the timing screens went red in sector 2 and 3 – with the final part of the track the decider. With two tenths to play with, Marquez came up behind the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 of Pol Espargaro and Movistar Yamaha of Valentino Rossi at the final corner – and slotted between the two through the final apex to take a stylishly record-breaking P1.

Jorge Lorenzo has shown sublime form all Saturday in Brno, including proving the first man to break the lap record in FP3, and also topped FP4 before just losing the pole position to compatriot and championship rival Marc Marquez. Lorenzo’s race pace looks ominous however, with memories of his domination in Brno in 2015 also sure to be high in rivals’ minds.

Andrea Iannone had an up and down Saturday before just pipping Aleix Espargaro (Team Suzuki Ecstar) to complete the front row, with a technical issue earlier in the day and a crash. Iannone was the last man to cross the line and had to wheel the bike back up pitlane to parc ferme after not having realized how far up the grid he had qualified, enjoying another front row start.

Behind Espargaro in P5 was Hector Barbera (Avintia Racing), who recovered from a difficult FP3 for a great qualifying result. The Spaniard beat 9-time world champion Valentino Rossi to the top 5, as the Italian completes row 2 in P6.

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) had a number of issues in the session and got out of sync as he changed the front tyre and tried to make the best of the limited time, but managed a P7 result ahead of the second Team Suzuki Ecstar machine of Maverick Viñales. Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa completes the third row in P9 after moving up from Q1, ahead of LCR Honda rider Cal Crutchlow to round out the top ten.

Marquez’ pole takes the Spaniard equal on pole positions with Movistar Yamaha MotoGP pairing Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi, with the top 3 men in the title fight now – incredibly – tied on a record 63 pole positions each across all classes…sharing the honours, for once, at the top of the table.

The MotoGP™ grid take to the track for the race at 14:00 local time (GMT+2) on Sunday.

Zarco takes last dash pole from Lowes and Marquez

Intermediate class title defender Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport) has taken pole position for the Moto2™ race in the Czech GP, as the Frenchman took the top spot on his final lap in a session interrupted by a red flag. Just behind the points leader in the middle of the front row will be Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2), ahead of Alex Marquez (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS), who put in a stunning session to take P3 and his first front row.

Ajo Motorsport rider Johann Zarco eventually topped the three-way duel for pole, as the Frenchman left it to a last dash over the line to steal the pole position from championship contender Lowes – seconds after the Brit had taken the honours from Alex Marquez. Zarco became the most successful French rider last time out in Austria, and looks set to contend for another piece of history in Brno.

Sam Lowes also took the provisional pole in the session on his final lap, and was just pipped to the post by Zarco – around a second after taking the position. Lowes, who has had a more difficult weekend than many expected, got right back on form in the session for another front row start as he chases Zarco and Alex Rins (Paginas Amarillas HP 40) in the title fight.

Alex Marquez was the leader for the majority of the session, as the Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider built on a fantastic weekend so far in Brno to look set for his first pole position. Marquez, who was more than a tenth clear at the top until the red flag paused the session, took his first trip to parc ferme in Moto2™ with his best ever qualifying: the best position the Spaniard has enjoyed since the Moto3™ race in Valencia 2014 – which was the day he won the Moto3™ world championship.

Tom Luthi (Garage Plus Interwetten) was in P5 before becoming the faller ahead of the red flag, as the Swiss rider suffered a highside crash at Turn 9. Luthi was conscious and transported to hospital, where he remains for observation.

Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) just beat Luthi’s laptime to P4, with second Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider Franco Morbidelli slotting into P6. Championship contender Alex Rins showed an incredible leap in pace in qualifying to move up from well down the field to a solid P7, with Jonas Folger (Dynavolt Intact GP) just behind him in P8. Simone Corsi (Speed Up Racing) and rookie Miguel Oliveira (Leopard Racing) completed the top ten, after a penalty for Oliveira’s teammate Danny Kent.

Moto2™ take to the track on Sunday at 12:20 local time (GMT+2) for another spectacular battle.

Binder leaves it late for Brno pole

Red Bull KTM Ajo rider Brad Binder has taken a last dash pole position at the Automotodrom Brno, topping the timesheets in the final few seconds. Sky Racing Team VR46 rider Andrea Migno qualified in P2, ahead of his Gresini Racing Moto3 compatriot Enea Bastianini.

Binder had an initial pole position lap at the Czech GP cancelled, as the South African Moto3™ championship leader exceeded track limits at Turn 9 – before heading back out on track in the final part of the session and topping the timesheets once more. One attempt saw the points leader run off briefly, before his final lap saw him in the red and taking back the pole position.

Andrea Migno was the man on provisional pole before Binder’s final attempt, and the Italian looked set to keep it as key rivals fell away. The Sky Racing Team VR46 rider eventually outshone rookie teammate Nicolo Bulega (P6) to take P2, but has a grid penalty for the race.

Gresini Racing Moto3 rider Enea Bastianini hit back to take provisional pole as the grid returned to the pits to prepare for their last assault, but by the end of the session was classified in P3 after making a small mistake and then a bigger one that saw the Italian lose the rear into Turn 5.

PULL&BEAR Aspar Mahindra rider Jorge Martin had topped much of the session as the Spaniard continues to impress after injury earlier in the season, and qualified in P4 ahead of Fabio DiGiannantonio (Gresini Racing Moto3), Nicolo Bulega, Niccolo Antonelli (Ongetta-Rivacold) and Schedl Racing GP’s Philipp Oettl.

Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0) outdid his veteran teammate for P9, with local rider Jakub Kornfeil (Drive M7 SIC Racing Team) qualifying for his home round in the top ten. Compatriot wildcard Karel Hanika (Freundenberg Racing) overcame a crash to put in an impressive lap for P13, just behind the second EG 0,0 bike of title contender Jorge Navarro, whose difficult weekend in the Czech Republic continues.

There was drama in the final few minutes of the session with Bastianini crashing, as well as Francesco Bagnaia (PULL&BEAR Aspar Mahindra), who lost out on an incredibly quick lap and qualified out of position in P17.

Penalties were applied after the session, with Migno and Antonelli both receiving 3-place grid penalties, Oettl and Albert Arenas (Peugeot MC Saxoprint) 4 place penalties, and Fabio Quartararo (Leopard Racing) set to drop 7 places on the grid.

Moto3™ sees lights out for the race at 11:00 local time (GMT+2) on Sunday.