FIM Moto2 World Championship Sepang, Malaysia October 9, 2010 Qualifying Results (all using Honda engines and Dunlop tires): 1. Julian SIMON, Spain (SUTER), 2:08.562 2. Alex DE ANGELIS, San Marino (MOTOBI), 2:08.754 3. Thomas LUTHI, Switzerland (MORIWAKI), 2:08.860 4. Toni ELIAS, Spain (MORIWAKI), 2:08.863 5. Roberto ROLFO, Italy (SUTER), 2:08.920 6. Andrea IANNONE, Italy (FTR), 2:09.004 7. Karel ABRAHAM, Czech Republic (FTR), 2:09.187 8. Scott REDDING, Great Britain (SUTER), 2:09.335 9. Michael RANSEDER, Austria (SUTER), 2:09.409 10. Alex DEBON, Spain (FTR), 2:09.429 11. Dominique AEGERTER, Switzerland (SUTER), 2:09.430 12. Claudio CORTI, Italy (SUTER), 2:09.489 13. Jules CLUZEL, France (SUTER), 2:09.563 14. Alex BALDOLINI, Italy (I.C.P.), 2:09.587 15. Gabor TALMACSI, Hungary (FTR), 2:09.714 16. Fonsi NIETO, Spain (MORIWAKI), 2:09.746 17. Hector FAUBEL, Spain (SUTER), 2:09.794 18. Yuki TAKAHASHI, Japan (TECH 3), 2:09.852 19. Mike DI MEGLIO, France (SUTER), 2:09.879 20. Raffaele DE ROSA, Italy (TECH 3), 2:09.900 21. Sergio GADEA, Spain (PONS KALEX), 2:09.959 22. Stefan BRADL, Germany (SUTER), 2:09.988 23. Ratthapark WILAIROT, Thailand (BIMOTA), 2:10.059 24. Axel PONS, Spain (PONS KALEX), 2:10.129 25. Kenny NOYES, USA (PROMOHARRIS), 2:10.194 26. Anthony WEST, Australia (MZ-RE HONDA), 2:10.444 27. Yonny HERNANDEZ, Colombia (BQR-MOTO2), 2:10.566 28. Joan OLIVE, Spain (PROMOHARRIS), 2:10.885 29. Valentin DEBISE, France (ADV), 2:10.971 30. Javier FORES, Spain (BIMOTA), 2:11.069 31. Mohamad ZAMRI BABA, Malaysia (MORIWAKI), 2:11.289 32. Kazuki WATANABE, Japan (SUTER), 2:11.351 33. Vladimir IVANOV, Ukraine (MORIWAKI), 2:11.496 34. Robertino PIETRI, Venezuela (SUTER), 2:11.972 35. Yannick GUERRA, Spain (MORIWAKI), 2:12.253 36. Ferruccio LAMBORGHINI, Italy (MORIWAKI), 2:12.645 37. Mashel AL NAIMI, Qatar (BQR-MOTO2), 2:12.952 38. Hiromichi KUNIKAWA, Japan (BIMOTA), 2:13.458 Not Qualified (Out 107%) 2:17.561 39. Simone CORSI, Italy (MOTOBI), 3:20.426, crash * * Qualified for the race having achieved a time within 107% of the fastest rider in a free practice session. More, from a press release issued by Interwetten Moriwaki Moto2 Team: Lüthi starts Malaysian Grand Prix from first row on the grid Tom Lüthi will start the Motorcycle Grand Prix of Malaysia tomorrow from the first row on the grid as he qualified third today. The qualifying sessions of the last couple of Grand Prix were not very successful for the young Swiss and therefore he was really happy about his achievement as he has a big chance to fight with the front group. The target for tomorrow is defiantly a podium. Tom Lüthi, 3 2’08.860: “We could finish a lot of things today and I could cope with the tyre really well. The first row on the grid is much better than the fourth, from where I also had starts this season and I am happy about the starting position. Tonight we will analyse the data from today to see if we can find a little bit more grip, as this is a problem on this circuit. If we find that we have a very good package for tomorrow’s race and I hope we can fight for the podium again.” Terrell Thien, Team Manager: “This qualifying was really good and I am relieved that Tom finally has a good starting position again. The hard work paid off and maybe and hopefully we will achieve a podium again tomorrow.” More, from a press release issued by Tech 3: Tech 3 Racing face tough Sepang race Tech 3 Racing Team duo Yuki Takahashi and Raffaele de Rosa will start tomorrow’s Malaysian Moto2 race in a positive frame of mind despite a tough qualifying session at the long and technical Sepang circuit. Having lost crucial set-up time yesterday when rain disrupted opening free practice, Takahashi and de Rosa found it difficult to find a comfortable setting in baking hot conditions during a qualifying session that was staged in punishing temperatures that hit 37 degrees. Japanese rider Takahashi, who claimed a brilliant top six finish in his home race at the Twin Ring Motegi six days ago, sought to improve turning performance with his Tech 3 Racing machine. Despite making big progress with front-end feeling, Takahashi’s best time of 2.09.852 left him only 18th on the grid. It was a different challenge that de Rosa tackled head on, the Italian concentrating on improving rear grip for the majority of the day. With track temperatures peaking at 56 degrees, today’s session was all about finding maximum rear grip for tomorrow’s 19-lap race. A best lap of 2.09.900 left de Rosa two places behind Takahashi in 20th. Yuki Takahashi 18th 2.09.852 16 laps “It has been a very difficult weekend so far. Losing a lot of track time because of the weather yesterday didn’t help but we have struggled to make the bike turn. We tried some different settings without really finding a positive solution this morning, so we reverted back to the base set ting for qualifying and the front-end didn’t feel too bad. I’d still like better turning and we’ll try another change to the front in the warm-up to see if that helps. But with the hot conditions and where I am on the grid, it is going to be a long and tough race. My target though will be to fight through into the top ten.” Raffaele de Rosa 20th 2.09.900 17 laps “The hot weather and the condition of the track has meant I’ve been struggling for rear grip all weekend. I have too much wheelspin and while we have improved it a lot with various set-up changes, it was still not enough to move me closer to the front. We understand the direction we need to take and I know we can make the bike better for the race. It will be difficult to finish in the top ten but I will never give up and always try my best for the Tech 3 Racing Team.” More, from a press release issued by Marc VDS Racing Team: SEPANG SECOND ROW FOR FRUSTRATED REDDING Scott Redding was bitterly disappointed to miss out on his fifth front row start in succession at Sepang, as slower riders baulked him on all of his flying laps during this afternoon’s 45-minute qualifying session. Redding will start tomorrow from eighth position on the grid while his Marc VDS teammate, Hector Faubel, will start from row four after qualifying in 17th place. Redding looked set to claim a front row start on three separate occasions during qualifying, but each time he was baulked by a rider slowing in front of him to wait for a tow around the 5.548km Sepang circuit. The 17-year-old Briton also lost time as he tried to shake off a train of riders behind him, all hoping to benefit from his pace to improve their own qualifying positions. In the end Redding was forced to settle for eighth position and the second row of the grid, but is determined to fight once again at the front of the field in tomorrow’s 19-lap Moto2 race, which is guaranteed to be a real battle of attrition in the extreme conditions of Malaysia. Faubel fell foul of the tyre allocation for this race and was unable to set a fast lap time as the front threatened to close on almost every corner. Unable to use the softer option front tyre here in Malaysia, the 27-year-old Spaniard had no option but to run the harder front for longer, which was pushing when matched with a new rear slick. The team will make changes to the set-up of Faubel’s Suter MMX machine overnight, to find a better balance between front and rear grip for tomorrow’s race. Scott Redding #45: 8th – 2’09.335 “I am far from happy about missing out on the front row, because I had the pace for it today. To start with I had a load of riders sat behind me trying to get a tow and, when I slowed down to get rid of them, they all slowed down as well! I wouldn’t have minded so much if slower riders had got in the way on my flying laps, but it was people riding around waiting for a tow who ruined every single one of them. It’s gone beyond annoying now. We’ve got the pace for the race tomorrow. It’s going to be tough because it’s real hot out there, but I’ll be going full gas as always and a podium finish is still a possibility.” Hector Faubel #55: 17th – 2’09.794 “Everything about the bike feels good, except the front, which keeps closing on me with no warning. The problem is the tyre allocation for this track, which doesn’t really suit me. We can’t run the softer option front, so we have to make our four harder fronts last all weekend. It meant running the tyre for longer, which caused it to push whenever we switched to a new rear slick. We’d probably have been quicker on an old rear today, and that’s not right. Hopefully we can improve things overnight, but it’s going to be a tough race tomorrow, firstly because of the starting position and secondly because of the conditions.” Michael Bartholemy: Team Manager “It’s disappointing that Scott missed out on his fifth consecutive front row start because of others, but he has the race pace and he can still play a big part in tomorrow’s race from the second row. Hector has struggled with the front end of the bike all weekend. It will be difficult to find a complete solution overnight, but I hope that, tomorrow, he will be able to make up places once again during the race and bring the bike home in the points. The conditions here mean the race will be difficult for everyone, but I know our two riders will be pushing as hard as ever.” More, from a press release issued by JiR Moto2 Team: Today, Alex De Angelis’ performance in official qualifying for the Malaysia GP showed that he will be competitive after he grabbed second place on the grid with a time of 2”8″754. He shows again that the adaptation to his MotoBI is continuing. The JiR Team rider will doubtless start tomorrow with his usual charge, determined in pursuing his objective of a podium. Instead it was a case of bad luck for Simone Corsi, who fell during the first lap of qualifying. There were no physical consequences for the rider, but his MotoBI was heavily damaged and a rebuild was not possible within the session. Tomorrow the Roman will start from the last position in grid and will have to make one of the remarkable comebacks we’ve already seen him make this season. Alex De Angelis, 2nd place, 2’08″754 “Until now this GP has surprised me, this is not one of my best tracks but we managed to find the right set-up for the machine and I scored some good times. The continuous modifications we are testing give me more and more feeling and second place is a good result, I will have to exploit it and take advantage immediately. Tomorrow’s race will be long and demanding due to the hot weather but I’ll give my very best.” Simone Corsi, 39th place “Unfortunately I felt immediately and I couldn’t get back to the track, wasting all my chances for a good qualifying. It’s a shame because I’ve been very fast during free practices, I scored the third fastest time and I could have battled for the front row. This makes everything more difficult, as I’ll have to start from behind all the other riders, but I’m not giving up and I’ll do all my best for one of my remarkable recoveries.” More, from a press release issued by Jack & Jones by Antonio Banderas: Kenny Noyes Continues His Asian Adventure Kenny Noyes hit the ground running at Sepang, quickly getting up to speed at yet another brand new track for the Jack&Jones By Antonio Banderas rider. After losing over a third of the first session of free practice to the afternoon rain on Friday – a common enough occurrence in the sweltering tropical heat of Malaysia – Kenny slashed three seconds off his Friday time, as the American and his team continued the hard work of getting the maximum out of the new suspension settings that Kenny has been using since Aragon. The results have been encouraging, as the flowing nature of the Sepang track, which includes a number of places featuring high-speed direction changes, does not play to the strengths of Kenny’s Promoharris Moto2 machine. What was even more encouraging for Kenny was to see P19 on his board with just a couple of minutes left in the qualifying session, a time he set without the benefit of a tow. Kenny will once again be aiming to stick with a good group, and work his way into the points. The steamy tropical heat will be physically very demanding on all of the field, but Kenny has been working hard on his fitness all season, and believes he will stand up well in the conditions. Kenny and his Jack&Jones By Antonio Banderas team will aim to find another couple of tenths with some tweaks to help the bike to turn better during morning warmup, and will be hunting for more points. Kenny Noyes 25th, fastest lap 2’10.194 Kenny said: “On paper this is one of the worst tracks for us, but with the new suspension set up it wasn’t so bad. We are down on grip again, but it was a pretty good qualifying session given the limitations of the bike.” “I saw P19 on my board, but on the last lap I lost 6 positions! The good thing is that I did the lap on my own and the pace is OK. I couldn’t get a good tow, otherwise I would have been much nearer the front. We’re real close again!” “It’s very hot and humid, so it’s gonna be a tough race for all of us. We have a hard race ahead of us again, but we have a shot at the points again for sure.”