FIM Moto2 World Championship Valencia, Spain November 4 Free Practice One And Two Combined Results (wet conditions, all using Honda engines and Dunlop tires): 1. Stefan BRADL, Germany (KALEX), 1:41.777 2. Randy KRUMMENACHER, Switzerland (KALEX), 1:42.106 3. Alex DE ANGELIS, San Marino (MOTOBI), 1:42.688 4. Mattia PASINI, Italy (FTR), 1:42.941 5. Dominique AEGERTER, Switzerland (SUTER), 1:43.038 6. Kenny NOYES, USA (FTR), 1:43.814 7. Kenan SOFUOGLU, Turkey (SUTER), 1:43.933 8. Anthony WEST, Australia (MZ-RE HONDA), 1:44.307 9. Michele PIRRO, Italy (MORIWAKI), 1:44.672 10. Mika KALLIO, Finland (SUTER), 1:44.924 11. Mashel AL NAIMI, Qatar (MORIWAKI), 1:45.073 12. Scott REDDING, Great Britain (SUTER), 1:45.210 13. Alex BALDOLINI, Italy (MORIWAKI), 1:45.996 14. Xavier SIMEON, Belgium (TECH 3), 1:46.189 15. Raffaele DE ROSA, Italy (SUTER), 1:46.686 16. Julian SIMON, Spain (SUTER), 1:46.714 17. Thomas LUTHI, Switzerland (SUTER), 1:46.863 18. Pol ESPARGARO, Spain (FTR), 1:46.977 19. Robertino PIETRI, Venezuela (SUTER), 1:47.178 20. Yonny HERNANDEZ, Colombia (FTR), 1:47.667 21. Esteve RABAT, Spain (FTR), 1:48.443 22. Joan OLIVE, Spain (FTR), 1:48.471 23. Bradley SMITH, Great Britain (TECH 3), 1:48.662 24. Yuki TAKAHASHI, Japan (MORIWAKI), 1:48.807 25. Jules CLUZEL, France (SUTER), 1:48.877 26. Santiago HERNANDEZ, Colombia (FTR), 1:49.280 27. Jordi TORRES, Spain (SUTER), 1:49.428 28. Andrea IANNONE, Italy (SUTER), 1:49.644 29. Mike DI MEGLIO, France (TECH 3), 1:49.676 30. Axel PONS, Spain (PONS KALEX), 1:49.735 31. Claudio CORTI, Italy (SUTER), 1:50.243 32. Valentin DEBISE, France (FTR), 1:50.373 33. Nasser Hasan AL MALKI, Qatar (MORIWAKI), 1:51.571 34. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (PONS KALEX), 1:51.745 35. Elena ROSELL, Spain (SUTER), 1:52.098 36. Oscar CLIMENT, Spain (MIR RACING), 1:54.631 37. Simone CORSI, Italy (FTR), 1:55.058 38. Max NEUKIRCHNER, Germany (MZ-RE HONDA), 1:55.373 39. Ratthapark WILAIROT, Thailand (FTR), 1:58.798 40. Marc MARQUEZ, Spain (SUTER), no time recorded More, from a press release issued by Marc VDS Racing Team: MARC VDS DUO BATTLE COLD AND RAIN AT VALENCIA Marc VDS Racing Team riders Mika Kallio and Scott Redding made a positive start to the final round of the 2011 Moto2 World Championship in Valencia today, despite cold and wet conditions dominating the opening day of practice. Kallio and Redding were 10th and 12th fastest respectively this morning in a session that took place on a rapidly drying after heavy early morning rain drenched the tight and twisty Ricardo Tormo track. This afternoon’s second session was staged on a full wet track and as a result lap times were over 10 seconds slower. Kallio and Redding though took full advantage of the opportunity to fine-tune their wet weather settings and both were delighted with progress made under threatening grey skies hanging above the Valencia circuit, which hosts the season ending GP Generali de la Comunitat Valenciana over 27-laps on Sunday. Kallio was immediately able to set a fast and confident pace in the tricky conditions this morning, but his smooth riding style really came to the fore this afternoon when he set the fifth quickest time. A best lap of 1.52.693 was just over 0.1s away from third as the Finnish rider was pleased with the rear grip offered by the latest Suter swingarm, which he tried for the first time today. British rider Redding was also delighted with his start to the season finale having previously struggled in wet conditions this season. He was only 0.4s slower than Kallio this afternoon to finish in an encouraging 10th place, the British rider delighted to have discovered a wet setting that allowed him to push with a high level of confidence previously lacking in the rain. Mika Kallio #36 – 1.44.924 – 31 laps – 10th position “Today was really positive because we weren’t sure what to expect from the new Suter swingarm. We can’t check its full potential in the rain but deciding to use it today certainly looks like it was the right choice. This morning on the wet tyres I was the fastest rider on track and that was really positive and I felt very comfortable. Some other riders did more laps than me on slick tyres so I wasn’t worried to be only 10th. I’m sure this afternoon I could have been in the top three as well but when I was pushing on the last lap I came across some traffic and that cost me a few tenths. I have a good record at this track and I am now hoping we can finish the season on a high note after a difficult time for everybody in the paddock after what happened to Marco in Sepang.” Scott Redding #45 – 1.45.210 – 33 laps – 12th position “I am really happy with how today turned out. It was hard to really learn anything this morning because the conditions were so sketchy. And I wasn’t feeling too confident when I went out this afternoon in the wet because I’ve struggled a lot in those conditions this season. And in the damp conditions this morning I didn’t have such a good feeling with the bike. But we found a really good wet setting with the new chassis and I felt the bike was working better for me straightaway this afternoon. I haven’t felt that confident in the rain all year, so if we get a wet race I’ll go into it with a lot more confidence. Before in the rain this year I’ve struggled to be in the top 20, so I feel we’ve made massive progress today.” Trevor Morris – Mika Kallio Crew Chief “Today was a really good day and it showed once again just how much Mika’s confidence has grown with some good results recently. Right from the start this morning he clicked with the Marc VDS package, even though the conditions were quite tricky. He was right up there on wet tyres and he only did one lap on slicks, so with a bit more time he could have been a bit higher. But on wet tyres again this afternoon he was looking very strong. He wasn’t happy with grip right at the beginning but then we made a few changes with the bike, experimenting with the ride height, and he felt more comfortable and he could push a lot harder. We tried the new swingarm today but really we need a dry session to check its true potential. It had some positive points in the wet, so if it stays wet for the weekend we are confident we can be fighting for a strong result.” More, from a press release issued by QMMF Racing Team: Al Naimi celebrates 11th and his best practice so far – Al Malki steps in for Cardús and learns quickly QMMF Racing Team rider Mashel Al Naimi stormed to eleventh position in this morning’s first free practice session for the Grand Prix of Valencia and celebrated his best practice result in this season so far. Even though the 28-year-old from Doha, Qatar, is used to better weather than the cool temperatures and the rain drizzles at the Ricardo Tormo track, Al Naimi quickly found the right feeling for his Moriwaki prototype and earned a round of applause when he returned to the garage after the session. Whereas some patches of the track had already dried up when Al-Naimi put in his fastest lap, the rain didn’t stop during the afternoon session, which gave the teams a better opportunity to search for the proper rain set-up if the bad weather persists until Sunday. For the combined free practice times of day one however, the slower afternoon lap times were meaningless and Al Naimi remained in eleventh place. Since Ricky Cardús broke his left wrist in Malaysia and was unable to compete at his season-ending home Grand Prix, Nasser Hasan Al Malki joined Al Naimi for the third time this year. The 27-year-old, who is also from Doha and who rode for QMMF Racing Team at the Grands Prix of Qatar and Silverstone, is a novice on the four-kilometre-track at Valencia but learns quickly and holds 33rd place so far. “Mishal gave us a very positive surprise today. We knew all along that he can be faster and now he proves that in only the last race of the season, in very difficult conditions. There is not a lot of grip on this track in the wet, but he was riding very smoothly and eased into eleventh position. I hope he can sign out of this season with a remarkable result”, said team coordinator Luis Solano. “Unfortunately, Ricky isn’t able to compete after his crash in Malaysia. Since we are at the end of the season, the doctors recommended to let the fractured left radius heal in a natural way and to avoid surgery. Ricky will come here on Sunday to be with his team and his sponsors and to watch the last race of the season live!” Mashel Al Naimi 11th in 1.45,073 “I am happy, because the bike feels good on this track. We worked in a good way and every time I tried to push harder, it was possible to improve my lap time. At the beginning, the bike wasn’t stable enough, so I went back to the pit-box and we worked on this issue step by step and lap by lap. In the end, I achieved a good position in the time sheets, which felt great. It was wet in the second practice and I felt good again, which never happened before in the rain. Altogether, it was a good start into the weekend and I hope we can build on that tomorrow!” Nasser Hasan Al Malki 33rd in 1.51,571 “It is a pity for Ricky that he won’t be able to ride here and I hope he gets better soon. At the same time, it was a nice surprise to get another phone call and this chance to ride this bike for the third time this season. It was wet at Silverstone during my last Moto2 race, and now here at Valencia, it is wet again. During the second practice, I started to understand the bike on this track and in these conditions and we made progress. It is my first time on this circuit, and since everybody is working so hard trying to help me, I am determined to go faster tomorrow. The problem is that I don’t have a lot of experience since I rode 1000 cc bikes during most of my career and I only started to ride 600’s this year. From my side as a rider, there is plenty of room for improvement!” More, from a press release issued by JiR Moto2 Team: GP of Valencia, first practice It’s been a cold and rainy day on the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia for today’s first two free practice sessions. The GP on Sunday will determine who between De Angelis and Iannone will win the third place in the Championship and yet the two riders are the main players in the provisional combined classification. The JiR Team rider recorded the provisional best time of 1’52.026, just 0.182 seconds ahead of the Italian in the last lap of the second session. The day has been very intense for the whole Team, engaged in a rush against the weather, being called many times to adapt the MotoBI’s set up to the variable track conditions. In particular, during the afternoon’s session, an issue during the 45-minutes kept De Angelis in the pit for longer than usual, but then he exploited a fully performing MotoBI that allowed him to score the best lap. Alex DeAngelis Finally we arrived at a good end but the day has been very hard due to unpredictable weather conditions and the freezing cold that affected us. This morning we started with caution, wearing tyres for the wet, mainly to gain back some confidence in wet conditions as we haven’t raced with rain in a long time. Our times were pretty good, we tested some different set-ups and eventually at the end of the session we also ran slick tyres. In the afternoon instead the Tarmac was very wet therefore we adopted a totally different set-up according to these conditions. I was not feeling completely good, so I came back in the pit and had my MotoBI stationary off track for quite a while: we completely changed the set-up. This revealed to be an excellent solution, I managed to improve my lap time and at the end I eventually scored the best lap, a good sign that we’re following the right path. Tomorrow we’ll define the optimal set up, keeping an eye on weather conditions, ready to adapt quickly to its variations. More, from Kenny Noyes’ publicist: Kenny Noyes Kicks Off Valencia Weekend In 6th Position Kenny Noyes got the final weekend of the 2011 season off to a flying start, ending the first day of practice at Valencia with the 6th fastest time. The Avintia-STX rider had his best Friday of the year in the difficult conditions at the Spanish track, running right at the front in the half wet, half dry conditions of the morning and still being competitive in the afternoon when it was fully wet. After much hard work throughout the season, Kenny’s Avintia-STX team have now got a good grip on the front end of his FOGI-Racing FTR, and the American immediately reaped the benefits. A strong stint on slick tires saw Kenny gain growing confidence in the front of the bike, though there is still a little room for improvement at the rear. With a bit more rear grip from his FOGI-Racing FTR, Kenny is confident of securing a strong grid position going into Saturday’s qualifying practice. A good qualifying is half the battle in Moto2, and Kenny Noyes faces his final challenge of the year full of confidence. Kenny Noyes 6th, Fastest Lap: 1’43.814 Kenny said, “It was a real complicated day. We went out with slicks when the track was drying, and I was pretty fast straight out of the box. I was real happy with the front end of my FOGI-Racing FTR, now we just need a little more rear grip.” “Overall, I’m real happy with the way my day went. I was fast in the wet but still kept it on two wheels, and that helps going into qualifying tomorrow. This has been an excellent start to the weekend, and I’m stoked going into qualifying. It’s the last race of the year, so we’re going all out for points.”