FIM Moto2 World Championship Mugello, Italy June 5, 2010 Qualifying Results (all using Honda engines and Dunlop tires): 1. Andrea IANNONE, Italy (SPEED UP), 1:55.598 2. Toni ELIAS, Spain (MORIWAKI), 1:55.858 3. Alex DE ANGELIS, San Marino (FORCE GP210), 1:56.222 4. Jules CLUZEL, France (SUTER), 1:56.272 5. Shoya TOMIZAWA, Japan (SUTER), 1:56.284 6. Sergio GADEA, Spain (PONS KALEX), 1:56.296 7. Gabor TALMACSI, Hungary (SPEED UP), 1:56.305 8. Axel PONS, Spain (PONS KALEX), 1:56.331 9. Thomas LUTHI, Switzerland (MORIWAKI), 1:56.339 10. Julian SIMON, Spain (SUTER), 1:56.343 11. Alex BALDOLINI, Italy (I.C.P.), 1:56.388 12. Hector FAUBEL, Spain (SUTER), 1:56.443 13. Xavier SIMEON, Belgium (MORIWAKI), 1:56.466 14. Raffaele DE ROSA, Italy (TECH 3), 1:56.543 15. Alex DEBON, Spain (FTR), 1:56.647 16. Roberto ROLFO, Italy (SUTER), 1:56.649 17. Lukas PESEK, Czech Republic (MORIWAKI), 1:56.652 18. Arne TODE, Germany (SUTER), 1:56.665 19. Yuki TAKAHASHI, Japan (TECH 3), 1:56.716 20. Karel ABRAHAM, Czech Republic (FTR), 1:56.718 21. Mike DI MEGLIO, France (SUTER), 1:56.746 22. Claudio CORTI, Italy (SUTER), 1:56.799 23. Stefan BRADL, Germany (SUTER), 1:56.851 24. Ratthapark WILAIROT, Thailand (BIMOTA), 1:56.888 25. Mattia PASINI, Italy (MOTOBI), 1:56.897 26. Simone CORSI, Italy (MOTOBI), 1:56.898 27. Yonny HERNANDEZ, Colombia (BQR-MOTO2), 1:56.911 28. Scott REDDING, Great Britain (SUTER), 1:57.049 29. Dominique AEGERTER, Switzerland (SUTER), 1:57.380 30. Vladimir IVANOV, Ukraine (MORIWAKI), 1:57.392 31. Niccolo CANEPA, Italy (FORCE GP210), 1:57.400 32. Robertino PIETRI, Venezuela (SUTER), 1:57.455 33. Kenny NOYES, USA (PROMOHARRIS), 1:57.467 34. Joan OLIVE, Spain (PROMOHARRIS), 1:57.589 35. Fonsi NIETO, Spain (MORIWAKI), 1:57.690 36. Bernat MARTINEZ, Spain (BIMOTA), 1:57.733 37. Valentin DEBISE, France (ADV), 1:57.940 38. Vladimir LEONOV, Russia (SUTER), 1:58.247 39. Anthony WEST, Australia (MZ-RE HONDA), 1:58.430 40. Yannick GUERRA, Spain (MORIWAKI), 1:58.467 41. Anthony DELHALLE, France (BQR-MOTO2), 1:58.701 More, from a press release issued by Tech 3: Tech 3 Racing upbeat despite tough qualifying The Tech 3 Racing Team remains in confident mood for tomorrow’s Italian Moto2 race at the Mugello circuit, despite a tough qualifying session this afternoon. Raffaele de Rosa made significant progress with the rear set-up of his Tech 3 Racing machine, the Italian using all of his home track expertisel to improve traction and stability. The 23-year-old will start tomorrow’s 21-lap race from 14th position and is confident he can launch a top ten challenge after posting a best time of 1.56.543 in yet another ultra-close qualifying session for the competitive Moto2 class. Less than 1.5s split the top 28 but Yuki Takahashi was unable t o show his normal potential after his frustrating weekend continued today. Takahashi will start from lower than the second row for the first time this season as a best lap of 1.56.716 left him in 19th position. He was only just over a second off pole position though and his tireless efforts to cure a persistent front-end chatter issue went largely unrewarded. Takahashi’s hopes of moving further up the grid were thwarted by a small crash in the final moments of qualifying. Raffaele de Rosa 14th 1.56.543 19 laps “It was a better qualifying session for me today and we made a big improvement with the bike, particularly in the fast and long corners where I’d not been so comfortable. We have spent a lot of time working on a new setting that has improved the rear traction and also stability, but we need another step for tomorrow because 14th pl ace is not where we want to be. This is my home race and really important and I was hoping to be at least in the top ten. But now we are more consistent and I’m much more comfortable with the bike and I need to say a big thanks to my Tech 3 crew because they’ve done a great job. We know how competitive Moto2 is but I really want to score my first points tomorrow after all the hard work we have done to feel more confident and comfortable.” Yuki Takahashi 19th 1.56.716 18 laps “It has been a very difficult weekend so far and I’m expecting a tough race tomorrow. Unfortunately we have had a bad chatter problem and although we have worked incredibly hard to solve the issue, we still haven’t found an answer that allows me to ride the bike how I’m used to. Whatever we do to the bike it doesn’t seem to get rid of the problem and in each session we have used a completely different s et-up without any success. I’ll have a sit down tonight with my Tech 3 crew and see if we can come up with a plan for the warm-up session. I was trying to get higher up the grid because qualifying is so crucial in Moto2 with the times all so close. But I had a small crash with the soft tyre at the end and that didn’t help my situation. I will try my best in the race and hopefully if the chatter issue is reduced I can show more of the potential the Tech 3 bike has.” More, from a press release issued by Antonio Banderas Noyes Ready to Fight for Points in Mugello The Moto2 class is clearly the most hotly contested in the GP program and proof of that is seen in the difference in grid positions for Jack&Jones by Antonio Banderas rider Kenny Noyes. In Le Mans, a track where he had never raced, he worked his way from 28th on day 1 all the way to the pole on Sunday, In Mugello, another new track for the American rookie, he was 35th on day 1 but, in spite of going 1.1 second faster on day 2. he was only able to move up to 33nd on the 41-rider grid. In general Kenny improved every time out, starting at 1:59. 924 on Friday and then posting a 1:57.568 in the Saturday morning free practice. But he was able to improve only to 1:57.467 in qualifying. The circuit is proving more difficult to learn than Le Mans because of its sequences of blind, high-speed corners and because of unsettling bumps, but the team has worked to improve stability and to find a bit more top speed. Kenny will try a couple of modifications in the warm-up on Sunday in hopes of improving his chances to make a charge up through the field. In Qatar he started 30th but was up to tenth by half distance before suffering tire problems. Kenny Noyes 33rd 1’57.467 “We improved every time out but we didn’t make the big step we needed in qualifying like we were able to do in Le Mans. These blind corners and bumps remind me of how hard it was to learn some of the AMA circuits when I made a couple of rides there in 2008.” “We are really not so far off pace as the grid position makes it seem. If I had gotten a good tow at the end of qualifying I think we’d have been fifteen or twenty places closer to the front. Eighth/tenths of a second better and I would have picked up 18 places! It is more of a handicap not to have raced here than at other tracks like Qatar and Le Mans, but nobody said this was going to be easy! My goal tomorrow is to get into the points and learn this place so that when we come back next year we’ll be on the pace from the first day.” More, from a press release issued by FTR MOTO: FTR MOTO CONTINUES EMERGENCE WITH MUGELLO POLE POSITION FTR MOTO’s new M210 Moto2 machine will sit at the head of the grid in this afternoon’s World Championship round at Mugello in Italy after the Fimmco Speed Up Team’s Andrea Iannone recorded the fastest lap in yesterday afternoon’s qualifying session. Iannone’s team-mate Gabor Talmacsi will start from seventh on the grid. The Hungarian was looking to challenge Iannone for pole position when he crashed with three minutes to go in the session. Talmacsi escaped injury. Alex Debon second in the opening race in Qatar qualified in 15th place, 1.1s behind Iannone, while FTR newcomer Karel Abraham continued his progression in his second outing with FTR by taking 20th place on the 41-strong grid. Abraham is just 1.2s behind Iannone. “To see the FTR machine on pole position is fantastic,” said FTR’s Steve Bones. “We got our first podium finish in the opening round in Qatar, we’ve managed to get a pole position as early as round four so I suppose it’s just a case of recording a first win now!” FTR’s racing activities continue to expand and on Wednesday night last week young Isle of Man TT rider Olie Linsdell gave the FTR Moto2 machine its first ever 120mph lap of the infamous 37.73-mile TT Mountain course. Linsdell will race the machine in the six-lap Senior TT next Friday, June 11, and will enjoy two more practice laps on Wednesday as he looks to improve on his 121.281mph lap of last week. In Spain, Kev Coghlan is hoping to move the Monlau Competicion Team FTR Moto2 machine to the top of the CEV Buckler Spanish Championship next weekend at Jerez in round three. Coghlan began the year with sixth place at the Catalunya circuit then followed that with a first victory of the year at Albacete in round two. Coghlan and the Monlau Team have also been awarded the wild card place for the Silverstone Moto2 World Championship round on June 18-20. “It’s a crazy time at the moment but exciting too,” said Bones. “We’ve got Moto2 machines in action all over the place and we’re really pleased with the teams and riders we’re working with, they all have the potential to succeed.”