FIM Moto2 World Championship Sachsenring, Germany July 15 Free Practice Two Results (all using Honda engines and Dunlop tires): 1. Thomas LUTHI, Switzerland (SUTER), 1:25.458 2. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (PONS KALEX), 1:25.460 3. Yuki TAKAHASHI, Japan (MORIWAKI), 1:25.468 4. Scott REDDING, Great Britain (SUTER), 1:25.529 5. Stefan BRADL, Germany (KALEX), 1:25.577 6. Marc MARQUEZ, Spain (SUTER), 1:25.628 7. Bradley SMITH, Great Britain (TECH 3), 1:25.632 8. Julian SIMON, Spain (SUTER), 1:25.647 9. Alex DE ANGELIS, San Marino (MOTOBI), 1:25.667 10. Mika KALLIO, Finland (SUTER), 1:25.760 11. Claudio CORTI, Italy (SUTER), 1:25.793 12. Michele PIRRO, Italy (MORIWAKI), 1:25.833 13. Simone CORSI, Italy (FTR), 1:25.962 14. Jordi TORRES, Spain (SUTER), 1:26.030 15. Yonny HERNANDEZ, Colombia (FTR), 1:26.080 16. Andrea IANNONE, Italy (SUTER), 1:26.099 17. Jules CLUZEL, France (SUTER), 1:26.110 18. Pol ESPARGARO, Spain (FTR), 1:26.138 19. Max NEUKIRCHNER, Germany (MZ-RE HONDA), 1:26.176 20. Esteve RABAT, Spain (FTR), 1:26.236 21. Xavier SIMEON, Belgium (TECH 3), 1:26.240 22. Mattia PASINI, Italy (FTR), 1:26.335 23. Dominique AEGERTER, Switzerland (SUTER), 1:26.400 24. Alex BALDOLINI, Italy (SUTER), 1:26.415 25. Mike DI MEGLIO, France (TECH 3), 1:26.440 26. Kenan SOFUOGLU, Turkey (SUTER), 1:26.664 27. Ratthapark WILAIROT, Thailand (FTR), 1:26.686 28. Randy KRUMMENACHER, Switzerland (KALEX), 1:26.732 29. Kenny NOYES, USA (FTR), 1:26.751 30. Anthony WEST, Australia (MZ-RE HONDA), 1:26.760 31. Ricard CARDUS, Spain (MORIWAKI), 1:26.798 32. Axel PONS, Spain (PONS KALEX), 1:27.118 33. Robertino PIETRI, Venezuela (SUTER), 1:27.271 34. Valentin DEBISE, France (FTR), 1:28.062 35. Santiago HERNANDEZ, Colombia (FTR), 1:28.419 36. Mashel AL NAIMI, Qatar (MORIWAKI), 1:28.977 37. Tommaso LORENZETTI, Italy (FTR), 1:29.292 38. Steven ODENDAAL, South Africa (SUTER), 1:29.306 39. Carmelo MORALES, Spain (SUTER), no time recorded More, from a press release issued by Marc VDS Racing: FLYING START FOR REDDING AND KALLIO AT SACHSENRING The Marc VDS Racing Team kicked off preparations for the German Moto2 round in brilliant fashion today, with Briton Scott Redding finishing just 0.071s away from the fastest time on the opening day of practice at the Sachsenring. And teammate Mika Kallio was also in sparkling form, the Finnish rider one of the fastest and most consistent riders on the tight, twisty and undulating 2.281 miles track to finish in 11th on the combined timesheets. Redding and Kallio were instantly able to set a competitive pace in this morning’s opening free practice. Although sunny and blue skies suggested ideal conditions, a strong wind and cold track temperatures presented the Marc VDS Racing duo with a tricky challenge. Both though were able to make significant progress with the set-up of their Suter MMXI machines, Redding gaining confidence with the front-end to set the fifth best time and Kallio working on improving his speed in the second timed sector to finish eighth. With further set-up tweaks ahead of this afternoon’s second session, run on a much hotter track as surface temperatures hit 38 degrees compared to just 22 this morning, Redding knocked over 0.4s off his best time to finish fourth quickest, just 0.071s behind fastest rider Thomas Luthi. Kallio was also in strong contention for a top six finish throughout, the 28-year-old focusing on improving acceleration performance in T2. He set a personal best of 1.25.760 to finish 11th overall, but encouragingly he was only 0.302s away from the fastest pace. Scott Redding #45 – 1.25.529 – 44 laps – 4th position “Today was much more like it and I’m really happy for the Marc VDS Racing Team because we’ve had a few tough races recently. It was important to bounce back quickly and come out strong from the start here and we managed that, so it is a good way to start the weekend. Now we must concentrate on continuing this form for the whole weekend. Right from the start this morning I felt confident on the bike, even though the cold track meant it didn’t feel like there was a lot of grip. With both sessions being dry, at least we got plenty of time to work on a few settings with the bike, which has been difficult with all the rain at the last three races. My feeling with the front is a lot better and even when I started to have a sliding problem on the edge in the longer corners, we made some improvements and I really put it together on my last lap to get in the top four. My confidence has been lifted and now I’m optimistic we can have a strong race on Sunday.” Mika Kallio #36 – 1.25.760 – 43 laps – 11th position “I’m very happy today, particularly because the gap to the front is only just over three-tenths, and that is the closest we have been to the top after the first day of practice in a long time. The position could be a little bit better than 11th but this gives us a lot of confidence for the rest of the weekend and we have reaped the benefit of a lot of hard work from the Marc VDS Racing Team in recent weeks to improve our package. I’m losing all my time in just two or three corners in the second section. I can’t accelerate as early as some of the other riders, so we need to check the details on the data to understand where I can gain some time. The main goal for tomorrow will be to improve in this area to try and get a good grid position because this track is so tight that you must be as high up the grid as possible to give yourself the best chance in the race.” Michael Bartholemy – Team Manager “That was exactly the response I was looking for from Scott and Mika after a difficult period and today they delivered the results the Marc VDS Racing Team deserves. We can’t escape from the fact that the last few races have been difficult and when this happens the pressure mounts. So when you have a good day like today the whole team gets a big boost and we are very happy. There is hardly any time between Scott and the fastest riders and Mika has been very fast and consistent. Now we have to make sure we build on today’s result to ensure we have a strong performance from both of them on Sunday. That would be the perfect reward for the Marc VDS Racing Team for all the hard work that’s been put in recently to improve our results.” More, from a press release issued by QMMF Racing Team: Cardús and Al-Naimi find rhythm and confidence QMMF Racing Team riders Mishal Al-Naimi and Ricky Cardús found their rhythm and confidence on the first day of practice for the German Grand Prix. 27-year-old Al-Naimi from Doha, Qatar tried a new set-up on his Moriwaki prototype and felt comfortable on the twists and bends of the unique Sachsenring. He will try to improve on his 36th position in tomorrow’s qualifying, once he sorted remaining issues with the gearing of his bike and with his tyre choice. 23-year-old Cardús from Barcelona, Spain, wasn’t worried about his provisional 31st place, either. Rather than chasing fast lap times on the first day of practice, he concentrated on finding the right settings for the race and is confident to be ready when it counts during Saturday afternoon’s qualifying session. Mashel Al-Naimi 36th in 1.28,977 “When I went out for the first practice this morning, I tried a different setting and had a better feeling for the front immediately. I tried to continue this way and to push in order to see if any problems would arise with these settings, but even though I did a total of 40 laps or more, I kept feeling comfortable. My main goal for tomorrow is to work on the gearing, because this is not easy on this track, especially in the first part where I am losing the most time. I am also not sure yet which tyre to use, soft or hard. I had a problem in the beginning because I destroyed two tyres very quickly. I did five laps on the soft and then five laps on the hard compound. Both tyres broke and I don’t know why!” Ricky Cardús 31st in 1.26,798 “Things didn’t go too well in the morning, but I remained calm and we managed to sort things out for the afternoon. We improved the set-up and my lap times got better. It is the first race weekend since Portugal where we work towards the race without getting nervous instead of trying to get a fast lap time in straight away. Little by little, we are working in a better direction and I have no doubt that we will see this work bear fruit in the race. I didn’t have much luck in the race last year, because I was knocked off by a bunch of other riders in the first turn. But otherwise, I feel comfortable on this circuit and have good information that we can use. If we manage to sort a few more things and then mount a new tyre in the qualification, we should be competitive!” More, from a press release issued by Itan Trans Racing Team: Twenty-six riders in just one second: Sachsenring is the shortest track of the season, and the short classifying that is typical in Moto2 here is even more extreme. Claudio got a 12th place which is a good starting point particularly because he’s just three tenth behind the fastest rider. Robertino made an important technical change. The outcome has been convincing and, as well as his team-mate, he want to consolidate and improve. Tomorrow, providing that the weather stays good, there will be a general improvement in performances. It will be of the utmost importance to keep it up and, if possible, make a step ahead. This will be crucial to define the quality of the job done, and to understand whether the step ahead is really deciding. Claudio Corti (1’25″793 12th) “My bike is OK, and I’m able to do a good job in the second half of the track. In the first one, on the contrary, I do not feel at ease when changing direction. I lose there all the three tenth of difference with the faster rider. But precisely this is convincing me that we can improve. There is a work to do, but we can improve. We must also find how to stress less the rear tire, because after 20 laps today it was almost destroyed. Robertino Pietri (1’27″271 34) “Today, for the first time we used a tire that I always rejected, before. It worked better then thought, in this condition. My feeling is good. Its limits seems to be that it doesn’t like to be ‘charged’; that is the main issue we have to examine”. Claudio Macciotta (Technical Director): “Our data shows that Corti loses in the first half because he’s too much aggressive. To improve, he has to modify a bit his riding style, while we have to find a set-up that can help him. Anyway we found a pretty good balance, and I’m convinced that this can be a good base to work upon. And the search for a good balance is at the same time the issue as far as Robertino is concerned”. Luigi Pansera (Team Manager): “Recently, we confronted often with ourselves, inside the team. We did all we could, and we brought in everything necessary to improve. And we are going to continue like that, to get our place in the first part of the board. The team is provided with quality and quantity. I’m convinced we can reach important targets. I’m also certain we must be open-minded and clear with ourselves and with the world that helps us in this adventure sponsors and fans. We are midway through the season; we must step forward right now, with an improvement that be sign of cohesion and capability. We must show we have character, and, tomorrow, confirm the good things we did today”. More, from a press release issued by JiR Moto2 Team: GP of Germany, first practice: De Angelis close to pole The tight and twisty Sachsenring circuit in Germany has further increased the competitiveness of the Moto2 class, which in the first two practice sessions today showed once again to be the fiercest-fought category with the main riders separated by a few tenths of a second. Twenty-five riders are covered by less than a second in the standings after the first day. The provisional leader is the Swiss rider Thomas Luthi with a time of 1’25 .458s, followed by Aleix Espargaro and Yuki Takahashi. Alex De Angelis started very well this morning, finding himself right at home with the MotoBI at the twisty German circuit, and he remained at the top of the standings and just before the end of the first 45 minutes his time of 1’25.542s gave him and the team provisional leadership of the classification. This was also his best time of the day, as in the second session he couldn’t improve the lap time taking 1’25.667s keeping him in 5th position in the combined calculation. Only 84 thousandths of a second separate him from the best time of Luthi, a sign that the top riders are extremely well balanced and a hope for a good qualifying tomorrow for the JiR rider. Alex DeAngelis It has been a good day, this morning I had the best time and also this afternoon I was always among the fastest, the times are all very close and I’m not far away from the pole. We had important things to note from the tyres, this afternoon I made the entire session with the same set and we found once again that the MotoBI and my riding style allows a safe management of tyre use, which is a good omen for the race. We have much telemetry data, from which one of the points is that we have a sector where we are much faster and others where I lose some time in a couple of braking areas. Tomorrow we will focus on these aspects in addition to a general refinement to improve further. The big challenge for tomorrow’s qualifying is to be able to line up the best partial times to pull out the fastest lap because we have seen that only two-tenths of a second can make the difference between starting from the first or fourth row and this of course may have an influence on the race.