FIM Moto2 World Championship Jerez, Spain April 28, 2012 Qualifying Results (all using Honda engines and Dunlop tires): 1. Marc MARQUEZ, Spain (SUTER), 1:43.005 2. Takaaki NAKAGAMI, Japan (KALEX), 1:43.085 3. Pol ESPARGARO, Spain (KALEX), 1:43.273 4. Thomas LUTHI, Switzerland (SUTER), 1:43.310 5. Mika KALLIO, Finland (KALEX), 1:43.367 6. Claudio CORTI, Italy (KALEX), 1:43.396 7. Esteve RABAT, Spain (KALEX), 1:43.651 8. Mike DI MEGLIO, France (SPEED UP), 1:43.778 9. Randy KRUMMENACHER, Switzerland (KALEX), 1:43.858 10. Johann ZARCO, France (MOTOBI), 1:43.959 11. Alex DE ANGELIS, San Marino (SUTER), 1:44.052 12. Scott REDDING, UK (KALEX), 1:44.144 13. Andrea IANNONE, Italy (SPEED UP), 1:44.204 14. Max NEUKIRCHNER, Germany (KALEX), 1:44.212 15. Dominique AEGERTER, Switzerland (SUTER), 1:44.223 16. Toni ELIAS, Spain (SUTER), 1:44.254 17. Xavier SIMEON, Belgium (TECH 3), 1:44.308 18. Simone CORSI, Italy (FTR), 1:44.354 19. Bradley SMITH, UK (TECH 3), 1:44.406 20. Ricard CARDUS, Spain (AJR), 1:44.532 21. Roberto ROLFO, Italy (SUTER), 1:44.640 22. Yuki TAKAHASHI, Japan (SUTER), 1:44.719 23. Gino REA, UK (MORIWAKI), 1:45.095 24. Angel RODRIGUEZ, Spain (FTR), 1:45.309 25. Julian SIMON, Spain (SUTER), 1:45.538 26. Axel PONS, Spain (KALEX), 1:45.607 27. Alexander LUNDH, Sweden (MZ-RE HONDA), 1:45.834 28. Nicolas TEROL, Spain (SUTER), 1:45.961 29. Anthony WEST, Australia (MORIWAKI), 1:46.117 30. Ratthapark WILAIROT, Thailand (MORIWAKI), 1:46.211 31. Elena ROSELL, Spain (MORIWAKI), 1:47.284 32. Marco COLANDREA, Switzerland (FTR), 1:47.304 More, from a press release issued by Speed Master: QP FOR JEREZ GRAND PRIX: THIRTEENTH SPOT FOR IANNONE, EIGHTH FOR DI MEGLIO ON DRY TRACK The starting grid for the Grand Prix of Jerez de la Frontera was defined today, with the qualifying session for this second event of the Moto2 2012 season. The last free practice session was favourable and effective for Speed Master riders, who both were among the protagonists of the morning under the rain: the setting chosen by both crews for the wet proved to be effective on the Spanish track. After grabbing the third best lap time of free practice n. 3, a technical problem slowed down the work in the qualifying session for Andrea Iannone and his crew, preventing him from taking full advantage of the time at disposal. The rider from Vasto ended the session with the thirteenth time, and tomorrow he’ll start from the fifth row. Mike di Meglio and his technicians worked on some modifications for today, which helped the Frenchman in improving his feeling with the Speed Up machine. Mike was competitive in both the sessions of today, setting good lap times: di Meglio will start from the third row in tomorrow’s race. Andrea Iannone #29 – 13th with 1’44.204 “In the qualifying session of today we had an anomalous problem, which we never had in the previous practices. The crew is now checking the bike to understand what caused it and then to solve it. It’s a shame because we would have had the chance to start from a better grid position. In any case it’s tomorrow’s race what counts, as usual we’ll do our best and we’ll see if it’s a dry or a wet race.” Mike di Meglio #63 – 8th with 1’43.778 “I’m really happy because today things went well. We tried out some new choices and the result was easy to notice on wet track. On dry track results didn’t come as easy as in the morning, it was tough to set my fast lap: we’ll try to take advantage of the setting information we have from the tests, so we can try to improve before the race. This morning I crashed out and I hurt my left hand, but luckily I still can ride with no trouble: I did my best to try to get a good spot on the grid. Now we can only wait and see what the weather is like tomorrow.” More, from a press release issued by Marc VDS Racing Team: Jerez, Spain – 28th April 2012: Mika Kallio will start tomorrow’s Spanish Grand Prix from the second row of the grid, after qualifying the Marc VDS Racing Team’s Kalex Moto2 machine in fifth position this afternoon. A crash during qualifying means that Scott Redding will start tomorrow’s race from 12th position on the grid. Kallio set the fastest time in yesterday’s second free practice, which was held in mixed conditions, but struggled with a lack of front-end feel from his Kalex Moto2 machine during this morning’s fully wet session. A change of forks for this qualifying transformed the bike, with Kallio immediately matching the pace of the fastest riders. The 29-year-old Finn posted the second quickest time halfway through qualifying, but was eventually pushed back to fifth by the end of the 45-minute session. Redding got qualifying off to a flying start by topping the timesheet early in the session. The 19-year-old Briton continued to post consistently fast laps, but was pushed down the order as he struggled with a less than perfect set-up. While pushing to secure a front row start towards the end of qualifying, Redding clipped the white line at the ultra-fast Sito Pons corner and crashed uninjured. With the bike too damaged to continue the Marc VDS rider was forced to settle for 12th position and the fourth row of the grid for tomorrow’s 26-lap race. Livio Loi, who this season is backed by the Marc VDS Racing Team, finished his first ever Rookies race in the points. The Belgian rider, who celebrated his 15th birthday yesterday, fought this way through the field after a bad start to finish a creditable 13th, on a track he hadn’t seen ahead of free practice yesterday. Loi will return to the track tomorrow for the second Rookies race, which he will start with the aim of breaking into the top ten. Mika Kallio #36: 5th – 1’43.367 “We received some new front forks for this race, but the feeling wasn’t so good with them especially in the wet. We persevered, but after making no progress we switched back to the forks we used during preseason testing for qualifying. The improvement was immediate. This afternoon I was able to put in the lap times on my own, without following anyone, so I know I have the pace for tomorrow’s race. Yes, it would have been nice to start from the front row of the grid tomorrow but there are just tenths in it, so starting the race from the second row isn’t going to make any difference to the outcome.” Scott Redding #45: 12th – 1’44.144 “Well, that didn’t quite go according to plan! I started well, but as the pace increased I was struggling more and more to get the bike to hold a line. Heading into turn five on a fast lap the bike just drifted onto the slippery white line and the front got away from me. I managed to save it and pick it up, but by then I was in the gravel and heading straight for the wall, so jumping off seemed the safest option. Everyone is talking about the weather tomorrow, but I don’t really care. Rain or shine, it’s all the same to me, I just need to push from the start and try and make up places like I did in Qatar three weeks ago.” Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal “Mika did a great job today. It was the first time on dry track for everyone this afternoon in qualifying, so Mika and his crew did well to get the bike dialled in so quickly. If the weather is the same tomorrow then I’m confident he has the pace to run at the front. Scott was unlucky in qualifying. He just touched a white line that was still a bit wet from the brief shower we had ahead of qualifying and down he went. Starting from the fourth row of the grid won’t be easy, but he showed in Qatar he’s capable of fighting his way through the field and I expect he will do exactly the same tomorrow.” More, from a press release issued by QMMF Racing: Dry conditions create new problems for Anthony West and Elena Rosell After their strong results in wet conditions on Friday, QMMF Racing Team riders Anthony West and Elena Rosell ran into difficulties when the Jerez circuit dried up for the Moto2 qualifying session. West dropped back to 29th position, Rosell ended up in 31st place on the starting grid for the race on Sunday. At the same time, both riders are confident to get a lot faster with the introduction of further modifications to their Moriwaki bikes in the near future. Anthony West 29th in 1.46,117 “We made some big changes between the Qatar Grand Prix and now. Qualifying practice today gave us the first chance to ride with these changes in dry conditions and we are still trying to find our way with the settings to suit these changes. It was a difficult practice because there were sill a few wet patches around the track which made it a big risky, but also because we are still in the process of finding the right settings for this frame. I already suggested to Moriwaki to make some more and drastic changes to the bike. Once they are done, we are going to be a lot faster for sure. I am pretty confident that we know exactly what is wrong, we just need time to fix it. If I had this time in pre-season testing, it would be a different story now. In the race tomorrow, we will do the best we can!” Elena Rosell 31st in 1.47,284 “Qualifying today was our only dry practice session this weekend, and since I crashed in dry conditions at the IRTA tests one month ago, it was difficult for me to push. Due to the cold conditions and the recent rainfall, the pace in general was slower than during these tests. But more than anything else, we still have some problems with our Moriwaki bike to sort out. I hope that we can make progress step by step despite the fact that I don’t have a lot of experience with this bike and the Moto2 machines in general. I really tried to concentrate on riding fast, but the bike was moving a lot and it was also difficult for me to enter the turns. I did whatever I could. Of course I wanted to do more but it didn’t turn out the way I would have liked it to. It’s also difficult to work on the set-up in the same session in which you are supposed to push for a fast qualifying time. I hope that both of us, Anthony and I, can make progress tomorrow, because right now, we are not where we want to be!” More, from a press release issued by Avintia Racing: Julián Simón will start from the back row tomorrow as he crashed today Jerez de la Frontera, 28 April 2012. Fortune did not smile on Julián Simón in today´s Moto2 qualifying practice in Jerez. Villacañas rider crashed shortly after the start which was detrimental to his qualifying session which was definitely not up to his standards. Although his mechanics worked frantically and quickly repaired the bike Julián did not manage to get a better spot on tomorrow´s starting grid in the short time remaining before the session came to an end. And still Simón is optimistic about the race. 60 Julián Simón (25º 1.45.538 +2.533): “It has been my first outing in the dry with this chassis and the crash did not allow me to ride enough so as to adapt to the bike in these conditions. I crashed and it has ruined our plans. It has really harmed us. I managed to get back on the track thanks to the mechanics and their hard work and although I managed to improve a little, that did not prove to be enough. If it rains tomorrow we will have serious chances. If the race is in the dry we will need to refine the settings but I am sure we´ll eventually make it.” More, from a press release issued by Team Aspar: RAIN AND WIND AFFECT ELÍAS AND TEROL IN SPANISH GP QUALIFYING Elías confident of finding extra tenths tomorrow, whilst Terol continues to adapt to new class. The MAPFRE ASPAR TEAM features two Spanish riders and both were looking for a positive performance in qualifying for their home GP, although difficult conditions once again hindered their progress at Jerez. Terol had performed well in preseason testing, but he was unable to improve upon his times from that visit on a track which alternated between fully wet and partially damp. Keen to do better in Spain than his debut at Losail three weeks ago, last season’s 125cc World Champion has not had it easy so far at his home round. He took 28th place on the grid, although a fully wet race on Sunday means that Terol is not out of the hunt for points with the unpredictability of such a contest. Teammate Toni Elías placed higher up the order in sixteenth, although he was also getting to grips with the Suter machine at a tricky track. The MAPFRE ASPAR Suter does not create as much tyre wear as other machines, which may play into the former Moto2 World Champion’s hands on race day. His crew elected against wholesale changes in order to create continuity for Sunday, but have some new ideas about the direction to take their setup in the future. Morning warmup and the Moto3 race will give riders a better idea about what to expect at 12.20pm local time, when the first European Moto2 contest of the year begins at Jerez. Pole position for the race today went to World Championship leader and homerider, Márc Márquez. 16th Toni Elias (1.44.254s, 20 laps): “It’s not easy in either set of conditions. I am having the same problem in the wet as in the dry, but with water on the track the issue increases in difficulty. I am missing a lot of grip in the front and we think that this is emanating from the rear. We only have the morning warmup to improve things, but they will be 20 important minutes for us. We are going to try and find some pace from somewhere -up to half a second. If we manage this, then I think that we will be looking at a good race here; if not, then we will suffer like in Qatar. I don’t want it to rain, as I always prefer to ride in the dry.” 28th Nico Terol (1.45.961s, 20 laps): “I am putting a lot of pressure on myself -I want to go faster than I can at the moment. I need to relax, sit down and study the data in order to see where we can take steps forward tomorrow. I want the progress made in preseason to show at these races, which is difficult. I just need to think about my riding, which I show we will progress. I am going too hard into the corners, then running wide. I hope that I can have fun tomorrow and I want to have a good start. The goal is to know that I have given 100%” More, from a press release issued by JiR Moto2 Team: Zarco will start from 10th place in tomorrow’s GP of Spain The sun finally dried the circuit in Jerez de la Frontera for Moto2’s official qualifying. The rider of the JiR Team, the Frenchman Johann Zarco, after being right at the top in the three free practice sessions in the wet, also managed to get a good feeling for the dry track and ended his qualifying in 10th place with a time of 1m 43.959s, just less than a second from the ‘pole man’ Marc Marquez. Thus Zarco reaches his objective of a top-10 position, highlighting an improvement of feeling with his MotoBI, a crucial element considering the variable weather that is expected tomorrow. Johann is well supported by his team, which is good, as tomorrow the race will demand all riders to adapt quickly to the weather conditions and the team will work hard to give him the best available package. Johann Zarco I’m happy for how the session went and also for the 10th place. I’ve been at the top of standings in all the three free practice sessions taking advantage of the intense winter training I did, that gave me a better feeling with my machine in the wet. In the dry, just like in qualifying, we’re still a little behind, other competitors, who can already count on proven points of reference on the track that lets them be faster while I still need some more experience so I can push my limits further. If tomorrow the race will be dry we won’t make major changes on my MotoBI because I feel it is already comfortable enough, I need to work on my reference points on track to push harder. My objective is still to finish in the top ten, of course I will fight to arrive as far ahead as possible but I don’t want to be too aggressive and risk making mistakes. We need to proceed with our plan of making steady steps forward, always progressing. Being consistent is our main objective at this stage. More, from a press release issued by Team Federal Oil Gresini Moto2: BABY STEPS FOR REA AT JEREZ Team Federal Oil rider Gino Rea was able to make minor improvements on the second day of the Spanish Grand Prix, qualifying in 23rd place. The Brit has yet to gain full confidence with his Moriwaki machine but is hopeful that he can continue building in tomorrow’s race. Gino Rea. (23rd 1′ 45″ 095) “It doesn’t help us that we’ve had three wet sessions here this weekend because we haven’t had the opportunity to improve the bike as much as we would like. We were making some progress this afternoon but I was having to push very hard to improve the lap time then I made a small mistake in turn two and crashed. I could have gone a little faster but I still feel we’re a long way from where we should be. It’s tough because the other riders have data from the test that they can fall back on but we don’t because our bike is totally new. Hopefully we’ll have a dry warm-up so we can try to improve the bike but for the race it’s a case of getting the best possible result whatever the weather.” Fausto Gresini “We still haven’t found the right way with this bike but at least we have made some small improvements. Clearly it isn’t enough for Gino to ride to his limit yet but we’re working on it.” More, from a press release issued by Team Thai Honda Gresini Moto2: WILAIROT DISAPPOINTED AND UPSET AFTER QUALIFYING PROBLEMS Ratthapark Wilairot suffered another frustrating day today, struggling to find any feeling or confidence with his Moriwaki machine at Jerez. Confidence is at a low ebb for the Thai rider, who could only qualify 30th quickest and needs a dramatic turnaround in fortunes ahead of tomorrow’s Spanish Grand Prix. Ratthapark Wilairot (30th 1′ 46″ 211) “I don’t know what to say! I can;t ride this bike as I would like and can’t see a short term solution. It’s a real shame.” Fausto Gresini “We have to look at the data and work out how to solve this situation. I am disappointed for ‘Feem’ but sure that we can find a solution soon and help him make the most of his talent.” More, from a press release issued by Tech 3: Simeon and Smith ready for top 10 challenge in Jerez Xavier Simeon and Bradley Smith are confident they can deliver a double top 10 finish for the Tech 3 Racing Team in tomorrow’s Jerez Moto2 race after a difficult qualifying session this afternoon. Simeon’s quest to register his first World Championship points of the season will commence from 17th position on the grid after he set a best time of 1.44.308 in easily the best conditions of a weekend badly disrupted by rain. The Moto2 qualifying session took place on a full dry track, presenting Simeon and Smith with their first oppor tunity to work on the set-up of the Mistral 610 machine on Dunlop slick tyres. Simeon was confident of fighting for a top 10 place on the grid but he encountered a lack of rear grip under acceleration, with the rain that disrupted practice resulting in low grip levels. His time was less than 0.4s outside of the top 10 and he will start two places higher up the grid than team-mate Smith. The British rider’s session didn’t go according to plan and his bid to qualify close to the top six was thwarted by a crash with just 10 minutes remaining. He was unhurt in the spill and managed to return to the track thanks to the lightning quick work of his Tech 3 Racing crew and he set a best time of 1.44.406 to finish less than 0.1s behind Simeon. Xavier Simeon 17th 1.44.308 18 laps: “I am a little disappointed because I had a very strange feeling during qualifying and it wasn’t anything that I encountered during the pre-season testing at this track. I was lacking grip on the exit of the corner and even if I tried to ride very clean and smooth, I struggled a lot. I wanted to start from a top 10 position and maybe with a bit more luck we would have been able to manage it. I would prefer a wet race tomorrow because I’m sure we will be fast and competitive in the rain. But even with dry conditions I am confident I will be able to climb up several positions and be battling inside the top 10. That has to be my target and I will be giving my maximum effort to make sure it happens.” Bradley Smith 19th 1.44.406 – 18 laps: “Today wasn’t ideal preparations for the race and starting from 19th we know is going to make it more tricky when the times are so close. We were still able to learn a lot today and that will be very helpful for future races. To be honest I would prefer a wet race tomorrow because we are a lot stronger in the rain. There are a lot opportunities to pass here in the wet, so I’m not worried about that and I will get my head down and attack right from the start. I was very fast in the rain here last year, so hopefully if it is raining I can produce another performance like that to put today behind us with a good result.”