FIM Moto2 World Championship Valencia, Spain November 5 Qualifying Results (dry-wet conditions, all using Honda engines and Dunlop tires): 1. Michele PIRRO, Italy (MORIWAKI), 1:37.067 2. Yuki TAKAHASHI, Japan (MORIWAKI), 1:37.076 3. Mika KALLIO, Finland (SUTER), 1:37.477 4. Stefan BRADL, Germany (KALEX), 1:37.870 5. Alex DE ANGELIS, San Marino (MOTOBI), 1:37.888 6. Thomas LUTHI, Switzerland (SUTER), 1:37.963 7. Dominique AEGERTER, Switzerland (SUTER), 1:38.095 8. Xavier SIMEON, Belgium (TECH 3), 1:38.182 9. Mike DI MEGLIO, France (TECH 3), 1:38.496 10. Simone CORSI, Italy (FTR), 1:38.565 11. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (PONS KALEX), 1:38.633 12. Bradley SMITH, Great Britain (TECH 3), 1:38.652 13. Pol ESPARGARO, Spain (FTR), 1:38.655 14. Scott REDDING, Great Britain (SUTER), 1:38.703 15. Jordi TORRES, Spain (SUTER), 1:38.924 16. Esteve RABAT, Spain (FTR), 1:38.936 17. Mattia PASINI, Italy (FTR), 1:39.096 18. Alex BALDOLINI, Italy (MORIWAKI), 1:39.293 19. Jules CLUZEL, France (SUTER), 1:39.309 20. Yonny HERNANDEZ, Colombia (FTR), 1:39.316 21. Julian SIMON, Spain (SUTER), 1:39.403 22. Anthony WEST, Australia (MZ-RE HONDA), 1:39.442 23. Kenny NOYES, USA (FTR), 1:39.549 24. Max NEUKIRCHNER, Germany (MZ-RE HONDA), 1:39.671 25. Andrea IANNONE, Italy (SUTER), 1:39.716 26. Claudio CORTI, Italy (SUTER), 1:39.743 27. Randy KRUMMENACHER, Switzerland (KALEX), 1:39.818 28. Raffaele DE ROSA, Italy (SUTER), 1:39.849 29. Kenan SOFUOGLU, Turkey (SUTER), 1:40.277 30. Valentin DEBISE, France (FTR), 1:40.368 31. Santiago HERNANDEZ, Colombia (FTR), 1:40.441 32. Joan OLIVE, Spain (FTR), 1:40.512 33. Robertino PIETRI, Venezuela (SUTER), 1:40.690 34. Oscar CLIMENT, Spain (MIR RACING), 1:40.953 35. Elena ROSELL, Spain (SUTER), 1:42.006 36. Ratthapark WILAIROT, Thailand (FTR), 1:42.317 37. Mashel AL NAIMI, Qatar (MORIWAKI), 1:42.627 38. Nasser Hasan AL MALKI, Qatar (MORIWAKI), 1:43.709 39. Axel PONS, Spain (PONS KALEX), no time recorded 40. Marc MARQUEZ, Spain (SUTER), no time recorded More, from a press release issued by Tech 3: Top 8 starting position for Siméon at season closing race of 2011 in Valencia The qualifying for the Generali GP de la Comunitat Valenciana in Cheste was a very short session, but went fortunately well for Xavier Siméon. After Siméon was not happy with the feeling with his Mistral 610 during the morning free practice his Tech3 B Team made some minor changes to the set up of the bike and immediately the Belgian Youngster felt big comfort and improvements and could battle for a Top 8 startin g position for tomorrow’s race. The Moto2 rookie feels comfortable with both settings dry and wet and is looking forward to tomorrow’s 27-lap race and hopes to finish it as high as possible to end his first full season for the Tech3 squad in the best possible way. Xavier Siméon, 8th position – 1’38.182: “žThis morning I did not have a good feeling with the bike a nd with the front tyre, when I entered the corners. We did not change much in the afternoon on the bike, but it was a big step. Directly after the start of the qualifying I felt much better, my feeling with the front tyre was immediately good and I had more grip with the rear tyre too. I had two fast laps. When I entered the box it was not raining, but then I saw the other riders entering their pits and that it had started to rain, so I just remained in the box and waited. The feeling with the bike was a lot better than this morning, but no matter what condition we have tomorrow, rain or dry, we are good with the settings. I am happy for my 8th starting position. This feels great after starting from 23rd or further back the last races and my target for tomorrow’s race is to finish in the Top 10.” More, from a press release issued by Tech 3: Rain disrupts Valencia preparations for Tech 3 Racing Rapidly changing weather conditions that have dominated the Valencia Grand Prix played a vital role again in this afternoon’s Moto2 qualifying session, with Mike di Meglio and Bradley Smith set to start the final race of 2011 from ninth and 12th on the grid respectively. The session started on a dry track but within seconds of the pitlane opening, rain spots started to fall on the tight and twisty Ricardo Tormo Circuit. Tech 3 Racing duo di Meglio and Smith pushed hard immediately on slick tyres, aware of the need to post a decent time before forecast rain showers disrupted the session. Both had completed just seven laps each when the heavy rain started, wetting the track sufficiently to prevent lap times being improved, even though 30 minutes of the session still remained. Frenchman di Meglio’s best lap of 1.38.496 secured him a place on the third row for his final appearance on the Mistral 610 machine. British rider Smith was less than 0.2s away from di Meglio and he will start four places further back for the 27-lap race. The 20-year-old has displayed immense determination and courage to be competing in the final round of the 2011 World Championship. It was only 15 days ago that he broke his left collarbone during practice for the Malaysian Grand Prix in Sepang, but his hard work and dedication to get fit paid off and he set a best time of 1.38.652. Mike di Meglio 9th 1.38.496 ; 7 laps: “The rain meant it was a very short session but I will start the race from ninth position and that is not a bad result. In those situations it is easy to be way down the grid, and getting in a fast lap time before the rain came was not easy. I had to pass a lot of slow riders and I was quite angry because I knew I could be a lot faster and been further up the grid. On my best lap I made a little mistake and it ended in a big high-side, so I can’t be too unhappy to be on the third row. Now we just have to wait and see what the weather will be like tomorrow because it has been changing constantly all weekend. Whatever the conditions I will be giving my maximum effort tomorrow in my last ride for Tech 3. My crew have supported me a lot this season and I am grateful for that, so hopefully I will be able to sign off with the best possible result.” Bradley Smith 12th 1.38.652 7 laps: “First of all I want to thank my trainer, my physio and also the Clinica Mobile staff for getting me out on track after I injured my shoulder in Sepang. This weekend has not been comfortable, but it is so nice to actually be here participating in the final round. The qualifying session was all about who wanted to take the most risks on a wet track. Considering I’m not at 100 per cent physically, I’m happy with 12th position and it means we have got a decent starting position for tomorrow and now we have to wait and see what will happen with the weather for the race. My objective is just to see the chequered flag. I have worked so hard to get here and the last thing I want to happen is another crash. We need to sign off this season in a positive way because it has been a fantastic rookie season. I’ve enjoyed the challenge a lot and being part of the Tech 3 T eam is fantastic. Once tomorrow’s race is out of the way we start preparing for 2012 on Monday and I’m excited about that.” More, from a press release issued by Mark VDS Racing Team: FANTASTIC FRONT ROW FOR KALLIO IN VALENCIA Mika Kallio will start the final round of the 2011 Moto2 World Championship in Valencia tomorrow from the front row of the grid after this afternoon’s qualifying session was severely disrupted by rain showers. Light rain was already falling when the Moto2 field took to the Ricardo Tormo track on slick tyres to commence the session. Determined to push hard to post a competitive time with rain inevitable, Kallio could not have timed his attack any better, the flying Finn producing a lap of 1.37.477 right before a heavy rain shower fell with over 30 minutes still left on the clock. The rain soaked the surface sufficiently enough to prevent lap times being improved upon and Kallio was able to celebrate his first Moto2 front row start and the third of the campaign for the Marc VDS Racing squad. Kallio has been one of the fastest and most consistent performers in wet and dry conditions so far this weekend, with the season ending GP Generali de la Comunitat Valenciana dominated by rapidly changing weather conditions. Kallio was just over 0.4s away from claiming a sensational pole position and he is confident he can fight for a podium whether tomorrow’s 27-lap race is wet or dry. Briton Scott Redding will start from the fifth row of the grid, the 18-year-old unfortunately unable to get clear track in the early stages of the session. He set a 1.38.703 on his fourth lap, but each time he pushed with conditions gradually worsening, he encountered traffic and had to settle for 14th. The rain intervention was particularly frustrating for Redding, as he had set the second best time in this morning’s third practice session, which took place on a dry track. Mika Kallio #36 – 1.37.477 -7 laps -3rd position “I am really happy to be on the front row for the first time and this has given us a great chance to finish the season with a really strong result. I don’t think it mattered what the conditions were like, I was confident I could be on the front row because I’ve been strong right from the first practice. When qualifying started there was a lot of cloud cover, so we expected rain. Even in the first two laps there were some drops at the last corner, so I knew I had to make a good lap time as quickly as possible. I took a risk by slowing down to find some space and luckily it paid off, because the clear track meant I could push to my maximum and we got on the front row. I am really happy for my Marc VDS Racing crew and hopefully tomorrow we can push for a podium to end the season positively.” Scott Redding #45 – 1.38.703 – 7 laps – 14th position “I’m a little bit frustrated that I am down in 14th and it is not an ideal place to be on the grid. I’ve found some confidence in the rain this weekend and I was very fast in the dry this morning, so I went into qualifying looking at least to be on the second row. It was obvious the rain was going to play a big part in the session so everybody was pushing hard in the first few laps to get in a decent time. But each time I tried to push harder there was a lot of traffic. I know 14th is a false position and I’m confident that rain or shine tomorrow we will be battling at the front to end the season in positive fashion.” Michael Bartholemy – Team Manager “This weekend has been very tough because the weather conditions have been changing constantly, though in both the wet and the dry Mika and Scott were very competitive. Mika did a fantastic job in qualifying because there was already some rain falling when he pushed hard on slick tyres. He used all his experience, skill and bravery to claim a brilliant front row. He has been fast in all conditions so we are optimistic that he can battle for the podium to sign off 2011 in style. I was also delighted with Scott because yesterday he was very fast in the wet, and that has been an issue for him this season. His hard work to improve in the wet has paid off but unfortunately he missed out on the chance to improve his time before the rain came down hard this afternoon. He was second this morning in the dry and only 0.1s behind the new World Champion, so the rain didn’t help him. But I think whatever the weather tomorrow both Marc VDS Racing Team riders will be fighting for the podium.” More, from a press release issued by JiR Moto2 Team: GP of Valencia, qualifying Today saw the last qualifying of 2011 for the Moto2 riders at the circuit of Valencia, all grappling with the ever-changing weather conditions. The two sessions were held today with a damp track but nevertheless allowed the riders to run with dry set-ups, but requiring particular sensitivity as to the racing line. The response of the qualifying session placed Alex De Angelis in 5th position, thanks to the time of 1’37.888, taken early on by exploiting the best conditions. Thanks also to the tests carried out on the circuit, rider and technicians have been able to experience and develop the set-ups for the MotoBI, ready in case of rain and dry, and the second row is a position that leaves open the possibility to win third place in Championship. Alex DeAngelis I am satisfied with the day and I must say also with the grid position. The conditions are very difficult to interpret because we are at the mercy of very weird weather, however in the dry this morning I managed to do some good times. This means that our MotoBI’s performance in both dry and wet is good and I’m quite confident for the race. In qualifying we tried to get the best before the track became too wet, already at the green light it began to rain so I tried to do my best as soon as possible, we started with the dry set-up and at the end it has paid off. Fifth place is fine with me: it is a position from which we can still play all our cards. The goal tomorrow is obviously winning third place in the World Championship, but even before this I’ll think to make a good race that concludes in a good way a season that I personally consider as positive. More, from a press release issued by QMMF Racing Team: Al Naimi 37th, Al Malki 38th: Early rain spoils qualifying for QMMF Racing Team QMMF Racing Team riders Mashel Al Naimi and Nasser Hasan Al Malki, who had finished the first day of qualifying for the season-ending Grand Prix of Valencia on a high note, were not able to repeat their strong performances when it counted in qualifying for the race on Sunday. The riders of the Moto2 category had only time for three flying laps before rain set in and made it impossible to further improve the lap times. Al Naimi set his fastest time on his second lap to qualify in 37th position, Al Malki clocked his best time on his third lap to qualify in 38th place. “This final qualifying session of the season was very strange in terms of weather conditions”, said team coordinator Luis Solano. “We don’t expect a top result of Nasser who is here to replace Ricky Cardús. We just want him to have some more laps and to gain more experience with these Moto2 bikes, so his starting position doesn’t really matter too much. Mashel surprised us yesterday with eleventh position in free practice, but due to the conditions today, he wasn’t able to repeat that performance. So far, it was a strange weekend for everybody!” Mashel Al Naimi 37th in 1.42,627 “This morning, I didn’t feel good on the bike. We had changed to a harder suspension set-up on the rear and thought this would help me to go faster, but it made the bike worse. So we went back to the softer spring. When I went out in qualifying with the softer set-up and the soft rear tyre, the bike felt much better again. But before I was able to push, it started to rain and there was nothing I could do to improve my grid position. The good thing is that I felt comfortable on the bike again, quite like I did yesterday. Rainy conditions seem to be better for me on this track. But even though, I hope for a dry race tomorrow!” Nasser Hasan Al Malki 38th in 1.43,709 “It was not very nice today because of the rain, and since the track was not completely wet, either, it didn’t make sense to just do laps without learning much. For tomorrow, I hope it keeps raining, because I didn’t have much dry track time at all. I have quite a good feeling with the bike in the wet, but not in dry conditions!” More, from a press release issued by Italtrans/AGP Racing: Grand Prix of Comunitat Valenciana Valencia, 4th – 6th November 2011, Qualifying Practice Claudio Corti (1’39″743 – 26th) Robertino Pietri (1’40″690 – 33rd) From Friday night to Saturday morning, a big change. And not for better. Claudio Corti suffers for problems never experienced the day before, and rain did not help in the afternoon, in qualifying, he was able to complete only seven laps, and Robertino just five. Claudio Corti: “We are in a totally unexpected situation. Yesterday our bike was great – I cannot understand why today we are in such a totally different situation. We suffer a strange chattering a kind of chattering noticeable mainly when we bend the bike the most we bend, the most we are in trouble”. Robertino Pietri: “I went off with a set-up different from the previous one. We wanted to test it, but with so few laps completed, we had no chance to understand too much. I could not even understand my feeling with it. But I’ve the idea that we are not in a bad situation”. Claudio Macciotta (Technical Director): “There isn’t that much to say, unfortunately. We are working hard to understand what went wrong, and fix it. We are going to take a decision, and verify it tomorrow morning, in the warmup”. More, from a press release issued by Kenny Noyes’ publicist: Traffic And Rain Hampers Kenny Noyes In Strong Qualifying At Valencia A mixture of traffic and Valencia’s fickle weather prevented Kenny Noyes and his Avintia-STX team from receiving the reward they deserved for their hard work over the weekend. The American has been strong throughout practice in both wet and dry conditions, ending 6th overall on Friday in the rain and 19th in the dry morning session, just a few tenths of a second off the top 10 and with a fast and consistent pace. Kenny and his Avintia-STX team chose the right strategy for qualifying, Kenny going out early while the track was still dry and pushing hard on his FOGI-Racing FTR, sitting comfortably in the top 10. But he ran into traffic on his third lap, and by the time he got past them it had started to rain properly, making it impossible for Kenny to improve his time. That one lap of traffic cost Kenny a lot of places, leaving the American to start from the 8th row of the grid. With his confidence high, Kenny Noyes goes into the last race of the season aiming to get well into the points. A strong finish would be more than just rewards for all of the hard work throughout 2011. Kenny Noyes 23rd, Fastest Lap: 1’39.549 Kenny said, “It’s been a good weekend in general. The conditions are real tricky and you’ve got to be real alert out there, because right about where you get comfortable on this track is where the wheels go out from under you.” “We’ve had a pretty good pace all weekend, yesterday in the wet and then this morning in the dry also. We knew it was going to rain the afternoon, so I went out there and pushed hard, but we were unlucky with the traffic and the rain. It’s hard when you just get three shots at it right out of the box, but I think we did a good job and the team had the right strategy.” “I think tomorrow whether it’s wet or dry we’ll be in good shape. The goal is the same goal it’s been all year, just go out and get some points. We’re definitely close here, and it would be nice to end the season with a good result.”