FIM MotoGP World Championship/Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas
Circuit of The Americas
Austin, Texas
April 11, 2015
Qualifying Results (all using Bridgestone tires):
From Qualifying One (top two advance to Qualifying Two):
1. Andrea IANNONE, Italy (DUCATI GP15), 2:03.644
2. Maverick VIÑALES, Spain (SUZUKI GSX-RR), 2:03.878
3. Hector BARBERA, Spain (DUCATI GP14), 2:03.926
4. Stefan BRADL, Germany (FORWARD YAMAHA), 2:04.275
5. Yonny HERNANDEZ, Colombia (DUCATI GP14), 2:04.313
6. Mike DI MEGLIO, France (DUCATI GP14), 2:04.392
7. Eugene LAVERTY, Ireland (HONDA RC213V-RS), 2:04.875
8. Hiroshi AOYAMA, Japan (HONDA RC213V), 2:05.086
9. Jack MILLER, Australia (HONDA RC213V-RS), 2:05.156
10. Loris BAZ, France (FORWARD YAMAHA), 2:05.214
11. Karel ABRAHAM, Czech Republic (HONDA RC213V-RS), 2:05.261
12. Nicky HAYDEN, USA (HONDA RC213V-RS), 2:05.569
13. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (APRILIA RS-GP), 2:05.595
14. Alex DE ANGELIS, San Marino (ART-APRILIA), 2:06.145
15. Marco MELANDRI, Italy (APRILIA RS-GP), 2:07.267
From Qualifying Two:
1. Marc MARQUEZ, Spain (HONDA RC213V), 2:02.135 (new Circuit Best Lap Record)
2. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (DUCATI GP15), 2:02.474
3. Jorge LORENZO, Spain (YAMAHA YZR-M1), 2:02.540
4. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (YAMAHA YZR-M1), 2:02.573
5. Cal CRUTCHLOW, UK (HONDA RC213V), 2:02.613
6. Scott REDDING, UK (HONDA RC213V), 2:02.674
7. Andrea IANNONE, Italy (DUCATI GP15), 2:02.792
8. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (SUZUKI GSX-RR), 2:02.869
9. Pol ESPARGARO, Spain (YAMAHA YZR-M1), 2:03.161
10. Bradley SMITH, UK (YAMAHA YZR-M1), 2:03.440
11. Danilo PETRUCCI, Italy (DUCATI GP14), 2:03.741
12. Maverick VIÑALES, Spain (SUZUKI GSX-RR), 2:03.754
Combined Qualifying Results:
1. Marc MARQUEZ, Spain (HONDA RC213V), 2:02.135 (new Circuit Best Lap Record)
2. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (DUCATI GP15), 2:02.474
3. Jorge LORENZO, Spain (YAMAHA YZR-M1), 2:02.540
4. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (YAMAHA YZR-M1), 2:02.573
5. Cal CRUTCHLOW, UK (HONDA RC213V), 2:02.613
6. Scott REDDING, UK (HONDA RC213V), 2:02.674
7. Andrea IANNONE, Italy (DUCATI GP15), 2:02.792
8. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (SUZUKI GSX-RR), 2:02.869
9. Pol ESPARGARO, Spain (YAMAHA YZR-M1), 2:03.161
10. Bradley SMITH, UK (YAMAHA YZR-M1), 2:03.440
11. Danilo PETRUCCI, Italy (DUCATI GP14), 2:03.741
12. Maverick VIÑALES, Spain (SUZUKI GSX-RR), 2:03.754
13. Hector BARBERA, Spain (DUCATI GP14), 2:03.926
14. Stefan BRADL, Germany (FORWARD YAMAHA), 2:04.275
15. Yonny HERNANDEZ, Colombia (DUCATI GP14), 2:04.313
16. Mike DI MEGLIO, France (DUCATI GP14), 2:04.392
17. Eugene LAVERTY, Ireland (HONDA RC213V-RS), 2:04.875
18. Hiroshi AOYAMA, Japan (HONDA RC213V), 2:05.086
19. Jack MILLER, Australia (HONDA RC213V-RS), 2:05.156
20. Loris BAZ, France (FORWARD YAMAHA), 2:05.214
21. Karel ABRAHAM, Czech Republic (HONDA RC213V-RS), 2:05.261
22. Nicky HAYDEN, USA (HONDA RC213V-RS), 2:05.569
23. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (APRILIA RS-GP), 2:05.595
24. Alex DE ANGELIS, San Marino (ART-APRILIA), 2:06.145
25. Marco MELANDRI, Italy (APRILIA RS-GP), 2:07.267
More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:
Dramatic Austin qualifying as Marquez takes pole in final moments with record lap
Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez has taken his first pole position of 2015 in sensational fashion for tomorrow’s Red Bull GP of The Americas. His teammate, Hiroshi Aoyama – standing in for Dani Pedrosa – qualified in 18th for the twenty one lap race.
With rain threatening to arrive at anytime, the MotoGP riders were thankful to have a dry day at the Austin track after yesterday’s difficult conditions. Marc led this morning’s FP3 and FP4 and confirmed his place in Q2. Hiroshi improved throughout the day but was unable to reach Q2 and sealed his 6th row start from 18th place with his time of 2’05.086.
As the 15-minute Q2 session got underway, Marc took provisional pole on his first exit. After returning to the pits for a fresh rear tyre, Marc exited back on track but encountered a warning light on his dashboard, so as a safety measure he switched the bike off, HRC engineers are looking into this issue. Thankfully this happened on the pit straight and Marc was able to sprint back to his garage to jump on his second bike. The fast reactions of his team meant the bike was already running as he approached the garage and with 2’27 remaining Marc made it back out on track – demoted to 7th as other riders posted faster laps.
He passed the start / finish line with seconds to spare and immediately pushed his Honda RC213V to the limit. Marc lit up the timing screens in all sectors and took a stunning pole position with his time of 2’02.135 smashing his own record from 2014 by over half a second (2’02.773) and 0.339 faster than second place Dovizioso.
Marc Marquez
1ST 2’02.135
“I’m happy, because after having a problem we were able to come back and set the fastest time. It was rather different to what we are used to, because when I crossed the line for the first time with the second tyre I saw a warning light on the bike. When that happens, we are normally advised to shut off the engine. I was able to get out again on the second bike and cross the line right at the cut-off point to put in a final lap, which worked out well for us. It’s important, because tomorrow we are expecting an eventful race with the unstable weather conditions. If the race is dry, then I’m ready. If it’s wet, then we will have to see how things go in the moment!”
Hiroshi Aoyama
18TH 2’05.086
“Today we were fortunate to have dry conditions all day and in each session I have improved but it wasn’t easy. During qualifying I had an issue with chatter but still bettered my time, however, it wasn’t enough to get a good grid position. I still have room to improve in time for tomorrow’s race so I hope it’s dry. I’ll try to find a few tenths in different places to allow me to move up in the standings.”
More, from a press release issued by Marc VDS Racing Team:
Second row for fast improving Redding
Austin, Texas – 11 April 2015: Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider, Scott Redding, will start tomorrow’s Grand Prix of the Americas from the second row of the grid, after qualifying sixth with an impressive final flying lap.
Redding secured his place in today’s second 15-minute qualifying session with a time of 2’03.946 and ninth place in FP3 this morning, but the 22-year-old Briton improved on this time by more than a second in qualifying to secure his best grid position since stepping up to the premier MotoGP class in 2014.
The weather has been unpredictable in Austin all weekend, with the threat of rain ever present during today’s free practice and qualifying sessions. Today conditions remained dry, but the forecast for race day tomorrow is for more changeable weather.
While Redding would prefer a dry race, he is unconcerned should the weather take a turn for the worse tomorrow, having finished second yesterday in the only fully wet free practice session of the weekend.
Scott Redding: 6th – 2’02.674
“Finally we’re finding our way with this bike. We struggled a lot in Qatar, but at least we left there with an idea of which direction we needed to go in and I think the lap times here show that it’s the right one. Each session we’ve improved, gone a little bit faster and closed the gap just a little bit more to the guys in front, while my race pace over the longer runs has also been good. Now we need to keep working in the same way, improving step by step. We know the weather could do anything tomorrow. It could be dry, it could be wet or we could end up with a flag-to-flag race. My pace has been good in both the dry and the wet and every time I’ve returned to pit lane in the sessions this weekend I’ve practiced the bike change so, while I’d prefer a dry race tomorrow, we’re well prepared whatever the weather throws at us.”
Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal
“Scott has done a great job bouncing back from what was for him a disappointing and frustrating first race in Qatar. He and his crew have taken the lessons learnt in Qatar and applied them well here in Austin, as the lap times in both wet and dry conditions show quite clearly. Scott’s confidence is back and with that he’s able to get the best from a bike that, while obviously competitive, has taken him some time to master. If Scott can carry the momentum from qualifying into the race tomorrow then there is no limit on what he can achieve.”
More, from a press release issued by Aprilia:
SATURDAY MOTOGP QUALIFIERS AT AUSTIN. BAUTISTA ENDS THE DAY IN 23rd PLACE, 25th FOR MELANDRI
Austin (USA), 11 April 2015 – In the final free practice sessions (FP3 and FP4) and in the qualifying session that determines the starting grid order, Aprilia Racing Team Gresini continued working on development of the RS-GP bikes.
After finishing in 19th place in FP3, Bautista had to forego the bike he had used for that time due to a technical problem. I wasn’t able to find that feeling and he had to settle for a time of 2’05,595, taking 23rd place which places him on the eighth row of the starting grid tomorrow.
In the decisive session Marco Melandri improved his time (2’07,267) compared to the free practice sessions, but not enough to move up from 25th place which puts him on the ninth row for tomorrow’s race.
ROMANO ALBESIANO (Aprilia Racing Manager)
“We used Alvaro’s second bike for a few tests on various settings but a problem with the first bike toward the end of FP4 forced him to take the bike that he had less of a feeling with onto the track. For the race we need to go back to the standard we had in the free practice sessions, which will definitely give us better results than what we did in the qualifiers.”
FAUSTO GRESINI (Team Manager)
“We are working hard and obviously in this period it isn’t a simple thing to translate our efforts into performance straight away. In any case, we were able to get a glimpse of a hint of improvement from Alvaro during the weekend. Of course we want to begin making more progress, but we knew that in these rounds so far from Europe it wouldn’t be easy because there isn’t much time to react and make significant changes. Tomorrow we want to finish the race to rack up some more miles and precious experience.”
ALVARO BAUTISTA
“We worked a lot on the electronics to have better power management, trying a lot of solutions that will also be useful for the future. But for the qualifiers I was forced to take out the other bike with a different setup and I wasn’t able to take advantage of all the work we had done up to that point. It’s a shame because I’m sure I would have been able to lap faster. For tomorrow the unknown is the weather. If we have a wet race it will be important to set a good pace straight away. In any conditions, and considering how things went in Qatar, the important thing will be to finish the race.”
MARCO MELANDRI
“Until we get back to Europe and can count on more consistent developments we’ll just have to grit our teeth and try to learn from each session. Only when I’m completely at ease in the saddle will I be able to push the way I’d like to.”
More, from a press release issued by Cardion AB Motoracing:
Seventh row brought disappointment to Abraham
Karel Abraham stayed disappointed after Saturdays´ qualifying practice to the Grand Prix of Americas in Austin. Czech MotoGP rider ended on 21st position, which guarantees him seventh row on the grid. He lost 1,5 second to the fastest Q1 rider Andrea Iannone.
Karel Abraham
“I´m far to say I did my best qualifying. Bud the truth is that we had been suffering really serious problems during the qualifying practice. Especially on the second run the engine was misfiring every time I shifted a gear. It´s impossible to be competitive with this kind of problem. Mechanics are currently working on this issue trying to find a cause. But the truth is that we are in really bad mood. We will see what we will able to do with the bike.”
More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone:
Marquez smashes his own lap record to take pole at the Grand Prix of the Americas
Round 2: Americas MotoGP™ – Qualifying
Circuit of the Americas, Saturday 11 April 2015
Bridgestone slick compounds: Front: Soft, Medium & Hard; Rear: Soft & Hard (Symmetric) & Medium (Asymmetric)
Bridgestone wet tyre compounds: Soft (Main) & Hard (Alternative)
Weather: FP3 – Dry. Ambient 17-18°C; Track 21-21°C (Bridgestone measurement)
FP4/QP – Dry. Ambient 20-23°C; Track 25-28°C (Bridgestone measurement)
Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez rode a sensational final lap in MotoGP™ Qualifying Practice 2 to smash his own Circuit of the Americas lap record as he vies for a third consecutive victory at the Texas circuit.
After having to swap motorcycles due to a technical issue, Marquez produced an amazing one-lap display to set a time of 2’02.135, bettering his own COTA lap record by 0.638 seconds to maintain his perfect pole record at the circuit. Qualifying in second place was Ducati Team’s Andrea Dovizioso who continued his strong form with a time of 2’02.474, while Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Jorge Lorenzo completes the front row having qualified third with a time of 2’02.540. The general pace of qualifying at this year’s Grand Prix of the Americas was tremendous, with the top six riders in QP2 lapping under the old outright lap record.
Both Marquez and Lorenzo used the combination of the medium compound front and rear slicks to set their best qualifying times, while Dovizioso used the soft compound rear slick in conjunction with the medium compound front for his hot lap.
Today was overcast but there was no sign of the rain that plagued yesterday’s sessions, with dry tarmac throughout the day. The cloud cover kept temperatures to a moderate level, with the peak track temperature of 28°C recorded at the end of QP2 the same as yesterday’s high. The mild conditions meant that the hard compound rear slick remained unused by the factory Honda and Yamaha riders, although the hard compound front slick was used by some riders in FP4 and qualifying. Overall, the medium compound front and rear slicks proved to the most popular choice in FP3 and FP4 given the weather and track conditions, and in the case of a dry race are likely to be used by most of the twenty-five riders grid. For qualifying, almost every rider used the softest rear slick available, the medium compound for the factory Honda and Yamaha riders, and soft compound for the rest of the field.
The next MotoGP session is the twenty-minute Warm Up session at 0940 local time (GMT -6) tomorrow before the twenty-one lap race commences at 1400.
Shinji Aoki – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department
“I am happy that all of today’s sessions were dry, as it was important for the riders to evaluate some different tyre combinations as this circuit requires good bike setup to ensure efficient use of the tyres. The track temperatures today were around fifteen degrees cooler compared to FP4 and qualifying last year, so although tyre performance was strong and consistent, the harder compound options weren’t very popular as optimum warm-up performance and heat retention is important in cooler conditions. The performance of our latest tyres in conjunction with the 2015 MotoGP machinery was evident in qualifying with the top six riders lapping under the existing lap record, and I hope to see the race lap record also beaten tomorrow if the race is dry.”
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service:
TOP 12 FOR TEAM SUZUKI ECSTAR IN COTA QUALIFYING
Some positive improvements have been made by Team SUZUKI ECSTAR riders today at the Grand Prix of The Americas at Austin, Texas, where both riders got into the top 12 positions and both took part in the final Q2 session that defined the grid for tomorrow’s race.
The morning session saw Aleix Espargaro well-up on the timing sheets for almost all of the 45-minute session. He was also the first rider to get under the 2’04s bracket, ending with a best of 2’03.790s which got him access to Q2. The qualifying session saw all the riders being very fast and the young Spaniard kept his rhythm lowering his times lap-after-lap. At the end of qualifying, the timesheets showed his best lap a 2’02.869s effort, which gives him eighth position on the grid.
Maverick Viñales made some positive efforts during FP3; constantly improving his performance but that was not enough to have direct access to the Q2 session. During the afternoon’s Q1 session, the MotoGP rookie did find an effective set-up that let him make a 2’03.878s lap-time that finally got him into Q2. His improvements continued steadily and he scored a positive 2’03.754s lap, which unfortunately was not enough to improve his position on the grid so he starts in 12th position overall.
Davide Brivio – Team Manager:
“First of all we are happy to have brought both riders into Q2 eventually. Also Maverick has made constant improvements throughout the weekend and this is really important. Aleix has been consistent and very effective during all the sessions. Maybe only at the end he missed something that could have resulted in an even better position. However all their performances have been excellent so far. Considering the race tomorrow, we still have to improve both riders’ machines in order to put them in an even better condition come the start of the race. Also, for the future, we are making notes about everything that we still have to improve. We are happy with today but for tomorrow we will try to be as consistent as possible with our race pace.”
Aleix Espargaro:
“The final position doesn’t satisfy me, but it’s better than Qatar and it is important to constantly improve. Also for tomorrow’s race we will need to increase our performance and do better than we did in Qatar. Being eighth is not the position we want, but the times have been very fast and we have been very close to last year’s pole position. This means that all competitors are going much faster than in 2014. We improved a little on the chatter problem we had at the rear-end, but we couldn’t solve it completely; however the bike is very positive in its handling and I feel so confident with it that I’m happy. We made great progression – especially in our electronics and the result is that we are very close to the first-row times. My pace with the hard tyre is not so bad, I’ve always been in the top eight positions, so I believe we can fight to be close to the top six finishers. ”
Maverick Viñales:
“It’s been a positive day. We managed to get into Qualifying 2 and we are happy with this, but finally I couldn’t make a really quick lap to get a better place on the grid. I tried to make the quick ‘time attack’ with a soft tyre, but I still lack experience so I couldn’t exploit this to its best. We still need to work to get ready for the race. My pace is pretty good but we can still improve further. For sure we need to find a solid performance and do better than we did in the last race in order to constantly progress my performance.”
More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:
Lorenzo Lands First Row at Circuit of The Americas
Circuit of the Americas (Austin, Texax – USA), 11th April 2015
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP riders Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi secured third and fourth place respectively in qualifying this afternoon for tomorrow‘s Grand Prix of the Americas.
With only 15 minutes to put in a hot lap at the long Circuit of The Americas (COTA), there was no time to waste for the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP teammates.
Lorenzo was the first out of the box and took provisional pole with his first flying lap of 2‘03.505, before the field pushed him back down to sixth place. On his next lap he dropped under the 2‘03 mark with a 2‘02.927, moving up to second, before he returned to the pits for a new set of rubber. With five minutes left of the session he rejoined the track for a final time attack. Bettering his time through all sections he reclaimed the top spot with a 2‘02.540, before being pushed back to third, 0.405s from the front in the final seconds of the session. He will start tomorrow‘s race from the end of the first row.
Teammate Rossi was also quick on the pace, with his first flying lap bettering his personal best to a 2‘03.170, momentarily taking pole before dropping down the order to fourth place. He had a wobble on his next lap, which cost him valuable time. He quickly headed back to his pit box for a fresh set of tyres with five and half minutes left on the clock. After a minute he came back out and picked up the pace even further, closing in to 0,033 from his teammate with a 2‘02.573. As he was unable to improve his starting position on the grid on his last lap, he will start his challenge tomorrow heading the second row.
Jorge Lorenzo
3rd / 2’02.540 / 6 laps
“Qualifying was very exciting as always. The positions were changing a lot and we tried the maximum, even with not the best physical conditions. For one lap it was not so bad, I could give a maximum effort to ride this lap time. I was really satisfied with this time and position, I didn‘t expect to make the top five. Let‘s see what the weather is like tomorrow. Personally I prefer a dry race, but a wet race would be better for my physical condition. I am very happy that the Yamaha is becoming better in this track. We didn‘t have a lot of time, so we don‘t exactly know what our pace is like. The front tyre wears down very quickly on the right side, just like last year. Let‘s see in a dry race how it performs. I feel so-so at the moment. The antibiotics are doing their job, but I need to be in a perfect condition for tomorrow.”
Valentino Rossi
4th / 2’02.573 / 6 laps
“I‘m happy because the second row was my target and I think that with a better lap I could have stayed on the first row, because we are very close to Jorge and Dovizioso. Second row is not a bad place for the start, also because we have a quite good pace. For sure we have to work and help the front tyre, where we have some issue, and after that the weather will be very important. It was supposed to rain today, but fortunately it was dry. We hope the weather remains the same tomorrow. Last year there was a bigger difference to Marc‘s pace, this is very positive, but he remains the favorite for the race tomorrow. After him there‘s me, Jorge and Dovi very close in terms of rhythm.”
Massimo Meregalli
Team Director
“In general today went well. First row is always a good place to start the race from. Considering Jorge‘s condition he did a great job and also Vale starting from second row is good. Even though we are satisfied about the results of qualifying, we still have some work to do. The technicians are trying to find some improvements to test in tomorrow‘s warm up. We feel positive that we can refine the set-up and we are confident in the capabilities of both our riders. The only thing we don‘t know is what the weather will be like. We have to be prepared for both a wet and a dry race.”
More, from a press release issued by Avintia Racing:
Hector Barbera the best Open bike in Texas qualifying
Avintia Racing MotoGP – Grand Prix of the Americas – FP3-FP4-QP
The threat of rain was ever present during today’s free and qualifying session, but finally didn’t appear at the Circuit of the Americas and the MotoGP riders were able to ride in dry conditions. The Avintia Racing team riders we again on the top positions of the Open class, with Hector Barbera as the fastest one and Mike Di Meglio inside the top three of the MotoGP bikes using the standard electronics. Barbera was really close to get into the Q2 and try to improve even more his grid position, but eventually he was just 0.048s from reaching his target. Anyway, the main goal was to be the first Open bike like in Qatar, and he made it. Di Meglio has been improving compared with the first day in Texas, and he’ll start the race tomorrow from the sixth row of the grid. Both riders are prepared whatever the weather brings, they have a good setting for the dry and also if the 21 lap race is on wet conditions.
HECTOR BARBERA #8 / 13th (1st Open) 2’03.926 @HectorBarbera
Maybe we could do it a little bit better and the target of being in the Q2 was very close. But to be honest, we are the first Open bike and we are in the right direction. Tomorrow the only unknown will be the weather, but the best thing of this sport is that the conditions will be the same for everybody, and if it rains we’ll have race anyway. We are ok for dry conditions, the set up is very good, and also for the wet. We are strong in both conditions, I have a great feeling with the bike, the atmosphere inside the team is fantastic, and this the best way to get results.
MIKE DI MEGLIO #63 / 16th (3rd Open) 2’04.392 @Mikejpp63
It was quite good day, of course I would like to be more close to the top, but I’m satisfied enough because I’ve improved my lap times a lot, I made one lap in 2’04.3 and last year my best lap in qualifying was 2’07.7, so I have to be happy. We are doing a good job and the only thing I need is more experience with this bike, because every time I get on track I’m faster. We will see how is the weather tomorrow, but I’m not too worried because we have a good set up for the dry and also for the rain conditions. We are ready to race!
More, from a press release issued by Forward Racing:
Stefan Bradl second fastest Open bike in Austin qualifying
Stefan Bradl finished very close to the pole in qualifying in the Open class at the Austin track for the Athinà Forward Racing team.
After yesterday’s showers, today the weather has improved and, even if has stayed cloudy, both Athinà Forward Racing riders were able to better adapt to the challenging Texan track. Bradl with a time of 2’04.275 finished just three tenths behind Barbera, first among the Open bikes. The German will start tomorrow from 14th position on the grid in the fifth row and is confident for the race where he will be fighting for victory in the class.
One step forward also for Loris Baz who posted a good 2’05.214 which earned him the twentieth position on the grid. For the Frenchman the goal remains the points-zone.
Stefan Bradl
“It was a good day of work. The goal was to get directly in Q2 but I cannot say I am not satisfied with the 14th place. We have a good potential and tomorrow I want to get as close as possible to the Top10. We will still do some small change in the warm-up to be even faster. The weather tomorrow will be the real question mark”.
Loris Baz
“Not bad for my first time on this track. I learned so much. I have to improve a little my confidence with the front but I am happy with the result. We can do well; we will see the weather tomorrow”.
More, from a press release issued by Aspar Team:
ASPAR Team riders require fightback in Austin
Eugene Laverty and Nicky Hayden improve feeling with bikes on day two, but require hard work for points on raceday
Qualifying for the GP of the Americas took place today in Austin, with Marc Márquez taking pole position. He did so in an eventful session, in which he had to pull over on the final straight and jump onto his second bike, with just three minutes remaining on the clock. The Spaniard performed two further laps and snatched the top spot in Austin. Cal Crutchlow, Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Dovizioso were all battling Márquez for the place, but the reigning World Champion was able to best them all on every sector to claim pole by 3 tenths of a second.
Eugene Laverty took a big leap forward on the second day in Austin. His first experience of the track was in the wet the previous day, and at an unknown circuit this was not easy for him. Today he was able to improve throughout the day and prepare well for the qualifying session. He also made progress in that session, although seventeenth on the grid is slightly further back than anticipated. The Northern Irishman has set his sights on scoring points in the race.
Nicky Hayden will have to make a comeback through the field at his home Grand Prix. He also improved his feeling with the bike on the second day, but ended up qualifying in twenty-second position. Unfortunately, his best lap did not count, as he had set it without having seen that the chequered flag had already been waved.
17th Eugene Laverty 2.04.875: “Certainly today we had a better day than yesterday. On the first day the track was wet and we were able to ride in the dry today. That allowed me to be improve steadily throughout the day and in the qualifying session we made significant improvement. Finishing as the top Honda in the Open class is a positive, and I’m happy about that, but seventeenth on the grid is definitely not the position I would like to be. In any case we must continue to work hard and perform at top level to try to take some points tomorrow.”
22nd Nicky Hayden 2.05.569: “This morning we started out not feeling good, but as the day progressed we found the right direction for our work. That allowed me to face the last free practice and qualifying with confidence. I’m not happy with my grid position, but at least I managed to improve my feeling with the bike. It was a shame that my last lap did not count, as I am supposed to have crossed the line under the chequered flag but I didn’t see it. Right on my last lap I improved by four tenths and had also gained a lot of confidence on the changes of direction. In any case we shouldn’t dwell on it, tomorrow we will start from far back and will have to work hard. We’ll have to try to make a comeback and get a positive result at my home race.”
More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
Marquez pulls off sensational lap to claim pole in Austin
Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez claimed his 23rd MotoGP™ pole position in Austin, with an incredible final lap.
The lap was made even more remarkable by the fact the reigning MotoGP™ World Champion had to stop on track with 3 minutes remaining after a technical fault and run back down the pit lane to retrieve his second bike with just seconds to spare.
Not even this could stop the Spaniard as he went back out on track to set the fastest ever time on two-wheels around CoTA, a 2’02.135, over sixth-tenths quicker than his previous lap record set in Qualifying last year. It was a fitting end to a thrilling Q2, which saw the lead change hands a number of times in the dying seconds.
Despite overcast skies, track conditions were actually ideal for the fifteen-minute session, with Marquez finishing an impressive 0.339s ahead of his nearest rival, the pole sitter from Qatar, Andrea Dovizioso on the Ducati Team GP15.
Movistar Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo (+0.405s) took the final front row spot after completing a remarkable comeback having revealed that the reason that he struggled during practice was because he was suffering from bronchitis.
Lorenzo’s teammate and winner in Qatar Valentino Rossi (+0.428s) will start from the front of the second row, with the leading Satellite rider Cal Crutchlow (+0.478s) and Scott Redding (+0.539s) on their Factory spec Honda’s in 5th and 6th respectively.
The second factory Ducati of Andrea Iannone will start from 7th with the Team Suzuki Ecstar of Aleix Espargaro (8th) finishing ahead of his brother Pol (Monster Tech 3 Yamaha) in 9th.
Bradley Smith, Danilo Petrucci and Maverick Viñales will form the 4th row on the grid for Sundays race.
Earlier on, it was the Factory Ducati GP15 of Andrea Iannone and Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Maverick Viñales who made it through from Q1. Hector Barbera missed out on taking part in Q2 by less than five-hundredths of a second, but won the battle of the Open class riders and will start from the front of the 5th row in 13th place, ahead of Athina Forward Racing’s Stefan Bradl and Yonny Hernandez on the second Pramac Racing Ducati.
Belgian Simeon secures Texas pole
Federal Oil Gresini’s Xavier Simeon took his second Moto2™ pole position at the Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas. The predicted rain stayed away, allowing for dry sessions both in FP3 and Qualifying.
Despite heavy fog in the morning, both FP3 and Qualifying were fully dry for the Moto3™ riders in Austin. Rain was predicted during the closing stages of Qualifying but held off, allowing Danny Kent to charge to pole position. There was an early red flag as Hiroki Ono fell and required help to leave the track. The Japanese rider was okay however.
The experienced Brit went unchallenged the entire Qualifying session. FP3 saw him set a new circuit record, and he was able to improve to a 2’15.344 in Qualifying. Kent was the first Moto3™ rider to ever lap in the 2’15s around the Circuit of the Americas, although Oliveira would join him in that club later on in the session. “We can expect a good race tomorrow, but the gap between me and the second placed rider on the grid isn’t that big so you never know what can happen in the race,” reflected Kent.
In previous years Kent has struggled at the start of the season, but 2015 has seen him be competitive from the off on his new Honda machine. Kent’s pace for the race looks a step above the rest, the British rider able to lap consistently in the 2’15s.
Miguel Oliveira was the only other rider in the 2’15s with a 2’15.829. The Portuguese rider will be looking to make amends after contact at Turn 1 in Qatar ended his race early. Former Red Bull KTM Ajo rider, and CotA race winner, Jack Miller was on hand to give help and advice to Oliveira during FP3.
It was a debut front row for Andrea Locatelli in only his second race for the Gresini Racing Team Moto3. The Italian youngster had been challenging for the top three throughout the weekend in both the wet and dry. “I got my fastest lap at the end of the session, alone: I wanted to improve myself and I did it. I saw on the TV board that I was in fourth place, but I really wanted the front row and was able to further improve my lap time by a few tenths,” he said.
Locatelli’s teammate Enea Bastianini had a much better time in Qualifying than in Qatar, lining up eighth on the grid. Bastianini’s ride to second was a highlight of the Qatar race and he will no doubt be a threat with a much improved grid position. Fellow Italian Romano Fenati had another difficult session, an issue halting him on his final lap. Fenati, who finished second here last year, will start 19th on Sunday’s grid.
Both the Estrella Galicia 0,0 riders will make second row starts, despite never having raced in Austin before this weekend. Navarro, fifth, is hoping for a dry race, “I really wanted to run at this circuit, because the corners here are fun,” he said. Meanwhile teammate Quartararo will line up sixth and is hoping to fight for the win like in Qatar.
Untouchable Kent claims pole position
Briton Danny Kent achieves pole position at the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas, setting a new lap record in the process.
Despite heavy fog in the morning, both FP3 and Qualifying were fully dry for the Moto3™ riders in Austin. Rain was predicted during the closing stages of Qualifying but held off, allowing Danny Kent to charge to pole position. There was an early red flag as Hiroki Ono fell and required help to leave the track. The Japanese rider was okay however.
The experienced Brit went unchallenged the entire Qualifying session. FP3 saw him set a new circuit record, and he was able to improve to a 2’15.344 in Qualifying. Kent was the first Moto3™ rider to ever lap in the 2’15s around the Circuit of the Americas, although Oliveira would join him in that club later on in the session. “We can expect a good race tomorrow, but the gap between me and the second placed rider on the grid isn’t that big so you never know what can happen in the race,” reflected Kent.
In previous years Kent has struggled at the start of the season, but 2015 has seen him be competitive from the off on his new Honda machine. Kent’s pace for the race looks a step above the rest, the British rider able to lap consistently in the 2’15s.
Miguel Oliveira was the only other rider in the 2’15s with a 2’15.829. The Portuguese rider will be looking to make amends after contact at Turn 1 in Qatar ended his race early. Former Red Bull KTM Ajo rider, and CotA race winner, Jack Miller was on hand to give help and advice to Oliveira during FP3.
It was a debut front row for Andrea Locatelli in only his second race for the Gresini Racing Team Moto3. The Italian youngster had been challenging for the top three throughout the weekend in both the wet and dry. “I got my fastest lap at the end of the session, alone: I wanted to improve myself and I did it. I saw on the TV board that I was in fourth place, but I really wanted the front row and was able to further improve my lap time by a few tenths,” he said.
Locatelli’s teammate Enea Bastianini had a much better time in Qualifying than in Qatar, lining up eighth on the grid. Bastianini’s ride to second was a highlight of the Qatar race and he will no doubt be a threat with a much improved grid position. Fellow Italian Romano Fenati had another difficult session, an issue halting him on his final lap. Fenati, who finished second here last year, will start 19th on Sunday’s grid.
Both the Estrella Galicia 0,0 riders will make second row starts, despite never having raced in Austin before this weekend. Navarro, fifth, is hoping for a dry race, “I really wanted to run at this circuit, because the corners here are fun,” he said. Meanwhile teammate Quartararo will line up sixth and is hoping to fight for the win like in Qatar.
More, from a press release issued by CWM LCR Honda:
SECOND ROW START FOR CRUTCHLOW IN TEXAS
CWM LCR Honda Team rider Cal Crutchlow will start from the second row of the grid in Sunday’s Grand Prix of the America’s after setting the fifth fastest time in qualifying practice at COTA this afternoon. After a largely wet day yesterday, which saw the 29 year-old set the second fastest time behind Marc Marquez, today’s action took place in the dry, giving Crutchlow a crucial opportunity to adapt to the new frame supplied to the team for this race by HRC.
The British rider wasted no time in putting the new material to the test, setting the pace for much of this morning’s foggy FP3 only to be pipped to the fastest time by Marquez on the final lap. Crutchlow continued to impress in race trim during FP4, setting his best time on a tyre that had completed 17 laps, and he was confident of a challenge for a front row spot in qualifying.
However, a small mistake in turn 11 cost him crucial time through the second and third sectors and halted his challenge for the front row and possibly even for pole position. Nevertheless, fifth place remains a positive result and hopes are high for tomorrow’s race.
Cal Crutchlow #35, 5th (2’02.613, lap 5 of 6)
“It is frustrating not to be on the front row but it is my own fault. I felt comfortable riding on my own but I just outbraked myself into turn 11, which is in the second sector and then I lost all the drive onto the straight, which is into the third sector. I wrecked two sectors basically and it definitely cost me the front row.
“The race is going to be quite difficult because we don’t understand the package enough at the moment to make changes and we don’t really know what way to go. The new chassis is better but I haven’t had enough time on it. Anyway we’ve definitely improved and our pace is not too bad because in FP4 I did my fastest lap with 17 laps on the tyre, so that’s a positive thing and I think a lot of the other guys were on new tyres.
“It’s a good step to go into tomorrow confident but we need to work for the start of the race and we need to be there on the first eight laps of the race because I think at the moment we might lose some time, but then gain it back at the end of the race.”
More, from another press release issued by CWM LCR Honda:
MILLER ON ROW SEVEN IN TEXAS
After a difficult Friday at the Circuit of the Americas where rain had affected both practice sessions, the CWM LCR Honda Team could enjoy a full day of dry track time as they put in their qualifying laps before tomorrow’s Texan GP.
For Australia’s Jack Miller the weekend has seen some marked improvement in performance, finishing all the free practice sessions as the top Open spec Honda machine out on track.
During qualifying the rookie set his best lap of the weekend, and although he felt there was still more time to get out of the bike, he is confident of making forward progress from 19th position on the starting grid.
Jack Miller #43, 19th – 2’05.156
“If we could have got our best lap in during qualifying it would have been awesome, but nonetheless it was good. I feel more comfortable on the bike and I did my lap time without any slipstream so it means I’m looking forward to the race.”
“Tomorrow’s still going to be a difficult day and that’s especially true on the first laps and how difficult is in MotoGP with a big group – I got caught out a little bit in Qatar because of that. You can’t quite put the bike exactly where you want to, but you have to get your head down, and I’ll be focusing on just improving every lap.”
More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing:
Petrux directly qualified to Q2 for the first time. Yonny makes a mistake and finishes 15°
An unlucky start in FP3 conditioned the Pramac Racing’s second day of the weekend in Austin, Texas, at the Circuit of the Americas. Eventually Danilo Petrucci can smile for having hit the direct access to the Q2 ending up the qualifying one step away from the Top 10, while Yonny Hernandez has had to settle for 15th place on the grid.
With just a few minutes from the end of the morning practice, Danilo had to stop the bike due to a technical problem. Forced to run back to the pit box, the rider from Terni managed to maintain focus and he lapped very fast with the second bike managing to finish in the Top 10. The beginning of Q2 was promising but in the time attack he did not find the conditions to improve his position ending up 11th place with a laptime of 2’03.741.
Yonny Hernandez had an unlucky start too. In the first run of the morning, with a humid track, the Colombian rider was involved in a slide loosing a lot of time. After returning to the pit box to change the bike, the rider from Medellin failed to find the right step by finishing the FP3 in 14th position. The pace in Q1 looked good but in the time attack Hernandez made a big mistake of judgment not to notice that the time available was about to expire. The laptime of 2’04.313 recorded in the previous run earned him only the 15th position.
Petrux directly qualified to Q2 for the first time. Yonny makes a mistake and finishes 15°
11° Danilo Petrucci – Pramac Racing #9 – 2’03.741
“My Saturday’s goal is to qualify directly in Q2. That’s why I am satisfied. Unfortunately I have never managed to run two perfect laps in a row. It will be important to make a good start tomorrow. We still have to find the best set up for the race but the team has already proposed ideas that could solve our problems. The race will be very long and the tires end up in a hurry on this circuit. Anyway I have to thank the team because we tried new solutions that have paid off as no one had lapped so fast last season with this bike. Tomorrow we’ll be a fight”
15° Yonny Hernandez – Pramac Racing #68 – 2’04.313
“I thought I had a chance to do another lap. It was a very big mistake which did not allow me to fight for Q2. Howewer this must give me positive energy to face tomorrow’s race. I’ll try to do my best to make a good race trying to hit again the Top 10 that is the goal of every Grand Prix. “
More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:
GP of the Americas: Dovizioso goes second at Austin to clinch an excellent front row slot. Iannone to start from row 3 with seventh-quickest time.
Andrea Dovizioso produced another outstanding performance for the Ducati Team at Austin, as he powered his Desmosedici GP15 to the second-quickest time in qualifying, just 339 thousandths of a second away from poleman Marquez.
On a cloudy but dry day, Dovizioso finished the morning’s third free practice session (FP3) in eighth place, guaranteeing him direct access to Q2. In the thirty minutes of FP4, the 29-year-old Italian then set third-quickest time behind Marquez and Lorenzo. In Q2, Dovizioso, who went out in the last minutes of the session with a soft compound rear tyre, managed to notch up an excellent pace-setting time of 2’02.474, but he had to settle for second place after being passed by Marquez in the final moments of the session.
Andrea Iannone’s day, on the other hand, was a bit more complicated. The 25-year-old from Vasto finished FP3 in eleventh place and as a result had to take part in the first qualifying session (Q1). During the pre-qualifying FP4 run, Iannone succeeded in improving the feeling with his GP15 to finish in fifth place. In Q1, using a medium compound rear tyre, Andrea then set a best time of 2’03.644, which guaranteed him access to Q2. In the decisive qualifying session, he was unable to get the most out of the soft tyre and so returned to the track on medium rubber to set a good time of 2’02.792. This left him in seventh place, and so tomorrow he will start from row 3 for the GP of the Americas.
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 2’02.474 (2nd)
“When we get these results, it means that we have certainly been working well. I am very satisfied with the front row position and with my best time, and I’m also happy with the way my team has worked. We managed to improve the feeling a bit in FP4, and this allowed me to be aggressive in qualifying and record a really good time. Here in Texas we’ve had a bit more difficulty than in Qatar, because the Austin track is very unusual and the weather conditions have certainly not helped. Tomorrow it’s not going to be easy, but I have to say that we are competitive and so I think I can do a good race.”
Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team #29) – 2’02.792 (7th)
“To be honest I am not very satisfied with my qualifying and grid position, but on the other hand I am optimistic about the race because with the medium compound tyre I can manage to keep up a good pace, and in FP3 and FP4 we went further than the race distance using always the same tyre. Unfortunately I still have a bit of difficulty in qualifying and I am unable to get the best out of the soft tyre, which could have given me a hand in starting further up the grid, and this is something that me and my team will have to work on.”
More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3:
Espargaro and Smith confident and prepared for COTA race
Pol Espargaro will commence his second Americas Grand Prix on the Yamaha YZR-M1 from the rear of the third row after undertaking a thorough qualifying effort today in Texas. The young Spaniard opened his Saturday account positively by finishing in 6th position in FP3, with a lap of 2’03.773. This performance saw him elevate instantly through to Q2 as the weather threatened rain which then failed to fall. Once the qualifying practice began, Espargaro launched into action and undertook 7 laps before setting a 2’03.161 on his last. Impressively, this time was a massive improvement of over seven tenths of a second from last year’s qualifying. After a positive weekend so far, the Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team rider will be seeking to battle to a strong result in tomorrow’s 21 lap dash in America.
Meanwhile, Britain’s Bradley Smith will start round 2 of the MotoGP World Championship one place behind his teammate in 10th. The 23 year old began his day with a bright sprint to 5th position in FP3 with a top time of 2’03.666 which was a mere two hundredths of a second back from 3rd place. This left the British star confident of a successful Q2 campaign, yet unfortunately he experienced a technical issue on his MotoGP bike at the start of the session which forced him to make a pit stop and then change to his second Yamaha which was equipped with a used front tyre. Despite this, Smith pushed onwards before finishing with a best lap of 2’03.440. Tomorrow he will attempt to replicate his performance of last year at the Circuit Of The Americas, where he finished in 5th and as the leading Yamaha.
Pol Espargaro
Position : 9thTime : 2’03.161 Laps :7
“To be honest I am not at all satisfied with our qualifying result as we managed to solve all of the issues that we faced this morning and the bike was good. However, I made a mistake on my fast lap and ran straight on. After that, I was able to improve my lap time but the tyre wasn’t fresh anymore and that unfortunately makes a huge difference at this track. I have nobody to blame as it was my own fault, but for sure starting from the back of the third row won’t make things any easier tomorrow. Nevertheless we must remain confident as the race is long and also the weather forecast is not clear as of yet.”
Bradley Smith
Position : 10thTime : 2’03.440 Laps : 6
“It goes without saying that I’m disappointed to finish today in 10th. We had some technical troubles during FP4 and we couldn’t fix them in time for QP 2. Unfortunately, this meant that I had to stop to change the bike, which is far from ideal in a 15 minute session on such a long circuit. Furthermore, we didn’t have time to swap the front tyre on the second bike, so I did my laps with a used one. It was a session where nothing went our way, so it’s disappointing to start from the fourth row. However, we have had the pace all weekend and I remain upbeat as our race pace is consistent, so now we just need to adjust the bike a little in warm up and then we will be ready. The race is a long one here but I feel comfortable with the bike plus I am confident of making some good overtakes at the beginning so I am still optimistic that we can have a competitive race tomorrow.”