Marquez Under Race Lap Record, Top 16 Within One Second In MotoGP FP3 At Losail (Updated)

Marquez Under Race Lap Record, Top 16 Within One Second In MotoGP FP3 At Losail (Updated)

© 2015, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

FIM MotoGP World Championship

Losail International Circuit

Doha, Qatar

March 27, 2015

Free Practice Three Results (all on Bridgestone tires):

1. Marc MARQUEZ, Spain (HONDA RC213V), 1:54.822

2. Cal CRUTCHLOW, UK (HONDA RC213V), 1:54.918

3. Andrea IANNONE, Italy (DUCATI GP15), 1:54.992, crash

4. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (SUZUKI GSX-RR), 1:54.994

5. Dani PEDROSA, Spain (HONDA RC213V), 1:55.024

6. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (DUCATI GP15), 1:55.044

7. Yonny HERNANDEZ, Colombia (DUCATI GP14), 1:55.102

8. Jorge LORENZO, Spain (YAMAHA YZR-M1), 1:55.108

9. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (YAMAHA YZR-M1), 1:55.192

10. Pol ESPARGARO, Spain (YAMAHA YZR-M1), 1:55.328

11. Hector BARBERA, Spain (DUCATI GP14), 1:55.396

12. Scott REDDING, UK (HONDA RC213V), 1:55.447

13. Maverick VIÑALES, Spain (SUZUKI GSX-RR), 1:55.676

14. Stefan BRADL, Germany (FORWARD YAMAHA), 1:55.694

15. Danilo PETRUCCI, Italy (DUCATI GP14), 1:55.777

16. Nicky HAYDEN, USA (HONDA RC213V-RS), 1:55.789

17. Mike DI MEGLIO, France (DUCATI GP14), 1:55.866

18. Bradley SMITH, UK (YAMAHA YZR-M1), 1:55.905

19. Eugene LAVERTY, Ireland (HONDA RC213V-RS), 1:55.913

20. Karel ABRAHAM, Czech Republic (HONDA RC213V-RS), 1:56.080

21. Jack MILLER, Australia (HONDA RC213V-RS), 1:56.162

22. Loris BAZ, France (FORWARD YAMAHA), 1:57.072, crash

23. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (APRILIA RS-GP), 1:57.107

24. Alex DE ANGELIS, San Marino (ART-APRILIA), 1:57.509

25. Marco MELANDRI, Italy (APRILIA RS-GP), 1:59.339

More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:

Marquez maintains Doha domination breaking circuit lap record

In an incredibly close FP3 session Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez remained on top of the timings with his time of 1’54.822, breaking Casey Stoner’s circuit lap record from 2008 (1’55.153). Dani Pedrosa ended the session in fifth place, just 0.202 seconds off his teammate.

Marc has led every session so far in this weekend’s Qatar GP, the opening round of 2015, and his record time which was made on his final flying lap, beat Honda satellite rider Cal Crutchlow’s time by just 0.096s, and ensures he will not need to take part in tomorrow’s Q1. Marc’s teammate Dani Pedrosa finished in fifth place with his time of 1’55.024 and he also qualifies for Q2.

The riders will return on track for tomorrow’s FP4 at 19h55 local time. Then Q1 will take place at 20h35 and Q2 at 21h00 with both sessions expected to be very closely fought battles. Just 1.1 seconds separates the top nineteen riders, with a mere half a second between the top ten riders.

Marc Marquez

1ST 1’54.822 [LAP 15/16]

“Today has been a very good day, because we have improved our pace – which is the most important thing – and tried out a few things that have allowed us to progress. We will see tomorrow if the track conditions stay the same or improve, but today we saw times that were very close; I think that tomorrow they will be even closer. The most important thing will be to continue like this and prepare for Sunday’s race.”

Dani Pedrosa

5TH 1’55.024 [LAP 3/16]

“Unlike yesterday, today we had two practice sessions and we were able to get more of a feel for both the bike and the track. I think that getting into Q1 is good and now we have to focus on tomorrow in order to make the final adjustments to the setup and qualify well for the race.”

More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone:

Marquez leads tightly packed field in Qatar Free Practice

Round 1: Qatar MotoGP™ – Free Practice One, Two and Three

Losail International Circuit, Friday 27 March 2015

Bridgestone slick compounds: Front: Soft, Medium & Hard; Rear: Soft, Medium (Asymmetric) & Hard (Symmetric)

Weather: FP1 – Dry. Ambient 24-24°C; Track 28-28°C (Bridgestone measurement)

FP2 – Dry. Ambient 25-25°C; Track 29-32°C (Bridgestone measurement)

FP3 – Dry. Ambient 23-24°C; Track 26-28°C (Bridgestone measurement)

Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez was quickest in the opening practice sessions for the Qatar Grand Prix, the two-time and reigning MotoGP™ World Champion setting a time of 1’54.822 to lead a highly competitive field where the top eighteen riders were split by less than a second on combined times after Free Practice 3.

Marquez set his benchmark time on his penultimate lap in FP3 to finish a mere 0.096 seconds ahead of CWM LCR Honda’s Cal Crutchlow who set a 1’54.918 to finish second fastest. Third quickest overall was Ducati Team’s Andrea Iannone who clocked a 1’54.992 on the new GP15 machine. All of the top three riders set their quickest lap using the combination of the medium compound slicks front and rear.

The­ wind-blown sand that is usually encountered at the Losail Circuit was less prevalent than in the past, so the grip offered by the tarmac was slightly better than in previous years. Track temperatures varied from 26-32°C over the opening three sessions.

In previous years the demand for excellent braking stability at Losail has resulted in a high demand for the hard compound front slick and although it was the more popular option in FP3, overall the medium compound front slick was also widely used by the riders due to its slight advantage in warm-up performance and edge grip. Both front tyre options are likely to figure in Sunday’s race. Rear tyre choice showed a strong preference for the medium compound rear slick, although the consistency of the hard compound rear makes it a viable race option for the Factory Honda and Yamaha riders. The open-class only soft compound rear slick may be used by a few riders during Sunday’s race, but its greatest impact could be felt tomorrow in qualifying with the riders able to exploit the extra grip it offers to help accelerate out of corners.

MotoGP™ Free Practice 4 starts at 1955 local time (GMT+3) tomorrow before qualifying for the 2015 season opener commences at 2035 with QP1, followed by QP2 at 2100.

Shinji Aoki – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department

“Conditions this weekend have been fairly typical for Qatar but thankfully we have not had as much sand on track as in previous years so grip levels aren’t too bad. All six of our slick options at Qatar have been used in the opening sessions and it seems our tyre allocation for the season opener is working well for everybody, and it is very pleasing to see the top eighteen riders separated by less than a second. FP4 will be crucial to help riders finalise their tyre choice for the race as the Sunday Warm Up session will take place in conditions that are likely to be quite warmer than the race.”

More, from a press release issued by Marc VDS Racing Team:

Redding makes a big step forward in Qatar

Losail, Qatar – 27 March 2015: Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider Scott Redding made a significant improvement during this evening’s third MotoGP free practice session, overcoming grip issues to finish 12th and within 0.6s of provisional pole sitter Marc Marquez.

Redding struggled for rear grip and with a lack of feedback from the front tyre during the first free practice session this evening. In the interval his technical crew made significant changes to the set up of the bike, which brought immediate improvements when the Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider took to the track for tonight’s second MotoGP free practice.

The 22-year-old Briton bettered his target lap time as the session drew to a close, to finish within 0.6s of the fastest time of the day. However, with the top 17 riders all within a second, it wasn’t enough to elevate Redding higher than 12th on the timesheet.

Scott Redding: 12th – 1’55.447

“The first session was really difficult, because the feeling I’d had with the front here at the test simply wasn’t there today. The problem was made worse by a lack of rear grip; whatever I tried I just couldn’t seem to improve. For the second session we made some fairly big changes to the bike and, straight away, the feeling was there again. In some corners the problems we’d had in the morning were completely eliminated, while in others they were only reduced, but the feeling overall was much better. My target was to do a 1’55.5 so I was happy enough when I got down to a 1’55.4, until I saw my position on the timesheet! It’s tough out there and we still need to do some work tomorrow, especially in the last sector where I’m losing four tenths in just three corners.”

Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal

“There’s no denying the fact that Scott struggled this morning, having been unable to rediscover the feeling with the bike that he’d had at the test here. It was difficult to understand why he was having problems, as the set up of the bike was unchanged. However, Scott and his crew worked their way through the problems to come up with a solution ahead of the second session, which brought an immediate improvement. Not only did they go faster, but also they now have a far better understanding of the bike, which will stand them in good stead in the future. There is still work to do, and further improvements to find, but I’m fairly satisfied with the end result today, given the issues we encountered.”

More, from a press release issued by Aprilia:

SECOND DAY OF TESTS AT THE QATAR GP. BAUTISTA AND MELANDRI AT WORK ON THE RS-GP BIKES

Losail (Qatar), 27 March 2015 – On the second day of free practice for the Qatar GP the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini was hard at work on new solutions, especially concerning the chassis, on the RS-GP bikes that Alvaro Bautista and Marco Melandri are riding.

The two 45 minute sessions the teams had were used to search for a solid technical base to build on in order to develop the young Aprilia project. In this phase it is also important to rack up some miles and along with them the information to direct the bike’s growth.

In the two Friday sessions Bautista (24th at 1’57,107) and Melandri (25th at 1’58,542) put in a total of 51 laps (26 for Alvaro and 25 for Marco). Both Romano Albesiano (Aprilia Racing Manager) and Fausto Gresini (Team Manager) assessed the work done by the teams positively, naturally in light of the youth of the technical project.

ROMANO ALBESIANO (Responsabile Aprilia Racing)

“Today we worked especially on the setups in search of better load transfer so that the rear tyre will perform better and Alvaro especially had some good feedback today. We also had to face and resolve a few problems that are normal for this stage of the project but which slowed our work down a bit in this last session. Naturally we are hard at work analysing the data in order to make changes.”

FAUSTO GRESINI (Team Manager)

“For us it is always like a test. The project is very young and we need time. Today we tried various bike setups to improve grip and the power transfer to the tarmac. I would like to point out the efforts of everyone on the team which is truly impressive. We are all working hard to streamline this development process. Every time we are on the track we gain new useful information so now we’ll analyse all the data collected today and tomorrow we’ll be back on the track trying to improve.”

ALVARO BAUTISTA

“In FP2 we tried a different frame setup to improve the feeling going into turns and to get better traction. The feelings were positive but then a technical problem kept us from taking advantage of the final minutes of the session where we would have liked to have put on the soft tyre. In FP3 a problem with the engine on the second bike kept me from being as fast as I would have liked. The positive side is that the setup we tried in FP2 seems to be a good base for future developments, so tomorrow we’ll see if we can try it again more thoroughly and maybe take a few steps forward. We know that in our first year of tests we’ll have days where everything goes well and others where we’ll have to take on and solve problems, but that’s the only way to grow.”

MARCO MELANDRI

“Not much changed compared to yesterday. We made various changes but my situation didn’t improve significantly. We’re working on the details but I still haven’t found that substantial change that I’m trying to achieve. I’ll continue to put forth my best effort. My goal now is to point our mechanics in the right direction to improve significantly.”

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Crutchlow pulls off shock to finish 2nd behind Marquez

Marc Marquez finished on top of the combined timesheets after a frantic end to FP3, with Cal Crutchlow claiming a sensational 2nd place.

With the combined times from all three Free Practice sessions deciding who would qualify automatically for Q2, with the top ten riders all making it through, it was once again Repsol Honda’s Marquez who ending on top of the timesheets in Qatar.

The satellite CWM LCR Honda of Cal Crutchlow (+0.096s) put in a sensational lap to end the three sessions in 2nd. Andrea Iannone (+0.170s) finished third, after losing the front at turn 2 ended any chance he had of improving on his time set early on in FP3.

Aleix Espargaro (+0.172s) put the Team Suzuki Ecstar GSX-RR into 4th, with the Movistar Yamaha’s of Lorenzo (+0.286s) and Rossi (+0.370s) just making it through to Q2 in 8th and 9th respectively.

Hector Barbera (+0.574s) was the leading Open class rider in 11th, with Scott Redding (12th +0.625s), Maverick Viñales (13th +0.854s) and Bradley Smith (16th +0.919s) on the Monster Tech 3 Yamaha some of the big names who will have to battle it out in Q1.

Loris Baz also crashed at turn 2, and was taken to the Medical Centre for an x-ray on a suspected broken finger.

MotoGP™ Q1 will take place at 20:35 local time on Saturday in Qatar, with Q2 at 21:00.

Lowes beats Zarco in dramatic Moto2™ FP3

Sam Lowes managed to beat Johann Zarco into 2nd in FP3 after the two riders put on an incredible display of riding during the session.

The two riders were a cut above the rest of the field as they both managed to break the two minute mark, exchanging lap record after lap record before Lowes put in an incredible 1’59.541 at the end of the session. Zarco (+0.136s) couldn’t quite respond and finished in 2nd.

Reigning Moto2™ Champion Tito Rabat (+0.452s) once again completed the race distance of 20 laps during the session, leaving it until his final lap to get under the 2 minute barrier and finish 3rd.

Axel Pons crashed right at the end of the session but was uninjured, as Luis Salom experienced clutch issues once more, that meant he ended up in 18th.

Kent wins thrilling duel in Moto3™ FP3

It was a Leopard Racing 1-2 as Danny Kent finished fastest ahead of his teammate Hiroki Ono, after an intense battle with Miguel Oliveira.

The final Free Practice session for Moto3™ saw the riders take to the track in their last chance to impress before Qualifying on Saturday. The intense on-track action showcasing just how close the Championship will be this year as less than two-tenths split the top 5, with under a second separating the top 13.

There was a dramatic end to the session as riders put on fresh tyres in the last ten minutes to set a flying lap, with the lead changing hands a number of times between Miguel Oliveira and Danny Kent, before the British rider posted the fastest time of the weekend, a 2’06.413.

Ono (+0.086s) set his time after the checkered flag had been shown to knock Oliveira (+0.097s) into 3rd. SAXOPRINT-RTG’s John Mcphee (+0.120s) sneaked into 4th, just ahead of the rookie 15 year old Fabio Quartararo (+0.152s).

Romano Fenati crashed out early on in the session but was unhurt, and Belgian Loric Cresson made his debut on track as a replacement for the injured RBA Racing Team’s Ana Carrasco.

Moto3™ Qualifying kicks off at 18:00 local time in Qatar on Saturday.

More, from a press release issued by Forward Racing:

Bradl only three-tenths short of the fastest Open bike in Doha

Stefan Bradl was very close to the Open class leader during the second day of practice for the Athinà Forward Racing team at the Losail circuit.

The German posted an encouraging 1.55.694, which earned him the 14th place just three tenths short of his rival Hector Barbera. Bradl is feeling confident in view of the first qualifying session of the season and the goal is to place his Yamaha Forward on top of the Open class standings.

Loris Baz spent less time on track as he crashed entering a corner, fortunately without major consequences. The Frenchman was brought to Clinica Mobile for verification and then to the Circuit Medical Center. He suffered the avulsion of the nail of the left little finger and had a X-ray performed to his hand to exclude any fracture.

Stefan Bradl

“I’m not very far from the first Open bike. Barbera is only three-tenths faster and I’m less than a second from the leading factory bikes. The overall feeling is good, I have to work on the rear grip to have more confidence in the corners. Tomorrow we will continue to work in view of the race, I look forward for more track-time”.

Loris Baz

“The goal was to make the most of this practice session in view of tomorrow qualifying, but after falling I was unable to complete the run. After the fall I suffered the avulsion of the nail of the left little finger, but fortunately without any fracture. The guys of the Clinica Mobile fixed my hand so that I can go back on track tomorrow. I’m eager to do well in qualifying”.

More, from a press release issued by CWM LCR Honda:

SENSATIONAL SECOND FOR CRUTCHLOW AFTER FP3

The MotoGP World Championship looks to be in rude health after the second and third free practices for the season-opening Qatar Grand Prix, with the field so close that a mere 1.3 seconds separated the top 21 riders. That tightly packed group included the CWM LCR Honda Team duo of Cal Crutchlow and Jack Miller.

Britain’s Crutchlow was once again the standout performer on the evening, and was the only rider to get within a tenth of leader Marc Marquez. He set a stunning lap of 1’54.918 to finish the evening second-fastest, and looks ready to mount a serious challenge for pole position in tomorrow’s qualifying session.

Cal Crutchlow #35, 2nd – 1’54.918 (+0.096, lap 14 of 16)

“Obviously I’m happy enough with the lap time tonight and how things were feeling at the end of the session, but the early part of it was a bit of a disaster. There was a strange feeling with the bike and I was riding around in 18th spot, with the rear not working as it had in the earlier practices. I think we’re on a bit of a different plan to the other guys tyre-wise, so maybe that was why the track felt a lot worse later on.”

“The whole CWM LCR Honda Team are doing a great job though, and we are all working so hard. I’m not sure today’s speed and lap-times are relative to where we will finish the race, but I hope it is! We’re working hard enough, and I’m surprised with how fast we are going with the package we’ve got, but we still need to improve our lap by lap pace and we will be trying to do so overnight.”

More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:

Challenging Free Practice Sessions for Movistar Yamaha MotoGP at Qatar

Losail International Circuit (Qatar), 27th March 2015

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP‘s Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi faced a difficult and very close second and third free practice session ahead of the Grand Prix of Qatar. The teammates finished in eighth and ninth place respectively in the combined session times.

Lorenzo and Rossi were keen to hit the Losail International Circuit at the start of the morning session. They lined up their YZR-M1s side by side, impatiently waiting for the pit lane light to turn green. However, it soon became apparent that finding the right combination of set-up and tyre would be today‘s biggest challenge.

Jorge Lorenzo showed a quick and consistent pace at the start of FP1. He held fourth place for most of the morning session with a fastest lap of 1‘55.609, but was pushed back two places after a final flurry of activity.

At the end of the second 45 minutes session, the double MotoGP Champion claimed eighth place with a fastest lap of 1‘55.108, less than three-tenths from the leader.

Teammate Valentino Rossi needed a little more time in the morning session to find his pace, as he tried both tyre options. He found a solution towards the end of FP1 and finished right behind his teammate in seventh place with a 1‘55.618 lap.

The afternoon session saw an improvement in time from the nine-time World Champion. He posted a fastest time of 1‘55.192, 0,370s off the front, but was unable to improve his position in the time sheets. He ended the session in ninth place.

Jorge Lorenzo

8th / 1’55.108 / 18 laps

“It was difficult today, but I feel great on the bike with the soft tyre. We also tried the harder tyre, which is very consistent. I could maybe do around a hundred laps of 1‘56.1 on it, but this is too slow, so, for the moment, I prefer the soft option. We found some problems with the electronics this afternoon that were a little strange. We need to investigate what‘s going on. We‘ll keep working to increase our pace to a high 1‘54, which is our goal. It will be a hard fight for the front row tomorrow, because many riders have the extra soft tyre, that gives them four-tenths of a second. They are also stronger than last year, so it will even be difficult to get a position on the second row, but you never know what will happen. Maybe we can find something that will give us half a second and even let us fight for pole position.”

Valentino Rossi

9th / 1’55.192 / 17 laps

“I am satisfied about today because the minimum target that I set for myself was to be inside the top ten. The last practice session was unbelievable because there are ten bikes within three-tenths of a second. I‘m not happy about my position, but I‘m not far from pole position. To get the pole tomorrow will be very hard, but I want to start a little more in front of the field. We improved the bike and the setting a lot today and my pace is not so bad, it‘s very similar to that of the other top guys. We have to keep working on the tyres, especially the rear. I might be able to use the softer option, but maybe I can also use the hard tyre, so tomorrow will be a very important day to understand which tyre I should use for the race. Right now it‘s 50/50.”

Massimo Meregalli

Team Director

“Even if the position is not what we expected, we still made a step today and saw some improvements. The bike is starting to work better and also the track is improving and provides more grip. Both our riders spent most of the session using the hard tyre to see if this is an option for Sunday. Though their pace was consistent it wasn‘t very fast. When they moved on to the softer tyre the improvements were quite significant. We still have work to do, but we are quite optimistic that tomorrow we can make another step. Considering the amount of work we did in not a lot of time, I think we did quite a good job.”

More, from another press release issued by CWM LCR Honda:

MILLER CONTINUES TO PROGRESS IN QATAR

The MotoGP World Championship looks to be in rude health after the second and third free practices for the season-opening Qatar Grand Prix, with the field so close that a mere 1.3 seconds separated the top 21 riders. That tightly packed group included the CWM LCR Honda Team duo of Cal Crutchlow and Jack Miller.

Australian Miller was the rider in that 21st spot, but although in terms of position he was not where he wanted to be, the youngster was delighted with the progress he was continuing to make over his rookie weekend. After another incident-free evening, he set a best lap of 1’56.162, and is confident about his prospects for Sunday’s race.

Jack Miller #43, 21st – 1’56.162 (+1.370, lap 13 of 15)

“We’re really happy with how today went, we’re getting much closer to the front. Today we finished just 1.3 behind the leader so we have improved a lot. Still, the position stayed the same because everyone is improving, but it’s all so close it’s just like being on the Moto3 grid again!”

“As it’s so tight, I’m sure the racing will be very interesting, and we seem to be really comfortable on the hard front tyre and the harder rear option. That means we feel strong for the race but we will see what tomorrow brings in qualifying.”

“I’m really looking forward to my first qualifying session and what is a new format for me. I’m getting much more comfortable with the MotoGP bike and the different style I have to use, so I’m looking forward to it.”

More, from a press release isued by Cardion AB Motorcing:

Abraham: Only thing we miss is to make one “perfect” lap

The Friday’s practice session of MotoGP class has ended up with twentieth time for Karel Abraham in Losail, Qatar. After promising results of pre-seasonal tests and first practice Friday brought disappointment to the team. However Abraham has minimal loss of 1,258 of second to the pole position and only six tenths to the twelfth position signifying battle for second qualifying.

Karel Abraham

“I can ride 1:58 low regularly, this is good news for the race. But I would need to make one really fast lap that would move us forward on the grid. So far we are not able to achieve it. We are still struggling with some problems, but tomorrow we will try to work on it and be prepared in best way for qualifying practice.”

Marco Grana, chief mechanic AB Motoracing

“It isn’t happiest day, but we still have lot of reasons to be optimistic. We are losing just 1,2 second to pole position, it is really close. Unfortunately we are still losing something to the best pre-season lap time, which hadn´t been perfect. So we know that there is potential to speed up and we can do it. Our aim is to be on fifteenth place on the grid and i believe that it isn’t unreal.”

More, from a press relese issued by Avintia Racing:

Hector Barbera first Open and very close to the Q2 in Qatar

Avintia Racing MotoGP – Grand Prix of Qatar – FP2 – FP3

After a difficult start in the first practice session yesterday, tonight the Avintia Racing Team riders “flew” over the tarmac in the Losail International Circuit. In the FP2, Mike Di Meglio and Hector Barbera finished in the top ten and the goal for FP3, that give the access to the Q2, was to remain in the first ten positions. Hector Barbera was close to made it, and eventually finished eleventh and only half a second from the provisional pole position posted by Marc Marquez. But the most important, is that the Avintia Racing rider was the best of the Open class on track. Di Meglio finished 15th, but with very good feeling and fourth of the bikes running the Dorna software. Tomorrow the target will be use the FP4 to work for the race and to be the fastest in the Q1 to try to get the best possible grid position on the grid in the Q2.

HECTOR BARBERA #8 / 11th 1’55.396 @HectorBarbera

It was a pity to not reach the top ten to get in the Q2, but we have to be happy. We are doing a good job, but I think today we were a little bit nervous because yesterday I didn’t ride too much. It was the first day and you always want more, because for me the first race is like the first school day… So I think this has affected us and maybe we could be slightly faster. Anyway we are only half a second from the best lap time and we are competitive again. I want to congratulate the team, because after two years with many problems, have shown that they have the level to be competitive.

MIKE DI MEGLIO #63 / 17th 1’55.866 @Mikejpp63

The FP2 was really good and we improved a lot my lap times from the last test here in Qatar. In the evening we were missed only one tenth compared with the first session, and in my last exit with I couldn’t take advantage of the new tyre as there was a little bit of confusion on the track. I think we would be a little bit faster, but not enough to be in the Q2, that was our target tonight. But to post one lap in 1’55.1 we have to work harder. We have to try to be as high as possible on the grid, but our fight is with the Open class bikes, so I think we are fine.

More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

Iannone third and Dovizioso sixth after second day of free practice for Qatar GP at Losail.

Both Ducati Team riders had a good run in today’s two further sessions of free practice held at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar. Andrea Iannone ended up third overall in the combined standings, just 170/1000ths away from provisional leader Marquez, while Andrea Dovizioso was classified in sixth place, 222/1000ths away from the top.

The overall standings see the entire field pretty close together, with a total of 18 riders covered by less than one second and eight riders separated by less than three-tenths.

Andrea Iannone set his quickest time (1’54.992) on the third lap of today’s second session, the Italian using the hardest compound rear tyre at his disposal (the medium). The man from Vasto then took to the track for the first time ever with side fairings with winglets and continued to lap at a good pace, but he then crashed at Turn 2 on his thirteenth lap, fortunately without any consequences.

Andrea Dovizioso exclusively went out on track today with the winglet version of his Desmosedici GP15 and he set his best time (1’55.044) on his fifteenth lap, after fitting a ‘soft’ rear tyre. Dovi had in any case set some positive times throughout the session, using the medium compound rear tyre option.

Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team #29) – 1’54.992 (3rd)

“I am satisfied with this second day of testing because in the end we again managed to find the feeling we had in the tests, and we were pretty quick both over one lap and over race pace. It’s a pity about the crash, I came into the turn and the front suddenly closed up on me. We were trying some different settings and I crashed, but luckily I didn’t hurt myself. To avoid crashes here at Losail, they should remove Turn 2 because we always crash at that point! In any case, on the medium tyre we are all pretty much together, while I only tried the soft tyre at the end of FP2, but conditions were not perfect, and so I don’t know how much advantage it will give. In any case in my opinion, from first to fifth place on the same tyre we are all very close.”

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 1’55.044 (6th)

“I am very pleased with the work that we’ve been doing these days, and we succeeded in testing a lot of things, some of which were positive. I don’t yet have a perfect feeling with my GP15, but despite this I managed to lap in 1’55.6 with the used tyre and I think that is a very good pace. However we have to improve because we’re still lacking a bit of stability when braking and this is quite important in view of the race, but we do have the speed and tomorrow we’ve still got a fourth free practice session to work on fine-tuning the bike. My lap on the soft tyre wasn’t perfect but it was important to remain in the top 10, and try out the grip on this tyre in view of tomorrow’s qualifying session.”

More, from a press release issued by Aspar Team:

Aspar Team set strong lap times at Losail

Nicky Hayden and Eugene Laverty lap just a second off tonight’s fastest lap after taking a huge step forward with the set-up of their machines

Marc Márquez made his intentions clear in the first of tonight’s two free practice sessions at the Grand Prix of Qatar as he left his closest challenger trailing by four tenths of a second but in FP3 there were signs that he might not have the weekend all his own way. With Cal Crutchlow just 0.096 seconds behind the Spaniard and no less than eighteen riders separated by less than a second following tonight’s action, everything is set up for a frenetic first qualifying practice of the season tomorrow night.

With just one session available last night the Aspar Team riders were not the only ones who didn’t start their weekend as planned, but tonight both Nicky Hayden and Eugene Laverty made notable improvements to their feeling and lap times. A few changes for the American rider allowed him to clock a 1’55.789 lap that took him to within a second of the fastest lap of the night, whilst his Irish team-mate found confidence in a different front tyre and was also able to lap in the 1’55s. The Aspar Team pair are confident they are on the right path to more improvements tomorrow night, as they prepare for the first qualifying practice of the 2015 season.

18th Nicky Hayden 1.55.789 (33 laps): “Tonight we went back to the best set-up we found at the test here at Losail and this second day has been more productive. The feeling has improved considerably and even though we have a little chatter the bike is better balanced and we were able to go faster than we managed at the test. A 1’55 lap was one of the targets we set tonight so we are happy, even though we would like to be faster. The position is not great but we are less than a second off the top and that is very positive. The team have done a great job tonight. It will be a tough qualifying session with so many riders setting a similar pace but that makes it exciting. Hopefully we can set a good qualifying position and improve our pace for the race.”

19th Eugene Laverty 1.55.913 (33 laps): “The goal was to improve the lap times tonight and get faster so to be a second off the top, I am happy with that but I didn’t think it would leave me back in nineteenth position. So I have mixed feelings tonight – we are on the right path and I am satisfied but obviously I want more. We didn’t make a great start yesterday but we have responded tonight, taking a big chunk out of the lap time and improving the feeling. We have also focused on our race pace tonight and we understand more about the performance of the tyre. We have done a lot of testing and Sunday night is my first race in MotoGP, I want to make sure I am ready. We have solved the problem we had last night with the front tyre and found an option that works better with my riding style. We have improved our lap time from the test and hopefully we can keep going in the same way tomorrow and qualify in a good position.”

More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3:

Tech3 pair push onwards in the desert on day 2 at Qatar

Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team rider Pol Espargaro concluded the second day of action at the opening round in Qatar to finish in 10th position after a spirited performance under the floodlights. The young Spaniard kicked off proceedings by finishing in 14th in the second practice, however, the 2013 Moto2 World Champion remained optimistic of improvement and focused on the FP3 session where he adjusted the setup of the Yamaha YZR-M1. Espargaro powered onwards and scored a best lap of 1’55.328 that left him only 0.506 from the leading rider, after cutting a full second from his yesterday’s time in the intensely competitive field. His performance in the third practice session, sees him glide straight through to Qualifying 2 tomorrow, where he will fully intend to clinch a top qualifying placement for the first race of the year on Sunday.

On the other side of the Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team garage, Bradley Smith rode determinedly and gave his all before completing the challenging day in 16th position. The young Briton, who reaches the milestone of competing in 150 Grand Prix’s in all classes this Sunday, opened the second day at the Losail International circuit by finishing in 9th in the second free practice. In the afternoon Smith continued to push, yet was unfortunate in not being able to improve on his time set earlier in the day, which left him in 16th overall. Nevertheless, his best lap of 1’55.741 was just seven tenths from the top 5 and will see him compete in the Qualifying 1 session tomorrow. The 23 year old still remains positive and confident of seizing a strong result in the 22 lap race on Sunday.

Pol Espargaro

Position : 10thTime : 1’55.328 Laps : 17

“For sure, I can’t be completely happy as finishing in tenth is nothing to be thrilled about. However, maybe I could say that I’m satisfied in one respect as we are right behind the factory guys and also the gap to the leader is not that big. Moreover we still have some margin to improve as we are struggling with our rear grip, yet I’m confident that we can solve this issue tomorrow. In my opinion, it’s normal that we ended up in tenth in a session which turned out to be a qualification for us and also, my teammate who has always been fast at this track, is even further behind. I don’t think we deserve the disadvantage we have because of the tyre allocation, but that’s how it is so we just have to deal with it. Fortunately we managed to go straight to QP2 but for sure, it won’t be easy at all to achieve a decent grid position tomorrow.”

Bradley Smith

Position : 16th Time : 1’55.741 Laps : 16

“Of course, the end result today wasn’t what we planned at all. To be honest, we were going really well in the first two runs in FP3 and I felt confident on the old tyres at the beginning. Then on the second run, we tried the hard compound and I was one of the fastest riders on this type of tyre. However, we then put the new medium on at the end of the session but it didn’t work well and I couldn’t improve my lap time. Yet, I can’t be negative as the bike feels good and I am certain that if we make a few small modifications, we can improve tomorrow. Qualifying 1 will be tough, especially with the riders who will use the soft tyres, but I am convinced that it is still possible that we can do a good job. We have been competitive all weekend and we were just unlucky when it was time to do a time attack. These things happen, but I’m glad it was today and not tomorrow or Sunday. We’ll stay positive, try to improve in a few small areas and then prepare for a fast lap in qualifying.”

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