Brno Frustration For Laverty And Parkes
Following on from their historic double points scoring efforts at Indianapolis just one week earlier, it was back down to earth with a bump for both the Penrith-based PBM MotoGP team and riders Michael Laverty and Broc Parkes.
Going into the 11th round of the MotoGP World Championship, hopes were high for Paul Bird’s team to continue their good form at the bwin Grand Prix Ceske Republiky at Brno this weekend but it turned into one of frustration with neither rider able to add to their points tally.
Neither Ulsterman Laverty, on the Rapid Solicitors and Silkolene-backed Aprilia ART-powered PBM, nor Australian team-mate Parkes, on the Silkolene-backed PBM, could find a good setting to hoist them up the grid and they qualified towards the back for today’s race.
At the start, former British Supersport Champion Laverty struggled to get his machine off the line due to a malfunction with the launch control as Parkes, twice runner-up in the World Supersport Championship, made the better of the two starts.
On lap seven, just as he was making inroads to the riders in front, Laverty crashed out and whereas Parkes gamely battled to a 19th place finish, he was far from happy with the result after struggling all weekend.
Despite the result, Parkes maintains his 20th position overall in the 2014 MotoGP World Championship table, eighth in the Open class standings and third in Rookie of the Year. Following only his second DNF of the year, Laverty still occupies 23rd place and 11th in the Open class. Importantly for the PBM team, they hold fifth place in the manufacturer’s table and 11th in the team’s standings.
The PBM MotoGP team is next in action at the Hertz British Grand Prix at Silverstone in two weeks time where they hope for better fortunes.
Michael Laverty: “I am disappointed to crash out of the race today, I was pushing hard to get back onto the group following a terrible start due to a launch control problem. I had just got to the group and pushed the front tyre that 1% too hard, bottomed the forks out and down I went. We worked hard during the weekend and had a good setting for the race, sorry to the team but these things happen. We will regroup for our home race at Silverstone in two weeks time.”
Broc Parkes: “I struggled all weekend with front end problems and could not get it fixed for the race, we tried so many different things to fix it but it didn’t change. We need to find the problem if I’m going to get some better results for our team’s home race in Silverstone.”
Phil Borley, Technical Director: “The Brno round has probably been our most frustrating weekend of the year, as we have had a number of small problems, we struggled for pace in some of the sessions and for Broc also in the race as well. Michael had an electronics problem which lost him some time at the start, but during the race, his pace was good and he had closed the gap to some of our competitors. Unfortunately he then crashed, so we do not know what he could have achieved if he had finished. Broc has had problems with his setting for most of the weekend and has only been comfortable in the morning warm-up session. The same setting did not work for him in the race, so we will have to try some other solutions at our next race in Silverstone.”
For more information, please visit the team’s website www.pbmuk.net and www.pbmuk.net
More, from a press release issued by Cardion AB Motoracing:
Abraham finishes in home race on fourteenth place enjoying atmosphere
Again points and fight with other bikes of Open class. Karel Abraham has behind him good race in home Czech Republic that he finished on fourteenth place behind his “factory” rivals Hiroshi Aoyama and Leon Camier.
Karel Abraham
“Again we finished on point position, so i take this as success for sure. Bike worked very well and the tyres were more slippery at the beginning of the race then at the end when i was riding fastest laps. That’s a shame that i remained behind Camier and I lost contact with Aoyama. I think we could fight we were making similar times. I wanted to get closer to Hiroshi but he is another point further and if i want to get closer i have to finish in front of him regularly. I was really surprised by spectators; Brno again showed its power. I would like to say thank you to all fans for support not just me by also to another riders. I believe we will return to Brno also next year.”
Marco Grana, Cardion AB chief mechanic
“I evaluate really positive today’s performance. We have points again, Karel made good race and in world standing we are just two points behind Yonny Hernandez that rides more stronger bike. Unfortunately Karel did not stay in contact with Hiroshi Aoyama. We could fight with him. But I’m happy that some positive news about saving Grand Prix appeared. Everyone who has seen this unbelievable atmosphere would be sorry that this race would end.”
More, from a press release issued by Husqvarna:
FIRST MOTO3 PODIUM FOR HUSQVARNA AT BRNO
DANNY KENT PICKS UP HUSQVARNA’S FIRST MOTO3 PODIUM
British factory rider Danny Kent picked up a podium third at the Moto3 GP of the Czech Republic at the Brno circuit on Sunday in Rd. 11 of the 2014 World Championship. It was Husqvarna’s first podium since joining the MotoGP Moto3 World Championship at the beginning of the 2014 season.
Kent finished third behind veteran French racer Alexis Masbou and young Italian Enea Bastianini. Niklas Ajo, his fellow Husqvarna rider was a commendable twelfth in a race that saw the leading pack of 16 riders separated by just 1.9 seconds as they crossed the finish line. Ajo was only one second off the winning pace.
Kent: “It was a very hard and very close race and you had to be very clever. I struggled at the beginning but in the end it was just one of those things. You just had to be in the right place at the right time.”
Kent qualified in twelfth place on Saturday but dropped to fifteenth place in the opening phase of the first lap on Sunday. He then advanced from fifteenth to thirteenth in the first 10 laps in what quickly developed into a battle of attrition between half the field, and certainly a race far too close to call. While the lead changed constantly at the front of the group, Kent slowly chipped away in the background, improving his position almost every lap. With just five laps to go of the 19-lap race on the sweeping Czech circuit, he had stealthily worked his way up to eighth place. Meanwhile it was clear that anything could happen at the front and probably would.
With just two laps to go, the British rider was in fourth place as the battle for the podiums intensified – but the action was far from over in the tightly packed group of riders.
Danny Kent: “Gradually I managed to overtake one or two riders per lap and moved up into the first group. With two laps remaining I was fourth or fifth and felt comfortable about fighting for the victory. But I had a scare and dropped back to ninth on the final lap. I had to push hard, I nearly crashed twice more, but in the end we have our first podium of the year.”
Clever riding saw him make the move and slip into third in what was one of the hardest fought races in this very competitive class. Kent also moved up to eleventh place in the championship standings.
Husqvarna Factory team manager Aki Ajo welcomed Kent’s podium, saying: “I am really happy for Danny because it has been a difficult season for him. And now in the last races he really showed some big improvement. Now for sure he deserved his podium after his hard work.”
Danny Kent and Niklas Ajo ride the Husqvarna FR 250GP machine. Riders next compete in the UK in the Moto3 GP of Britain at Silverstone on August 31, a home race for Kent.
More at www.motogp.com
Moto3 Results
1. Alexis Masbou, FRA, Honda, 40:59.759
2. Enea Bastianini, ITA, KTM, 40:59.916
3. Danny Kent, GBR, Husqvarna, 40:59.946
4. Alex Marquez, ESP, Honda, 40:59.959
5. Jack Miller, AUS, KTM, 40:59.976
6. Brad Binder, RSA, Mahindra, 41:00.069
7. Miguel Oliveira, POR, Mahindra, 41:00.229
8. Efren Vasquez, ESP, Honda, 41:00.308
9. Alex Rins, ESP, Honda, 41:00.669
10. Isaac Viñales, ESP, KTM, 41:00.768
Other Husqvarna
12. Niklas Ajo, FIN, Husqvana, 41:00.820
Moto3 Standings after Round 11
1. Miller, 169
2. Marquez, 146
3. Vazquez, 145
4. Fenati, 135
5. Rins, 125
6. Masbou, 117
7. Viñales, 96
8. Bastianini, 71
9. Oliveira, 71
10. Binder, 66
11. Kent 66
…
18. Hanika, 20
More, from a press release issued by KTM:
RED BULL KTM’S MILLER LEADS MOTO3 CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS AFTER BRNO
Red Bull KTM factory rider Jack Miller picked up a fifth place in the melee that ensued for podium places in the eleventh round of the Moto3 World Championship at the Czech Circuit of Brno on Sunday. The Australian rider for the Red Bull KTM Ajo Team slightly extends his lead in the overall standings and is now 23-points in the lead.
The race was won by veteran French rider Alexis Masbou who claimed his first victory in 133 starts. Second was young Italian KTM rider Enea Bastianini, while Husqvarna rider Danny Kent was third.
Miller, who has been on the podium six times and has picked up six pole positions so far this season was always in the mix for a top position. The race that saw no less than 16 riders in the lead group and less than 2 seconds apart as it went down to the wire.
The Red Bull sponsored athlete qualified in sixth place on Saturday in a session that was plagued with intermittent rain on parts of the track and where traffic was an issue in the closing stages as riders attempted to put in a fast lap time.
On Sunday the Australian quickly moved into the top ten in the opening laps and sat at around fifth to seventh place in the middle of the race. Then with a handful of laps to go and tension mounting as fast as positions changed among the top riders, Miller hit the front and began to challenge for the win. He lost out in the final corners as the bunch of riders charged the line, but with more than the race win at stake, he settled for fifth place just 0.217 of a second off the winning pace.
Miller did admit he had made a small mistake in the final fight for the podium places: “On the last chicane I had a good position, but I made a small mistake on the corner leading onto the straight and lost four places. The race could have gone better, but we should be happy because we have extended the lead in the Moto3 World Championship standings by two points.”
Commenting on Miller’s ride, Aki Ajo, team manager said: “I think Jack’s race in some ways went exactly as planned. He is a very smart rider and understands that there are many riders in the World Championship who can be up at the front, and knows that positions can change at any time. The most important thing is to remain consistent and today he was very intelligent, managing his tires, waiting and attacking at the right time. In some aspects it could have gone even better, but his lead in the standings is still increasing -so that’s positive.”
Factory teammate Karel Hanika, racing at home on the Czech circuit in his rookie season, also never lost touch with the large lead group in what was one of the hardest fought in the series. Hanika finished in fifteenth place but was only 1.8 seconds short of the winning time.
Miller and Hanika next compete at the Moto3 GP of Britain at the Silverstone circuit on August 31, 2014. They both ride the RC 250GP bike.
Moto3 Results Rd. 11 at Brno CZ
1, Alexis Masbou, FRA, Honda, 40:59.759
2, Enea Bastianini, ITA, KTM, 40:59.916
3, Danny Kent, GBR, Husqvarna, 40:59.946
4, Alex Marquez, ESP, Honda, 40:59.959
5, Jack Miller, AUS, KTM, 40:59.976
6, Brad Binder, RSA, Mahindra, 41:00.069
7, Miguel Oliveira, POR, Mahindra, 41:00.229
8, Efren Vasquez, ESP, Honda, 41:00.308
9, Alex Rins, ESP, Honda, 41:00.669
10, Isaac Viñales, ESP, KTM, 41:00.768
Other KTM
11, Romano Fenati, ITA, KTM, 41:00.801
13, Niccolo Antonelli, ITA, KTM, 41:00.950
14, Jakub Kornfeil, CZE, KTM, 41:01.568
15, Karel Hanika, CZE, KTM, 41:01.597
17, Francesco Bagnaia, ITA, KTM, 41:12.523
27, Eric Granado, BRA, KTM, 41:36.511
28, Hafiq Azmi, MAL, KTM, 42:04.156
DNF, Gabriel Rodrigo, KTM, 23:53.986
Moto3 Standings after Round 11
1, Miller, 169
2, Marquez, 146
3, Vazquez, 145
4, Fenati, 135
5, Rins, 125
6, Masbou, 117
7, Viñales, 96
8, Bastianini, 71
9, Oliveira, 71
10, Binder, 66
Other KTM
12, Kornfeil, 56
14, Bagnaia, 42
17, Antonelli, 21
18, Hanika, 20
26, Granado, 2
SPANISH RIDERS MARTIN AND MIR TAKE RD. 8 & 9 VICTORIES IN BRNO
Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup contested two typically hard fought races at the Brno circuit in the Czech Republic on Saturday and Sunday with championship leader Jorge Martin winning in Saturday’s Rd. 8 and fellow Spaniard Joan Mir picking up the prize in Sunday’s Rd. 9.
Martin continues to lead the points as this breeding ground for young road racing talent enters the second half of the season. He recovered from a bad start to take the win on Saturday but his lead was cut from 55 points to 30 in Sunday’s race when his KTM RC 250R was clipped by Dutch rider Bo Bendsneyder in the final charge for the finish line. Both riders ended their race in the gravel.
The weekend was quite eventful for the Rookies Cup competitors when on Saturday officials shortened the race to just nine laps because of rain on parts of the long sweeping circuit. Riders went out on regulation wet tires on a track that dried out quickly and tire deterioration was a problem in the closing stages. It nevertheless proved to be an opportunity for Martin to add to his points after he collected his third victory of the season while pole sitter Manual Pagliani of Italy finished second ahead of Stefano Manzi, also of Italy.
Martin made a good recovery in Saturday’s race after a poor start, a problem he admitted that he needed to solve. He fought his way back into the action in time to join Pagliani, Manzi and Britain’s Brad Ray at the front of the pack as the race progressed. Pagliani got relegated to the back of the group of four while Ray and Martín fought it out at the front but together with Manzi got back in the action in time to take the minor places. As riders climbed the hill to the finish line Martin saw he had some room to breathe on one of the big screens that lined the circuit. “It was a hard race, a lot of fun but the wet tires were destroyed well before the end on the dry track,” concluded the Cup leader.
Sunday was another day and the Brno circuit offered a dry track and no sign of bad weather when the rookies lined up for Rd. 9. Pagliani’s luck ran out in early when he crashed from the lead position in the opening lap while riding together with Mir and Manzi. Martin again got a bad start but worked hard to get back into the lead group in the final stages and looked set to take another victory. His hopes were dashed after his too close encounter with Bensnyder and the race went to Mir.
Impressive in Brno was Red Bull MotoGP Rookie Fabio Di Giannantonio of Italy who finished eighth on Saturday and wrapped up his weekend with a podium second on Sunday. Di Giannantonio is in his first season in the competition. Manzi again picked up third place on Sunday
The young riders will be back on the track for two more rounds next weekend as part of the program of the MotoGP of Britain at the famed Silverstone circuit in the UK. Three rounds in September – one at Misano in Italy and a double header at Aragon, Spain conclude the 2014 season for the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup.
Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup
Results of Rd. 9 at Brno, Czech Republic, (Results Rd. 8 – Rd. 9)
(All riders on KTM RC 250 R)
1, Joan Mir, ESP, 31:05.408, (5 – 1)
2, Fabio Di Giannantonio, ITA, at 0.081, (8 – 2)
3, Stefano Manzi, ITA, at 0.102, (3 – 3)
4, Bradley Ray, GBR, at 0.607, (4 – 4)
5, Marc Garcia, ESP, at 0.653, (6 – 5)
6, Enzo Boulom, FRA, at 1.401, (10 – 6)
7, Aris Michail, GER, at 11.647, (19 – 7)
8, Jaume Masia, ESP, at 11.819, (11 – 8)
9, Toprak Razgatlioglu, TUR, at 11.820, (16 – 9)
10, Oscar Gutierrez, ESP, at 11.842, (14 – 10)
Standings after Rds. 8&9
1, Jorge Martin, ESP, 155
2, Mir, 125
3, Manzi, 104
4, Soushi Mihara, JPN, 103
5, Ray, 94
More, from a press release issued by FIM:
FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix
bwin Grand Prix Ceske Republiky – Decision of the Race Direction
On 17 August 2014 after the finish of the Moto2 race of the bwin Grand Prix Ceske Republiky, the rider #53 Esteve Rabat carried another person on the back of his motorcycle on the race track.This is an infringement of Article 1.21.10 of the FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix Regulations.
A Race Direction hearing was held with the rider’s representative in attendance.
The decision of Race Direction is to impose on the rider number 53 Esteve Rabat a fine of 1,000€ (one thousand euros) according to Article 3.2.1 of the FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix Disciplinary and Arbitration Code.
No appeal has been lodged.
The decision of Race Direction is final