Octo British Grand Prix

FIM MotoGP World Championship

Silverstone Circuit, England

August 26, 2017

Qualifying Results (all on Michelin tires):

From Qualifying Session Two:

1. Marc MARQUEZ, Spain (HONDA), 1:59.941 (New Lap Record)

2. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (YAMAHA), 2:00.025

3. Cal CRUTCHLOW, UK (HONDA), 2:00.106

4. Maverick VIÑALES, Spain (YAMAHA), 2:00.341

5. Jorge LORENZO, Spain (DUCATI), 2:00.399

6. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (DUCATI), 2:00.572

7. Dani PEDROSA, Spain (HONDA), 2:00.578

8. Johann ZARCO, France (YAMAHA), 2:00.622

9. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (APRILIA), 2:00.764

10. Jonas FOLGER, Germany (YAMAHA), 2:00.829

11. Pol ESPARGARO, Spain (KTM), 2:01.378

12. Scott REDDING, UK (DUCATI), 2:01.994

From Qualifying Session One:

13. Alex RINS, Spain (SUZUKI), 2:01.285

14. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (DUCATI), 2:01.340

15. Andrea IANNONE, Italy (SUZUKI), 2:01.567

16. Hector BARBERA, Spain (DUCATI), 2:01.669

17. Jack MILLER, Australia (HONDA), 2:01.672

18. Danilo PETRUCCI, Italy (DUCATI), 2:01.770

19. Bradley SMITH, UK (KTM), 2:02.017

20. Karel ABRAHAM, Czech Republic (DUCATI), 2:02.037

21. Loris BAZ, France (DUCATI), 2:02.185

22. Tito RABAT, Spain (HONDA), 2:02.211

23. Sam LOWES, UK (APRILIA), 2:02.787

More, from a press release issued by Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS:

Miller set for strong surge in Silverstone race

With his fastest lap of the weekend so far Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider Jack Miller has qualified 17th for Sunday’s British Grand Prix.

The Aussie ace posted his quickest lap of 2’01.672 to go almost one second faster than his best time in Friday afternoon’s impressive FP2 session.

The 5.9km Silverstone Circuit is fast and flat, featuring a challenging series of high-speed curves with Miller posting a top speed of 324kph on his Honda RC213V.

Miller admits that a couple of small but costly errors cost him crucial time in qualifying after making positive set-up changes that point to a strong race performance.

Tito Rabat will start from 22nd position after showing the potential in practice for a much better starting position.

In the earlier FP4 session, with his Honda RC213V running in race trim, Rabat was impressively 11th fastest but was only able to go 0.1s faster in qualifying.

But the Spanish rider has made a huge step forward from a year ago, improving his times by more than two seconds at this iconic Grand Prix circuit.

The session was held in dry and sunny conditions after morning showers, which saw FP3 run on a damp but drying track.

The 20-lap British Grand Prix is the 12th of 18 races in the MotoGP World Championship.

Jack Miller: 17th – 2’01.672

“I just didn’t put it all together when it counted in qualifying. I felt like I had good speed and my second run had the potential to have me further up the grid but I messed up the first sector and then ran a little wide in the final part of that lap. On my second run I had a bit of shake coming off turn two and ran off the track. My lap times are consistent but 17th on the grid is not ideal, I needed to do this time on Friday to get straight into Q2 but I’m feeling comfortable for the race.”

Tito Rabat: 22nd – 2’02.211

“I am very disappointed because I tried to do my best. But again on this bike I feel that my fastest times come easier when I have rider to follow and I tried to do this with Jonas Folger but unfortunately the plan did work out. Despite my position on the grid we have done a good job and I am sure I can be stronger in the race and get some points. The last few races have been a bit of a nightmare for me but I’m staying calm and I’m ready to give 100%.”

Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal

“For Jack I was expecting a better qualifying position but on a long circuit like Silverstone it is difficult when you make even small mistakes on your qualifying runs. But the race pace is strong and Jack has the potential to take back some positions and go deep into the points in the race. Unfortunately it has so far been a difficult weekend for Tito and a little strange that he is so far behind the other Honda riders. For sure the race will be a challenge for him tomorrow.”

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

Zarco to bolt forward from 8th – Folger fired up for Silverstone battle

Monster Yamaha Tech3 team rider Johann Zarco will begin the highly anticipated British Grand Prix from the third row of the grid. The rapid French rider stormed to the top of FP3 in the mixed conditions and his result of 7th in the combined standings put him through to Q2. He met the chequered flag in 8th and only 0.050 back from the second row and now he determinedly eyes up the battle tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Jonas Folger will begin his fight from the head of the fourth row of the grid. The young German bounced back from an illness yesterday to finish this morning’s FP3 session in 3rd, but 13th overall, which saw him contest in Q1. Here he powered to 2nd and passed through to Qualifying 2, where he gave his all before finishing with the 10th best time. The race will begin at 15:30 local time and both riders will be aiming to close the weekend with two top tier results.

Johann Zarco

Position: 8th – Time: 2’00.622 – Laps: 7

“Overall I am pleased with my starting position for the British Grand Prix. In FP3 we made a good step with the bike and compared to yesterday, I felt much better. To be honest, this morning I didn’t expect to improve on my lap but I managed to do this which was very positive. Then in Free Practice 4, I ran a solid rhythm and the times were more than satisfying, but it is difficult to keep the pace for the entire race distance at this circuit. Therefore, I think that this will be the biggest challenge, but I will fight. Anyway, because FP3 went well, I felt confident to push in qualifying and I rode some good times. It’s a shame that on the last lap I just missed out on the second row, which I think was certainly achievable. However to start from 8th is not a drama and it’s actually positive, as I feel comfortable on the bike and I will push. Tomorrow, I aim to wake up well and then stay relaxed because this will be key for the afternoon.”

Jonas Folger

Position: 10th – Time: 2’00.829 – Laps: 7

“I am really happy because we made a big improvement on the bike and I made a good step forward with myself. Yesterday was tough, but I felt much better today and we had a positive time in qualifying. We were able to try a different setting which made the Yamaha more stable on the exit and calmer overall. In addition, I was able to get out of Q1 which was very positive because it is never easy to do this. The team and I can be pleased as we did a great job but I think that we still have some room to improve, especially with regards to the front of the bike. We will analyse everything now, but for today, we went about things in the right way. Thanks to the team who worked really well and I’m sure that we can make another solid step tomorrow.”

More, from a press release issued by Pull&Bear Aspar Team:

Bautista just two tenths off Q2

Pull&Bear Aspar rider will start British GP from 14th, with teammate Karel Abraham in 20th position

Marc Márquez broke his own pole record from 2015 at Silverstone, for his sixth qualifying top spot of the year. The Spaniard’s 1:59.941 lap relegated rival Valentino Rossi to second place, just 0.084s slower than him, whilst home rider Cal Crutchlow completes the front row. Crutchlow was fastest on Friday but was just over a tenth of a second off Rossi today. The race, scheduled for 20 laps, will start at 15:30 local time on Sunday.

Álvaro Bautista was less than two tenths off getting into Q2, on two occasions. The first of them was on the combined free practice timesheets, when he and teammate Karel Abraham were 0.164s and 0.165s off the Top 10, respectively. Both had to take part in Q1, where again Bautista fell just short: 0.178s away from getting into the second session. The Spaniard will start from fourteenth, on the fifth row of the grid, and aims to gain positions during the race. Abraham could not find the ideal tow to set a fast lap, and had his best attempt struck out due to the session having ended. 2:02.037 lap puts him twentieth on the grid.

14th Álvaro Bautista 2:01.340: “In the morning we couldn’t try anything out because of the mixed conditions on the track. In the afternoon we tried to improve the movement of the bike, to avoid being unstable on the bumps, but I didn’t like what we tried. We are studying the data to try to improve my feeling for tomorrow. As for the race pace, we are in better shape than what you can see in the results. However, starting from far back we could experience what happened in Austria, where we reached a point where we couldn’t catch those ahead. Our goal remains the Top 5, and even though maybe here we are having some difficulties, it is still our aim. Let’s see if we can find something that will help me lower my times by the two missing tenths and get closer.”

20th Karel Abraham 2:02.037: “I’m not happy at all with qualifying. The first stint was ok, but on the second we didn’t have a very good strategy. I wanted to follow somebody, but whenever there was an opportunity for a tow, it was somebody slower than me who I didn’t want to follow. On my last attempt the time was a little bit better, but unfortunately I hadn’t seen that I had already taken the chequered flag and it was scrubbed out. It would have meant placing one or two places higher up on the grid, in any case. I’m not happy; I didn’t do a good job, even though the bike was working well.”

More, from a press release issued by Aprilia Gresini Racing:

THIRD ROW FOR ALEIX ESPARGARÓ, LIMITED BY PHYSICAL PROBLEMS

THE SPANISH RIDER RATIONS HIS EFFORTS BUT CONFIRMS THE HIGH LEVEL ACHIEVED BY THE APRILIA RS-GP AT SILVERSTONE

Aleix Espargaró continues to grit his teeth, having deal with a painful and seriously limiting injury once again on Saturday at Silverstone. A spot on the third row, earned with his ninth place time in qualifying, is an extraordinary result in light of Aleix’s physical problems and confirms the good level that the Aprilia RS-GP has achieved on the English circuit. Aleix, monitored constantly by the Mobile Clinic, chose not to go out for FP3 on damp asphalt, having already clinched a spot in Q2 with his excellent performance yesterday. Instead, he turned nine laps in FP4, in preparation for the race.

The Spanish rider’s conditions will be assessed tomorrow morning, with his difficulty breathing over the long distance being the primary problem to take into account.

It was a complicated qualifying session for Sam Lowes who was unable to turn a perfect lap with the soft tyre. The English rider’s confidence is based primarily on the work he has done in view of the race, which culminated with an excellent demonstration of consistency in FP4. The goal of finishing in the points is certainly within Sam’s reach, warmly supported by his home fans.

ALEIX ESPARGARO’

“Today was very difficult. I have had other injuries in my career, but none that have limited me this much. I have a lot of pain in my side, especially in the direction changes after a couple of laps. We are doing as much as possible with the Clinic, but since it is an internal problem, we cannot use infiltrations. By rationing my strength today I was able in any case to lap well, earning a good spot on the starting grid, and in general I am satisfied with the speed we have shown here at Silverstone. All I can do now is rest and tomorrow morning we will assess the situation.”

SAM LOWES

“FP4 went rather well. We made a lot of significant changes to the RS-GP and found a good setup with the hard tyre, so in race configuration. I am able to maintain a good pace easily. I feel at ease on the bike and I am confident that I will be able to battle for the points zone. Qualifying, on the other hand, was difficult. I did not have the right feeling with the soft tyre, losing a few tenths. In any case, tomorrow we have the potential to do a good race.”

More, from a press release issued by Octo Pramac Racing:

Fourth and sixth row for Scott and Petrux in OCTO #BritishGP qualifying at Silverstone

The Saturday of the Octo British Grand Prix didn’t give particular satisfaction to the Octo Pramac Racing team.

Scott Redding did not manage to find the right conditions in order to be competitive in the Q2 after a promising FP3 and a good feeling during the FP4. Scott will start from P12.

Danilo Petrucci, forced to pass from Q1 after the difficulties of Friday, he tried to avoid traffic on track in order to be competitive in the time attack, but he crashed in the first. Unfortunately, the feeling with the bike-2 was not one of the best. Petrux will start from the 18th position tomorrow.

18th – Danilo Petrucci – 2’01.770

“It was very difficult qualify, but if I have to be honest the feelings for the race are good. We had many difficulties yesterday, but we worked well and the race pace during the FP4 was quite convincing. Unfortunately, I made a mistake in the Q1: they were all behind me and I wanted to lap alone. I will start from behind but I am confident”.

12th – Scott Redding – 2’01.994

“Qualifying did not go well. If I have to be honest, I am a bit surprised because the feeling was good. However, when I went on track I couldn’t’ find grip and the feeling got worst compared to the FP3. I still believe that I can do a good race tomorrow. A good start will be fundamental”.

More, from a press release issued by Reale Avintia Racing:

Difficult qualifying session for Reale Avintia Racing riders at Silverstone

The second day of practice for the British GP has not been easy for Reale Avintia Racing riders. For FP3, the track conditions were not the best after some showers in the morning, and on a damp but drying track they were not able to improve and get direct access to Q2. During FP4, the conditions were much better and with the sun shining again for Q1, both riders improved their pace from Friday. But it was not enough and Hector Barbera will start from 16th place of the grid, while Loris Baz will do so from 21st, after they finished sixth and eleventh in Q1.

But although the position is not ideal, both riders are confident to be able to recover and grab some points in tomorrow’s 20-lap-race.

Héctor Barberá | 2’01.669 | P16

“As we could see yesterday I feel much more comfortable with the set-up from Barcelona. Maybe the bike works better with the one we have been using in the last couple of races, but the bike needs to be ridden in a different way and it wasn’t possible for me to do this me. Now I pushed my limit a bit further and I was faster immediately. The only positive thing today was that I lost just 0.3s to Alvaro (Bautista) ,who is the fastest rider on this bike. Redding was slower. Yes, he is ahead of me on the grid, but just because he got the pass to Q2 this morning. Overall I’m satisfied and I think that my pace is quite strong for the race. We must start well and then we will see where we can finish the race.”

Héctor Barberá | 2’02.185 | P21

“Today was really difficult. The track was not in the best possible condition this morning, but we didn’t go so bad. But in FP4 and qualifying, it was a disaster. We had to work just with one bike because of the mileage of the engines and with this, it was impossible to improve. The changes that we were testing didn’t work and as I had just one bike to evaluate these changes, we lost too much time in the garage. In qualifying I tried something that we had left from FP4 and this also didn’t work. But then I went out with my second bike for the last exit and my feeling was really good. I think that it was possible to do two fast laps, but I had a strange feeling with the brakes and we didn’t improve. No we are way back on the grid, but we have a good race pace and I am confident we will recover some positions.”

More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:

MOVISTAR YAMAHA SCORE FIRST AND SECOND ROW IN SILVERSTONE QUALIFYING

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Valentino Rossi and Maverick Viñales were flying at the Silverstone Circuit today, qualifying in second and fourth place for tomorrow’s Octo British Grand Prix.

Silverstone (United Kingdom), 26th August 2017

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Valentino Rossi set a scorching pace in this afternoon’s qualifying session at a sunny Silverstone Circuit to score second position on the grid for tomorrow’s Octo British Grand Prix. Teammate Maverick Viñales also attacked the shoot-out at full speed and took fourth place.

Rossi headed out on track in the Q2 session in the middle of the 12-rider field, but he didn‘t let that spoil his rhythm. On his first flying lap he set a personal benchmark time of 2‘01.219s for fifth place. Unable to better his time with his next attempt, he dropped down the order and held eighth position as he entered the pits with a little more than six minutes of Q2 remaining.

A quick minute later, the live timing was flashing red sectors for various riders, including the Doctor. The Italian was on an absolute flyer and set a superb 2‘00.025s for second place, 0.084s from first. He had time for one more lap, but didn‘t improve, and will start tomorrow‘s Octo British Grand Prix from the middle of the front row.

Viñales followed his teammate out of pit lane at the start of the 15-minute shoot-out. He immediately put his Yamaha YZR-M1 inside the top-3 and followed it up with a 2‘00.485s for second place on his second try.

The young Spaniard quickly made his way back to the Movistar Yamaha box for a set of fresh tyres. When he was back out on track with five minutes remaining, the riders‘ provisional ranking shuffled as the times dropped. Viñales set a personal best lap, a 2‘00.341s, for fourth position, 0.400s from the front. As he was unable to make further progress on his last lap, he will start tomorrow‘s race from the second row of the grid.

MASSIMO MEREGALLI

TEAM DIRECTOR

Both sides of the garage did a good job today. For sure Vale would have liked to secure the pole position in front of the passionate British fans. He was very close, only missing out by 0.084s, but being able to start from second place, from the front row, is a really good result. Maverick will also be starting from a good position, from fourth place on the second row. He feels comfortable on the bike and he‘s happy about the job he was able to do today, though we think there is still some room for improvement. During FP4 we faced some difficulties with the pace and we need to understand the reason. It might be due to a change in track conditions following this morning‘s rain, or there might be another reason, so we will continue to work tonight, and tomorrow in the warm up, to prepare for the race.

VALENTINO ROSSI

I always lose a bit in the final section, I have a bit too much spin. I think I had a big advantage up until that point. Marc was barely inside the 1‘59.9s, so I lost a bit, but not a lot. I’m close to the pole position, unfortunately it was not enough, but I’m so happy to start from the front row, that’s very important for the race. With the pace we are not fantastic, we’re a bit in trouble. I hope we have the time to try to fix all of the last details and I hope to be competitive tomorrow and fight for the podium.

MAVERICK VIÑALES

I feel OK. I think we did a good job, especially in FP4, I‘m quite happy about that. For qualifying we modified the bike a little bit and I didn‘t feel that great, but anyway we know that we are quite strong here and tomorrow we are going to try to do our best. We didn‘t make one big improvement today, we made small ones. Tomorrow we have one more chance to work and try to improve.

More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:

Marquez takes pole with fastest lap ever at Silverstone, Pedrosa improves his speed

Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez took a record-breaking pole position for tomorrow’s British Grand Prix with a 1’59.941” lap, an astonishing performance that made him the only rider in MotoGP history to lap under the two-minute barrier at the Silverstone track.

Marc’s fourth pole in a row and his sixth this season also extended his all-time record to an incredible tally of 71 poles across all classes. The Championship leader will be joined on the front row by Valentino Rossi in second place and by fellow Honda rider Cal Crutchlow, who qualified in third at his home track.

It was also a positive qualifying for Dani Pedrosa, who overcame the difficulties posed by Silverstone’s bumpy asphalt to advance into Q2 from Q1, and to ultimately record the seventh-fastest lap time, just 6 thousandths of a second off a second-row start.

The MotoGP British GP will start tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. local time.

Marc Marquez 93

POLE POSITION 1’59.941

“I’m very happy with this pole. Honestly, before qualifying I didn’t expect to be able to get below two minutes, but when I put on the soft rear I felt extra grip and was already able to do 2’00.1” on the first run. At that point I understood that I could do better and maybe arrive at 1’59”. I didn’t do a perfect lap—here that’s very difficult as it’s a very long track—but it was a good one and we were able to achieve our target to be on the front row. Anyway, what’s more important for tomorrow is our rhythm, which isn’t bad. Our pace was also good yesterday, but the feeling I had with the bike was a bit worse compared to today. Tomorrow we’ll try to refine a few more details in the warm-up and choose the correct rear tyre for the race. It will be a long, tough one, as several other top guys have a good pace as well, but if everything is fine and we feel good, we’ll go and fight for the podium and, why not, for the victory as well.”

Dani Pedrosa 26

7TH 2’00.578

“We did our best to recover from some very difficult practice sessions, and in the end we were able to improve our situation a bit. We gave 100% in QP1 and managed to move on to Q2 and do another decent lap time, as I was feeling a bit better with the soft tyre. That was the positive part of the day. On the other hand, we weren’t able to work as we wished during the practices, also considering that track conditions were not ideal in FP3, so we haven’t gathered too much data and didn’t do many good lap times. We still have work to do to try and improve the bike’s stability a bit more, and we have to decide which tyre to use for the race. We’ll see where we are tomorrow in the warm-up, but in any case, I’ll have to push hard from the start of the race.”

More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki ECSTAR:

RINS 13TH AND IANNONE 15TH IN BRITISH GP QUALIFYING

Alex Rins: 13th – 2’01.285 (Q1)

Andrea Iannone: 15th – 2’01.567 (Q1)

The sunny but cool conditions this afternoon at Silverstone made the qualifying session of the British GP a very fast one, with reasonable improvements in the times. Alex Rins managed to finish in 13th place while Andrea Iannone is set in 15th.

The morning session had been deeply affected by the weather, with the track very cold and damp which prevented riders from properly lapping and testing for improvements. The result was that the combined classification didn’t see significant changes, and Iannone and Rins had to settle with yesterday’s positions and make it through the Q1 session.

The warmup in early afternoon saw Rins being competitive, immediately working to set his GSX-RR at the top of the sheets and maintaining a consistently fast pace on hard tyres. The Q1 session was a hard fought one, with many riders switching positions in the early minutes. However, Rins and Iannone were able to battle it out until the end, finishing in 13th and 15th positions respectively.

Davide Brivio – Team Manager

“We should be happy because this weekend we made many improvements, but personally I’m a little disappointed because I believed the Q2 was achievable. Especially with Alex, we got very, very close. He missed the last attempt because he encountered some traffic on the track with another rider, but his performance was worthy of access to the top 12. Anyway, having got so close is a good sign. Alex as well had a positive FP2 yesterday and an even better FP4 today. His pace is very good and despite starting from 13th place, I believe he can have a good race if he manages to recover some positions and keep close to the pack. Andrea had some more difficulties; he got very close to the Q2 as well, but he is still suffering with some problems we have. We have to improve the exit of the corners to give him better confidence.”

Alex Rins

“It’s been a positive day but the weather this morning did affect our plans. I felt confident to be able to improve in FP3, but the track conditions didn’t allow for much work. We recovered in FP4. The pace and also the overall feeling with the GSX-RR were very good. We were missing a little something that we needed to get into the Q2, which is a shame, but the positive thing is that I’m really enjoying my Suzuki in this circuit and I feel good about tomorrow’s race.”

Andrea Iannone

“It was tough qualifying for us; we couldn’t be as fast as we hoped. We tried our best, but we still have some problems that we encountered yesterday which we have been unable to solve so far. We improved on some points since yesterday, but I´m still lacking some effectiveness in the exiting of the corners. We should find a better grip on the rear wheel that can allow us to employ our power. For sure we improved and we are getting better and better, but it´s still not enough. We have to work tonight and tomorrow morning to find some better solutions. I’m confident we have the potential.”

More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

Row 2 start for Ducati Team riders at Silverstone: Jorge Lorenzo fifth and Andrea Dovizioso sixth in British GP qualifying

The two Ducati Team riders will start tomorrow’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone from the second row of the grid after today’s Q2 qualifying session. Jorge Lorenzo was fifth quickest with a time of 2’00.399, while his team-mate Andrea Dovizioso was one place behind in sixth, with a best lap of 2’00.572.

In the morning the FP3 session was held on a damp track surface following overnight rain. The two factory Ducati men, who only went out on track at the half-way through when surface conditions had improved, were unable to improve on the times they had set during Friday afternoon’s FP2, but in any case these were good enough to put both men through into Q2.

After finishing first and second in FP4 in the afternoon, Lorenzo and Dovizioso then took part in the second qualifying session for the British GP, round 12 of the championship, which will be held over a distance of 20 laps, starting at 16.30 CET tomorrow.

Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team #99) – 2’00.399 (5th)

“Today I did a good qualifying session. I wasn’t satisfied with my first lap time but on my second run I set a time that I thought would be good enough for the front row. However some other riders improved their times and the track record was also lowered, which shows how much the bikes and the tyres are evolving. I’m happy with fifth however as well as being able to start from the front row, especially because this is not one of the most suitable circuits for our bike. My team has been working well and we managed to resolve the problem we had yesterday with the vibrations caused by bumps on the track. Now we have to improve our pace and I think that with a smoother riding style we can improve our race performance.”

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 2’00.572 (6th)

“Today was rather complicated because unfortunately this morning it rained, and we lost almost all the FP3 session, without getting through the scheduled workload. At the end of FP4 we were able to improve enough, but I’m still not entirely happy and I hope that tomorrow in the warm-up we can make another step forward. We have a good pace but there are a lot of very fast riders out there, so we’ll see what it’s like in the race. However I’m satisfied with the time I set in qualifying, because starting from the first two rows was our aim and we achieved that.”

More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda:

FRONT ROW AT BRITISH GP FOR HOME HERO CRUTCHLOW

For the second season in succession, Cal Crutchlow will start the British Grand Prix at Silverstone from the front row after sealing third place on the grid for Sunday’s race. Heading into the qualifying final as the quickest rider over the weekend so far, the Isle of Man-based rider was in scintillating form during the 15-minute shootout, narrowly missing out on pole position by a matter of tenths.

A year ago the Brit converted his hard-earned pole position into a brilliant second place in the race and hopes are high in the LCR Honda camp that another podium finish could be on the cards. Crutchlow has shown excellent pace in every session so far, making light work of the bumpy Silverstone surface as he eventually stopped the qualifying clock in a best time of 2’00.106, less than 0.2 behind poleman and factory Honda colleague Marc Marquez.

The forecast is for another dry day in Northamptonshire on Sunday, and an enticing 20-lap race beckons, with five or six riders all in with a realistic shot at victory, including Crutchlow himself.

Cal Crutchlow – 3rd

(2’00.106 – lap 5 of 6)

“The expectation is that we can be on the podium tomorrow, we have to think like that because last year we were and I don’t think there’s any reason why we can’t do it this year. Marc, Valentino (Rossi) and Maverick (Viñales) are all very fast too so I will have to play a good game and hopefully we can have a good battle in front of the home crowd.

“The key today was to make no mistakes, and I didn’t make any big ones although I did run a bit wider in turn 13 which was my own fault, and Marc made a clean lap. I’m slightly disappointed not to go under the two-minute barrier because this was my aim today as I knew it would mean pole position, but I am pleased nonetheless. Last year I had pole here in the rain, then a dry ride to the podium, and I honestly don’t see any reason why we can’t do that again tomorrow.

“I feel like we have risen to the occasion this weekend. The bike is working well, the team are working great as always, so I’m looking forward to the race.”

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Marquez vs Rossi: #BritishGP pole split by less than a tenth

Silverstone shootout sees the classic rivalry split by less than a tenth after some record-breaking exploits – with Crutchlow close in third

Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) took a record-breaking pole and got down into the 1:59s for the first ever lap of SIlverstone under the two minute marker in qualifying for the British GP, but it was far from easy as the reigning Champion just beat Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) to the top by less than a tenth. For incredibly close company in third there’s home hero Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) – fastest on Friday and on pole last year – with the whole front row covered by a tenth and a half.

Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) heads up the second row a further two tenths back on Crutchlow, just ahead of the fastest man in FP4, Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team). As on Friday, the number 99 was top Ducati at Silverstone in qualifying – just ahead of teammate Andrea Dovizioso in P6; the Italian 0.173 back.

Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) made the biggest leap forward on Saturday afternoon after a tough Friday and FP3, coming through Q1 to move up into seventh – and by only 0.006. Just behind Pedrosa in the middle of the third row is Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), with Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) completing Row 3 as he rides through the pain barrier.

Jonas Folger (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), the second graduate from Q1, also managed to make some progress on Saturday afternoon and will start from tenth – just ahead of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider Pol Espargaro. Through directly to Q2 after a stunning Friday, Espargaro suffered a crash in qualifying but nevertheless took eleventh for the British GP as KTM continue to impress. Scott Redding (Octo Pramac Racing) took P12 at a venue that has been a happy hunting ground for the Brit in the past.

Thirteenth on the grid belongs to Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) as the rookie shows some good pace at Silverstone, just ahead of Pull&Bear Aspar Team’s Alvaro Bautista, who begins his 250th race from P14. Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar) locked out the fastest fifteen.

On race day, the schedule gets switched up – with lights out for the race at 15:30 (GMT +1).

More, from a press release issued by KTM:

KTM INTO Q2 WITH POL ESPARGARO AT BRITISHGP PLUS WITH SIX BIKES IN THE MOTO3 TOP TEN

QUALIFYING 12th Rd. MotoGP 2017 – Silverstone Circuit (GBR)

In the first ever appearance on British soil of the Red Bull KTM RC16, Pol Espargaro flew through to Q2 after the free practices to guarantee himself a place in the top half of the grid for tomorrow’s British MotoGP. He will start 11th, his third best position of the KTM MotoGP project after just twelve races. The KTM Moto2 bikes are also new to Silverstone and fought well with Miguel Oliveira top of the duo in 8th while in Moto3 there are six KTMs inside the top ten grid positions, the best being Gabriel Rodrigo who’ll start from the front row.

MotoGP

The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing MotoGP team have built upon their recent top ten results from Brno and Spielberg to improve and develop the KTM RC16 at Silverstone for this weekend’s British MotoGP as the bike turned a wheel on British soil for the first time. Pol Espargaro brilliantly qualified for the all-important Q2 following his seventh position from Friday and Saturday morning free practice, the first time any of the KTM MotoGP riders have advanced straight to Q2 in dry conditions. In qualifying Espargaro set his best lap time around the longest circuit of the MotoGP series to be seventh at the halfway point – a stunning performance – but the plucky Spaniard was desperately unlucky to fall off at the late-apex Brooklands corner as he started his second run. He will start 11th on the grid, his third best in the debut season of the KTM MotoGP project. Team mate Bradley Smith found a huge 2.4 seconds today over his Friday time to race around his home GP circuit for the first time on Michelin tyres after not being able to ride last year due to injury. He dug deep throughout the day to be ultimately an impressive 0.6 secs off his team mate come the end of qualifying. He will start 19th.

Espargaro: “We’ve had a good run here at Silverstone considering this KTM has never even been here before, but me and the bike still have scope to improve and we’ve worked hard on that happening, particularly for the race tomorrow. This may mean we’ve had to go close to the limit than the rest but you have to put everything on the table for qualifying. I didn’t have a bad first run but then on the second I was maybe over-pushing on the out lap to get a good wheel to do a good lap. I know 100% I could have improved my time but unluckily I crashed…but that’s the risk of racing on the edge and that’s what we need to do to push this project forward by finding the limits of the bike to improve it to make it better for next year. Overall we are very happy with the pace of the KTM this weekend to go through to Q2 directly in dry conditions – that’s another step we’ve made.”

Smith: “I have to be pleased with the improvement in time from yesterday; 2.4 seconds improvement is a huge step and at the end of today I’m only 0.6 seconds back of Pol on a long lap. This morning’s rain didn’t help but it was dry again this afternoon. I had a little slip off in FP4 with one of the harder front tyres so lost a bit of time but I managed to pull it together for the second run of the second tyre with a 2m 02.0sec. That was a good lap with nothing left on the table to give me 19th place on the grid which is on the left hand side of the track which is great for the run in to Copse and then Maggots. I’m now looking forward to racing at home in front of the British fans tomorrow.”

Sebastian Risse (Technical Director MotoGP): “As a whole the bike works very well here at Silverstone. With Pol we got through to Q2 directly after his great run yesterday so we were automatically in the top 12 on the grid. This was great for the whole team here and in Austria. In qualifying he did his fastest lap of the weekend on his first run that put him seventh, however he was so unlucky on his second run when he had an off as he wound himself up for an even faster lap. These kind of things just happen but it’s so good to have such committed riders and that’s the price you occasionally have to pay, so we don’t need to dwell on that. With Bradley we’ve made some big steps forward today so I’m happy with that as his lap time is strong and getting closer to Pol.”

Moto2

On the first visit of the KTM Moto2 bike to Silverstone, Miguel Oliveira took a great third row start after concentrating on race pace throughout the dry qualifying session, only once visiting the garage to make adjustments in the 45 minute session. The Portuguese ultimately set his time on his own rather than using another rider’s slipstream so he knows he has the tempo for the British track tomorrow. For last year’s Moto3 champion, Brad Binder, things were not quite so quick as he didn’t feel so well today before losing a little bit of confidence in the front end around one of the fastest tracks in the world.

Silverstone seems to throw up variety in Moto2 with seven different winners from the seven years the championship has been to the track, so the 18 laps tomorrow are sure to be interesting.

Oliveira: “In the qualifying session we placed little lower than we were expecting, but I have to say that it was a very good session for us. We were close to my best lap all the time. I’m happy about this, and I think that tomorrow I can run that pace for the entire race. A lot of riders set their best lap at the end, using slipstreams, so it’s a bit bittersweet for us. Looking at the work we’ve done so far, I’m optimistic for tomorrow.”

Binder: “I didn’t feel very well today, and despite that we have improved our best time from yesterday. During qualifying I didn’t feel very comfortable with the front; every lap was the same and I lost confidence in the front. It was very difficult to try to set a fast lap, because every time I pushed a little I made a mistake and I went off the track. We need to think about the warmup tomorrow and find a setup that allows us find more feeling. From there we can try to look ahead and recover as many positions as possible in the race. It’s something that we know we can do, because we have shown as much on other occasions.”

Moto3

Six KTM RC250 GP’s filled the top ten places in the ultra close Moto3 class where just two seconds covered 26 riders. At the end of a frenetic session it was Gabriel Rodrigo – the pole position man for the last two Grands Prix – who will be the top KTM to start tomorrow’s race from the front row. Italian Niccolo Antonelli with his Red Bull Ajo motorcycle equalled their best qualifying result from the 2017 season with fifth place followed by team mate Bo Bendsneyder just 0.11 secs back in 7th. The team now look forward to the race, a race they won with Brad Binder last year with Bendsneyder third.

Tomorrow’s race will be the 100th Moto3 Grand Prix since the introduction of the formula in 2012. KTM is the most successful manufacturer in the class after 99 Grands Prix with 54 wins as an engine supplier.

Rodrigo: “I’m very happy. This weekend we made some proper progress: we struggled in the first free practice, but we could fix the situation. Yesterday in the FP2 we were fast on used tyres and, even if we weren’t quite in the front, we knew we had some margin. Unfortunately in the last free practice the track was wet and we didn’t manage to work on the bike setting because of that. However, in the qualifying I felt confident since the beginning and I could push hard. I was highly motivated and I wanted to get the third consecutive pole position, yet in the end we got the third position, on the first row. For the race start, there won’t be much difference between the first few spots on the grid, so we can actually say we achieved our objective today. I believe we have a solid pace, my KTM is competitive here. We’ll check the data and we’ll put together the final details, in order to be ready to race and fight for a good result.”

Antonelli: “We started qualifying with a little doubt because I still had the feeling in the wet in mind; I didn’t feel comfortable, so we couldn’t be as strong as we wanted. After the first trip back to the garage, the feeling I had was better and I improved my time, but the best lap we did was on the third stint. I managed to break away a little from the big group and set an almost perfect lap. I’m happy about how the session went and how the bike works in the dry; I hope tomorrow’s race will be run in the same conditions.”

Races: August 13, 2017 – Moto3 12:40 | Moto2 14:00 CET | MotoGP 15:30

Results Qualifying MotoGP Silverstone Circuit 2017

1. Marc Marquez (ESP), Honda, 1:59.941 min

2. Valentino Rossi (ITA), Yamaha, +0.084 sec

3. Cal Crutchlow (GBR), Honda, +0.165

4. Maverick Vinales (ESP), Yamaha, +0.400

5. Jorge Lorenzo (ESP), Ducati, +0.458

KTM

11. Pol Espargaro (ESP), KTM, +1.437

19. Bradley Smith (GBR), KTM, +2.076

Results Qualifying Moto2 Silverstone Circuit 2017

1. Mattia Pasini (ITA), Kalex, +2:06.572 min

2. Alex Marquez (ESP), Kalex, +0.222 sec

3. Franco Morbidelli (ITA), Kalex, +0.245

4. Takaaki Nakagami (JAP), Kalex, +0.364

5. Luca Marini (ITA), Kalex, +0.411

KTM

8. Miguel Oliveira (POR), KTM, +0.552

20. Brad Binder (RSA), KTM, +1.419

Results Qualifying Moto3 Silverstone Circuit 2017

1. Romano Fenati (ITA), Honda, 2:12.846 min

2. Joan Mir (ESP), Honda, +0.116 sec

3. Gabriel Rodrigo (ESP), KTM, +0.203

4. John McPhee (GBR), Honda, +0.552

5. Niccolo Antonelli (ITA), KTM, +0.620

KTM

6. Andrea Migno (ITA), KTM, +0.711

7. Bo Bendsneyder (NED), KTM, +0.732

8. Nicolo Bulega (ITA), KTM, +0.738

10. Juanfran Guevara (ESP), KTM +0.859