Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas
FIM MotoGP World Championship
Circuit of The Americas
Austin, Texas
April 21, 2017
Free Practice Two Results (All on Michelin tires):
1. Marc MARQUEZ, Spain (HONDA), 2:04.061
2. Johann ZARCO, France (YAMAHA), 2:04.347
3. Maverick VIÑALES, Spain (YAMAHA), 2:04.451
4. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (YAMAHA), 2:04.806
5. Dani PEDROSA, Spain (HONDA), 2:04.811
6. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (DUCATI), 2:04.830
7. Cal CRUTCHLOW, UK (HONDA), 2:05.005
8. Jonas FOLGER, Germany (YAMAHA), 2:05.033
9. Scott REDDING, UK (DUCATI), 2:05.116
10. Andrea IANNONE, Italy (SUZUKI), 2:05.142
11. Jorge LORENZO, Spain (DUCATI), 2:05.282
12. Danilo PETRUCCI, Italy (DUCATI), 2:05.284
13. Jack MILLER, Australia (HONDA), 2:05.463
14. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (APRILIA), 2:05.468
15. Hector BARBERA, Spain (DUCATI), 2:05.584
16. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (DUCATI), 2:05.602
17. Tito RABAT, Spain (HONDA), 2:05.943
18. Alex RINS, Spain (SUZUKI), 2:06.155
19. Loris BAZ, France (DUCATI), 2:06.358, crash
20. Pol ESPARGARO, Spain (KTM), 2:06.503
21. Karel ABRAHAM, Czech Republic (DUCATI), 2:06.709, crash
22. Sam LOWES, UK (APRILIA), 2:06.741
23. Bradley SMITH, UK (KTM), 2:07.434
More, from a press release issued by Aprilia:
FIRST DAY OF PRACTICE IN TEXAS
ESPARGARÓ HARD AT WORK ON HIS RS-GP, GRIP AND FRONT SETTINGS ARE THE ISSUES TO RESOLVE
LOWES IMPROVES FROM ONE FRIDAY SESSION TO THE NEXT
Partly due to the Texan track, which proved to be in less than stellar conditions, the first day of practice for the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini was spent looking for the best setup on the RS-GP machines ridden by Espargaró and Lowes. The Circuit of the Americas in Austin was found in much different conditions than in 2016, with a series of bumps and dips. The two free practice sessions were therefore dedicated to finding the right settings for the front end in order to handle this irregularity of the American track and to a series of comparative tests to choose the rear tyre.
Aleix Espargaró, fresh from two encouraging performances in the initial races of the season, finished FP1 in ninth place (time: 2’06.411) and FP2 in fourteenth with 2’05.468. The standings are very tight, with 11 riders “squeezed” into 2’05. An improvement of a few tenths could be decisive in the final free practice session tomorrow that will determine who goes through to Q2. Sam Lowes continues his bike and category apprenticeship. His 2’06.741 in FP2 demonstrates a clear improvement compared to his 2’08.292 in the morning.
ALEIX ESPARGARO’
“It was certainly not our best day of practice. I struggled, especially with front end stability. We also had some trouble with direction changes. The RS-GP is still not as agile as I would like it to be. Now the guys on the team will analyse the data. I think for tomorrow that we will work on the geometry and on weight distribution. Rear tyre choice, on the other hand, shouldn’t be a problem. I tried two options and both felt good, so we will focus on the feeling with the front end, which is our main problem for now.”
SAM LOWES
“The second session went rather well. I was able to improve both in terms of time and my feeling. As often happens, our pace is better than our flying lap. I must say that this is a demanding track with the MotoGP bike, but these are difficulties that help me to improve quickly, changing lines, riding style and my position in the saddle. The track has a lot of dips and our bike is usually stable, but here we will need to work on absorbing the bumps. I think it is a problem that a lot of the riders will have. We will try to solve it by both working on the setup and by trying to change a few trajectories.”
More, from a press release issued by Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS:
Miller and Rabat get bumpy ride in Texas practice
Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS riders Jack Miller and Tito Rabat made a promising start to this weekend’s Grand Prix of The Americas, with both making significant strides in preparing their Honda RC213V machinery for a double-points attack in Sunday’s 21-lap race.
The main challenge for both Miller and Rabat today was finding a set-up that allowed them to ride comfortably fast on numerous bumpy sections that now dominate the 5.513km Circuit of The Americas venue.
The spectacular and undulating circuit already provides a unique challenge, with Miller and Rabat seeking a compromise between braking stability for the famously fierce stopping zones in Austin, while also retaining agility and turning performance for the jaw-dropping changes of direction. That challenge though was further complicated today, with both reporting a significant increase in bumps compared to last year’s race.
Australian Miller was still satisfied with his performance in getting the RC213V machine to absorb the bumps better. Miller challenged for the top six in an exciting FP2 and he ended the day in 13th place and close to the top 10.
It was an equally constructive day for Spanish rider Rabat, who struggled with the varying nature of the Circuit of the Americas last year, which is a demanding 20-corner track with a 41 metre climb to the first corner and the longest straight on the 18-round World Championship schedule.
Rabat was much more at ease on track in his second MotoGP visit and that was reflected on the timesheets after he lapped almost a second faster this afternoon to finish 17th overall.
Jack Miller: 13th – 2’05.463
“I felt pretty comfortable on the bike today but the track is definitely bumpier than it has been in the past. It is something that we are going to have work on with the setting tonight to make our package a bit more user-friendly around here. It seems that the bike gets very unstable and once you hit the bumps it is difficult to stop the bouncing and shaking. The biggest issue with the bumps seem to be mid-corner. I think it comes a lot from Formula One because they have so much downforce and go through the corners with such speed and pressure on the tarmac that it creates bumps in the middle of the corner and that makes it hard. I’d have liked to have kept my place in the top 10 at the end of the session but I still view it as a positive start to the weekend and I feel competitive.”
Tito Rabat: 17th – 2’05.943
“This morning in FP1 I felt strong and confident but this afternoon I didn’t have the same feeling. I experienced a problem and I must thank my team for finding a solution very quickly that allowed me to recover some of the positive sensations from the first session. I was confident I could improve my lap time at the end of the session but when I tried to push I found a lot of traffic and it was not possible. I’m happy though because this track was very difficult for me last year, and to be doing the lap time I managed makes me optimistic that I can be fighting in the points again.”
Ramon Aurin: Jack Miller’s Chief Engineer
“The big challenge today has been to work on a compromise for the setting of the front of the bike. You need to be relatively soft to absorb the bumps but you also need to consider harder front fork options to manage the hard-braking zones and to give you support in the middle of the corner to carry good corner speed. It is the same process for the rear set-up too, so we will take a close look at the data tonight and work on modifying the setting to help us reach that compromise. I think our race pace is not too bad but we need to improve our one lap pace for qualifying. We can’t seem to be able to put together one fast lap. Jack is fast in all four sectors but we need him to do it all together on one lap for a good place on the grid.”
More, from a press release issued by Pull&Bear Aspar Team:
Touchdown at Austin for Pull&Bear Aspar pair
Álvaro Bautista and Karel Abraham lay down the foundations for the weekend at Circuit of the Americas despite a late crash for the Czech rider that will see him undergo medical checks in the morning due to a hairline fracture of right ankle
Marc Márquez is the king of the Circuit of the Americas, having won every MotoGP race ever to be held here, and he took his place on the throne this afternoon with a late lap of (2’04.061) to oust Johann Zarco and this year’s current championship leader Maverick Viñales. Zarco finished second, just under three tenths behind the Spaniard, with FP1 pacesetter Viñales another tenth further back and just ahead of his team-mate Valentino Rossi.
Álvaro Bautista was the fastest of the two Pull&Bear Aspar riders, with his team-mate Karel Abraham’s day ending slightly ahead of schedule after an unusual crash. Bautista completed 30 laps over the two sessions, finishing with the sixteenth fastest time. Despite setting his best time of the day this afternoon, the Spaniard was actually fifth fastest this morning, less than a second off Viñales. Abraham was taken to the medical centre for checks on his ankle after a collision with his team-mate and will require further assessment before action resumes tomorrow morning due to a hairline fracture of right ankle. Abraham finished the day in 21st position, after taking six tenths off his best time from this morning, despite missing the opportunity to make any late improvements on a soft tyre.
16th Álvaro Bautista 2:05.602 (30 laps):“It has been a strange day, the track was more bumpy than usual. This morning I was lacking a little grip with the medium rear so we switched to the soft and I was able to set a good time. In the afternoon the medium felt better and we were able to set a competitive pace – not like Viñales and Márquez but otherwise competitive and close to the others. I thought that we could improve more with the soft but it was very similar to the medium. I missed out on a good lap but we are not too bad in terms of our pace, as the position suggests. As far as the incident with my team-mate is concerned, I could see that he was riding slowly and I didn’t want to pass him on the brakes into turn eleven, so I waited to pass him on the straight. I thought he was letting me through but then he came back onto the track and there wasn’t enough room for both of us. We touched and he went down. Luckily I think he’s okay.”
21st Karel Abraham 2:06.709 (24 laps): “It is disappointing because we just put soft tyres on to make a better lap time, I went out and took the first few corners carefully then started to push. I got to the hairpin before the back straight and braked a little too late, so I ran wide. When I turned and opened the throttle, unfortunately Alvaro was exiting the corner at the same time and I don’t know if his bike moved or what but he hit me from the side. I didn’t expect it, I had a big crash and the bike landed on me. Now I have pain in a couple of places. I need an x-ray on my ankle but I hope to be back on the bike again tomorrow. It is a shame because this track is really difficult and this morning I was not really happy with the bike but we made a big step for the afternoon. We had a couple of things to try that we’re really important and we didn’t get to set a good lap on the soft tyre. I am annoyed because if you make a mistake and crash you at least learn something. This one was completely useless.”
More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3:
Zarco powers to 2nd on day 1 of Americas GP – Confident Folger seals 8th
The Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team rookie duo kicked off their round 3 campaigns with two highly impressive performances today at the state of the art Circuit of The Americas. Johann Zarco outlined his intentions for the weekend by producing an extremely competitive showing on the opening day. The French rider completed the morning shakedown in 4th and then upped his pace in FP2, which he superbly finished in 2nd and as the leading Yamaha MotoGP rider. Meanwhile, Jonas Folger positively concluded the opening day of action with a strong display as he aims to score a top tier result in Texas on Sunday. The young German sped to 8th overall, with his FP2 time leaving him just 0.227 behind Valentino Rossi in 4th. Both riders now confidently eye up the qualifying tomorrow, with the action commencing with FP3 at 09:55 local time or 16:55 in Europe
Johann ZARCO
Position: 2nd – Time: 2’04.347 – Laps: 34
“We started the weekend in a very positive way and I’m looking forward to pushing more tomorrow. Today I ran a lot of laps on the medium and used tyres in order to get up to speed. Then, at the end of the FP2 session, I went out on the soft compound, which clearly works well at this circuit, and my feeling was strong which is why I could ride a quick lap like in qualifying. We made the right choice by choosing to complete some distance first, and then when we needed to cut the time, I produced a lap which put me in second, so right now the situation is perfect. The track is tough with the constant changing of direction as well as a lot of hard braking points and it costs energy, plus it’s a bit bumpier than last year. However, even though I am still learning, everything is going well so far. We will continue our work tomorrow for the race on Sunday, but before that, I am confident that I can produce a positive qualifying performance.”
Jonas FOLGER
Position: 8 th – Time: 2’05.033 – Laps: 30
“It was a solid first day and I’m certain that we can do a really good job here on Sunday. The Circuit of The Americas is such a technical track with a lot of corners, so it took me a bit of time to adapt and find the flow on the MotoGP bike. However, in FP2, on the last run, we put the soft tyres in and I was able to ride quite a positive lap so to finish the day inside the top ten is a strong start to proceedings. There are a few corners where I am making some small mistakes and missing a bit of pace, so I need to sit down and analyse where I am going wrong in order to try to improve myself. For tomorrow in FP3, we will work on the race setup and then once we have found a good pace, we will go for a quick time so that I can get into Q2 in the afternoon. I am certain that we can continue in this encouraging way and I’m excited to get back on my Yamaha.”
More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:
Marquez fastest on day one at the Red Bull GP of the Americas, with Pedrosa fifth
There was a positive start to the Grand Prix of the Americas for the Repsol Honda Team, with Marc Marquez leading the field at the end of day one and Dani Pedrosa in fifth.
Both Marc and Dani improved over during day, the former knocking 1.439” off his pace from the morning to move to the top from second place, the latter improving by 1.298” to get into top five.
FP3 will begin tomorrow at 9:00 a.m.
Marc Marquez 93
1ST 2’04.061
“Today went well enough and in the second session I started to feel more comfortable on the bike, but there are some areas of the setup where we need to keep working hard, especially to improve the feeling with the front. The positive is that over the course of the day, we were able to complete a lot of work and try all the tyres, even the soft one, to see how the bike reacts. In the afternoon we also took a step forward with the electronics, finding a good enough base, although we also want to sort out some more details there to improve the bike’s behaviour on the bumps. I look forward to tomorrow, to continue the good work on the bike and on myself as well, I also can improve in T4.”
Dani Pedrosa 26
5TH 2’04.811
“We were able to improve after the first practice session and to try some more things with the setup, and also with the tyres. We must do a good job of using the information we gathered today in order to take another step forward tomorrow. We’re especially looking to improve in the first and third sectors, and to prepare for the race as well as possible.”
More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:
ASSERTIVE START FOR MOVISTAR YAMAHA IN AUSTIN
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP riders Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi spurted to third and fourth place in the combined Free Practice results, ahead of this weekend‘s Grand Prix of The Americas.
Austin (Texas, USA), 21st April 2017
The Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team showed competitive form on the first day of the Grand Prix of The Americas. Maverick Viñales rode his YZR-M1 to the top of the FP1 time sheet and secured third place in the afternoon session. Valentino Rossi took a little bit more time to get a feel for the Circuit of The Americas (COTA), ultimately wrapping up the day in fourth place in the combined standings.
True to his usual form, Viñales‘ name was found at the top of the standings early on in the first 45-minute free practice session, with a 2’06.515s lap. Feeling completely comfortable in the balmy weather conditions, he was the only rider to dive under the 2’05s mark when he improved this time by more than a 1.5s, taking first place with a best lap of 2’04.923s, 0.577s ahead of his closest rival.
The afternoon saw more of the same from the young Spaniard. He gradually built up speed to top the timesheets, dropping a 2’04.451s lap using a race set-up. His time remained unchallenged until the final minutes of the session when a flurry of activity saw him get pushed back to third in the combined practice times and end the day 0.390s from first.
Chasing his first win in Austin, teammate Rossi was also determined to position himself as a key protagonist early on in the weekend. Though he initially struggled to get a feel for the mixed character of the COTA track in FP1, the Italian continued to make progress. His best time, a 2’06.292s, earned him eighth place, 1.369s from his teammate.
As the conditions heated up in the afternoon, so did the Doctor’s efforts. He worked hard to make another step in FP2 and worked his magic at the end of the session. He improved his time by 1.486s, when he posted a 2‘04.806s, moving him up to fourth place, also in the combined standings, and within 0.745s from the front.
MASSIMO MEREGALLI
TEAM DIRECTOR
Today was definitely a very positive start to our weekend at COTA; surely the best start ever since our first race here in Austin. Even more so if we consider that Maverick did his best lap time on a race set-up bike! Valentino has spent his best Friday since the start of the championship and this will give him the chance to work ’quietly‘ tomorrow, to fine-tune the bike. Both riders are pretty satisfied with their bikes‘ set-up, although we believe there‘s a big margin for improvement tomorrow. Let‘s say our riders have given us more than one reason to be confident for Sunday. Today we tested several tyre specs with good feedback both about lap times and wear. Tomorrow we‘ll continue this work and we‘ll decide which configuration is best for the race.
MAVERICK VIÑALES
I’m really happy, we were working really hard for the race. We are quite confident, I know we can do a very good job. I’m working good, I’m working hard on the bike, I feel that I’m on a good level. We still have to work on the electronics in many places. I’m feeling great, that is something important. We were focusing on ourselves. We’re doing a good job all the time, we are trying to improve step by step. Important for us is working for the race, preparing for the last ten laps, because that’s where we can improve.
VALENTINO ROSSI
On this track the winglets can help. We do a lot of accelerating from a low speed, but we also have a lot of change of directions, so we prefer to go with the normal cowling. It was a better start compared to the first two races, for sure, those were a disaster. I think this is very important for us, because we didn’t change the bike a lot from the Argentina setting and tried to understand if the bike also works on this track, which is very different. Already this morning I was in the top10 and not far from first. It looks like we will be able to do some adjustments, but now we have a better understanding of the base setting. In the afternoon I did a good lap with the softer tyre, so I’m fourth, but we still have to work on the pace. Especially braking, it is difficult to stop, but for sure, compared to Qatar and Argentina, this is a better start. After Qatar I expected better results, but in Argentina I suffered a lot. There we really modified the balance of the bike a lot and now I have a better feeling. For me, we understand something important.
More, from a press release issued by Octo Pramac Racing:
Scott 9th and Petrux 12th after first free practice action at Circuit of the Americas
The third round of the 2017 MotoGP season took off today at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin (Texas). Scott Redding and Danilo Petrucci finished first day of free practice in 9th and 12th position respectively, picking up important data in view of tomorrow’s qualificying but also complaining of the non-optimal conditions of the circuit.
After a good FP1 dedicated to race pace, in the time attack of the FP2 Scott Redding managed to record a time of 2’05.116 that allowed him to end up first day of free practice in Top 10.
Danilo Petrucci, who was forced to miss the Grand Prix of the Americas last year due to injury, got a good 10th time in FP1 and then finished the FP2 close to the Top 10 with a crono of 2’05.282.
9° – Scott Redding – 2’05.116
“I’m quite satisfied. In the morning session we always used the same tires and the feeling was good. I set my best time on the last lap and this is an other good signal. In the afternoon we tried many tires solutions. In the end we got in for the time attack with the medium at the front and the soft at the rear and it was a good combination even though I had to push to the limit. All thing considered my feelings are positive and I think we can improve tomorrow”.
12° – Danilo Petrucci – 2’05.282
“I have not been lapping on this circuit for two years and I have been struggling to find back the feeling. To be honest I have to say the track is much worse as there are too many bumps. As for today’s performance I can’t be satisfied. The position is not good and the race pace is not the best. I was struggling to find the right set up but I still want to be positive for tomorrow. We have found the right direction to take and that’s why I’m confident. Of course we have to improve a lot”.
More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:
Andrea Dovizioso sixth and Jorge Lorenzo eleventh at the end of first day of practice for the GP of the Americas at Austin
The two Ducati Team riders – Andrea Dovizioso and Jorge Lorenzo – finished the first day of practice action for the GP of the Americas in sixth and eleventh place respectively.
Despite cloudy skies in the morning, the first two practice sessions were held on a dry track and FP1 concluded with Dovizioso third and Lorenzo sixth after the 45-minute run.
In the early afternoon the MotoGP riders again went out on track for 45 minutes and everyone was able to improve the times set in the morning: Dovizioso finished the session with a best lap of 2’04.830, which put him in sixth place, while Lorenzo finished in eleventh place with a time of 2’05.282.
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 2’04.830 (6th)
“It was a bit of an unusual day because we found a track that was quite different from last year. There are a lot of dips in it and so everything became rather complicated: it’s not easy to find the right set-up because there isn’t much grip, you can’t push very hard on the front, and in any case we must also consider tyre wear for the race. All in all, despite the overall feeling not being that great, we are not bad at all for pace. At this moment there is no doubt that Viñales and Marquez have a lot more pace, but after them we are all in there together. Tomorrow the temperature should be a bit lower than today, and we will try and take advantage of the situation and work with the race in mind.”
Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team #99) – 2’05.282 (11th)
“Even though my position is not very good and for the moment I am outside the top 10, I am quite happy. We still have tomorrow morning’s FP3 session to play with, but the most important thing is that my feeling with the Desmosedici has improved a lot from Argentina. The new riding position gives me a lot more confidence and feels safer in corner entry and in general I feel better on the bike. In the end we are not far off fourth or fifth place and tomorrow I hope to make another step forward.”
More, from a press release issued by Reale Avintia Racing:
Reale Avintia Racing riders start to work in Texas
The opening day at the spectacular Circuit of the Americas has been quite positive for the Reale Avintia Racing riders. Although these good feelings didn’t reflect in the timesheets, both Hector Barbera and Loris Baz were satisfied after the first two free practice sessions of the weekend.
Barbera came to Texas with one goal, to adapt his riding style to his Ducati Desmosedici GP16 requirements. In the final minutes of FP2 he was fifth, but eventually he finished the day 15th overall. He hopes to improve even more tomorrow and will try to fight for a place in Q2.
Loris Baz kept some tyres for tomorrow and spent the day working on his set-up for the demanding Texan track. He crashed out at the end of the day, but he knows the reason for his crash and expects to improve and get the best possible grid position in qualifying tomorrow.
Hector Barbera | 2’05.584 | P15
“Today has been a positive day. As I said before coming here, I still need to adapt my riding style to this bike, but today I felt better riding my bike and my riding style is becoming more natural. We have to keep working in this way because I want to get the maximum out of the bike. I want to say a big thank you to my team, they have been patient and they managed to provide the necessary calm to reach our goal. We are still far from where we want to be, but I’m sure that we will get there sooner or later. Their support is really important and without it, everything would be more difficult.”
Loris Baz | 2’06.358 | P19
“The first day was more complicated that Argentina, but we are not so bad as it seems in the standings. This morning I didn’t want to use the soft tyre at the end of the session and I did the 45 minutes with the same set of tyres, which gave us valuable information for the race. In the afternoon I improved my pace riding on my own and the feeling was good. At the end we mounted a new soft rear tyre, but didn’t change the front as I wanted to keep one set for tomorrow. I knew that this combination would push the front. Braking into turn one I made a small mistake and I crashed. I hope to improve tomorrow in FP3 to try to get into Q2.”
More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda:
CRUTCHLOW SATISFIED AFTER OPENING DAY IN AUSTIN
LCR Honda rider Cal Crutchlow improved throughout the opening day of the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas as the third round of the 2017 MotoGP World Championship got underway in earnest. Looking to build on his impressive podium finish in Argentina, Crutchlow finished Friday’s free practice sessions in seventh position at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin.
As he had predicted in Thursday’s press conference, the Briton and his team struggled to pinpoint the ideal settings for his Honda RC213V in the morning as he ended down in 11th spot. But Crutchlow then made real strides and improved by nearly a second and a half in the afternoon session as he laid down a marker for Saturday qualifying.
Crutchlow’s fellow Honda rider Marc Marquez edged Maverick Viñales to emerge on top of the timesheets on Friday, but – less than two tenths behind Valentino Rossi in fourth – the LCR Honda man is hopeful of further improvement tomorrow.
Cal Crutchlow – 7th
(2’05.005 – lap 13 of 15)
“Today we found quite a good setting in the second free practice. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel great during the first free practice on the bike or the tyres, but this afternoon it seemed a bit better with the harder front tyre and the harder rear tyre”.
“We still have a few small things that we want to try on the bike, areas where I want to improve and I think we can. But the team did a good job and hopefully we can improve even more tomorrow.”
More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
Land of the 93: Marquez back on top in Texas
Reigning Champion reigns Day 1 at the Circuit of the Americas with a late rush to the top
Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) took back the top of the timesheets at the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas in Austin, Texas, as the number 93 put in a late charge on soft rubber to go fastest on Friday with a 2:04.061 – 0.296 clear of an incredible performance from Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rookie Johann Zarco. Championship leader Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) was third quickest on combined times after topping FP1.
Nine-time World Champion Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) shot up into the top five late in the day as riders put in some time attacks, taking P4 by 0.005 from Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa.
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) was sixth quickest as he looks to put his bad luck in the Americas behind him, ahead of LCR Honda rider Cal Crutchlow, who also suffered a crash in FP1.
FP2 was punctuated by a big crash for Pull&Bear Aspar Team’s Karel Abraham down the road from T11, with the Czech rider up and headed to the Medical Centre thereafter. Abraham has suffered a small fracture in his ankle and will be reviewed again on Saturday before practice. Loris Baz (Reale Avintia Racing) was another crasher at T1, rider ok, and there was a mechanical problem for Team Suzuki Ecstar rookie Alex Rins early in the second session of the day – with the Spaniard back out soon after on the second bike.
Jonas Folger (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) was second fastest rookie in an impressive eighth on combined times, ahead of Octo Pramac Racing’s Scott Redding and Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Andrea Iannone, who completed the top ten.
Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team) just missed that top ten in eleventh, with Danilo Petrucci (Octo Pramac Racing), Jack Miller (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS), Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) and Hector Barbera (Reale Avintia Racing) completing the top fifteen.
One big talking point on Friday afternoon saw Red Bull KTM Factory Racing unveil their first “aero-fairing” of the season, with Pol Espargaro finding the positives with the new design and nothing negative to report as the Austrian factory look to continue their progress following their first points in Argentina.
Next up, FP3 lets the grid shoot it out for direct entry to Q2 at 9:55 local time (GMT -5) on Saturday – with qualifying then beginning from 14:10.
Alex Marquez makes his mark in Austin
EG 0,0 Marc VDS rider three tenths clear of the field on Friday
2014 Moto3™ World Champion Alex Marquez (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) topped Friday at the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas by an impressive three tenths, with teammate and Championship leader Franco Morbidelli completing another 1-2 for the team on the timesheets. Marcel Schrötter (Dynavolt Intact GP) locked out the top three in a fast first day of action in Austin for the German.
Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) kept the new intermediate class KTM chassis high on the timesheets at COTA in fourth, with 2016 Championship runner up Tom Lüthi (CarXpert Interwetten) locking out the top five.
Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team) took sixth after two impressive sessions, with Hafizh Syahrin (Petronas Raceline Malaysia) in P7. Fastest rookie was Fabio Quartararo (Pons HP 40) once again as the Frenchman took eighth, ahead of Ricky Cardus (Red Bull KTM Ajo) in P9 as the Spaniard fills in for injured reigning Moto3™ World Champion Brad Binder.
Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) completed the top ten, with Sandro Cortese (Dynavolt Intact GP), rookie Francesco Bagnaia (Sky Racing Team VR46), Xavier Simeon (Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2), Xavi Vierge (Tech 3 Racing) and rookie Jorge Navarro (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) locking out the fastest fifteen.
Moto2™ head out on Saturday morning for FP3, with qualifying then set for 15:05 local time (GMT -5).
League of his own: Canet dominates Day 1 in Austin
Aron decimates the opposition on Friday
Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0) set a serious marker in FP1 at the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas, and the Spanish sophomore bettered it further in the afternoon as a 2:16.750 saw him seven tenths clear of Championship leader Joan Mir (Leopard Racing) to easily end the day as fastest.
2016 winner at the track Romano Fenati (Marinelli Rivacold Snipers) joined Mir on a late charge to catch Canet in FP2, ending the day in third on combined times – with Del Conca Gresini Moto3 rider Jorge Martin in fourth the last rider within a second of the fastest time.
Juanfran Guevara (RBA BOE Racing Team) completed the top five, just ahead of teammate Gabriel Rodrigo, with Sky Racing Team VR46 rider Andrea Migno taking P7. Canet’s teammate Enea Bastianini was eighth by the end of play, showing some much improved pace after a difficult start to the season.
British Talent Team rider John McPhee was ninth in FP1 and remained ninth on combined times and with an improved laptime, with Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Niccolo Antonelli completing the top ten on Day 1.
Philipp Oettl (Südmetall Schedl GP Racing) was eleventh, just in front of an incredible twelfth place for fastest rookie Ayumu Sasaki (SIC Racing Team). Nicolo Bulega (Sky Racing Team VR46), Jules Danilo (Marinelli Rivacold Snipers) and Darryn Binder (Platinum Bay Real Estate) completed the top fifteen.
Moto3™ qualify on Saturday at 12:35 local time (GMT -5), with FP3 earlier in the morning for final adjustments before the front row rush.
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service:
HARD WORKING DAY AT AMERICAS GP FOR IANNONE AND RINS
Team Suzuki Press Office – April 21.
Andrea Iannone: P10 – 2’05.142
Alex Rins: P18 – 2’06.155
The GP of The Americas has started at the COTA circuit in Austin, Texas, with Team SUZUKI ECSTAR’s riders Andrea Iannone and Alex Rins having an intensive day looking for the best setup for their machines. The Italian was able to end the day in 10th place, thanks to a best lap 2’05.142, while the Spaniard is currently in 18th place with 2’06.155.
After an electronics issue that made him lose some time, Iannone was able to run many laps to gather important information that turned out to be very useful for the afternoon’s session. In fact, he found more confidence on his GSX-RR and improved the lap time, ending into the virtual Q2 bracket.
His struggle with ankle pain did not affect Rins’ performance much, as he made solid progress throughout the day. Although the morning was a little more challenging, the afternoon session was more comfortable and his performance improved. A technical failure of his GSX-RR at the early stage of the second session took some time away from him, and left him with only one machine available in the garage.
Davide Brivio – Team Manager
“It was a very intense day of work today, as we are still looking for a good setup and electronic configuration. Andrea improved in the afternoon and he managed to stay in the provisional Top 10. Although I believe our potential is greater, we have to finalize a better package to give him the ability to push further. With Alex, we had an issue at the beginning of FP2, when we broke an engine and this modified our program. However he was able to make improvements. He is still struggling a little with ankle pain that prevents him from fully taking advantage of the machine 100%, but he is making solid progress.”
Andrea Iannone
“Today has been a tough one. We improved from morning to afternoon, but not enough yet. It is not an easy thing. It’s a problem we’ve always had, and it is evident to a greater or lesser extent according to the circuit. We are working on it, but still I struggle. It’s something I have to adapt to. We tried to take some steps to enhance the machine, but for the moment we haven’t found the proper way forward. We improved, but not enough, so we’re back to the baseline settings. We need to further investigate tonight and hopefully find better ideas for tomorrow. I’m pretty satisfied about the hard tyres. I made good runs with them, while I still struggled with the soft ones.”
Alex Rins
“I’m positive about today. We were able to take some steps forward towards improving the bike. We have always had some issues with the setup of the front end. While here, we made some improvements on this. We focused a lot on the setup, more than on electronics, and my feel for the bike is getting better and better. We are working hard. The good thing is that little by little I’m adapting to the machine, but also the machine is adapting to me; so we are both growing fast. We need to review the data tonight to find better solutions for tomorrow. I feel good about the ankle. It hurts at some points, but I’m trying to adapt my riding style in order not to push it too much.”