FIM MotoGP World Championship
Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, San Marino
September 9, 2017
Qualifying Results (all on Michelin tires):
From Qualifying Session Two:
1. Maverick VIÑALES, Spain (YAMAHA), 1:32.439
2. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (DUCATI), 1:32.601
3. Marc MARQUEZ, Spain (HONDA), 1:32.636
4. Cal CRUTCHLOW, UK (HONDA), 1:32.768
5. Jorge LORENZO, Spain (DUCATI), 1:32.792
6. Johann ZARCO, France (YAMAHA), 1:32.885
7. Dani PEDROSA, Spain (HONDA), 1:32.992
8. Danilo PETRUCCI, Italy (DUCATI), 1:32.997
9. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (APRILIA), 1:33.149
10. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (DUCATI), 1:33.417
11. Michele PIRRO, Italy (DUCATI), 1:33.491
12. Karel ABRAHAM, Czech Republic (DUCATI), 1:34.374
From Qualifying Session One:
13. Hector BARBERA, Spain (DUCATI), 1:33.920
14. Jack MILLER, Australia (HONDA), 1:33.933
15. Loris BAZ, France (DUCATI), 1:33.946
16. Jonas FOLGER, Germany (YAMAHA), 1:33.987
17. Pol ESPARGARO, Spain (KTM), 1:34.080
18. Tito RABAT, Spain (HONDA), 1:34.095
19. Scott REDDING, UK (DUCATI), 1:34.132
20. Alex RINS, Spain (SUZUKI), 1:34.138
21. Andrea IANNONE, Italy (SUZUKI), 1:34.148
22. Bradley SMITH, UK (KTM), 1:34.507
23. Sam LOWES, UK (APRILIA), 1:35.659
More, from a press release issued by Aprilia:
APRILIA DOES WELL WITH ESPARGARÓ
ALEIX RIDES HIS APRILIA INTO THE TOP-TEN, GOES THROUGH TO Q2 AND TAKES A SPOT ON THE THIRD ROW FOR THE START TOMORROW
EIGHTH ROW FOR SAM LOWES
Aleix Espargaró will start from the third row tomorrow (ninth best time) in the San Marino and Rimini Riviera GP. The good result consolidates the progress the Italian bike has made, often in the top-ten during this second half of the racing season.
Aleix took the first step toward this nice result in the third free practice session this morning. His seventh best time (at 1’33.626) in the session placed him in the top-ten of the combined standings that consider the times from Friday and therefore sent him through directly to Q2, the session that determines who will start from which spot on the first four rows. Once there, Aleix improved further, lapping at 1’33.149, a time that earned him a place on the third row of the starting grid.
Sam Lowes, slowed by a crash at the beginning of Q1, was unable to find an optimum feeling with the second bike and finished with the 23rd best time (1’35.659) which places him on the eighth row for the race tomorrow.
ALEIX ESPARGARO’
“We took a step forward. I am not entirely happy because we could have started farther forward, but I am satisfied with our overall level. In qualifying I gave it my all, even taking a few risks, but I made a small mistake on turn 11 that cost me at least a couple of tenths. It will be a fun race. We are all very close. I have a good race pace. The minimum goal within our potential is the top 8, which would be excellent compensation for our hard work.”
SAM LOWES
“Up to now, the weekend has not been one of the best. Fortunately the crashes were all fairly irrelevant. Unfortunately, the one in qualifying kept me from starting farther forward, but if I look at FP4, the session that best reflects our situation in race setup, we can think positively. Looking at the weather, anything could happen tomorrow. If it rains, I’ll take advantage of my good feeling with the RS-GP in the wet, but even on a dry track I think I’ll be able to have my say for a points finish.”
More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3:
Determined Zarco to charge from 6th – Folger endures luckless qualifying
Johann Zarco will leap forward from the rear of the second row of the grid after an accomplished performance in the blustery but sunny qualifying 2 shootout today In San Marino. The rapid rookie built up his pace before storming to a lap that left him 0.249 back from the front row and tomorrow, he intends to undertake a rocket start and then duel with the leading MotoGP bikes.
Meanwhile, Jonas Folger impressively blazed to the top of the time sheets in Q1, yet his lap was unfortunately cancelled due to exceeding the track limits by a hair’s breadth at turn 16. As a result, his previous best time leaves him in 16th on the grid but he confidently awaits the race where he aims to fight for the top independent honours.
Johann Zarco
Position: 6th – Time: 1’32.885 – Laps: 8
“I am pretty happy about the work that the team and I have completed since yesterday. We were focused on being fast but comfortable, and it was complicated yet this morning I improved my lap time which was positive, even if I crashed. Then, this afternoon, I am pleased about how the qualifying went as I felt that it was possible to be quick and I used two tyres. On the first one, I did a good lap time, so I kept the energy and pushed on the last three laps. 6th on the grid is really important for the Grand Prix because, if it is dry, I can be ready to fight and try to run the high pace that Marquez and Viñales have. However, if it is wet, it will be very important to judge the conditions quickly to see if we can push or if we have to be careful. We don’t know exactly what will happen but the best scenario for me is if the GP starts and ends on the same bike, even if it’s wet or dry. Yet, if it is a flag to flag race, then I will try to see when the top guys pit and maybe change the bike at that moment. If the weather is changing then warm up will help us a lot to understand the track but we are ready for either condition.”
Jonas Folger
Position: 16th – Time: 1’33.987 – Laps: 8
“It has been a difficult weekend, but I am still positive due to the fact that I rode a fast lap in qualifying. However, it was cancelled because I just went off the track and touched the red part of the curve on the last exit. Anyway, there is no profit to take but these are the rules. Yet, the good thing is that we made this time and we could have gone to Q2. The weather is expected to change tomorrow but for me, it doesn’t matter if it’s wet or not. We know now that I have a solid pace in the dry and if it rains, it will be important to gain confidence as soon as possible. I will start from 16th, so if it is damp then we have to take advantage of the conditions and maybe take a few more risks whilst also being as confident as possible. After the tricky times that we’ve had recently, hopefully we can have an important and positive race tomorrow and collect a lot of points.”
More, from a press release issued by Pull&Bear Aspar Team:
Both Pull&Bear Aspar riders take part in Q2
Álvaro Bautista and Karel Abraham make progress to fight in an exciting Q1
MotoGP title candidates Maverick Viñales, Andrea Dovizioso and Marc Márquez will start from the front row of the grid for tomorrow’s San Marino GP, following a tightly packed qualifying session at Misano. With a 1:32.439 time, Viñales was less than 2 tenths ahead of his nearest rival. Thirteen points separate the trio before the last six races of the season, the first of which is tomorrow San Marino GP.
The Pull&Bear Aspar team got both riders into Q2, following an exciting Q1 session in which they scraped through after the chequered flag had been shown. Álvaro Bautista and Karel Abraham were third and fourth in this first phase of qualifying, but the cancelation of a lap time for two other riders by Race Direction for exceeding the track limits meant the Pull&Bear Aspar pair were given spots in Q2. In that session, they obtained positions on the fourth row of the grid: Bautista will start from tenth and Abraham twelfth.
10th Álvaro Bautista 1:33.417: “Yesterday I was not very comfortable with the bike and this morning we made some modifications and it was worse, but we must also take into account that the conditions on track were different. In FP4 we were able to try other things that helped me to have more confidence and push harder, so I was able to set a good pace. In Q1 we improved our time and although at first we hadn’t managed to qualify, the cancellation of other riders’ times put us into Q2. It’s clear that you have to ride within the track limits: That’s the rule. In Q2 I improved my time again and I did it with the medium rear tyre, which is fairly consistent for the race. It was important to end the day with a good feeling, and I’m happy because I could ride as I wanted. If we get a good start, then our target -although difficult, is to fight for the Top 5 in the race. Anyway, we will have to see what the weather does tomorrow because the forecasts are not very good.”
12th Karel Abraham 1:34.374: “This was a very good day for us. In the morning it was a little bit difficult; we were trying to push, but we had some problems with the front still. I had a little crash in FP4, although it was very small. In qualifying I tried to commit as much as I could. I tried to catch Álvaro and he helped me out. The crazy rules that are in place were applied and I made it into Q2, because one or two riders had run a bit wide. I don’t like this rule, but it played to our advantage this time. In Q2 I tried to push, but I had a big issue with the front. I lost it twice on the fast corners and almost crashed. I knew that if I risked a lot, I could maybe gain one position or maybe two -so it wasn’t worth the gamble. I tried to see what the other riders were doing to get some experience, and we’re very happy with P12. I think we’ve got a very good pace for tomorrow’s race, but it will be very hard -especially with the forecast being for heavy rain all day.”
More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:
Gran Premio di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini
MotoGP 2017 Round 13
Marc Marquez will start from the front row in tomorrow’s Gran Premio di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini, knowing that he has a good pace to fight at the front.
Marc had been the quickest rider in the FP3 session, and the second fastest in FP4. During qualifying, he recorded his fastest time on his first flying lap but a crash during his second exit prevented him from improving upon it. He finished in third, just 0.197” off pole position.
Dani was eighth in FP3, and progressed to sixth in FP4 before recording the seventh-quickest lap time in qualifying, just over half a second down from the top.
The weather forecast indicates the possibility of thunderstorms and a drop in temperature for tomorrow’s race, which is scheduled for 2 p.m. local time.
Marc Marquez 93
3RD 1’32.636
“All in all we’re satisfied with the result. In qualifying you always push more than usual, but honestly, on that lap during the second exit I had already slowed a little bit because I had touched the red part of the asphalt in the fast corner. Then I went a little wide and I touched the white line and lost the front. It was my mistake because we had the possibility of trying to go for the pole, but it’s okay; we’re on front row, our pace for tomorrow is good, and we’re happy with that. Tomorrow the track temperature will probably be different, lower than today, and to make the correct rear-tyre choice will be a key point for the race. We’re basically fine with more than one option, and we’ll try to manage every situation well.”
Dani Pedrosa 26
7TH 1’32.992
“Today was a more difficult day than yesterday, as we weren’t able to find the perfect feeling with the bike. We tried to work and improve the setup, especially the suspension settings, but I wasn’t able to get comfortable enough and ride as I wanted. Therefore, in qualifying I didn’t do a super lap time and was only able to manage the seventh fastest time, which is not what we were expecting today. Anyway, tomorrow we’ll try to put together everything we’ve learned over the weekend and to be as fast as possible, even in case of rain. We’ll concentrate on the start, and on the first laps of the race which will be very important.”
More, from a press release issued by Octo Pramac Racing:
GP di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini – Qualifying
Petrux fights in Q2 and conquers a precious P8 at #SanMarinoGP. Seventh row start for Scott.
A good Saturday for Danilo Petrucci, who gives Octo Pramac Racing the third row in the “Gran Premio of San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini”. Scott can’t find the right feeling in Q1 and ends in 19th position.
After dominating Friday’s free practice, Petrux shows that he is also in confidence on the qualifying Saturday of his “Home GP”. After having encountered some difficulties in the Fp3, also due to a strong wind, the rider from Terni found a good feeling in the Fp4. In Q2, he fought until the last lap for the second row and then finished in eighth position, 5 thousandths of a second behind Pedrosa and 3 tenths of a tenth from the front row.
After Friday’s difficulties, Scott was not able to be competitive during the Q1 and had to settle for the seventh row with a time of 1’34.132.
8th – Danilo Petrucci – 1’32.997
“I was expecting something more. Yesterday, I was not really at the maximum with the bike but I managed to be fast. This morning the wind gave us some troubles, and I was not able to find a good pace. A good result would have been the second row but I did not make a perfect lap. However, there are the conditions in order to make a good race”.
19th – Scott Redding – 1’34.132
“I am very disappointed for the result of the qualifying, but if I have to be honest I struggled all week end. The feeling with the front was never good and I could not find the right confidence. I was not expecting much from the qualifying, a good result was not easy to obtain. However, there was the opportunity to do something more. The rain? Will see what will happen”.
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More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:
MAVERICK VIÑALES TAKES PERFECT POLE IN MISANO
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team‘s Maverick Viñales was a man on a mission today at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli and he got the job done, securing his fourth MotoGP pole position of the season.
Misano Adriatico (Italy), 9th September 2017
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP will start the Tribul Mastercard GP S.Marino e Riviera di Rimini – the team‘s second home race of the season – from pole position, after a superb performance from Maverick Viñales in this afternoon‘s qualifying session.
Viñales was the last rider to leave pit lane at the start of the 15-minute shoot-out, knowing that the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli is relatively short and that he would have enough time to set a fast lap. However, once on his way, he didn‘t waste a minute to make his mark. He immediately put his YZR-M1 on top with a 1‘33.408s lap.
The Spaniard was temporarily pushed back to second place shortly after completing his first flying lap, but the 22-year-old was not having it. He improved to a 1‘32.833s to reclaim provisional pole. Nevertheless, the battle for pole was far from over.
Once again the young gun dropped to second position, with less than eight and a half minutes to go. This time, Viñales couldn’t retaliate straight away, though he improved his best lap to a 1‘32.652s, and returned to the box with six minutes remaining.
One and a half minutes later, he was back out on track, eager to close the 0.016s margin to the man in first. He was unsuccessful on the first flying lap of his second run, but the number 25 rider had time for two more tries. Now in third place, he made the next attempt count, setting a personal best first sector and all red sectors in the last three parts of the track to post a magnificent 1’32.439s for pole. He held the top spot until the flag came out, with a gap of 0.162s to his closest rival, and will start tomorrow’s race from the front of the grid.
MASSIMO MEREGALLI
TEAM DIRECTOR
Today was very productive for us and it shows in the results – what an amazing 1’32.439s lap by Maverick! It was well deserved, as Maverick and the team did a brilliant job yesterday and today and have shown great speed throughout each session. He is improving every time he heads out on track, and to take pole at the team‘s second home Grand Prix of the season – for the first time since Mugello – is perfect. However, tomorrow‘s race will be long and chances are that the conditions will be very different from what we had on track today. We will have to keep an open mind at the start of the warm up tomorrow and adapt to whatever the weather may bring.
MAVERICK VIÑALES
The qualifying went really well. I was feeling great on the bike, the team did a really good job! Yesterday and especially this afternoon we modified the bike a little bit and I was feeling better, so for tomorrow the strategy will be to try and stay consistent, keep the tyres on a good temperature – it‘s important not to have cold tyres, especially on the first laps. I‘m going to start from first and try to ride at my own pace. I‘m happy with how things are going and let‘s see what will happen tomorrow. I‘m confident that we can do a great race. For sure there are many riders who can be contenders. For tomorrow, we will have to try to make another step, if we want to win this race.
More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda:
FOURTH ON THE GRID FOR CRUTCHLOW IN MISANO
Cal Crutchlow will start Sunday’s Grand Prix of San Marino and the Rimini Riviera from the second row after an impressive performance during qualifying. Still nursing a finger injury from before the weekend, the British rider has nonetheless looked his usual feisty self out on track, and with good race pace is hopeful of a decent finish at his LCR Honda Team’s home race.
Having gone straight through to the qualifying final, Crutchlow put in an excellent lap of 1’32.768, just three-tenths of a second behind pole-setter Maverick Viñales, and a tenth behind factory Honda colleague Marc Marquez. He will start the race as the top Independent Team rider in the field, and hasn’t counted out a shot at the podium positions.
Cal Crutchlow – 4th
(1’32.768 – lap 8 of 9)
“We’re obviously happy with the qualifying session, I’d wanted to be on the front row, but today it wasn’t possible. That’s something to try for again in the next races, but for now I’m happy with fourth place. I think we’ve done a good job as a team all weekend so far, the crew have worked very hard for me. It hasn’t been an easy run-up to this grand prix, so to be in good shape for Sunday’s race has been difficult. However, I feel we’ve got the pace to be there, maybe not to win, but perhaps we can aim for the podium. Top five I would be happy, but I have to look towards the rostrum.
“The finger is feeling better. There’s no pain when I’m on the bike, but it’s really uncomfortable and it’s going to be like that for a month. I can’t keep my finger on the handlebar so it’s not the best situation. I have to compensate with my other arm and different parts of my body, so it doesn’t feel natural. We’ll work on it with the team and the doctors to try and improve the situation for Aragon.”
More, from a press release issued by Reale Avintia Racing:
Fifth row for Reale Avintia Racing riders in Misano qualifying session
Hector Barbera and Loris Baz will start tomorrow’s San Marino Grand Prix from the fifth row of the grid after finishing 13th and 15th in qualifying today at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli.
The Spaniard crashed during FP4 and went out for qualifying with his second bike. In his first attempt, he was close to make the top two and in the second exit he missed Q2 by just one tenth of a second. His Reale Avintia teammate Loris Baz finished just 0.026s from Barbera and will start the race from the same row on the grid.
The MotoGP riders enjoyed another sunny and warm day at Misano, but rain is forecasted for tomorrow’s race. If the forecast is right, Barbera and Baz expect to fight for the top ten. If it’s dry, they hope to score some championship points.
Hector Barbera | 1’33.920 | P13
“We have been close but we missed Q2 by just one tenth to finish in ‘12+1’ place. In FP4 I crashed at a point where I was losing a little bit of time this weekend. I tried to ride this turn in another way, but I touched the kerb and crashed. But nevertheless, we are not so bad considering that we still have the same problems from the beginning of the season, which is a lot of chatter when braking into the corners. Tomorrow I hope to make a good race and if it doesn´t rain, my goal is to be in the top ten. But if it rains, we can dream of something more”.
Loris Baz | 1’33.946 | P15
“In Q1 I hoped to be closer to the front, but in my second time attack I didn’t find any reference and had to do the lap on my own. Overall the day has gone quite well and I think we have a good pace for the race. In the fastest turn we lose too much, because this bike was designed to go with winglets and now there is not enough weight on the front. I had some big moments at that point during the weekend and to be honest, it is scary to lose the front when you go at 300 km/h. Now we wait what the weather will be tomorrow because if it rains, we can do well”.
More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:
Front row start for Andrea Dovizioso, second in qualifying for the San Marino GP at Misano. Fifth-placed Jorge Lorenzo will start from row 2 while Michele Pirro, in eleventh, will start from row 4
Andrea Dovizioso put in a great qualifying run today at Misano to post the second-quickest time of 1’32.601 in Q2, and will line up on the front row of the grid for tomorrow’s San Marino Grand Prix. Team-mate Jorge Lorenzo also had a good day, finishing fifth at the end of the session with a time of 1’32.792 to take his position on row 2, while Ducati Test Team’s wild-card entrant Michele Pirro was eleventh quickest with a lap of 1’33.491.
The San Marino Grand Prix, to be held over a distance of 28 laps, will get underway at the Misano World Circuit tomorrow at 14.00 CET.
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 1’32.601 (2nd)
“I’m really happy with this front row start! To be honest, second place was a bit unexpected because we worked a lot in FP4 with used tyres and I didn’t have a great feeling with the bike, but when we started the qualifying session I realized that we could be very fast. So I concentrated on getting the best out of the second tyre. In the end I set a really good time and this confirms that we are also quick here at Misano.”
Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team #99) – 1’32.792 (5th)
“My position, fifth on row 2, isn’t fantastic but I’m quite happy, especially because of the positive progress we made starting in FP4. I had some excellent sensations with the medium rear tyre and did two or three very good laps. I think that if the weather remains good tomorrow, we can stay in the leading group for the entire race. However it looks like it’s going to rain and so the situation could change completely and become complicated for everyone. At any rate, even if we have to race on a wet surface, I’m confident we can score a good result.”
Michele Pirro (Ducati Test Team #51) – 1’33”491 (11th)
“Unfortunately I ruined my qualifying session with a crash at Turn 8. The bike suddenly lost rear grip and I found myself on the ground after a high-side. This ruined the strategy we had planned to get a good starting position and I’m disappointed about that because we had the potential to do better. Tomorrow starting from row 4 will surely make things more complicated, but my aim is to make up as many places as possible, because the competitiveness of my bike will give me the chance to do so.”
More, from a press release issued by KTM:
TOUGH QUALIFYING FOR RED BULL KTM FACTORY RACING TEAMS AT SAN MARINO GRAND PRIX
QUALIFYING 13TH Rd. MotoGP 2017 – Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli (SMR)
In the heart of the ‘Motor Valley’ in Italy where so many automotive and motorcycle companies are based, Misano today has seen qualifying for round 13 of the 18 race MotoGP Championship. KTM are making their race debut here with their new for 2017 Moto2 and MotoGP teams and are 9th and 17th respectively on their grids. Misano has been a happy hunting ground for KTM in Moto3 with four wins from the last five years, this year will be another close race but for all classes the major question will be the weather tomorrow and if it will rain as the Misano track is very tricky in the wet.
MotoGP
Misano was one of the circuits where the Red Bull KTM Factory MotoGP team had tested at during the week of Silverstone, so a baseline setting had been set as the weekend started but with slippery conditions yesterday following rain meant that feedback from the surface was different from the test. Pol Espargaro flew in qualifying and was about to start his final fast lap but toppled off at Turn 2 on his last run. He was on his feet in seconds, uninjured and will start 17th in tomorrow’s race. Bradley Smith had traffic and some yellow flag problems in his qualifying session so was limited to a 22nd place. Both KTM RC16s have been quick in acceleration and top speed this weekend while the team works on the front setting.
Espargaro: “It’s been a bit difficult here as I was caught a little between the soft and the medium tyre which is a little strange. Normally, the soft is the tyre for Saturday afternoon but today it was moving too much through the fast corners. The medium was not too hard but…it’s giving me a strange feeling. That’s really odd as the track temperature this afternoon was 50 celsius, but I couldn’t use it. Hopefully the conditions are a little bit different tomorrow as when we came here for the test before Silverstone the conditions were completely different from today. Different tyre, settings, electronics has been the order of today so what had at the test hasn’t transferred over with these conditions.”
Smith: “I was quite happy with today with the race pace in FP4. I could do the lap time on both sets of tyres so that was good as we’ve covered ourselves for tomorrow. In qualifying I wanted to do three laps but people had rolled off after two then on the second run there was a yellow flag. I feel more competitive today than yesterday and feel that the race – wet or dry – I’m looking forward to it. I stood on the podium the last time I raced here so I’m confident whatever the weather.”
Sebastian Risse (Technical Director MotoGP): “Today is again proof that this year is so close in terms of times but a gap of around one second is something achievable for us and then the position is whatever is in qualifying and the race. This is our base target over the last few races and something we’ve been hitting. We are good with acceleration here, as we have done all season in fact with both riders, but we’ve been limited a little by movement of the tyre and getting the front of the bike to work to our liking. It just seems to be that, rather than an on going problem; conditions to get the front working.”
Moto2
As the Red Bull KTM Ajo team make their debut here with the KTM Moto2 motorcycle, Miguel Oliveira, who took a podium here in Moto3 two years ago, qualified ninth, less than 6/10ths of a second back of the pole position in a near 100 second lap. He expected to be a little higher, but he’s happy after not being so close on Saturday morning. Brad Binder, Moto3 race winner here 12 months ago, qualified seventeenth as he looks to attack through the field on the opening lap as he’s done in recent races.
Oliveira: “After yesterday my expectations for qualifying were a little higher, but I’m happy. Seeing how the practice went this morning, finishing half a second off pole isn’t at all bad. In FP3 we made a change to the bike that didn’t end up working out, and it all combined: The situation on track, the grip level… Nothing turned out well for us. In the afternoon we knew that the grip would drop a little, and we tried to make the most of it to improve in such conditions. There’s still work to do, but tomorrow we will give our all to take a good result. I’m not worried about if there’s rain tomorrow, because it’s a bit of a lottery and will affect all of us equally.”
Binder: “Qualifying didn’t turn out as we had initially planned. I can take away the fact that I don’t have a bad pace and I can ride consistently – although I feel that I’m a little on the limit. We have to change some things with the bike so that I can feel there is more room for improvement. Overall, it’s neither the best, nor the worst result. Tomorrow when the race starts I know that I will be well prepared, and I believe that I can gain positions. I’d obviously prefer tomorrow’s race to be dry, but if it’s wet then it doesn’t change anything; we will give 100% and see what we can do.”
Moto3
Niccolo Antonelli, a podium man here two years ago, started the weekend well yesterday with a top ten position, while today the local rider from Cattolica made a huge step forward with much more speed to improve to eighth position on the grid for tomorrow’s race. Close on his heels was team mate Bo Bendsneyder in ninth to make it four KTM RC250 GPs inside the top ten for what is sure to be another close, trademark, Moto3 Grand Prix. The leading KTM was Gabriel Rodrigo who continues his strong qualifying pace from Brno to date. KTM have won four times at Misano from the five years that Moto3 has been running.
Italian Kevin Zannoni is a wild card here this weekend riding his Althea KTM with which he leads the Italian Moto3 Championship, the CIV. He turned 17 years old yesterday.
Rodrigo: “It was once again a positive day. This morning we put in another long run on used tyres and also today we were within the times we had set as objective. Then we changed to new tyres and we checked some other ideas for the setting of the bike, but we didn’t really like them. For the QP, we chose to go back to what we had used yesterday and I had a great feeling straight away. At the beginning of the qualifying I could set a fast lap, which helped to stay calm and to maintain a confident pace throughout the practice. I was competitive both on my own as well as when following other riders. On the last run I gave it all: I was really fast, there was an option to get another pole position. In the last sector I made a mistake and I crashed out. It’s a shame, but at least we had set a competitive lap earlier on and that put us in sixth position, the second row for tomorrow. Now we’ll check the data and we’ll have a look at what happened in the crash. I’d like to send my best wishes to Livio Loi: I hope he is alright, after crashing into my bike.”
Antonelli: “We’ve got a good position for the grid tomorrow; eighth place is not bad. I’m also happy because we met the goal we set out for ourselves yesterday, to be on one of the first three rows. There are points on the track where we are very fast, and others where we aren’t so quick. I don’t think that tomorrow will be easy; it will be a very hard race and we are going to have to do our best to be competitive and attack from the opening lap. There are a lot of strong riders and I think the race will be run in a group, with 10 or 12 riders fighting for the win. It won’t be like it was two years ago when I got a podium here. The weather is also an unknown, so we’ll see.”
Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup
Ai Ogura took his second win of the season with a perfectly judged final lap at Misano to lead Kazuki Masaki and Aleix Viu across the line. Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup points leader Can Öncü crashed out of the lead battle on the second lap and thus handed the championship advantage to Masaki with Viu still third. The trio head to the final weekend in Aragon to sort out the Cup while Ogura, the 16-year-old Japanese to concentrate on winning races.
“It was a hard race. Viu is very good on the brakes and Masaki was also fast. I could not get away from them and had to do it on the last lap. I timed my pass perfectly and managed to stay ahead. The bike was great, very happy with it and I really enjoyed the race,” concluded Ogura giving his KTM RC 250 RB an appreciative stroke.
With a bigger smile, 17-year-old fellow Japanese Masaki revelled in his position at the head of the points table. “That is the most important thing. I wanted to win the race and I did everything I could. I pushed very hard from the start but Ogura and Viu caught me, it was a hard battle. At the end I lined up and passed Viu at the end of the straight but Ogura was just too far in front for me to get him too. I am leading the points for the first time and I know it will be a hard fight in Aragon.”
Races: September 10, 2017 – Moto3 11:00 | Moto2 12:20 CET | MotoGP 14:00
Results Qualifying MotoGP Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli 2017
1. Maverick Vinales (ESP), Yamaha, 1:32.439 min
2. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA), Ducati, +0.162 sec
3. Marc Marquez (ESP), Honda, +0.197
4. Cal Crutchlow (GBR), Honda, +0.329
5. Jorge Lorenzo (ESP), Ducati, +0.353
KTM
17. Pol Espargaro (ESP), KTM, +1.641
22. Bradley Smith (GBR), KTM, +2.278
Results Qualifying Moto2 Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli 2017
1. Mattia Pasini (ITA), Kalex, +1:37.390 min
2. Franco Morbidelli (ITA), Kalex, +0.083 sec
3. Dominique Aegerter (SUI), Suter, +0.333
4. Lorenzo Baldassarri (ITA), Kalex, +0.344
5. Takaaki Nakagami (JAP), Kalex, +0.387
KTM
9. Miguel Oliveira (POR), KTM, +0.593
17. Brad Binder (RSA), KTM, +0.943
Results Qualifying Moto3 Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli 2017
1. Enea Bastianini (ITA), Honda, 1:42.147 min
2. Jorge Martin (ESP), Honda, +0.173 sec
3. Joan Mir (ESP), Honda, +0.225
4. Fabio Di Giannantonio (ITA), Honda, +0.244
5. Romano Fenati (ITA), Honda, +0.326
KTM
6. Gabriel Rodrigo (ESP), KTM, +0.338
8. Niccolo Antonelli (ITA), KTM, +0.447
9. Bo Bendsneyder (NED), KTM, +0.448
10. Nicolo Bulega (ITA), KTM, +0.489
Results Race Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli 2017
All riders on KTM RC250 RB bikes
1. Ai Ogura (JAP), 30:10.864 min (17 laps)
2. Kazuki Masaki (JAP), +0.519 sec
3. Alex Viu (ESP), +0.665
4. Dan Öncü (TUR), +12.024
5. Filip Salac (CZE), +13.440
Standings Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup 2017 after 11 of 13 races
1. Masaki, 164 points
2. Can Öncü (TUR), 154
3. Viu (ESP), 142
4. D. Öncü, 112
5. Matthias Meggle (GER), 108
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki ECSTAR:
20TH AND 21ST PLACE FOR RINS AND IANNONE IN MISANO
Alex Rins: 20th – 1’34.138 (Q1)
Andrea Iannone: 21st – 1’34.148 (Q1)
Qualifying day at the San Marino GP and the Rimini Riviera saw Alex Rins and Andrea Iannone struggling to get the right feel with their bikes in Q1, the Spaniard ending in 20th place (1’34.138) and the Italian in 21st (1’34.148).
In the morning session, Rins was able to improve from yesterday´s lap time, but not enough to get better than 18th position. His struggle with more efficient riding continued in the Q1, with low confidence with the front end.
More struggles for Andrea Iannone: he couldn’t improve his time in FP3, costing him his chance to get direct access in Q2. The team delivered a new chassis, in order to be more rigid, which proved to be effective for some points but not a complete solution. In Q1 his bad feeling with the front end prevented him from setting a better time, and ended in 21st place.
Davide Brivio – Team Manager
“Unfortunately today has been very tough for us. This track is not really the best for us and we are facing difficulty in adaptation. Alex made good progress. He improved his skills, but still can’t be as effective as he’d like. With Andrea we tried today to anticipate some work that was scheduled for the test, introducing a new chassis, aimed to improve the rigidity. He gave us important feedback that we will now analyse, but at the end of the day his performance was not as we would have hoped. Alex and Andrea will start from 20th and 21st position, which means they will need to recover. We will try to find some improvements tonight and hopefully get them two configurations that could make them feel more confident.”
Alex Rins
“This weekend it is difficult to make progress. We are working hard with the team, as always, only this time we are finding it harder to find what would help us to improve in the rankings. Tomorrow we have the warm up to continue testing and afterwards the race, although the forecast says it may be wet.”
Andrea Iannone
“Honestly I don’t know what’s happening. We are struggling a lot. I can’t ride as I would like to or be as fast as I normally am. I’ve never been so slow. This year I can’t find a way. We are always almost there, but not resulting in the success we expect. I will speak again with engineers and technicians to see how we could improve. The problem is that we don’t have one single major issue, but we have many small issues. We tried a new chassis, but it didn’t make a major improvement. It’s better, but not as much as we’d like. Let’s continue working. That’s what we can do.”
More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
Viñales snatches pole from Dovizioso at Misano
Championship top three on the front row despite a crash for Marquez
Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) took pole position on his penultimate lap in qualifying for the Gran Premio Tribul Mastercard di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini, deposing home hero and key Championship rival Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team), who will now start second. Completing the top three is reigning Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), who crashed in the session when on his fastest lap – rider ok.
Despite doubts about the weather, Saturday gave the grid good conditions for practice and qualifying at Misano, and pole position came down to a three-way duel. Dovizioso was the man on provisional pole as Viñales and Marquez began their final pushes, with the younger Spaniard going fastest on his penultimate effort and then rolling off after Marquez fell out of contention.
Fourth was a late dash from Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda), riding with a finger injury, and the Brit headed five-time World Champion Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team) by only 0.024 seconds. Joining the experienced duo on Row 2 is rookie Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), who bounced back from a crash on Saturday morning to take a second row start in sixth.
Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) is seventh – one place higher than his qualifying position last year, when he went on to win – with Friday’s fastest Danilo Petrucci (Octo Pramac Racing) taking eighth. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) moved up slightly on his last lap, and completes the third row in P9.
Alvaro Bautista (Pull&Bear Aspar Team) is P10 after leading the charge from Q1, with Ducati test rider and wildcard Michele Pirro suffering a problem in the session and lining up in eleventh. Karel Abraham (Pull&Bear Aspar Team) completed the top twelve.
From Q1, P13 is Hector Barbera (Reale Avintia Racing) despite a big crash earlier on Saturday, with Jack Miller (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) in fourteenth after having a lap deleted. Loris Baz (Reale Avintia Racing) locked out the fastest fifteen, with Jonas Folger (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) also falling foul of track limits and relegated to P16 after marginally heading wide in Q1.
Now it’s race time. Will we see a re-run of 2017 and the number 26 slicing through the field? Can Marquez bounce back, Viñales go one better, Dovizioso make it three in a row? And the big question: will it be rain or shine on Sunday…