FIM Moto2 World Championship

Phillip Island, Australia 

October 18, 2014

Qualifying Results (all using Honda engines and Dunlop tires):

1. Esteve “Tito” RABAT, Spain (KALEX), 1:32.470

2. Johann ZARCO, France (CATERHAM SUTER), 1:32.485

3. Mika KALLIO, Finland (KALEX), 1:32.698

4. Maverick VIÑALES, Spain (KALEX), 1:32.712

5. Thomas LUTHI, Switzerland (SUTER), 1:32.757

6. Sandro CORTESE, Germany (KALEX), 1:32.824

7. Sam LOWES, UK (SPEED UP), 1:32.938

8. Jordi TORRES, Spain (SUTER), 1:32.941

9. Xavier SIMEON, Belgium (SUTER), 1:32.960

10. Marcel SCHROTTER, Germany (TECH 3), 1:32.964

11. Ricard CARDUS, Spain (TECH 3), 1:32.968

12. Franco MORBIDELLI, Italy (KALEX), 1:33.083

13. Mattia PASINI, Italy (KALEX), 1:33.111

14. Jonas FOLGER, Germany (KALEX), 1:33.198

15. Randy KRUMMENACHER, Switzerland (SUTER), 1:33.252

16. Dominique AEGERTER, Switzerland (SUTER), 1:33.253

17. Hafizh SYAHRIN, Malaysia (KALEX), 1:33.349

18. Lorenzo BALDASSARRI, Italy (SUTER), 1:33.379

19. Takaaki NAKAGAMI, Japan (KALEX), 1:33.391

20. Louis ROSSI, France (KALEX), 1:33.420

21. Ratthapark WILAIROT, Thailand (CATERHAM SUTER), 1:33.480

22. Luis SALOM, Spain (KALEX), 1:33.566

23. Nicolas TEROL, Spain (SUTER), 1:33.609

24. Florian MARINO, France (KALEX), 1:33.841

25. Anthony WEST, Australia (SPEED UP), 1:34.000

26. Julian SIMON, Spain (KALEX), 1:34.042

27. Gino REA, UK (SUTER), 1:34.367

28. Axel PONS, Spain (KALEX), 1:34.414

29. Thitipong WAROKORN, Thailand (KALEX), 1:34.458

30. Tomoyoshi KOYAMA, Japan (NTS), 1:34.862

31. Aiden WAGNER, Australia (KALEX), 1:35.172

32. Roman RAMOS, Spain (SPEED UP), 1:35.373

33. Robin MULHAUSER, Switzerland (SUTER), 1:38.203

34. Max CROKER, Australia (SUTER), 1:38.619

More, from a press release issued by AirAsia Caterham Moto2 Team:

Zarco claims third consecutive front row start at Phillip Island

Circuit: Phillip Island

Circuit Length: 4.448 km

Bike # 5 – Johann Zarco

FP3: P5; 1’33.322 – 25 laps

Qualifying: P2; 1’32.485 – 20 laps

Bike # 14 – Ratthapark Wilairot

FP3: P20; 1’33.971 – 22 laps

Qualifying: P21; 1’33.480 – 20 laps

Weather

FP3: (Conditions) Dry; (air temp) 20°, (track temp) 31°

Qualifying: (Conditions) Dry; (air temp) 20°, (track temp) 26°

Moto2 qualifying at Phillip Island saw AirAsia Caterham Moto Racing rider Johann Zarco claim his third consecutive front row start.

Lining up in second place, the Australian GP will mark a special occasion for the Frenchman who will celebrate his 100th Grand Prix start tomorrow.

Teammate Ratthapark Wilairot worked hard to improve his pace, bettering his time throughout the day, only to be knocked out of the top twenty in the final seconds of Moto2 qualifying.

#5 Johann Zarco: “I am very happy about the qualifying today because Friday was so difficult. We did good work with the team and Saturday morning we made a good step and I had better feeling on the bike. Step by step we could then improve and in qualifying I could push for strong lap times.

Now second position is very important for the race on Sunday because starting on the front row is always better, so we wlll see. We know Tito Rabat is very strong and consistent here but I need to take my chance, my opportunity. That’s why I will fight for the top position, fight for the podium and stay focused until the end. I won’t make the same mistake as I did in Japan and I want to fight for the lead if possible.”

#14 Ratthapark Wilairot: “Today went well. In free practice three we found a good set up on the bike and from then my lap times started to improve. I feel a lot better in the fast corners and I have more confidence in the front to build the speed. In the final minutes of FP3 I made a 1m33.9s lap.

“We made only a very small change to the bike for qualifying and we started very strong. I was able to make quick laps consistently. Finally just before the end I missed out on staying in the top twenty. This is disappointing for me because I wanted to make it into the top twenty as its easier to go with the riders in front and challenge for a top fifteen finish. Anyway P21 is not so bad and also to be just one second off the top. I think tomorrow if I start strong I can get points.”

Johan Stigefelt – Team Manager: “We made a great qualifying again with Zarco, he did fantastic laps and was strong from the start toady. We saw this morning after the changes that were made from yesterday he was going well. The guys did a good job to improve the feeling on the bike for qualifying and find the right direction.

“I’m really happy that we have another front row start, which is very important for this race here. We had a difficult start to the weekend and missed the majority of the first practice session and basically had to catch up in FP2, but the team worked well and we came back strong. We know and understand more about the bike now and with the knowledge and information we have, we can go back and check the data, which is why we can fix any problems quicker than we did at the beginning of the year.

“Tomorrow I think it is going to be a very tough race but our target is still to get on the podium and that is what we will aim for with Johann.

“Regarding Ratthapark, we had a similar problem with him at the start of the weekend when he crashed in FP1 and then FP2 was again difficult. This morning he made good progress and that side of the garage made a great step with the bike, which he was very happy about. Going into qualifying we could see he was a lot more comfortable and was able to get on the pace and stay in the top twenty for the majority of the session. Unfortunately just at the end he could not improve anymore and was pushed down to twenty first position; still he is only one second off pole and to be in P21 is quite amazing. I believe in him and I think with a good start tomorrow he can show how strong he is.”

More, from a press release issued by QMMF Racing Team:

West misses out on slipstream on his time attack – Ramos improves but wants more in the race

QMMF Racing Team riders Anthony West and Roman Ramos qualified for the Australian Grand Prix in 25th and 32nd position. Queensland-born West, who has a fantastic record at his home race with a podium finish two years ago, was determined to thrill his local fans with a perfect qualifying lap, but missed out on the slipstream of another strong rider, which is essential on the super-fast and demanding Phillip Island circuit. West’s lap time therefore wasn’t as strong as it could have been, but the 33-year-old is well known for his ability to turn things around in the race and remains confident if he can address the last missing points in the set-up of his Speed-Up prototype.

Team-mate Roman Ramos progressed on day two, improving by eight tenths of a second in comparison to the first day of practice, but obviously has higher goals set for the race, in which he wants to battle within the group of riders right in front of him.

Anthony West – 25th in 1.34,000

“This morning everything felt good and I was going fast and consistent. But in the afternoon, it was difficult to do the same lap times. I wasn’t able to go faster or match the time I did this morning. I tried to follow some riders, but every time I did, they would stop and it was hard to get a tow. It’s fast around this track and you need a good slipstream to make a good lap time. It’s difficult. Hopefully the race should be better. I’m strong in some points and really weak in others. We have to fix these points and if we can do this, I can put up a fight. In my strong points on the track, I will try to pass some guys and in the points where I am not so good I will do the best I can. It will be a tough race, but I’m ready to attack!”

Roman Ramos – 32nd in 1.35,373

“Yesterday was very tough for us, but today we managed to improve a little. In comparison to yesterday, we got closer to the riders right in front of us. But it wasn’t enough considering where we want to be. Tomorrow we will try and stay relaxed, approach the race calmly and try to make up as many positions as possible. I want to ride a good race, which means for me to stay with the group ahead of me and fight to get higher up in the classification!”

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

Rabat claims his ninth pole of the season at Phillip Island

Phillip Island, Australia – 18 October 2014: Tito Rabat has been in another league this weekend at Phillip Island, topping the timesheet in every session and claiming his ninth pole position of the season with a new outright lap record in qualifying this afternoon.

It means that Rabat is now the rider with the most Moto2 pole positions in one season, having surpassed the previous record of eight, set by Pol Espargaro in 2012. The 25-year-old Spaniard could wrap up the Moto2 World Championship title here tomorrow should he score 12 points more than Marc VDS teammate Mika Kallio.

Kallio is determined to keep his championship hopes alive by beating his Rabat in tomorrow’s Australian Moto2 Grand Prix. The 31-year-old Finn will also start from the race from the front row of the grid, after bouncing back from two big crashes yesterday to claim third position, just 0.2s off the time of his teammate, in this afternoon’s 45-minute qualifying session.

Jorge Navarro made a big step forward in today’s Moto3 qualifying session, improving on his previous best lap by almost two seconds to claim 11th position on the grid. Most of this time came from improvements to his Kalex-KTM machine, meaning the 18-year-old Spaniard goes into tomorrow’s 23-lap race with renewed confidence, after three difficult free practice sessions here at Phillip Island.

Tito Rabat // Pole Position // 1’32.470

“So far we’ve made a perfect weekend, working step by step and fastest in every session, but I had a small problem in qualifying because I got something on my right glove and my fingers were stuck together, which made things a bit difficult. But I got pole position and I’m happy with that; tomorrow I will try to make a good start and find my rhythm in the first few laps. I’m only thinking about winning the race; if I thought about the championship then that would be a problem!”

Mika Kallio // 3rd // 1’32.698

“I think we can be satisfied today, for two reasons. Firstly, we found a better setting for the bike, mainly for the front and, secondly, but we also found a little bit more grip from the rear tyre. We saw in free practice that it takes around six or seven laps before the tyres are working at their best, so we decided to stay out for the whole of qualifying on one set, which proved to be the right decision. For this reason, in the race we will need to be a little cautious in the opening laps, until the tyres start to work properly, as it would be easy to make a mistake. I have to beat Tito tomorrow to keep the championship alive but it won’t be easy, because he’s riding well with no mistakes, but the difference is only two-tenths, so let’s see. It will be an interesting race I think!”

Jorge Navarro // 11th // 1’36.753

“The feeling now with the bike is much better than yesterday. We made a step forward in free practice this morning, but I crashed and wasn’t able to take advantage of the improvements. In qualifying we made another step with the bike, the feeling was improving and the lap time started to come. To qualify 11th on the grid gives some more motivation for tomorrow and if we can have a good warm up then I think the race will be good.”