FIM Moto2 World Championship
Phillip Island, Australia
October 17, 2014
Free Practice Two Results (all using Honda engines and Dunlop tires):
1. Esteve “Tito” RABAT, Spain (KALEX), 1:33.057
2. Sandro CORTESE, Germany (KALEX), 1:33.655
3. Thomas LUTHI, Switzerland (SUTER), 1:33.681
4. Maverick VIÑALES, Spain (KALEX), 1:33.820
5. Julian SIMON, Spain (KALEX), 1:33.917
6. Mika KALLIO, Finland (KALEX), 1:33.938
7. Jonas FOLGER, Germany (KALEX), 1:33.967
8. Mattia PASINI, Italy (KALEX), 1:34.077
9. Sam LOWES, UK (SPEED UP), 1:34.081
10. Franco MORBIDELLI, Italy (KALEX), 1:34.146
11. Ricard CARDUS, Spain (TECH 3), 1:34.152
12. Hafizh SYAHRIN, Malaysia (KALEX), 1:34.158
13. Anthony WEST, Australia (SPEED UP), 1:34.244
14. Takaaki NAKAGAMI, Japan (KALEX), 1:34.276
15. Marcel SCHROTTER, Germany (TECH 3), 1:34.378
16. Johann ZARCO, France (CATERHAM SUTER), 1:34.395
17. Xavier SIMEON, Belgium (SUTER), 1:34.402
18. Dominique AEGERTER, Switzerland (SUTER), 1:34.511
19. Nicolas TEROL, Spain (SUTER), 1:34.581
20. Jordi TORRES, Spain (SUTER), 1:34.606
21. Louis ROSSI, France (KALEX), 1:34.644
22. Randy KRUMMENACHER, Switzerland (SUTER), 1:34.648
23. Gino REA, UK (SUTER), 1:34.716
24. Lorenzo BALDASSARRI, Italy (SUTER), 1:34.859
25. Luis SALOM, Spain (KALEX), 1:35.162
26. Axel PONS, Spain (KALEX), 1:35.193
27. Florian MARINO, France (KALEX), 1:35.295
28. Thitipong WAROKORN, Thailand (KALEX), 1:35.490
29. Ratthapark WILAIROT, Thailand (CATERHAM SUTER), 1:35.572
30. Tomoyoshi KOYAMA, Japan (NTS), 1:35.886
31. Azlan SHAH, Malaysia (KALEX), 1:35.934
32. Aiden WAGNER, Australia (KALEX), 1:36.098
33. Roman RAMOS, Spain (SPEED UP), 1:36.238
34. Robin MULHAUSER, Switzerland (SUTER), 1:39.221
35. Max CROKER, Australia (SUTER), 1:40.399
More, from a press release issued by Marc VDS Racing Team:
Rabat dominates on opening day at the Island
Phillip Island, Australia – 17 October: Tito Rabat set the pace on the opening day in Australia, topping the timesheets in both free practice sessions at Phillip Island to finish more than half a second quicker than his rivals.
It was a perfect start to a weekend when, for the first time this season, Rabat can wrap up the championship that he’s led since the opening round in Qatar more than six months ago. The 25-year-old Spaniard needs to score just 12 more points than teammate Mika Kallio if he is to be crowned as the 2014 Moto2 World Champion this weekend.
In comparison Kallio had a difficult first day down under, as he struggled once again to find the feeling with the front that is so important at the ultra-fast Phillip Island circuit. The 31-year-old Finn crashed and somersaulted over the tyre wall at turn nine without injury this morning, but bruised his ankle after going over the highside at turn 10 this afternoon. Despite the crashes Kallio ended the day fifth with his lap time from the first free practice session.
Racing at yet another new track for the first time this weekend, the Marc VDS Racing Team’s Moto3 rider, Jorge Navarro, finished the opening day 29th on combined times, after improving his best lap time in FP1 by almost half a second this afternoon.
Tito Rabat // 1st // 1’33.057
“We made a really good job today, but we won’t be resting on our laurels, because we were fast on both practice days in Japan and then lost out in the race. So, while everything is working well at the moment, we need to carry on working to find improvements ready for the race on Sunday. There were a lot of crashes today and when you see people crash in front of you then you always close a little. The track conditions are different to when we were here for the winter test and we need to take that into account when we set up the bike for tomorrow. So, a good first day, but we still have work to do.”
Mika Kallio // 5th / 1’33.759
“Even if I ended the morning session in third, today hasn’t been good. The last few races have been difficult because the bike feels different to how it did earlier in the year, and the same was true today. Something isn’t right, because the feeling isn’t even consistent; it changed today from morning to afternoon. We will switch to a new frame for tomorrow, as we’ve changed everything else without any improvement. The rear grip is also an issue here, as there is none. This afternoon I was on my second lap when I crashed, after the rear let go with no warning. The tyres just aren’t working in these conditions, which is why there were so many crashes today. It’s frustrating, but we need to work to find a solution for tomorrow.”
Jorge Navarro // 29th // 1’38.850
“Phillip Island is a very fast track and it was very difficult to figure out at first. You need to take the correct line in every corner, otherwise you lose a lot of time on a lap, but that will come with more circuit knowledge. The feeling with the bike wasn’t so good today, but we know in which direction we need to go in tomorrow, so I’m confident we can make another step forward. Turn one here is special and very, very fast. It’s difficult, yes, but also enjoyable.”
More, from a press release issued by AGT Rea Racing:
Six tenths separate Gino Rea from a Top 10 spot after Day One at Phillip Island
Gino Rea concluded day one of the Australian Grand Prix in 23rd position. An incident in the first free practice session saw Rea’s progress hindered as he attempted to save a crash before succumbing to the gravel trap. Later in the afternoon session, Gino improved his time by 1.3 seconds, with only six tenths of a second separating him from 8th on the grid. Rea is confident of further progress ahead of Saturday at Phillip Island:
“It’s been quite a difficult day as it started off with a crash. The hard tyres here are making it challenging for us but considering we lost the majority of set up time in FP1, our pace with the harder option tyre is really not too bad. Apart from Rabat, the times were close. I was only 0.639 from 8th position so I’m hoping we can keep the progress going. As well as using the softer tyre option, we have work to do with our set up so I’m looking forward to getting back out there tomorrow.”
AGT REA Racing will be back on track tomorrow for the final free practice of the weekend and the Moto2 qualifying session at 16.05 local time.
More, from a press release issued by AirAsia Caterham Moto2 Team:
Practice gets underway at Phillip Island
Circuit: Phillip Island
Circuit Length: 4.448 km
Bike # 5 – Johann Zarco
FP1: P20; 1’34.805 – 7 laps
FP2: P16; 1’34.395 –19 laps
Bike # 14 – Ratthapark Wilairot
FP1: P26; 1’35.129 – 17 laps
FP2: P29; 1’35.572 – 17 laps
Weather
FP1: (Conditions) Dry; (air temp) 15°, (track temp) 32°
FP2: (Conditions) Dry; (air temp) 15°, (track temp) 35°
The Australian Grand Prix got off to a dramatic start with almost a third of the Moto2 field suffering a crash throughout the morning session, including AirAsia Caterham Moto Racing riders Johann Zarco and Ratthapark Wilairot.
Fortunate to escape unhurt and with little damage to the #14 Caterham Suter, Wilairot was able to re-join the first session and continue his efforts to adapt to the demanding Australian track. Meanwhile teammate Zarco was forced to sit out of the remainder of free practice one, whilst his crew worked to repair the damage to the #5 bike. With only seven laps under his belt, the afternoon’s session saw the Frenchman work tirelessly in an attempt to catch up with the rest of the field and better his pace.
#5 Johann Zarco: “This first day has been difficult because I crashed this morning. I was not pushing too much but I closed the front on the brake and I ended up missing most of the first practice.
“In the afternoon we tried to set the bike but it was not better and I really had to push a lot to do a lap time and I’m still far from the top position, so I cannot be happy. I need to trust in the work because at the moment I don’t have very much confidence on the bike.
“We will see tomorrow, but I know once we can find a base, find a good setup, I will be there. The track is a nice track and I have good reference to be fast I just need the good feeling back.”
#14 Ratthapark Wilairot: “This morning my plan was to try and make a long run and build my speed throughout the session. It is quite difficult to understand what happened when I crashed because I was just building a little bit at a time and then I just lost the rear. I know there were quite a few other riders with the same problem.
“The set-up on the bike was not too bad this morning but I am struggling with the feeling going out of the corners. Tomorrow I think we must make some adjustments to the geometry on the bike and then hopefully it will be a little easier to ride.”
More, from a press release issued by QMMF Racing Team:
Local hero West tries to fly Ramos learns fast and challenging Phillip Island circuit
QMMF Racing Team rider Anthony West tried to fly in the first free practice session for the Australian Grand Prix, when he had the biggest highsider in many years of racing. The 33-year-old Queenslander got caught out in the second-last corner of the track, a fast left-hander, and limped away with a bruised foot, but was okay to ride afterwards and to score 15th place in the combined standings of day one. One explanation for the crash was the special tyre Dunlop had brought in: In last year’s race, the re-surfaced Phillip Island track had so much grip that some tyres started to chunk. As a consequence, Dunlop played it safe with an extra-hard tyre construction for this year’s Grand Prix. In the meantime however, track conditions at Phillip Island had changed again, with the asphalt now being much less aggressive than one year ago. Tyre safety is no longer a concern, but everybody in the Moto2 class was chasing grip.
Team-mate Roman Ramos made no exception and also had to learn another new race track. Even though he liked the layout of the fast and sweeping Phillip Island circuit a lot, he struggled to get up to speed and finished the day in 33rd position due to set-up issues.
Anthony West – 15th in 1.34,244
“This morning I tried to fly! I had the biggest highsider that I’ve had for a long time. With a Moto2 bike you normally never have big highsides like that. You lose the rear, it might through you up in the air, but it has been a long time since I actually had a highsider like that. It was quite big and it hurt me. I couldn’t get off the track for a while because I couldn’t breathe. My foot is a bit sore, but it’s okay to walk and okay to ride, so it’s not a problem. The reason for the crash is, in my opinion, the new tyre from Dunlop. The condition of the track is not perfect and the combination with the tyre doesn’t really work. I was not pushing, I was just warming up and I had Ramos behind me because he wanted to follow me around. I came out of turn 11, the second-last corner, a quite fast corner, had a little slide going, no problem, and next moment it just snapped and threw me up in the air. I hit the ground hard and knocked the wind out of myself. Luckily the mechanics were fast to get me back out on the track and we got a few more laps in. Unfortunately, we broke some parts on the suspension so we couldn’t make a good set-up. But for the afternoon session, we made a few changes and I went faster and faster. Now I think we are in a good position. I feel strong and there are just two corners I need to work on, where I am quite slow. But on other parts of the track, I am really fast. If we can work on what?s missing, I think we will look good for qualifying tomorrow!”
Roman Ramos – 33rd in 1.36,162
“Phillip Island is another new circuit for us and it is quite challenging and fast. I like the layout it a lot and it suits my riding style, but it wasn’t a good day for us. We are still chasing a better set-up, but I am sure that we will be able to improve tomorrow and climb a few positions in the time sheets!”