Timed to perfection: Zarco takes shock pole in Japan
Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider masters tough-to-judge conditions at the Japanese GP to take his second ever pole
Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) shocked for a last minute pole position in the Motul Grand Prix of Japan – his second in the permier class – taking the honour late in the session and no further laps able to challenge the Frenchman. Danilo Petrucci (Octo Pramac Racing) took second as another to navigate the wet-but-drying track conditions well, with reigning Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) completing the front row by virtue of an earlier lap after gambling on slicks at the end of the session.
With a dry line beginning to appear by the start of MotoGP™ Q2 session, it was the KTMs of Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith moving through to join the top ten in the shootout – and Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) sending immediate shockwaves through the field as he headed out on slicks straight away. That would prove the wrong decision, and the nine-time World Champion was then forced back in to switch.
Marquez, meanwhile, was 1.6 seconds clear at the top when he decided to try slicks – despite a moment on the wet tyres on what would prove his fastest lap. That left a target on P1 for many in the field still pushing hard on wets, with Zarco best able to take the challenge to the reigning Champion and Petrucci then taking second – with Marquez locking out the front row. A gamble gone wrong, but a heads up on how quickly Motegi dries out in case of a flag to flag?
Heading the second row and fulfilling his Friday target is Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini), who just missed out on lining up further forward in the latter stages of his last lap, with Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team) taking fifth on his final push and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) locking out Row 2.
The KTMs were next up, with Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) initially taking a provisional front row before times began to further tumble, and by the flag it was teammate Bradley Smith who just pipped the Spaniard. The Austrian factory machines will start seventh and eighth; Espargaro only 0.034 in arrears.
Title challenger Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) had a more difficult session and ended Q2 in P9, with Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Alex Rins and Andrea Iannone taking tenth and eleventh. Rossi, after his early gamble on slicks, lines up in P12.
After going third fastest in Q1, Loris Baz (Reale Avintia Racing) will line up behind the nine-time World Champion, and just ahead of the second factory Yamaha Maverick Viñales, who had a tough Saturday. Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) starts fifteenth after missing out on Q2 following a moment at the final corner on his last lap in Q1.
Now it’s time to race. Wet, dry, something in between…it all remains to be seen at Motegi, with the title contenders split throughout the field and some dark horses beginning to emerge. Tune in at 14:00 (GMT +9) on Sunday to see the Japanese GP kick the flyaways into gear.
MotoGP Qualifying Results
1st Independent Team Rider:
1 – Johann Zarco (FRA – Yamaha) 1’53.469
–
2 – Danilo Petrucci (ITA – Ducati) +0.318
3 – Marc Márquez (SPA – Honda) +0.434
Zero to hero: Nakagami wins pole shootout on home soil
Japanese rider strikes late to fight it out at the front – taking pole on his final attempt
Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) will start from pole for his home Grand Prix after an incredible final shootout in qualifying at the Motul Grand Prix of Japan, snatching the honour from Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) on his final push as conditions went from marginal to slicks within the session. Marquez starts from P2 after recovering from an early throttle problem, ahead of Xavi Vierge (Tech 3 Racing), who was another to time his attack to perfection.
After some riders attempting to use slicks in the earlier MotoGP™ qualifying session, it looked set to be a dry shootout at the end of the session for the intermediate class – and it didn’t disappoint. The early pacesetters on slicks were Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and FP3’s fastest in the wet Hafizh Syahrin (Petronas Raceline Malaysia), before the final battle came down to Nakagami vs Marquez vs Vierge – and Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team).
After all four crossed the line, it was Pasini who just missed the front row and took P4, joined on Row 2 by Oliveira and Syahrin. Sandro Cortese (Dynavolt Intact GP) and teammate Marcel Schrötter took P7 and P8, with Xavier Simeon (Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2) and fastest rookie Augusto Fernandez (Speed Up Racing) completing the top ten.
Dominique Aegerter (Kiefer Racing) was eleventh, ahead of Francesco Bagnaia (Sky Racing Team VR46) – with Championship challenger Tom Lüthi (CarXpert Interwetten) having a difficult qualifying in P13. But the Swiss rider can take some heart from the position of his key rival for the crown, as Franco Morbidelli (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) qualified in P15 – behind first Lüthi and Andrea Locatelli (Italtrans Racing Team) in P14.
It will be a fight at the front at to the front on Sunday, with lights out at 12:20 (GMT +9).
Moto2 Qualifying Results
1 – Takaaki Nakagami (JPN – Kalex) 1’53.776
2 – Alex Marquez (SPA – Kalex) + 0.128
3 – Xavi Vierge (SPA – Tech3) + 0.270
Runaway Bulega banks pole at Motegi
Italian blasts away from the field in Japan, with Championship leader Mir set to start 20th
Nicolo Bulega (Sky Racing Team VR46) has taken a stunning pole position for the Motul Grand Prix of Japan after going fastest on Friday and seeming the man to beat for much of the weekend. With conditions still wet and looking to remain so, the Italian has barely looked back since topping FP1 after an 18-lap non-stop stint – something that should set him up well for race day. It’s his second ever pole position, the other having come at Jerez in 2016 when a rookie.
Niccolo Antonelli (Red Bull KTM Ajo) was another impressive Italian in qualifying for the lightweight class and set the second fastest lap in the session to secure the middle of the front row, bouncing back in style from a highside in FP3 and able to move within a few tenths of Bulega towards the end of the session. Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0) completes the front row, moving up on his penultimate lap.
Marco Bezzecchi (CIP) took fourth after his best ever QP session, with compatriots Enea Bastianini (Estrella Galicia 0,0) and title challenger Romano Fenati (Marinelli Rivacold Snipers) completing that second row. Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3), Gabriel Rodrigo (RBA BOE Racing Team) and Manuel Pagliani (CIP) – fastest and consistent in FP3 – line up on the third row, with Andrea Migno (Sky Racing Team VR46) locking out the top ten.
Bo Bendsneyder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) is P11, with Nakarin Atiratphuvapat (Honda Team Asia) putting in a solid session for P12 despite a crash. Adam Norrodin (SIC Racing Team) moved up later in the session to take thirteenth.
That left Championship leader Joan Mir (Leopard Racing) – currently 80 points clear – in P14, and the story gets worse: the Majorcan has a six-place grid penalty to serve in the Japanese GP, and therefore looks likely to start 20th. That means Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) and Livio Loi (Leopard Racing) should move up to fill the last two of the top fifteen grid positions.
Racing begins at 11:00 (GMT +9) on Sunday.
Moto3 Qualifying Results
1 – Nicolo Bulega (ITA – KTM) 2’09.320
2 – Niccolò Antonelli (ITA – KTM) + 0.272
3 – Aron Canet (SPA – Honda) + 0.388
More, from a press release issued by Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS:
Rabat and Aoyama ready to race in Motegi
Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS riders Tito Rabat and Hiroshi Aoyama completed a confidence boosting qualifying session in advance of Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix.
Rabat will start the 24-lap race at the 4.8km Twin Ring Motegi circuit from position 19 on the grid.
Aoyama, who is replacing the injured Jack Miller, has qualified 21st despite not having raced a Honda RC213V in MotoGP for 12 months.
Rabat’s fastest lap of the weekend so far, a 1’56.903, came despite the Spanish rider making a crucial error with his qualifying strategy in the tricky conditions.
He elected to stay out in the hope that he could cool down the rear tyre enough for a faster lap on his final time attack. Rabat had been impressively ninth fastest in the earlier FP4 session.
As riders went out for the Q1 session the steady rain that had drenched the Motegi area since Friday morning had eased although track temperature failed to rise above a chilly 17 degrees.
On his home track Aoyama, the 2009 250cc World Champion, stayed calm despite the tricky conditions and steadily built his pace. His qualifying lap of 1’57.157 was his fastest of the weekend and easily two seconds quicker than his best in FP1 on Friday morning.
Despite the drying track in Q1 all practice and qualifying sessions for the past two days have forced riders to used Michelin’s wet weather tyres with no track time possible on slicks.
However both Rabat and Aoyama have made significant set-up progress in the unpredictable weather conditions to be ready for round 15 of the MotoGP World Championship.
Tito Rabat: 19th – 1’56.903
“I pushed right from the start of the session and went second fastest but then I made a mistake with my strategy. Rather than come in and change the rear tyre I decided to stay out and try to slow down and cool the tyre and then go again for another fast lap. At the end of the session I had big slide on the rear and knew it was time to stop. It’s a pity but despite this I feel I can do a strong race tomorrow.”
Hiroshi Aoyama: 21st – 1’57.157
“During Friday practice I spent most of the time looking for the limit of the Michelin rain tyres and it takes time to understand this limit. And the team have worked hard to make a good step to improve rear grip, which is important in these conditions. In full wet conditions we are OK but as we saw in qualifying things change when the track begins to dry out. My rear tyre was overheating but the track was still too wet for a slick. Overall we made some good steps and I’m looking forward to racing in my home Grand Prix tomorrow.”
Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal
“The conditions were difficult but both Tito and Hiroshi did some good laps although Tito didn’t have the best strategy for the wet weather tyres on a drying track. It is a pity about the weather conditions because it has not been easy for both riders to show their true potential. Hiroshi has only been on the bike for two days having not raced MotoGP for one year. Now we must wait to see what the weather will bring for the race, as it is impossible to predict what will happen.”
More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3:
Sensational pole for heroic Zarco at Motul Grand Prix of Japan
Monster Yamaha Tech3 team rider Johann Zarco delivered a master class performance today to clinch a superb second pole position in his rookie MotoGP season. The French star progressed through to Q2 courtesy of his FP2 time, and here, he battled against the drying yet slippery track, before storming to the top on his penultimate lap. Tomorrow, the highly impressive rookie seeks to scoop his second podium of the year at Yamaha’s home Grand Prix.
Meanwhile, Kohta Nozane, who is standing in for Jonas Folger at this round, endured a challenging qualifying campaign after experiencing a crash in FP4. The young Japanese rider tried to persevere in the Q1 shootout but he was forced to abort due to a hand injury. Nevertheless, Nozane aims to compete in the race, which begins at 14:00 local time, or 07:00 in central Europe.
Johann Zarco
Position: 1st – Time: 1’53.469 – Laps: 7
“I am so happy about this pole position. The team and I did some great work since FP1. There, it was raining all the time, and I think that I improved the feeling of the bike a lot, plus I have grown up in this condition. For qualifying, it was a bit different because the track was drying, but not enough to use the slick tyres. However, I knew that I could feel really good and try things in order to be faster than my opponents in these conditions. It worked and I am so happy for that. Now, I need to use this opportunity to stay in front, whether it rains or not, and do the best race that I can and I will dream about the podium.”
Kohta Nozane
Position: 24th – Time: 2’01.730 – Laps: 2
“In the practice this morning, I struggled with the choice of tyre, and in the end, my position was not so good. Then in FP4, it went well at the beginning of the session, but I pushed a bit too much because I wanted to improve from the morning practice and I crashed after making a mistake. I have a small fracture in my right hand, but I tried to run in Q1 for one lap, yet I had to cancel. I am sorry to Yamaha and Tech3 but I will try my best to come back for the race.”
More, from a press release issued by Aprilia:
FOURTH TIME IN QUALIFYING FOR ESPARGARÓ AND HIS RS-GP TO START FROM THE SECOND ROW AT MOTEGI TOMORROW
NEVER BEFORE HAS APRILIA BEEN SO FAR FORWARD IN MOTOGP
ESPARGARÓ: “WE ARE CONTENDERS FOR THE TOP POSITIONS”
In qualifying, Aleix Espargaró confirmed the qualities demonstrated in free practice. On the Motegi track he took the fourth best time, coming just 44 thousandths from a brilliant first row and now he is one of the protagonists for the race tomorrow. After an excellent Friday (second in the first free practice session and third in the second), Aleix easily went straight through to Q2 where, as he has done throughout this Japanese round, he battled with the best for the top positions, proof of the competitive level he has reached.
In the decisive session, characterised by a damp track with some dry spots, Aleix took advantage of the confidence gained on his Aprilia and stopped the clock at 1’53.947 on his decisive lap, earning the fourth spot and the second row of the starting grid for tomorrow. Never before in MotoGP history has an Aprilia started so far forward. This is a result that rewards Aleix’s talent and the hard work of the Italian Racing Department who, throughout the season, have developed the RS-GP, the youngest bike on the entire grid.
Sam Lowes paid the price for the conditions of the Japanese track, difficult to interpret as it began to dry out. However, even though he was not able to reap the benefits of the work done yesterday in the wet, he improved compared to recent races, finishing in 18th place to earn a spot on the sixth row of the starting grid.
ALEIX ESPARGARO’
“I am definitely satisfied, not only with the qualifiers, but with the entire weekend so far. We have been competitive in every session and we showed that we have a great pace in the wet. Qualifying was demanding. The track in mixed conditions is certainly not the optimum situation for us. In any case, I was able to earn a good starting position, the best for Aprilia in MotoGP, and for this I must thank the entire team. We need to keep going like this. As for my choice of tyres if the track is very wet, that is not a problem. I hope it rains tomorrow because in those conditions we demonstrated that we can be extremely fast and consistent. If we look at the practice sessions, we are in the group contending for the top positions, but on Sunday anything can happen. A lot of riders who are having difficulties today, like Rossi and Viñales, will be in the game for the race.”
SAM LOWES
“Unfortunately, qualifying was the worst session of the weekend for me. Especially because the conditions were intermediate and I still lack experience with the MotoGP bike. In FP3 I made a mistake on my last flying lap which would have let me go straight through to Q2, whereas in qualifying we decided not to change the tyres and, seeing how our rivals did, that definitely cost us a few tenths. In any case, we worked well in view of the race. If we have a wet track tomorrow, it would not be unrealistic to aim for a top 10 finish.”
More, from a press release issued by Reale Avintia Racing:
Fifth and sixth row for Baz and Barbera at Motegi
Rain has been once again the main concern during the Japanese Grand Prix qualifying sessions today at Motegi. Although the showers had eased compared to Friday, all free and qualifying session were held in wet conditions. Reale Avintia Racing riders Loris Baz and Héctor Barbera worked very hard to improve their pace and both managed to do so.
Loris Baz will start tomorrow’s 24-lap-race from the fifth row of the grid alongside Maverick Viñales and Cal Crutchlow. The Frenchman fought until the last minutes to get in Q2, but he missed it by just 0.018s. Still, Baz is happier than yesterday and hopes to be battling for a good position in the race tomorrow.
Hector Barbera will start one row behind his teammate. Even though the Spaniard doesn’t have the best feeling in wet conditions, he expects to make another step during tomorrow’s warm-up session and to get a good result on the race.
Loris Baz | 1’55.862 | P13
“It’s a real shame to miss Q2 by such a small margin and I’m disappointed, because I made two little mistakes on my best lap. But if we consider how we were during the whole weekend, far from our real pace in the wet and without a good feeling, my grid position is not so bad. It’s strange because in wet conditions, Hector and myself are normally always in the top ten, but at this track nothing seems to work. We tried many things over the weekend, but couldn’t make a significant step. I was quite angry this morning after FP3, but then in FP4 we found a better way. The conditions for Q1 weren’t very good, because the track was almost dry except for two corners. That made it impossible to go out with slick tyres, but at the same time, the rain tyres overheated in these conditions.”
Hector Barbera | 1’56.668 | P17
“It’s been a difficult weekend. Usually, both Loris and I are fast in wet conditions, but here we were struggling to go faster. My problem is that when I enter the turn, the rear slides a lot and the bike wants to highside me. We are working to solve this problem and we have improved a lot compared to yesterday. We shiftet more weight towards the front of the bike and that gives me more confidence. But even though, the warm-up tomorrow will be crucial because we still need to improve my race pace. It seems that the race will be wet. We start from the sixth row behind Viñales and he will push to catch the front group, so the goal will be to get out there, give my best and maybe stick with him for a while.”
More, from a press release issued by Octo Pramac Racing:
Grand Prix of Japan – Qualifying
Stunning Petrux who fought for the pole until last corner and got his 4th front row start. Bad Saturday for Scott.
An extraordinary qualifying for Danilo Petrucci, who won second place on the #JapaneseGp starting grid, giving Octo Pramac Racing the fourth front row start after Barcelona, Assen and Germany. For Scott Redding a negative Saturday as he was unable to solve the grip problems already experienced in free practices.
Rain gives a respite after Friday’s showers but the circuit remains wet and slippery, forcing the riders to dispute qualifying with wet tyres. Petrux (directly qualified to Q2 after P6 of FP2) starts very strong and after the first run is second. The track starts to dry and the lap-times drop. The rider from Terni gets back to the track and pushes hard. After the T2 of the last lap he is the fastest on track then a small mistake caused him to lose precious tenths from the pole-man Zarco. The second place ahead of Marquez is celebrated by the team at the Parc Fermé of the Twin Ring Circuit in Motegi.
Scott Redding never manages to be incisive. A crash at the start of FP3 removes the confidence of the English rider who continues to struggle due to a lack of rear grip. Scott finishes in P22.
2th – Danilo Petrucci 1’53.787
“I’m very happy because I didn’t expect it. This morning the feeling wasn’t perfect and I couldn’t be as fast as I hoped. In qualifying we made a very good strategy by making the most of the time available. It’s a pity that I made a mistake on one of the last corners otherwise I could have finished with the pole position. But it doesn’t matter. The front row start is very good and starting ahead is very important in this circuit. I am very confident for tomorrow”.
22th – Scott Redding 1’57.787
“I have never had feeling. I had the same problems experienced on Friday and this morning’s crash didn’t help me. I cannot understand why we have lost our way completely. In qualifying, even when the track was starting to dry, I tried to push hard but I was a second slower than in wet conditions. Am I myself? Is the bike? Is it the setting? Tyres? So many questions around. We have to find somehow a solution for tomorrow”.
More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:
MOVISTAR YAMAHA MOTOGP TAKE FOURTH AND FIFTH ROW IN MOTEGI QUALIFYING
An eventful day at the Twin Ring Motegi track resulted in the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team securing places on the fourth and fifth row of the grid. Valentino Rossi went out on slick tyres in the Q2 session, but it didn‘t pay off. He will start tomorrow’s race from 12th position. Teammate Maverick Viñales showed competitive speed in Q1, but just missed out on promoting to the second qualifying session and finished in 14th place.
Motegi (Japan), 14th October 2017
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Valentino Rossi took a tyre gamble in Q2 at a drying Twin Ring Motegi track and secured 12th position. Teammate Maverick Viñales came just short of getting promoted from Q1 and will start tomorrow’s Motul Grand Prix of Japan from 14th place on the grid.
Circuit conditions were uncertain as a dry line started to form at the start of the second 15-minute shoot out. Unharmed after a crash in FP4, Rossi quickly went out on track in Q2 and took a risk, putting on slick tyres. Though he booked consistent improvement on each lap as the tyres started to warm, his gamble didn‘t pay off. The Italian returned to the pits in 11th place, with five and a half minutes on the clock.
He soon exited pit lane for another go, this time on wet tyres, but at the end of his out lap there were only one and a half minutes of the session remaining, which meant he would only have one attempt to set a fast time. The Doctor put the hammer down, dropping a 1‘57.786s lap, more than 12s quicker than he was on slicks, but he didn‘t gain a position and had to settle for 12th place, on the fourth row on the grid.
After finishing outside the top-10 in this morning’s FP3 session, Viñales had to enter Q1 but looked to be a strong contender for advancement to Q2. The Spaniard didn‘t linger at the start of the first qualifying heat and immediately set the provisional fastest time on his first flying lap, but dropped back to third place when he visited the pit box to put in an extra soft tyre.
He was sitting in fourth position when he resumed his attack and set a 1‘55.916s for second place, but was pushed back two positions in the final stages. Back in fourth place, the Factory Yamaha rider put this head down once more, but was unable to further improve his position in the timesheets. He will start tomorrow’s race from fifth row on the grid, from 14th place.
MASSIMO MEREGALLI
TEAM DIRECTOR
Today‘s results were not what we had hoped for. The changing circumstances on the circuit in Q2 made it difficult to understand what the track conditions would be like. Valentino decided to try the slick tyres, but it turned out that, despite the drying line, it was still a bit too early for slicks. When he opted for a wet tyre for his second stint he just ran out of time to make it work. Though he improved his time significantly on his last lap, he still has to start from 12th place on the grid. Maverick was on the attack in Q1 and set a 1’55.916s on the super soft tyre. It was a shame that he missed out on advancing to Q2 by just 0.072s, because starting from the fifth row is quite challenging. Now we will assemble the data from today‘s sessions and prepare some setting tweaks we can test in tomorrow‘s warm up.
VALENTINO ROSSI
This morning we started well, because with the full wet session, like yesterday, we improved the setting of the bike a lot. I was quite fast and it was good, but unfortunately with less water on the track we suffered a lot. Also for this reason we risked using the slicks, because the track was becoming dryer. We were hoping it would dry quickly, but unfortunately it was still too wet. We have to wait to see what the conditions will be like tomorrow. With more water on track we can be quite strong, with less water we‘re struggling. The crash in FP4 was quite big, but I was lucky. No problems, just a little bit with the finger, but the important thing is that the leg is OK.
MAVERICK VIÑALES
I had the same problem today as I had all year in the wet: I had a lot of spin and couldn‘t ride the bike the way I wanted to in these conditions. We are working hard and giving it everything. The qualifying result is what it is and now we focus on working for tomorrow. We know where we‘re losing time, but it‘s difficult to fix it in just one weekend. We are going to do our best, we‘ll try to improve for tomorrow and score as many points as possible.
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki ECSTAR:
RINS AND IANNONE TO START FROM 4TH ROW AT THE MOTEGI GP
Alex Rins: P10 – 1’55.483 +2.014
Andrea Iannone: P11 – 1’55.617 +2.148
Today’s qualifying session saw Alex Rins and Andrea Iannone secure two solid places in the top 12. The Spaniard´s best time of 1’55.483 was worth 10th place on the grid, and the Italian is immediately behind in 11th place thanks to posting his best of 1’55.717.
The progress seen yesterday was confirmed in today’s sessions; Andrea Iannone and Alex Rins were both able for the first time to get direct access to Q2 after the third free practice session. The new aerodynamic fairing helped the riders to achieve a better feeling with the front end and their performance in wet conditions was fast consistently. In the morning Iannone was the third fastest of the session (1’55.499), giving him 7th place in the combined classification, while Rins ended in 6th thanks to the 1’56.139 that also put him in the 10th place in the combined.
More challenges came in the Q2 session, as the track was in mixed conditions, but not truly wet. The factory riders were not able to take advantage of all the lessons learned from the previous sessions. Despite consistently being at the top of the sheets for the majority of the session, they could not be as effective in the last laps, losing positions and having to settle for 10th (Rins) and 11th (Iannone) places. The fourth row start may necessitate a so called a recovery race, whereby the riders are forced to look for any opportunity to advance their position in the race, although the feelings of riders and of the team are confident.
Davide Brivio – Team Manager
“Honestly I was expecting a little more from this qualification after we managed to get the direct access to Q2. Both Andrea and Alex have a good feel for the bikes in wet conditions, but then those conditions became complicated because the track was not dry nor wet in the afternoon. Eventually some riders did also try the slick tyres, as confirmation that it was incredibly hard to interpret the track conditions. Also the tyre management in a fully wet weekend is not straightforward because of the number of allocated tyres. We have to be very judicious in their management. We will start from 10th and 11th, which is not so great, but I believe that if the race is run in fully wet conditions, as it seems it may be, we will have chances for a good result. It may become a fun race.”
Alex Rins
“This has been my best qualifying so far in MotoGP, but more generally the whole weekend has been a good one. I was able to improve session by session and stay closer to the top of the classification. This afternoon was complicated by the mixed conditions on the track. We feel more confident with consistent conditions and in particular we proved to be competitive in full wet, like this morning. We have a good pace, and although the starting position is not the best one, I believe we can make make up some places and keep the pace with the group ahead.”
Andrea Iannone
“Thinking apart from the result, I’m happy because today we have learnt something very interesting; the bike completely changed its behaviour from full wet to mixed conditions. I wasn’t expecting to have such a drop in performance with less water, without any changes to the setup. It’s very interesting and now we will investigate it with the engineers. Also, we must get ready in case tomorrow the conditions again prove to be so variable. Beside this, I’m very satisfied with our performances on the wet track. This morning I further improved the feeling that was already good yesterday, and the GSX-RR works really well. I believe that we can aim for a positive race tomorrow, especially if the weather will be as completely rainy as they say.”
More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:
Breath-taking front-row qualifying performance for Marquez at Motegi, Pedrosa improves to sixth
After displaying a strong pace in every session at the Japanese Grand Prix, Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez set the third fastest time of the day at the end of a thrilling qualifying session on a drying Motegi track.
After switching from rain tyres to slicks for his second time attack, the 24-year-old Spaniard was unable to improve on the time that had until then put him on provisional pole.
Nonetheless, his 1’53.903” time, set despite a big slide in the final corner, was quick enough to earn him his 11th front-row start of this season, less than half a second from pole-setter Johann Zarco.
Recovering from a difficult start to the weekend, Dani Pedrosa consistently improved his pace and speed and tomorrow will line up in sixth place, on the second row.
Marc Marquez 93
3RD 1’53.903
“The result is good but clearly the slicks today weren’t the right choice, as it was a bit too early for them. Anyway, you always have to look at the positive side of things, which in this case, firstly is that we’re still on the front row, as we had already done a very good lap time on rain tyres; and secondly is that we managed to understand a few things in case of a flag-to-flag race. I’m also happy I saved a crash when I set my fastest time and avoided my team missing dinner tonight! I think we’ve had a good weekend so far, being able to do well in every session in the wet, keeping a fast pace in quite challenging conditions, and that’s very positive. Tomorrow it looks like it will rain again, but we’ll see; we could also have mixed conditions, and in that case we will have to be ready for every situation”.
Dani Pedrosa 26
6TH 1’54.342
“Today qualifying was difficult, as the conditions were changing and the track was drying. I didn’t feel at ease with the tyres in my first exit, as I suffered too much spinning. I stopped and changed the tyres and I felt better, so I was able to improve my lap time. Mixed conditions are always challenging for making the right choices regarding the bike setting, but today we worked a lot on the electronics and understood more about the track itself when it’s completely wet and when it’s half-and-half. Now we have to wait for tomorrow, see what the weather will be like, and try to be ready for the race.”
More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda:
14 October 2017 | Motegi GP Qualifying
LCR Honda rider Cal Crutchlow endured a disappointing day in qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix at the Twin Ring on Saturday. In the first of three successive flyaway races, the Briton had to settle for a place on the fifth row at Motegi after another rain-soaked day at the Japanese circuit.
Having proved competitive on Friday, Crutchlow was unable to make further progress and – after ending down in 15th in FP3 – failed to secure a place Q2 after finishing fifth in Q1, just behind Yamaha rider Maverick Vinales. The LCR rider expressed his frustration afterwards having failed to find a good rhythm in wet conditions.
Cal Crutchlow – 15th
(1’55.952 – lap 7 of 8)
“I’m not happy at all today, I’m really unhappy with the grid position. I’m disappointed that I don’t have a good feeling with the bike in the rain at the moment. In the previous years I have ridden in MotoGP, I’ve been strong in the rain, but at the moment we are struggling a lot.
“It seems we need to improve the package for me to be competitive in the rain. We will have to see what happens tomorrow, it’s going to be a long race and we’ll have to look through the data tonight to try to improve altogether.”
More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:
Jorge Lorenzo to start from row 2 after fifth place in qualifying for GP of Japan. Andrea Dovizioso will start the race at Motegi from row 3 with ninth-quickest time
Jorge Lorenzo will start tomorrow’s Grand Prix of Japan, round 15 of the 2017 MotoGP World Championship, from the second row of the grid. The Ducati Team’s Spanish rider was fifth quickest during the Q2 qualifying session, which was held on a partially damp track, with a lap of 1’54.235. This morning Lorenzo confirmed his fourth place in FP3 to go directly through the afternoon’s all-important 15-minute Q2 run.
Ninth place went to Andrea Dovizioso, who lines up on row 3 with a time of 1’55.064. The Italian also went through directly into Q2 thanks to the time he set yesterday (1’54.877), which no rider improved upon in the morning’s FP3 run.
Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team #99) – 1’54.235 (5th)
“I was just a few tenths off improving my fifth place, but at any rate starting tomorrow from the second row is not so bad. Conditions in qualifying were not ideal for us, because the track was drying, and I think that if the track had been wetter we could have got a better result. In any case the most important thing is to be in a good position for the start, also because tomorrow it will probably rain and in these conditions I think we’ve got a good base set-up. We’ve worked well and I feel good on the bike. The key to the race could be the choice of tyres: if the track dries, it’ll be vitally important to manage the tyre wear in the best possible way, and if the track stays wet until the very end I think we can certainly fight for the podium.”
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 1’55.064 (9th)
“Pity about my grid position: in qualifying I wasn’t able to do a good lap and the track was in quite a difficult condition, half wet and half dry. You had to interpret it in just a few laps and I wasn’t able to get the best out of it, also because on my fast lap the front turned in on me at Turn 9 and I almost finished off the track, as well as losing a bit of time. Pity about ninth place and the third row, but if it’s very wet tomorrow, like yesterday, I think we can do a really good race.”