VINTAGE SIX MEDIUMWEIGHT COMBINED: 1. Mitch Cato (Yam FZR400/490).
C SUPERBIKE EXPERT: 1. Connor Funk (Yam YZF-R6); 2. Gabriel DaSilva (Yam YZF-R6); 3. Matt Burdett (Yam YZF-R6); 4. Daniel Paine (Yam YZF-R6); 5. Samuel Fugate (Hon CBR600RR); 6. John Hawkins (Yam YZF-R6).
C SUPERBIKE NOVICE: 1. T. Christopher Jackman (Kaw ZX-6R); 2. Nathan Seethaler (Yam YZF-R6); 3. Hugo Silva (Yam YZF-R6); 4. Edwin Cosme (Yam YZF-R6); 5. Andy Rudolph (Yam YZF-R6); 6. Micah Puscheck (Tri Daytona 675).
Tom Sykes, UK (BMW S1000RR), -16 laps, DNF, crash, no lap time recorded
Jordi Torres, Spain (Kaw ZX-10RR), -17 laps, DNF, crash, no lap time recorded
World Championship Point Standings (after 35 of 37 races):
Rea, 626 points (clinched 2019 World Championship)
Bautista, 473
Lowes, 321
Van Der Mark, 314
Razgatlioglu, 304
Davies, 269
Haslam, 268
Sykes, 219
Melandri, 177
Torres, 132
The start of World Superbike Race One. Photo courtesy of Dorna WorldSBK Press Office.
More, from a press release issued by Dorna WorldSBK Press Office:
Rea victorious in Race 1 ahead of Davies and Lowes
With Rea 15th victory of the season, Kawasaki secures a fifth consecutive Manufacturers’ Championship
The 2019 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship launched racing action at the Motul Qatar Round, with the first of three races getting underway on Friday night. With first and second in the title race already sorted out, the attention and all eyes were on the battle for third, with the three protagonists spread out across the top ten. Taking the win in convincing fashion, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) led from lights to flag, giving Kawasaki the Manufacturers’ Championship.
Before the race even began, Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing) crashed on the exit of Turn 1 on the Warm Up Lap. The Spaniard highsided all on his own accord in the middle of the pack was thankfully OK. However, his race was run before it started, as he retired to the pits after the eventual completion of his Warm Up Lap.
Steaming off from pole position, Jonathan Rea took the holeshot down into Turn 1, fending off a fast-starting Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team). However, Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) and Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) got ahead of the BMW rider and the front four were as they were. Other good getaways came from Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati), up from 12th to sixth and Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing), from tenth to seventh.
At the beginning of Lap 2, there was drama for Sykes, as he clipped the back of Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) at Turn 1, as the two outbroke themselves. Chaz Davies had now picked up the pieces and was up to fourth, whilst Haslam had slipped back into the clutches of Alvaro Bautista (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) courtesy of his collision with Sykes, as both of them were seventh and eighth. By the end of Lap 2, Bautista was seventh and Haslam had dropped to eighth.
It would be heartache for Cortese on Lap 6, as the German rider crashed out of fourth place at Turn 7, after just being passed by Davies. This promoted Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) to sixth, before the Dutchman scythed ahead of Razgatlioglu to pinch fifth. The battle for third however was looking like it would go the way of Alex Lowes, who was up in second, whilst teammate van der Mark and 2020 Pata Yamaha replacement Razgatliolgu were fifth and sixth. There was more despair downfield for Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura), who suffered a technical problem on the front straight.
Into the second half of the race, the gap at the front was still the same, with no move made from Lowes just yet. The duelling Brits at the front were running their own pace, whilst Lowes was getting the time to see where his rival was strong. Chaz Davies was still running a solid third, although he was incrementally closing the gap to the leaders.
With eight laps to go, Haslam took sixth place from Razgatlioglu at Turn 1, using the slipstream to get the job done. The ‘Pocket Rocket’ now set his sights on van der Mark ahead of him, whilst Razgatlioglu had to keep his eyes open behind him, as Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing – Yamaha) zeroed-in, just ahead of a revitalised Markus Reiterberger (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team).
With six laps to go, Toprak Razgatlioglu got it all wrong going into Turn 6, with his bike snapping sideways in an aggressive manner. The Turkish rider took to the gravel and somehow kept it upright, but slipped from seventh to 13th, seriously hurting the 23-year-old’s chances of third overall in the Championship. In the battle for fifth, Leon Haslam was now ahead of van der Mark, passing the Dutchman at Turn 1 with five laps remaining.
Five laps to go and Davies passed Lowes at the final corner, parking his Ducati down the inside and now, began to hunt down Jonathan Rea out front, immediately slicing the gap to under a second. Davies was particularly quicker in the middle sectors. All the time, Alvaro Bautista was having a lonely race in fourth place.
Despite closing down the gap to Rea, Davies couldn’t get the better of the Northern Irishman’s metronomic consistency. Rea took another victory in 2019, his fourth at Losail and gave Kawasaki the Manufacturers’ Championship. Davies came from 12th to second in an impressive fightback, whilst Alex Lowes came home third. Alvaro Bautista was fourth in a quiet race for the Spaniard behind the all-British podium, whilst prevailing in the battle for fifth was Leon Haslam, seeing off Michael van der Mark on the run to the line.
Loris Baz was a strong seventh place, whilst it was a classy eighth place for Markus Reiterberger, with his first top ten since the Tissot Superpole Race at Imola. Ninth place went to Ireland’s Eugene Laverty (Team Goeleven), who had a strong ride into the top ten, whilst Leon Camier (Moriwaki Althea Honda Team) made it all manufacturers represented inside the top ten. Toprak Razgatlioglu recovered to 11th.
P1 – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)“It feels like we reached our target. It has been an incredible season so far and to wrap up the manufacturers’ title, which I know is really important for Kawasaki, is incredible. I felt really good with the bike today. I settled into a comfortable rhythm at the beginning and I was able to stay in high 1’57 and low 1’58 during all the race. I kept controlling my pit board and ride accordingly. Now we’ll save some energy for the rest of the weekend. Thanks to my team for making the bike a little bit better, and we will try to improve the front performance because I am sure is going to be a big fight tomorrow”.
P2 – Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati)“My poor performance in qualifying left me with a little bit of work to do, but I got a good start and made some ground in the first corner. Obviously coming from behind I used up a bit of tyre, but same as San Juan I got to a point where I felt really good, but when I tried just to step up the pace a little bit more the tyre was already past its best. I am overall really happy! Finishing second its a good way to nearly finish the season and I look forward to tomorrow races”.
P3 – Alex Lowes (PATA Yamaha WorldSBK Team)“Today was really good. The second part of the race I wasn’t too strong. I struggled a little bit with the front of the bike, but these guys have done a fantastic job all year and they have been improving the bike overnight. I am quite confident we can make a step forward for tomorrow. I am really proud of what we have done today and I look forward to tomorrow”.
WorldSSP: Caricasulo resists Krummenacher and Cluzel for WorldSSP Losail pole
The mouth-watering prospect of all three title contenders battling for WorldSSP supremacy comes from the front row, after a stunning Tissot Superpole session
The night sky, flood lights and an intense World Supersport title fight: what a perfect way to enjoy a Friday evening in Qatar. The FIM Supersport World Championship has enjoyed endless twists and turns throughout 2019 and the final Tissot Superpole session was now exception. With three title contenders all battling for the final pole position, it would eventually go to Federico Caricasulo (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team).
After the opening ten minutes of the session had seen the times settle down and the grid begin to take some sort of shape, Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was on top, with the Frenchman towing Federico Caricasulo (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) around the Losail International Circuit. Provisionally second and third were Ayrton Badovini (Team Pedercini Racing) and Jules Cluzel (GMT94 YAMAHA), the latter being the top Championship contender.
With most of the riders in the pits at the halfway point, Mahias and Caricasulo were enjoying a conversation coming into pitlane. Whether it was about helping each other out or if they’d had a squabble on circuit, nobody knows. But the added dynamic made for a tense final stint in the spotlights of Qatar. Having not matched Cluzel’s time from Thursday, there was plenty of pae left in the track.
Randy Krummenacher (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) was the first rider to get down to business and hit the top of the timesheets with the fastest lap of the weekend. Corentin Perolari (GMT94 YAMAHA) was right in behind the Swiss rider and took second, but there were strong times coming in from Mahias and Caricasulo – both riders looking to secure pole position and now, running separately on the track.
Mahias came to the fore and briefly went top, only for Caricasulo to better it, as the Italian came up from ninth to pole position. It was more bad news for Mahias, as he had a lap time cancelled and saw him drop to fifth. Joining Caricasulo on the front are his title rivals, Randy Krummenacher and Jules Cluzel – all three WorldSSP title contenders in the top three positions – would that be how the standings would read come Saturday evening?
Corentin Perolari secured fourth place with a good lap time, ahead of a disconsolate Lucas Mahias, down in fifth. Hikari Okubo (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was back inside the top six and completed the second row, after what had been a relatively quiet weekend up until that moment, pipping the final second row spot away at the dying moments.
Nabbed right at the end, Badovini heads up row three from seventh on the grid, whilst Isaac Viñales’ (Kallio Racing) podium charge looks set to come from eighth on the grid – the Spaniard on the rostrum in the last two rounds. Kyle Smith (Team Pedercini Racing) was once again in ninth place, whilst an injured and recovering Thomas Gradinger (Kallio Racing) completed the top ten.
Outside the top ten, Raffaele De Rosa (MV AGUSTA Reparto Corse) was only 11th, ahead of the top Honda of Jules Danilo (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda). Home-hero wildcard and Qatari Supersport Champion Saeed Al Sulaiti (QMMF Racing Team) was 13th. Peter Sebestyen (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) was 14th.
Pole position – Federico Cariasulo (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team)“I am really happy. It was difficult for me in the beginning, but I was able to learn a lot in the first part of the qualifying. We found a good setup for the bike, and I was able to push to the limit. It was important for me starting from the first row, and we ended in pole position, which is even better”.
More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsport:
BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team experiences a Friday with highs and lows in the Qatari desert.
FIM Superbike World Championship season finale at the ‘Losail International Circuit’.
Markus Reiterberger finishes the first main race in eighth position with his BMW S 1000 RR.
Tom Sykes retires after a crash.
Doha. The first day of racing at the 2019 FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) season finale at the ‘Losail International Circuit’ in Qatar had highs and lows for the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team. Markus Reiterberger (GER) secured eighth place in the first main race on his BMW S 1000 RR after having finished the Superpole within the top ten. Tom Sykes (GBR) had started the race from fourth on the grid but retired after a crash on lap two.
Superpole was held in the early evening at 5 p.m. local time, already under floodlights. Sykes managed to make good use of the faster qualifying tyre and he secured fourth place on the second row in the final stages of the session. Reiterberger continued the positive trend from the practice sessions and qualified ninth on the third row.
When the race was started at 8 p.m. local time, the air temperature was still a humid 31 degrees Celsius. Sykes stormed towards the front, into second place, but then slightly dropped back again. Entering the second lap, however, he crashed while battling and had to retire. Reiterberger also had a stunning start but lost positions in the first corner. Soon, however, he had worked his way back into the top ten. From there, he progressed further forwards, and after 17 laps he crossed the line in eighth place, directly behind a group of three that was fighting for fifth position.
Quotes after race one at Doha.
Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: “We are happy with Markus’ performance, in any case. It was great to see that he was able to fight behind the group in the midfield. In the second half of the race, he was nearly as fast as the front riders in the two middle sectors. That is really pleasing, and one can see a kind of relief on his side of the garage. Tom had a mega start. Unfortunately he had a contact with another rider when entering the second lap and could not stop the bike anymore. That’s a pity but can happen in races. Overall, we have a good base for tomorrow and we will attack once more.”
Markus Reiterberger (28) leading a group of riders during Race One. Photo courtesy of BMW Motorrad Motorsport.
Markus Reiterberger: “Today was really good. I am satisfied, even if I did not fully exploit to 100 per cent what was possible. We made another step for Superpole and I was even able to do a 1:57.7 with race tyres that brought me to sixth place. It was a great lap and my feeling was really good. My lap with the qualifying tyre was also great but not perfect and this already makes the difference between a few positions. But ninth place on the third row still was good. I had a great start, until the first corner. I was already in fifth place but then I shifted down one gear too few and was in third gear. This resulted in the loss of positions but soon I overtook several others and worked my way back towards the front. From then on, I kept my pace to the finish line. The fact that I was able to close the gap to the group of three in front of me at the very end confirms that we are heading in the right direction. I hope that we will make another step tomorrow, especially with the front tyre. Then I think that I can catch those three that were in front of me, at least that’s my goal. I hope to bring home two more strong results.”
Tom Sykes (66). Photo courtesy of BMW Motorrad Motorsport.
Tom Sykes: “I think we maximised our performance in Superpole and got the best out of our BMW S 1000 RR. We were happy to start on the second row. We then made a couple of changes for the race. We had a good start and unfortunately then going into T1 on the second lap, it happened. I wanted to pull it down but there was another rider, so I had to pick it up and there was another rider there so unfortunately I made contact and down I went. So I am obviously very disappointed. I felt we had the set-up to put on a decent result today. We had the capability to come out with a good result today but sometimes these things happen and obviously we just look to have a strong showing tomorrow.”
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
Lowes Storms to WorldSBK Race 1 Podium in Qatar
Race
Alex Lowes consolidated his third position in the championship standings with a fantastic podium in WorldSBK Race 1, which was run in sweltering conditions under the floodlights at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar this evening. The Pata Yamaha with Rizla rider shadowed eventual winner Jonathan Rea closely for much of the race, but lacked the additional pace needed to mount a challenge for the lead. Michael van der Mark was involved in an intense battle for fifth place with Leon Haslam in the closing stages of the race, with the Englishman passing Yamaha’s Dutch rider on the final lap to leave him sixth at the chequered flag.
Lowes, starting from second place on the grid after an impressive qualifying performance this afternoon, was initially the only rider able to match the pace of pole sitter Rea. The pair managed to pull out a significant lead on the opening lap, which they’d extended to more than two seconds by half race distance. It was only as the race entered the final stages that Rea was able to create a small gap at the front, leaving Lowes to defend his position against Chaz Davies, who’d finally managed to close down the leading duo.
Davies made his move with four laps to go, diving up the inside of Lowes into the final turn and then using the power of the Ducati on the one kilometre long straight to build an unassailable gap. Third place in the race means that Lowes remains third in the championship standings but has extended his lead over fourth placed van der Mark from one to seven points, with Toprak Razgatlioglu a further ten points back in fifth.
Van der Mark was disappointed to finish only sixth in Qatar this evening, having struggled throughout the race with a lack of rear grip, especially on corner entry, most likely a consequence of the increased humidity. The Dutchman is confident he and his crew can find an improvement ahead of tomorrow’s two races, which will bring to a close the 2019 WorldSBK season.
GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK riders, Sandro Cortese and Marco Melandri, endured a difficult Race 1 in Qatar, but for different reasons. Cortese made the most of a front row start to run in third place for the first three laps. The reigning Supersport World Champion had just been demoted to fourth by Davies when he lost the front at Turn seven and crashed out of the race.
Melandri was hampered by having to start from the sixth row of the grid and was unable to make significant progress after getting involved in a race long battle with Eugene Laverty and Michael Rinaldi. The GRT Yamaha rider eventually managed to pass his compatriot to finish in 12th position.
Ten Kate Yamaha Supported WorldSBK rider, Loris Baz, overcame the handicap of pain in his chest, a result of his crashes in Argentina, to finish as the top independent rider today, with the Frenchman riding a strong race to follow van der Mark across the line in seventh place.
Alex Lowes
Pata Yamaha WorldSBK with Rizla – P3
“A good grid position was important because on this track it’s easy for the first few guys to get away in the early laps, even with the slipstream effect on the straight. I felt good from the start and managed to jump on the back of Jonathan, who’s always so fast early on, and that helped us pull away. In the mid part of the race I felt quite good, taking some better lines and I thought I might be able to challenge for the lead. But then I started to make some mistakes on the front and Chaz came past me. I saw I had a big gap back to fourth and, at that point, I decided to be sensible and bring the bike home for a podium finish. It was important to start with a good result in Race 1; while it wasn’t possible to secure third place in the championship today, it was certainly possible to make the job a lot harder. I really enjoyed today and now the focus is on tomorrow, which we’ll take race by race.”
Michael van der Mark
Pata Yamaha WorldSBK with Rizla – P6
“My start tonight wasn’t too bad but the first few corners were a bit of a mess. I was struggling with almost no entry grip from the first lap onwards, which made for a long and difficult race for me. We need to find out what caused the issue, as we didn’t make any changes after Superpole, where I had a really good pace on the race tyres. I’m confident we can find a solution and be back out there ready to fight again tomorrow.”
Marco Melandri
GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK – P12
“This was a very difficult race, mainly because of my starting position on the sixth row of the grid. The first few laps the feeling wasn’t so bad, but I couldn’t pass Laverty, who seemed to have better traction than me and was really hard on the brakes. I was a bit smoother in the corners, but it was almost impossible to pass. The first time I passed Rinaldi I ran wide, but I managed to come back and pass him again, although it was way too late by then. The conditions today were really difficult, very hot and very humid, maybe more so than even Thailand. It didn’t help that I was so close to the bikes in front that I could feel their engine heat too. We will see if we can improve tomorrow.”
Sandro Cortese
GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK – DNF
“After such a good Superpole, which put me on the front row, I was expecting a bit more today. I got a good start, felt really comfortable and wasn’t having any problems at all for the first few laps. Then, just six laps in, I lost the front and crashed. From what we’ve seen of the data so far it didn’t look like a big mistake, but more that I was trying to stay with the front guys who were setting an incredible pace in the opening laps. The good thing is that tomorrow we have another chance and we need to take the positives from today, with the front row and the early race pace, and carry that over into the final two races of the season.”
Loris Baz
Ten Kate Yamaha Supported WorldSBK – P7
“My chest wasn’t that painful in the race, but I definitely wasn’t able to move around on the bike how I wanted, which made things harder for me. But I don’t think I lost time because of this; it just made the race a bit tougher. I wasn’t feeling great for the first few laps and the pace of the guys at the front was also a bit of a surprise. I was struggling for grip and nearly highsided myself on corner entry, but changing maps brought an improvement and from that point on it was all about not making any mistakes. I knew at the end of the race I could be faster than the four riders ahead of me, but when I caught them, I was missing just a bit of rear grip and couldn’t make a move on them. It was a good race, but yesterday I really thought we’d be in contention for a podium finish and we were far from this today. It seems we struggle a bit when the humidity increases, so we need to find out why ahead of tomorrow’s two races.”
More, form a press release issued by Kawasaki:
Kawasaki Wins Manufacturers’ Award After Rea Race Win
Five-time WorldSBK champion Jonathan Rea secured his 15th race win of the year and in doing so Kawasaki took an unassailable lead in the Manufacturers’ Championship standings. Leon Haslam (KRT) came out on top of a tough personal battle for fifth today on his Ninja ZX-10RR, one position higher than he had qualified in Tissot-Superpole.
In the surreal night time environment of the 5.380km long Losail International Circuit Jonathan Rea enjoyed even more success in his fifth successive championship-winning season, winning Race One after taking his seventh Superpole award of the season earlier in the day.
Starting from pole, Rea was never headed but he had Alex Lowes for very close company in the early laps and then Chaz Davies closed in for a period during the latter stages of the 17-lap contest. The Ducati rider eventually dropping back to finish 2.732 seconds behind Jonathan at the flag.
Rea’s win gave Kawasaki a 42-point advantage in the Manufacturers’ Standings, with only a maximum of 37 points left to play for on Saturday, in the Tissot-Superpole Race and Race Two.
Haslam had an eventful opening race in his return to Losail race. He overcame a collision with another rider and also being run off track at one point, to take a truly determined fifth place. There will be two more chances for Leon to score points on Saturday, when the race meeting and the entire season wraps-up.
Jonathan Rea on top of the podium in Qatar. Photo courtesy of Kawasaki.
Jonathan Rea, stated: “That was a massive target met. What a year – all the big awards. The Riders’ Championship, Superpole Award, Manufacturers’ Championship… That was the target coming here. I knew I had to finish in front of the Ducatis to win the Manufacturers’ Award today. I felt good from the start with the bike. I had such a good rhythm in Race One, it felt quite automatic, but I know I need to make a step for tomorrow because the pace could be faster with more rubber down. But that might help our situation with more rubber on the track. We just need to work in some areas on the front of the bike to finish the corner a bit better.”
Leon Haslam (91) leading Toprak Razgatlioglu (54) during Race One. Photo courtesy of Kawasaki.
Leon Haslam, stated: “From FP1, FP2, FP3 to Superpole we got faster and faster. We were trying not to run before we could walk, learning this track again, and the way around. We knew everything was going to be difficult here and that fifth is what we could do today. We got caught up a little bit in the early laps with a few people, I got hit by Tom Sykes, got punted off once, but my battle was my battle and I managed to beat them. To make that next step, and go with Lowes and Chaz, we need to make a couple more tenths – and we also need to get away with them as well. We will see what we can do tomorrow.”
Ichiro Yoda, KRT Senior Engineer, stated: “When I think about the start of the season, our competitors started strongly. So we thought maybe it was going to be a quite difficult season and our issues would be different again compared to previous seasons. But we predicted that we would be stronger toward the end, after we moved to the European rounds. Our prediction worked out OK, because together with our strong riders, engines and bikes we finally met our target.”
Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) has already reached the status of top Independent Rider in 2019 but lost out on a top five chance today after he ran wide onto the gravel and fought back to score points for 11th place. He had qualified tenth in Superpole.
Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) crashed on lap one at Turn Two, restarted, but had to pit and then finally retired from the opening race of the weekend. In the initial inspection in pitlane the team found water on the tyres, an indicator that a stone or other object may have holed his bike’s radiator on the warm-up lap.
Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki) had to retire after experiencing a technical issue on lap seven.
More, from a press release issued by Team Go-Eleven:
NINTH POSITION, ANOTHER COMEBACK IN RACE 1!
Friday in the desert of Qatar start with Eugene Laverty in great shape on the Ducati V4-R.
In the Free Practices 3, ran at 15.00 with almost 50 degrees of asphalt, the Irish score a great sixth place a few tenths from Jonathan Rea; a result that raises expectations for Race 1.
The changes in the length of the swingarm made in the night seem to have given considerable advantages, confirmed by Eugene’s smile when he returned to the pits.
Free Practices 3: P 6 1’58.377 +0.416
The Superpole don’t go as planned; with about 10 degrees less on asphalt, unexpected chattering problems emerge. With qualifying tyres, even lap time don’t improve.
A particular condition that seems to have damaged the four Ducatis on the track, all forced to chase.
Sixteenth position on the grid that will force the Go Eleven rider to a comeback race.
Superpole: P 16 1’58.504 + 2.258
Despite the negative Superpole, the race starts with good expectations after the step shown in the free practice sessions.
Eugene starts well, he immediately recovers three positions and forces in pursuit of Rinaldi. He overtakes him towards the middle of the race and imposes a similar rhythm, and in some laps faster, compared to the fight for the fifth position.
The gap taken in the early laps is too much to be able to rejoin and give battle.
He concludes, thus, in ninth position, second in the Independent Rider standings at the finish line, bringing home a solid performance.
Because of the chattering that was still present, we missed a bit in order to fight for the top 5. To give to the rider the feeling of the first afternoon, eliminating the vibrations, will be the goal of the Go Eleven Team for the two races tomorrow!
Race 1:
P 1 J. Rea 33’34.518
P 2 C. Davies + 2.732
P 3 A. Lowes + 5.423
…
P 9 E. Laverty + 24.500
Tomorrow, Saturday evening at 16.00 Superpole Race and at 20.00 Race 2 (local time), down the visors, first gear inside and green light to the last two races of the WorldSBK season!
Eugene Laverty:
“The race was hard, but was good to finish in ninth position. I had a really difficult Qualifying in Superpole, while FP 3 was really strong: I was sixth fastest in that session and I didn’t have any chatter. I was really happy with the bike, but then in Superpole in different conditions the chatter returns, so I need to find the answer to this problem.
If we can cure the chatter there is the potential to finish in fifth position!”
More, from a press release issued by Moriwaki Althea Honda Team:
Top ten for Leon Camier in Race 1 with Ryuichi Kiyonari also in the points.
Leon Camier (2). Photo courtesy of Moriwaki Althea Honda Team.
A rather hot Friday evening with temperatures hovering around 32 degree Celsius until well after sunset, during which Leon Camier and Ryuichi Kiyonari took on the first of the weekend’s three SBK races at the Losail Circuit.
In the Superpole session that preceded Race1, Leon qualified in thirteenth place with Kiyonari in eighteenth position.
A less than brilliant start when the lights went out at 8:00 pm saw Leon drop back to seventeenth position. Not losing heart, the Brit gradually improved both his pace and position, passing several riders while others made mistakes, and ultimately crossing the finish line in tenth place.
Ryuichi Kiyonari also progressed after having made a slow start and finished inside the point-zone in fourteenth position.
Tomorrow’s warm up will commence at 2.00 pm local time, followed by the Superpole Race at 4.00 pm and Race2 at 8.00 pm.
Leon Camier 10TH
“We have made good progress with the chassis over the weekend and have also figured a few things out with the setup, so that’s where we are at the moment. Today’s result was not bad in the end but of course a few people dropped out so we were also a little bit lucky for sure. I didn’t make such a good start as I ran very wide early on, through turn one or one of the first corners, and lost a lot of places which was a pity as I had got off the line well. Anyway, I did as much as I could, managing to get into the mix and pass a few people.”
Ryuichi Kiyonari 14TH
“The first part of the race was quite slow for me as I didn’t have perfect feeling with the front, and the track felt bit greasy maybe due to some moisture on the track. Rear grip was not bad though, so step by step I could improve and pass Delbianco and Schmitter. I tried to be consistent, but I realized that I was making little mistakes here and there, so tomorrow I’ll try to do better in that respect and also be faster in the first half of race”.
More, from a press release issued by Barni Racing Team:
Rinaldi thirteenth in race 1 at Losail
Michael Rinaldi (21). Photo courtesy of Barni Racing Team.
Losail (QAT), 25th October 2019. Race 1 of the final round of the 2019 WorldSBK season got underway tonight in Qatar, in the magnificent setting that the Losail international circuit affords under the lights of floodlights.
Michael Rinaldi concluded thirteenth the 17 laps of the Friday night after a complicated race. This result give him three more points in the Championship, where he’s thirteenth overall with 121 points.
Superpole
After Free Practice session at a good level of performance with the eighth time (1’58.604) Rinaldi struggled with the soft tyre in the qualifying session. The 1’57.827 scored in the Superpole was his personal best time of the weekend but placed him fifteenth.
Race 1
It was a difficult race for Michael Rinaldi on one of the hardest and longest track of the championship. After a positive start which had placed him at the limit of the top 10 the flagbearer of the team from Bergamo lose ground not being able to chase the riders in front of him. Rinaldi was overtaken by Camier, Razgatlioglu and Melandri but he managed to stay in the point zone until the checkered flag. Marco Barnabo, Team Principal
Once again we were unable to take advantage of the soft tyre. As already happened in this season after a good performance in FP3 lapping with the race tyre, in Superpole the bike’s set-up does not fit with the qualifying tyre. Starting from the beck it is difficult to recover. We still have some setup problems and Michael can’t ride as he wants for the whole race.
Michael Rinaldi
Race 1: P13
We are facing problems that affected us during the season and this does not allow me to ride the bike as I know. I hope we can find a way out tomorrow because I want to end the season in the best possible way.
More, from a press release issued by Aruba.it Racing Ducati:
World Superbike in Qatar: Chaz Davies puts in a great run through the field to finish second at the flag, fourth place for Álvaro Bautista
The first race in the Qatar WSBK Round, which is taking place this weekend at the Losail International Circuit, saw a great performance from Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), who finished in second place after a splendid ride through the field from twelfth place on the grid. After starting well from the fourth row, the Welshman crossed the line at the end of the opening lap in fourth place, and he then kept up an excellent pace that took him to a couple of seconds from winner Rea (Kawasaki) at the end of the scheduled 17 laps.
Team-mate Álvaro Bautista, who wasn’t able to find the right feeling with his Panigale V4 R, was in a bit more difficulty in the first race. After a bad start from seventh place on the grid, and despite good pace in the second half of the race, the Spanish rider had to settle for fourth overall.
Tomorrow, Saturday 26th October at 15.00 CET, the Superpole Race will be held over a distance of 10 laps, while the 17-lap second race will get underway at 19.00 CET.
Chaz Davies (7). Photo courtesy of Ducati.
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #7) – 2nd
“It was a really good race actually, much better than expectations, especially after Superpole which was a bad showing, because I just wasn’t able to get the best out of the fresh rear tyre. In the race I got a good start into the first corner, and then the rest was just solid. I had really good pace, I was smooth and clean, trying to get a tenth of a second here and there and see if I could be in the mix with Jonathan come the end of the race. Unfortunately, I just used that little bit extra more tyre to keep me in the fight in the final stages. I’m pretty happy with the result, but I feel we can work on our package a bit and maybe up our pace tomorrow.”
Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #19) – 4th
“Today was a difficult day because already in yesterday’s practice sessions I wasn’t able to find a good feeling with my Panigale V4 R. Today we made some changes to the set-up but unfortunately they didn’t work as expected. After a few laps, with the tyre wear, the bike started to move about in the rear, and as a result I was struggling to keep the right lines. In addition, I lost a few places at the start: at the first corner I found myself on the outside losing ground to the riders who were on the inside. Despite these difficulties I did my best to get back up to fourth place, but wasn’t able to close the gap to the podium battle. I think I managed to get the best possible result and we’ll try and improve tomorrow.”
Editorial Note: American Dallas Daniels qualified 29th out of 29 riders in Supersport 300 with a time of 2:20.932 on his Yamaha YZF-R3. Ana Carrasco qualified on pole position with a lap of 2:14.139 on her Kawasaki Ninja 400.
Race Lap Record: 1:56.974, Jonathan Rea, 2016
All-Time Lap Record: 1:56.124, Tom Sykes, 2018
FIM Superbike World Championship
Losail International Circuit
Doha, Qatar
October 25, 2019
Superpole Qualifying Results (all on Pirelli tires):
Featured In the October 2019 issue of Roadracing World:
Marc Marquez’s younger brother Alex has had an up-and-down career. Alex made history in 2014 when he won the Moto3 World Championship, the same year big brother Marc won his second MotoGP title, which made them motorcycle racing’s first simultaneous sibling World Champions.
Alex graduated to Moto2 the following year, but was in the gravel more often than on the podium. Between 2015 and 2018 he won three Moto2 World Championship races and crashed 71 times. The youngster’s talent promised much, but delivered little. Then came 2019.
Moto2 switched from Honda’s CBR600RR four-cylinder engine to Triumph’s more torquey 765cc Triple. Suddenly, at age 23, Alex Marquez was back in business, winning five of the first 10 races. Alex’s plan is to win the 2019 Moto2 World Championship, then move into MotoGP in 2021, sharing the grid with and racing against his brother. . .
–MotoGP Analysis, Alex Marquez Interview, by Mat Oxley In the October Issue of Roadracing World
Alex Marquez has become a force in Moto2, a threat to win every time out and the leader in the Championship points chase in 2019. MotoGP Editor Mat Oxley talked to the younger brother of the most dominant rider in modern MotoGP history–is there a dynasty in the making? It’s all in the October issue of Roadracing World!
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Demolition job: Viñales stakes an early claim on victory Down Under
The 2018 winner puts himself in another postcode, Quartararo suffers a highside and Marquez is outside the top five as action opens in Australia
Friday, 25 October 2019
Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) ruled Day 1 at the Pramac Generac Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, fastest in the wet and dry to make it double trouble for his rivals. By the end of play the only man within half a second of the Spaniard was Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team), although Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) was only hundredths off joining the bracket as the Briton took third.
In classic Phillip Island style, Friday saw a few different seasons hit the circuit and it started with a wintery, rainy FP1. Viñales made short work of that from home hero Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) and reigning Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), and once the sun was back out in the afternoon the 2018 winner repeated the feat, this time from Dovizioso and Crutchlow, who were split by just five thousandths.
Behind Viñales, hundredths and thousandths were the deciding margins in a tight top eight. Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team) was just 0.002 behind Crutchlow, with local favourite Miller completing the top five after ending up 0.017 in further arrears. 0.077 was then the gap back to Marquez in P6, with the number 93 getting the better of Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) by just 0.015. Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) made for close company in eighth as well, 0.036 off the ‘The Doctor’.
Missing someone? By the time you get to the latter half of the top ten of late, there’s a name that you expect to have read a while ago but it wasn’t to be for Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) on Friday. The French rookie was putting together a solid performance for much of FP1 but disaster struck towards the end of the session as he suffered a highside and then headed for the Medical Centre. He was declared fit but to be reviewed before FP3, although the number 20 was sidelined for FP2 after the medication he was given. His left foot is the affected area but the key good news was that he’s suffered no fractures in the crash. His teammate Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) flew the flag for the team on Friday, the Italian sixth in the wet and ninth overall after laptimes plummeted in the dry.
Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) completed the top ten after a solid outing for the Noale factory, the last man within a second of Viñales (and within half a second of everyone else). Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) was 11th ahead of an impressive push from Karel Abraham (Reale Avintia Racing) in P12, with Andrea Iannone (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) in 13th.
Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing) finished the day in 14th despite a crash, just 0.015 ahead of the returning Johann Zarco (LCR Honda Idemitsu). The Frenchman acquitted himself well on first contact with his machine for the next three races; 13th in FP1 in the wet and the second Honda behind, as could be expected, Marquez, but he did get the better of Crutchlow by hundredths and Lorenzo by a few tenths. In FP2 in the dry, the number 5 put it in 15th and only a second and a half off the top. Lorenzo was in hot pursuit in P16.
KTM had a solid start to the weekend in the wet as Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was ninth in FP1, just ahead of Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) by an apt 0.088. But the dry saw the Austrian factory slip down the order a little and they’ll be looking for more on Saturday. Espargaro also suffered a big crash on Day 1, rider ok.
For the premier class, Saturday begins at 10:50 (GMT +11), before qualifying from 15:05 to decide the grid for the Pramac Generac Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix. Will the rain return? Tune in to find out.
Friday’s fastest:
1 – Maverick Viñales (SPA – Yamaha) 1’28.824
2 – Andrea Dovizioso (ITA – Ducati) +0.496
3 – Cal Crutchlow* (GBR – Honda) +0.501
4 – Danilo Petrucci (ITA – Ducati) +0.503
5 – Jack Miller* (AUS – Ducati) +0.520
*Independent Team rider
Tyre Test Session
Given the improved conditions in the afternoon on Friday at Phillip Island, the planned Tyre Test Session was able to go ahead and initial reports were positive.
The session was to give Official MotoGP™ tyre supplier Michelin the opportunity to assess a new specification slick rear tyre at an especially demanding circuit for the rear. This latest evolution has a new construction designed to improve performance at all tracks and has already been tested at the Barcelona, Brno and Misano Tests with the aim of introducing it in 2020. The version that Michelin brought to Phillip Island is asymmetric with a harder left-hand side and features the existing compounds specifically designed to combat the huge stresses the tyres are placed under at the track.
Each rider had one rear tyre in the new specification available and each chose the soft compound. Riders were also given an extra front tyre of their preferred specification – soft, medium or hard – and were asked to do a minimum of 11 timed laps.
Martin keeps his momentum to top Day 1
It’s a KTM kinda day on Friday at Phillip Island with four Austrian machines in the top five – and a few surprises outside it
Jorge Martin. Photo courtesy of Dorna/www.motogp.com.
Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) took his first Moto2™ podium last time out and the Spaniard picked up where he left off on Day 1 at the Pramac Generac Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, this time topping the overall timesheets and with quite a margin. The rookie was 0.343 ahead of teammate Brad Binder by the end of play, with Jorge Navarro (Beta Tools Speed Up) completing the top three and the only non-KTM in the top five.
FP1 was wet and FP2 dry, but the same name was at the top: Martin. He led the first session ahead of fellow rookie Nicolo Bulega (Sky Racing Team VR46) and a standout performance from Stefano Manzi (MV Agusta Temporary Forward), but the dry conditions in FP2 shuffled the combined timesheets behind Martin. In the second session, Binder came to the fore followed by Navarro, with newly-announced 2020 Red Bull KTM Tech 3 MotoGP™ rider Iker Lecuona putting his monday.com American Racing machine into fourth overall.
Marco Bezzecchi (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) was another rookie who, like Martin, shone on Day 1 Down Under. The Italian was seventh in the wet and moved up to fifth in the dry, building on some solid progress of late to end the day ahead of Tetsuta Nagashima (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team). Bulega was P7 overall ahead of Championship leader Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS), who had a fairly solid day inside the top ten in both conditions, although a crash in the morning saw him pushing the bike back to pitlane.
Ninth overall went to a some impressive speed in the dry for Jesko Raffin (NTS RW Racing GP) as the Swiss rider pulled yet more pace at Phillip Island out the bag, ahead of an equally impressive result for Manzi completing the top ten. Raffin was also a protagonist in the most high-profile incident of the day in the intermediate class as he clashed with Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) or rather, vice versa. The Brit has been sent to the back of the grid for irresponsible riding.
Second in the Championship Tom Lüthi (Dynavolt Intact GP) had a lower profile day in P11 overall, with rookie Enea Bastianini (Italtrans Racing Team) splitting him from fellow title hopeful Augusto Fernandez (Flexbox HP 40) as the Spaniard took P13. They’ll be looking for much more on Saturday but they’re at least provisionally into Q2, along with the man in fourteenth: Lorenzo Baldassarri (Flexbox HP 40). With the weather looking worse not better tomorrow, that could prove key.
Fabio Di Giannanontio (Beta Tools Speed Up) was a somewhat surprising name to end the day outside the cut as he was P15, ahead of Lowes in sixteenth. Both crashed. Home hero Remy Gardner (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) likewise as the Aussie suffered a big one – rider ok but P19 overall. And last but not least, back-to-back winner Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46) was down in P20, just ahead of Marcel Schrötter (Dynavolt Intact GP). Marini crashed in FP1 but was declared fit after getting reviewed before FP2.
That’s Friday done Down Under and it seems to be Binder who holds the cards in the crucial Championship fight. Will the South African continue the roll on Saturday? Can Martin stay at the top? Or will a new day bring another new shuffle through the pack and even more inclement weather…find out when FP3 begins at 9:55 (GMT +11), before qualifying from the equally earlier time of 13:30.
Friday’s fastest:
1 – Jorge Martin (SPA – KTM) 1’33.010
2 – Brad Binder (RSA – KTM) +0.353
3 – Jorge Navarro (SPA – Speed Up) +0.395
4 – Iker Lecuona (SPA – KTM) +0.464
5 – Marco Bezzecchi (ITA – KTM) +0.471
Canet fights off Dalla Porta to begin his final stand on top
The Spaniard starts the weekend in P1, but his biggest rival is his closest company
Aron Canet (44). Photo courtesy of Dorna/www.motogp.com.
A Friday of two halves began the Pramac Generac Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix and in Moto3™ it was Aron Canet (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) who took to the top as he fought off Championship leader Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing) for the honour. The Italian, who has his first chance to wrap up the crown this weekend, was 0.281 behind key challenger Canet by the end of play. Last year’s winner Albert Arenas (Gaviota Angel Nieto Team) completed the top three despite two crashes in the difficult conditions that greeted the grid in the morning.
FP1 was a washout for all classes and for the lightweight runners, the conditions gradually seemed to get worse and worse. That meant that Tony Arbolino’s (VNE Snipers) earlier lap couldn’t be bettered, the Italian therefore ending the session an impressive seven tenths clear of Dalla Porta. In a sunnier afternoon it was tougher going for Arbolino, however, as he took P17 – as Dalla Porta put his now-trademark consistency to good use to take second in a wet FP1 and dry FP2.
With the difference in the weather, it’s that dry (or largely so) FP2 that decides the combined timesheets on Friday, with Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) and teammate Tatsuki Suzuki completing the top five. Andrea Migno (Mugen Race) was next up, ahead of John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) in P7. The Brit was also a solid contender in a wet FP1 and took fifth.
Romano Fenati (VNE Snipers) was eighth overall and third in the wet, the Italian hitting the ground running Down Under, with Dennis Foggia (Sky Racing Team VR46) in P9 and Gabriel Rodrigo (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3) completing the top ten. Foggia was a big improver in the dry after ending FP1 in P26, although not quite on the scale of Arenas’ bounce back from quite literally at the back to completing the top three. The Spaniard only managed nine laps in the morning given his two crashes.
Antonelli, Migno and Alonso Lopez (Estrella Galicia 0,0) were three more names amongst the spattering of crashers on Friday, with tough conditions catching a few out.
Stefano Nepa (Real Avintia Arizona 77), Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46), Kaito Toba (Honda Team Asia) and Marcos Ramirez (Leopard Racing) complete the fastest 14 and therefore the provisional Q2 graduates, with the likes of Lopez, Arbolino, Ayumu Sasaki (Petronas Sprinta Racing) and Ai Ogura (Honda Team Asia) left out and doubtless topping the list of those hoping for some better weather in FP3 – but the forecast looks even worse…
See what dawns on Saturday in FP3 at 9:00 (GMT +11) local time before qualifying from 12:35 and keep a weather eye on the horizon…seasons on the Island seem to change in a second! Can Canet defeat Dalla Porta to keep his title hopes alive?
Friday’s fastest:
1 – Aron Canet (SPA – KTM) 1’36.809
2 – Lorenzo Dalla Porta (ITA – Honda) +0.281
3 – Albert Arenas (SPA – KTM) +0.451
4 – Niccolo Antonelli (ITA – Honda) +0.549
5 – Tatsuki Suzuki (JPN- Honda) +0.634
More, from a press release issued by Red Bull KTM Tech3:
Alternating day for Red Bull KTM Tech3 duo in Australia
The opening day at the Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit greeted riders and teams today with its typical different seasons in just a few hours. Following a wet Free Practice one, the sun was back out this afternoon for FP2. In addition, all MotoGP riders had another not timed session to evaluate Michelin’s newest development at the Island.
Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Hafizh Syahrin concluded day one in P19 of the overall standings, after he improved his lap time steadily in wet and dry conditions. Whereas MotoGP rookie Miguel Oliveira initiated the weekend with a ninth fastest lap time in the rain, but struggled to find his pace in dry FP2 this afternoon to finish 0.464 seconds behind his teammate.
Hafizh Syahrin
Position: 19th
Time: 1:30.940
Laps: 42
“Day one here in Phillip Island was quite good so far, although we need to improve a little bit on the front in order to have more support and confidence in turning. I need to ride a v-formed line, because sometimes, I’m having too much lean angle, which destroys the tyre too fast. We try to understand and manage it a bit better tomorrow. I feel good and I have a decent speed. The tyre test session was very helpful, I could improve my feeling further and also my line on the track. I believe we can do a positive Qualifying tomorrow and hopefully also a good race on Sunday.”
Miguel Oliveira
Position: 20th
Time: 1:31.404
Laps: 42
“We had a quite positive start this morning. In wet conditions I felt very confident and the bike was good. In the afternoon, I immediately struggled to find my lines and it was quite hard to ride the bike, so now with the team we try to find the best solution we can for tomorrow to improve, because I feel our potential is much better than this and we just need to work hard to find a better feeling from Saturday.”
More, from a press release issued by Aprilia Gresini Racing:
A GOOD FIRST DAY FOR THE APRILIA RIDERS ON PHILLIP ISLAND
ALEIX IN THE TOP TEN AND ANDREA CLEARLY IMPROVING
That’s a wrap! The opening day of the Australian weekend was positive for Aprilia Racing Team Gresini. After a wet FP1 that made things difficult for the RS-GP and its riders, the dry track conditions in the second session allowed Espargaró and Iannone to move up in the standings.
Aleix took a nice tenth place that provisionally puts him through to the Q2 qualifiers with a time of 1’29.791. Andrea showed marked improvement with respect to recent races and, after battling for a position in the top ten that was decidedly within his potential, he finished thirteenth with a time of 1’30.170, just 379 thousandths behind his teammate and the top ten.
Andrea did even better in the special 20-minute session dedicated to testing the new tyres (obviously not valid for the standings) where he finished second, only behind Márquez, with a time of 1’29.421. A good sign for tomorrow’s sessions which will be decisive in establishing the starting grid order.
Aleix Espargaro (41). Photo courtesy of Aprilia Gresini Racing.
ALEIX ESPARGARÒ
“This morning I struggled in the wet, but it was important because fortunately we turned a lot of laps that will let use configure the electronics better in the event of other wet sessions. In the dry I was more competitive, even if the conditions were not easy, with wind and low temperatures, but in any case, I was able to get into the top 10 and that is always an important result.”
Andrea Iannone (29). Courtesy of Aprilia Gresini Racing
ANDREA IANNONE
“Today I had decidedly positive sensations. It’s a pity I wasn’t able to do a good fast lap, but we preferred working on a bike with a quite different setup. In any case, I am rather serene and confident. We need to put a few ideas together to improve, but I think this can be a good weekend for us. In the additional session I used the bike I liked more, and I must say that the new tyres help us a lot. This is an important sign, but now we are thinking about finishing this season in the best possible way.”
More, from a press release issued by PETRONAS Yamaha Sepang Racing Team:
Up and down day for PETRONAS Yamaha SRT at Phillip Island
Franco Morbidelli ends opening day with provisional Q2 spot in ninth but crash sidelines Fabio Quartararo for the day
Australian GP – 25 October 2019
PETRONAS Yamaha Sepang Racing Team have had an up and down day as Australian Grand Prix action got underway in Phillip Island, with Franco Morbidelli enjoying a good start to the weekend to finish ninth but team-mate Fabio Quartararo sidelined by a crash in FP1 despite showing strong pace early on.
Morbidelli got the day going in fine form despite tricky conditions, ending up in sixth in the rain in FP1 as he continues to gain experience of the Yamaha YZR-M1 in the wet. With the blustery seaside track’s ever-changeable weather drying out for the afternoon’s FP2, Morbidelli was also able to get some dry track time under his belt to end the day in ninth place with a lap time of 1min 29.718secs, only 0.894secs from the provisional pole position and with a Q2 spot secured should tomorrow’s forecast rain appear.
Quartararo’s day came to a premature end in the final seconds of the wet FP1 when he was caught out by conditions at Phillip Island and high-sided heavily at turn six. Undergoing medical examination afterwards, X-rays showed no fractures but he was treated for a haematoma to his left ankle. Quartararo sat out this afternoon’s FP2 and the additional 20-minute tyre test session due to the medication administered following his crash and will undergo further assessment before hopefully returning to action in tomorrow’s FP3.
The Australian Grand Prix action continues tomorrow with practice starting at 1050 local time (0750 Malaysian time) and qualifying at 1505 (1205 Malaysian time), ahead of Sunday’s 27-lap race.
Franco Morbidelli:
“I felt strong on the bike today, with a great FP1 where we were able to be fast in the wet and a good FP2 in the dry. We went faster in the rain and there’s still a little bit of improvement to come in the dry, but we more or less know the direction to go in and we’re quite confident we can go faster. I’m sure that there’s more to come in either condition tomorrow but I hope that we’ll have a dry qualifying. At the end of the day, we tried some new tyres for Michelin in a special session and I think they were a little bit better, but we need some more time to really understand them.” Fabio Quartararo:
“Even though I wanted to ride today in FP2, I have quite a lot of pain in my ankle and I have to go back to the medical centre for another examination in the morning. It wasn’t a nice crash. Nothing is broken though, and I’ll try to ride again tomorrow. If we can, that’ll be good but if we can’t, we won’t take any risks. I still don’t have a lot of experience in wet conditions, but when you crash you learn from it and there’s a lot to take from this one. It looks like tomorrow morning will be wet and that may mean we have to go to Q1 for the first time, but that’s just another opportunity for us to understand something new!”
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki ECSTAR:
FINE FORM FOR RINS AND MIR ON DAY ONE DOWN UNDER
Alex Rins: 8th – 1:29.472 (+ 0.648)
Joan Mir: 11th – 1:29.875 (+ 1.051)
• Alex Rins makes promising start at one of his favourite tracks.
• Joan Mir confident and quick ahead of Day 2.
• Team prepare for unsettled conditions throughout the weekend.
Phillip Island in Australia welcomed the riders for Round 17 of the MotoGP World Championship, just days after the completion of the Japanese GP in Motegi.
FP1 provided a tricky start for everyone as heavy rain lashed the southern Australian circuit and temperatures dropped. Alex Rins and Joan Mir both gained useful information from the session, completing it in 12th and 15th respectively.
Clear skies and bright sunshine were on the menu for the afternoon’s FP2 session, and Team SUZUKI ECSTAR’s riders were keen to make the most of the dry track time as more inclement weather is expected. Mir felt confident and quick, and he was able to set some impressive lap times. Similarly, Rins was fast and relaxed at the track, which he likes so much. A final push saw Rins secure provisional passage to Q2 with 8th place, he was just over six tenths of a second from the top. Mir narrowly missed out on the Top 10 as he finished in 11th with a 1:29.875.
Davide Brivio – Team Manager:
“Today we had a bit of everything; cold and very wet in the morning, dry and sunny in the afternoon. So overall it has been an important day for checking the different conditions. This morning in the wet we were not super-fast, but we still found it useful. This afternoon we tried to start our race preparations, trying settings and tyres. Alex is in the Top 10 and he did well, Joan was also quick, and he only just missed out in 11th, so we’re looking forward to seeing what we can do tomorrow.”
Alex Rins (42). Photo courtesy of ECSTAR Suzuki.
Alex Rins:
“It was a strong day for us. I really enjoy this track and I’m pleased to be in the Top 10 because that should mean I’m in Q2, which was the first target! At the moment I think we need to take one step more to be at the front, but we’re all pretty close on lap times. Today I tried different tyres and settings because it looks like tomorrow will be wet again.”
Joan Mir (36). Photo courtesy of ECSTAR Suzuki.
Joan Mir:
“I’m not super satisfied with today, I would have liked another dry session. It’s my first time here with the MotoGP bike, and I feel that I still need a bit more time to adapt – that would have been easier without the wet conditions. I have a bit of margin to improve and I hope tomorrow I can find something more. Anyway, I feel confident.”
More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:
70.8° of lean – miracle Marquez saves another
An action-packed Friday in Australia saw Marc Marquez and Jorge Lorenzo battle through changeable conditions for sixth and 16th respectively.
Phillip Island’s famously quick-changing weather gave the MotoGP World Championship a sample of the best and worst conditions on offer at the Australian circuit. In the morning the track reached just 16°C as rain fell until midday. But the lunch break brought better weather, the track warming up to 36°C as pit lane opened for Free Practice 2.
As the forecast remains stormy throughout the weekend, riders made the most of the wet morning session. Third fastest in the rain, reigning MotoGP World Champion Marc Marquez and his crew adapted the Honda RC213V quickly to suit the conditions. Marquez was then quick to head out on track for FP2, eager to maximize his dry track time. A best time of 1’29.421 on his 19th lap of 19 had Marquez finishing the day in sixth spot, within a tenth of second placed Dovizioso.
After some early setup changes, Jorge Lorenzo was able to consistently improve his times in both the wet and the dry. Lorenzo managed a 1’41.958 in FP1 for 18th and improved to a 1’30.706 for 16th in FP2 as he continued to assess various setup changes to suit the fast Phillip Island circuit. A switch to the softer option tyre provided Lorenzo with a significantly improved feeling.
The day finished with an additional 20-minute session, Michelin taking the opportunity to assess tyre options for the 2020 season. Times from the session did not contribute towards the top ten for Q2. Marc Marquez pulled off another incredible save during the Tyre Test Session, lifting his RC213V from 70.8° of lean angle at Turn 10 to the delight of onlookers and fans around the world.
Marc Marquez (93). Courtesy of Repsol Honda.
Marc Marquez
SIXTH 1’29.421
“Our feeling today was not bad, I’m happy. In our fast lap we couldn’t find the best way to have a good lap time but our rhythm is there. Honestly, I’m riding better than I expected because I knew Viñales and Yamaha would be strong here but we are not far from them. We’ll now keep working, it wasn’t a bad first day. Of course the weather is still looking very complicated for the rest of the weekend so we will have to see what happens. Today we broke another record with the save. My brother did a great save in Motegi so I had to try and equal it but I think his is still best! At the end of FP2 I came up to Jorge on my flying lap while he was going slowly, we made a bit of contact but Jorge and I already spoke about what happened.”
Jorge Lorenzo (99). Photo courtesy of Repsol Honda.
Jorge Lorenzo
16TH 1’30.706
“Today we started in the wet and my feeling at the start was OK. In the afternoon I was struggling a bit with corner entry when using the medium tyre, but with the soft tyre I was able to go a second and a half faster straight away. It helped our position at the end quite a lot. Unfortunately, right at the end I didn’t look back to see I had three or four riders behind me, I tried to be as far on the inside as possible but Marc and I were a little too close.”
More, from a press release issued by Monster Energy Yamaha:
VIÑALES TOPS PHILLIP ISLAND FRIDAY SESSIONS AS ROSSI TAKES 7TH
Phillip Island (Australia), 25th October 2019
GRAND PRIX OF AUSTRALIA
FREE PRACTICE
The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team had to adapt quickly to various weather conditions at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit today, as FP1 was fully wet and FP2 fully dry. Maverick Viñales was unshaken though. He topped the first two free practice sessions of the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, showing great form. Valentino Rossi also used the two 45-minute outings to set his bike up for whatever track circumstances he might face this weekend. He ended the day in seventh position.
1st MAVERICK VIÑALES 1’28.824 (FP2) / 20 + 25 LAPS
7th VALENTINO ROSSI 1’29.436 (FP2) / 19 + 21 LAPS
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi got back into the saddles of their YZR-M1s for this weekend’s Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix. Viñales loves the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, and it showed in his perfect results: he topped both FP1 and FP2. Valentino Rossi also had a productive day working on his bike in the wet and the dry conditions. He secured seventh place in the combined FP timesheets.
Rain couldn‘t stop Viñales from getting into the groove early on at the Phillip Island circuit. He put his Yamaha briefly in second place and then got to work perfecting the set-up. Fifteen minutes into the session the Spaniard decided to raise the level. He was pushing, clocking a 1‘39.338s for provisional first. He improved his time gradually on the next two tries, only to finish the mid-session run with a 1’38.957. This red-hot time in the wet conditions kept him firmly at the top of the FP1 rankings, 0.147s ahead of his closest rival.
As often at the Australian circuit, the conditions in the afternoon were completely different from the morning session, with the bright sunshine greeting the Yamaha rider as he went out on track to defend his P1 position from the morning. The number-12 rider quickly adapted to the dry track conditions on Run 1, setting a 1‘30.110s for first place again, and kept up his benchmark-setting form. When the pace quickened, he retaliated on Run 2 before he switched to a soft rear tyre for a final push. He posted a 1‘29.012s, increasing his advantage, and followed it up with a 1‘28.824s, the first and only 1‘28s lap of the weekend so far. It earned him first place in the FP2 results with a 0.496s gap to the rider in second.
Rossi was on it right from the start of FP1. He was setting multiple personal best laps and featured in the top 5 as he searched for a set-up that suited the wet track conditions. The Doctor returned to the box to have some adjustments made to his YZR-M1 and went back out on track with 20 minutes to go. However, with rain coming down hard 15 minutes before the end, it was difficult for the Italian to improve his time. He had dropped to sixth place but delayed his hot lap, making another quick stop. On Run 3, he moved up to fourth in the final three minutes with a 1‘39.885s, putting him 0.928s behind his team-mate.
The Doctor needed a little time to get comfortable in the dry conditions in FP2, but once he had tweaked the YZR-M1‘s setting to his liking, he recovered to sixth place before the usual ’mini time attack‘ at the end of the session. He put in a flying lap, a 1‘29.436s, for fifth place but was eventually pushed to seventh. The FP2 result also put him in seventh place in the combined FP timesheets, 0.612s from first.
FP2 was followed up by a special Tyre Test Session at the demanding Phillip Island circuit, to test the durability of the 2020 Michelin tyres. Viñales and Rossi used the 20 minutes of track time just to gather data on the Michelin new soft rear casing, which increases stability and grip. They finished the session in third and seventh place respectively.
MASSIMO MEREGALLI
TEAM DIRECTOR
“Phillip Island is known for its changeable weather conditions, anything can happen, and we’ve seen that again today. FP1 was completely wet and FP2 was fully dry, so that gave us the possibility to work on the set-up for different conditions, and we were competitive in both. Maverick was in a league of his own here. He had a solid gap to the rider in second place in both the wet and the dry session. Valentino was also quite comfortable with his bike and he ended the day in seventh place overall. Especially during FP2 we could evaluate the slick tyre specifications, front and rear, in view of the race. This might have been the only dry session before a dry race, so it could be crucial. It’s early days, because it’s just the Friday, but right now we have good momentum. Today we were also able to try the 2020 tyre casing for Michelin in a special 20-minute Tyre Test Session. Both riders got a positive feeling from it.”
Maverick Vinales (12). Photo courtesy of Monster Energy Yamaha.
MAVERICK VIÑALES
“I feel really good. At this track I always find exceptional lap times, so I‘m quite happy. We set up the bike in a really good way and I stayed out on track just riding and riding, also in the wet, because that’s always difficult here. You have to warm up the tyres really well, you have to keep running a steady pace, so actually I‘m quite happy about today‘s results. It‘s too early to judge what the race will be like. We set the pace today, but we have to keep working. The race is a totally different story, we will see on Sunday. But I do feel good with the bike‘s set-up, and that‘s the most important thing right now. The 2020 Michelin tyres feel good. They are very consistent, that‘s an important point, I‘m happy about the work they did.”
Valentino Rossi (46). Photo courtesy of Monster Energy Yamaha.
VALENTINO ROSSI
“Today is a very important day because we tested in both conditions and it looks like the forecast for tomorrow is wet, so everybody pushed a lot to stay in the top 10. At the end, on the dry, I was in P7 and my pace is quite good. In both conditions I feel comfortable with the bike, I was not so bad also in the wet, I was in P4. For sure, we have to work in some areas to improve and also try to understand the best tyre option, but the feeling with the bike is good.”
More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:
Australian GP: positive first day for Andrea Dovizioso and Danilo Petrucci, second and fourth at Phillip Island after the first two practice sessions
The Australian Grand Prix race weekend has begun in a positive way for both Ducati Team riders. At the end of the first day of practice, Andrea Dovizioso was lying second in the timesheets while his team-mate Danilo Petrucci finished in fourth.
This morning’s FP1 session was held in the rain, and it finished with Petrucci fifth and Dovizioso in tenth.
In the afternoon the track dried out rapidly and the riders went out for FP2 on slick tyres. Andrea Dovizioso ended the session in second place, setting a quickest time of 1’29.320 with soft tyres on the last lap of his third exit.
Danilo Petrucci, who proved to have a good feeling with the Australian circuit right from the start, was always in amongst the fastest riders of the session and he ended the day in fourth place with a best time of 1’29.327.
Andrea Dovizioso (04). Photo courtesy of Ducati.
Andrea Dovizioso (#04 Ducati Team) – 1’29.320 (2nd)
“In the end today went well: I’m very happy with second position, also because tomorrow it might rain and so it was particularly important to be inside the top 10. I managed to set a good time right at the end of the session, and even though in general I still don’t have a good feeling, we are amongst the quickest group of riders. In any case it was a positive first day”.
Danilo Petrucci (9). Photo courtesy of Ducati.
Danilo Petrucci (#9 Ducati Team) – 1’29.327 (4th)
“It’s always great to ride here at Phillip Island: it’s one of my favourite tracks and today we were quick right from the start. Establishing the right set-up of the bike is never easy on this circuit, because of the long high-speed corners and the different ways of interpreting the track, but I’m feeling confident for tomorrow. Today we were quick both in the wet and the dry, and so I’m very optimistic about the rest of the weekend and satisfied with this first day”.
Tomorrow, Saturday 26th October, the riders will be back on track again at 10.50 local time (01.50 CET) for the third free practice session, while qualifying will get underway after FP4, starting from 15.05 local time (06.05 CET).
More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda Castrol:
CRUTCHLOW THE LEADING HONDA ON DAY ONE IN AUSTRALIA
Cal Cruthclow finished the opening day of free practice for Australian Grand Prix as the fastest Honda rider at the legendary Phillip Island circuit. As conditions dried out following a wet start in Victoria, the LCR Honda CASTROL rider pushed himself up into third position by the end of a busy day for the MotoGP field.
After a wet FP1 session in which he was 14th fastest, the riders also took part in an afternoon tyre testing session for Michelin. But it was in FP2 that Crutchlow did his best work as he posted the third quickest lap – ahead of world champion Marc Marquez – to leave himself well-placed ahead of qualifying on Saturday which is forecast to be hit by further rain.
Cal Crutchlow (35). Photo courtesy of LCR Honda.
Cal Crutchlow – 3rd
(1’29.325 – lap 21 of 22)
“I feel ok, I don’t feel fantastic on the bike at the moment. At turn one I’m a little bit scared going in there sometimes, but today I did my fastest top speed going in there in that last session we just did, I think the fastest speed I’ve ever done, 343 kmph, so I can’t have been too scared! But overall, we’re happy enough with the day, I need to improve in some areas and we need to improve the bike. But that extra session we got there (Michelin tyre test) was quite helpful as it meant we got two dry sessions. But with the weather predicted for tomorrow it’s not great as I don’t feel very good with the bike in the rain at the moment, so let’s see if we can improve that feeling tomorrow and hopefully the race is dry on Sunday.”
More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda Idemitsu:
ZARCO UP AND RUNNING IN LCR HONDA IDEMITSU COLOURS
LCR Honda IDEMITSU rider Johann Zarco got his first taste of the RC213V as free practice for the Australian Grand Prix got underway on Friday. The Frenchman is standing in for Takaaki Nakagami for the final three races of the season and made a solid start at Phillip Island as he finished the opening day in the top 15.
Zarco admitted it had taken him some time to find his confidence and rhythm on board his new machine, but is now looking forward to qualifying on Saturday. He went 13th fastest in a rain-affected FP1 session, before taking 15th in FP2 – just ahead of Repsol Honda’s Jorge Lorenzo – as conditions dried out at the famous coastal circuit.
Johann Zarco (5). Photo courtesy of LCR Honda.
Johann Zarco – 15th
(1’30.441 – lap 20 of 21)
“With the rain this morning it was not easy to discover the bike, but it was good because in the rain you go slower so you have more time. With the wet conditions it was a little bit scary, but even being scary I was not super slow, so that was positive. In the afternoon it was good to really try the bike in the dry and get some real information. It was not easy and I had to build some confidence step by step. At this track you really need to trust the bike a lot and you could see that, compared to the others, I was not going as fast into the corners. But step by step I improved, not enough to be in the top 10, but at least I was able to catch back some time. It will be a tough weekend to find new limits and put myself back to a very high level of performance, but that’s the challenge and I will give it my best.”
More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing:
#AustralianGP FP. Great start for Jack at his Home GP (P5). Pecco is convincing despite the crash in the FP2.
The free practice for the Pramac Generac Australian Grand Prix ended with the 5th place of Jack Miller and the 14th place of Francesco Bagnaia who could not take advantage of the final time attack in FP2.
The rain that fell in the early morning conditioned the FP1 before the sun dried the track surface. Jack pushed hard in wet conditions (P3) fighting with Marquez and Vinales while Pecco became familiar with the Australian circuit, lapping at Phillip Island for the first time in MotoGP.
In the FP2 Miller worked convincingly on the race pace and then set the fifth fastest time. Very positive feelings also for Bagnaia even if he could not exploit the time attack due to a crash.
P14 – Pecco Bagnaia
Unfortunately, we had a problem with in FP2 and I crashed. We figured out what happened and this is important. However, there is still some regret because the feeling was really positive. I was convinced that I could get the TOP 10. I hope the track will be dry tomorrow to try and get the direct qualification to Q2.
Jack Miller (43). Photo courtesy of Pramac Racing.
P5 – Jack Miller
It was a positive Friday. The feeling is very good and it is nice to have the support of many fans. But we still have work to do to be at the top. We have to fix some details but I can say that we started well. We’ve had the chance to lap in both wet and dry conditions and this is what we need to collect important data.
VINTAGE SIX MEDIUMWEIGHT COMBINED: 1. Mitch Cato (Yam FZR400/490).
C SUPERBIKE EXPERT: 1. Connor Funk (Yam YZF-R6); 2. Gabriel DaSilva (Yam YZF-R6); 3. Matt Burdett (Yam YZF-R6); 4. Daniel Paine (Yam YZF-R6); 5. Samuel Fugate (Hon CBR600RR); 6. John Hawkins (Yam YZF-R6).
C SUPERBIKE NOVICE: 1. T. Christopher Jackman (Kaw ZX-6R); 2. Nathan Seethaler (Yam YZF-R6); 3. Hugo Silva (Yam YZF-R6); 4. Edwin Cosme (Yam YZF-R6); 5. Andy Rudolph (Yam YZF-R6); 6. Micah Puscheck (Tri Daytona 675).
Tom Sykes, UK (BMW S1000RR), -16 laps, DNF, crash, no lap time recorded
Jordi Torres, Spain (Kaw ZX-10RR), -17 laps, DNF, crash, no lap time recorded
World Championship Point Standings (after 35 of 37 races):
Rea, 626 points (clinched 2019 World Championship)
Bautista, 473
Lowes, 321
Van Der Mark, 314
Razgatlioglu, 304
Davies, 269
Haslam, 268
Sykes, 219
Melandri, 177
Torres, 132
The start of World Superbike Race One. Photo courtesy of Dorna WorldSBK Press Office.
More, from a press release issued by Dorna WorldSBK Press Office:
Rea victorious in Race 1 ahead of Davies and Lowes
With Rea 15th victory of the season, Kawasaki secures a fifth consecutive Manufacturers’ Championship
The 2019 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship launched racing action at the Motul Qatar Round, with the first of three races getting underway on Friday night. With first and second in the title race already sorted out, the attention and all eyes were on the battle for third, with the three protagonists spread out across the top ten. Taking the win in convincing fashion, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) led from lights to flag, giving Kawasaki the Manufacturers’ Championship.
Before the race even began, Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing) crashed on the exit of Turn 1 on the Warm Up Lap. The Spaniard highsided all on his own accord in the middle of the pack was thankfully OK. However, his race was run before it started, as he retired to the pits after the eventual completion of his Warm Up Lap.
Steaming off from pole position, Jonathan Rea took the holeshot down into Turn 1, fending off a fast-starting Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team). However, Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) and Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) got ahead of the BMW rider and the front four were as they were. Other good getaways came from Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati), up from 12th to sixth and Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing), from tenth to seventh.
At the beginning of Lap 2, there was drama for Sykes, as he clipped the back of Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) at Turn 1, as the two outbroke themselves. Chaz Davies had now picked up the pieces and was up to fourth, whilst Haslam had slipped back into the clutches of Alvaro Bautista (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) courtesy of his collision with Sykes, as both of them were seventh and eighth. By the end of Lap 2, Bautista was seventh and Haslam had dropped to eighth.
It would be heartache for Cortese on Lap 6, as the German rider crashed out of fourth place at Turn 7, after just being passed by Davies. This promoted Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) to sixth, before the Dutchman scythed ahead of Razgatlioglu to pinch fifth. The battle for third however was looking like it would go the way of Alex Lowes, who was up in second, whilst teammate van der Mark and 2020 Pata Yamaha replacement Razgatliolgu were fifth and sixth. There was more despair downfield for Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura), who suffered a technical problem on the front straight.
Into the second half of the race, the gap at the front was still the same, with no move made from Lowes just yet. The duelling Brits at the front were running their own pace, whilst Lowes was getting the time to see where his rival was strong. Chaz Davies was still running a solid third, although he was incrementally closing the gap to the leaders.
With eight laps to go, Haslam took sixth place from Razgatlioglu at Turn 1, using the slipstream to get the job done. The ‘Pocket Rocket’ now set his sights on van der Mark ahead of him, whilst Razgatlioglu had to keep his eyes open behind him, as Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing – Yamaha) zeroed-in, just ahead of a revitalised Markus Reiterberger (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team).
With six laps to go, Toprak Razgatlioglu got it all wrong going into Turn 6, with his bike snapping sideways in an aggressive manner. The Turkish rider took to the gravel and somehow kept it upright, but slipped from seventh to 13th, seriously hurting the 23-year-old’s chances of third overall in the Championship. In the battle for fifth, Leon Haslam was now ahead of van der Mark, passing the Dutchman at Turn 1 with five laps remaining.
Five laps to go and Davies passed Lowes at the final corner, parking his Ducati down the inside and now, began to hunt down Jonathan Rea out front, immediately slicing the gap to under a second. Davies was particularly quicker in the middle sectors. All the time, Alvaro Bautista was having a lonely race in fourth place.
Despite closing down the gap to Rea, Davies couldn’t get the better of the Northern Irishman’s metronomic consistency. Rea took another victory in 2019, his fourth at Losail and gave Kawasaki the Manufacturers’ Championship. Davies came from 12th to second in an impressive fightback, whilst Alex Lowes came home third. Alvaro Bautista was fourth in a quiet race for the Spaniard behind the all-British podium, whilst prevailing in the battle for fifth was Leon Haslam, seeing off Michael van der Mark on the run to the line.
Loris Baz was a strong seventh place, whilst it was a classy eighth place for Markus Reiterberger, with his first top ten since the Tissot Superpole Race at Imola. Ninth place went to Ireland’s Eugene Laverty (Team Goeleven), who had a strong ride into the top ten, whilst Leon Camier (Moriwaki Althea Honda Team) made it all manufacturers represented inside the top ten. Toprak Razgatlioglu recovered to 11th.
P1 – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)“It feels like we reached our target. It has been an incredible season so far and to wrap up the manufacturers’ title, which I know is really important for Kawasaki, is incredible. I felt really good with the bike today. I settled into a comfortable rhythm at the beginning and I was able to stay in high 1’57 and low 1’58 during all the race. I kept controlling my pit board and ride accordingly. Now we’ll save some energy for the rest of the weekend. Thanks to my team for making the bike a little bit better, and we will try to improve the front performance because I am sure is going to be a big fight tomorrow”.
P2 – Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati)“My poor performance in qualifying left me with a little bit of work to do, but I got a good start and made some ground in the first corner. Obviously coming from behind I used up a bit of tyre, but same as San Juan I got to a point where I felt really good, but when I tried just to step up the pace a little bit more the tyre was already past its best. I am overall really happy! Finishing second its a good way to nearly finish the season and I look forward to tomorrow races”.
P3 – Alex Lowes (PATA Yamaha WorldSBK Team)“Today was really good. The second part of the race I wasn’t too strong. I struggled a little bit with the front of the bike, but these guys have done a fantastic job all year and they have been improving the bike overnight. I am quite confident we can make a step forward for tomorrow. I am really proud of what we have done today and I look forward to tomorrow”.
WorldSSP: Caricasulo resists Krummenacher and Cluzel for WorldSSP Losail pole
The mouth-watering prospect of all three title contenders battling for WorldSSP supremacy comes from the front row, after a stunning Tissot Superpole session
The night sky, flood lights and an intense World Supersport title fight: what a perfect way to enjoy a Friday evening in Qatar. The FIM Supersport World Championship has enjoyed endless twists and turns throughout 2019 and the final Tissot Superpole session was now exception. With three title contenders all battling for the final pole position, it would eventually go to Federico Caricasulo (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team).
After the opening ten minutes of the session had seen the times settle down and the grid begin to take some sort of shape, Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was on top, with the Frenchman towing Federico Caricasulo (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) around the Losail International Circuit. Provisionally second and third were Ayrton Badovini (Team Pedercini Racing) and Jules Cluzel (GMT94 YAMAHA), the latter being the top Championship contender.
With most of the riders in the pits at the halfway point, Mahias and Caricasulo were enjoying a conversation coming into pitlane. Whether it was about helping each other out or if they’d had a squabble on circuit, nobody knows. But the added dynamic made for a tense final stint in the spotlights of Qatar. Having not matched Cluzel’s time from Thursday, there was plenty of pae left in the track.
Randy Krummenacher (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) was the first rider to get down to business and hit the top of the timesheets with the fastest lap of the weekend. Corentin Perolari (GMT94 YAMAHA) was right in behind the Swiss rider and took second, but there were strong times coming in from Mahias and Caricasulo – both riders looking to secure pole position and now, running separately on the track.
Mahias came to the fore and briefly went top, only for Caricasulo to better it, as the Italian came up from ninth to pole position. It was more bad news for Mahias, as he had a lap time cancelled and saw him drop to fifth. Joining Caricasulo on the front are his title rivals, Randy Krummenacher and Jules Cluzel – all three WorldSSP title contenders in the top three positions – would that be how the standings would read come Saturday evening?
Corentin Perolari secured fourth place with a good lap time, ahead of a disconsolate Lucas Mahias, down in fifth. Hikari Okubo (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was back inside the top six and completed the second row, after what had been a relatively quiet weekend up until that moment, pipping the final second row spot away at the dying moments.
Nabbed right at the end, Badovini heads up row three from seventh on the grid, whilst Isaac Viñales’ (Kallio Racing) podium charge looks set to come from eighth on the grid – the Spaniard on the rostrum in the last two rounds. Kyle Smith (Team Pedercini Racing) was once again in ninth place, whilst an injured and recovering Thomas Gradinger (Kallio Racing) completed the top ten.
Outside the top ten, Raffaele De Rosa (MV AGUSTA Reparto Corse) was only 11th, ahead of the top Honda of Jules Danilo (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda). Home-hero wildcard and Qatari Supersport Champion Saeed Al Sulaiti (QMMF Racing Team) was 13th. Peter Sebestyen (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) was 14th.
Pole position – Federico Cariasulo (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team)“I am really happy. It was difficult for me in the beginning, but I was able to learn a lot in the first part of the qualifying. We found a good setup for the bike, and I was able to push to the limit. It was important for me starting from the first row, and we ended in pole position, which is even better”.
More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsport:
BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team experiences a Friday with highs and lows in the Qatari desert.
FIM Superbike World Championship season finale at the ‘Losail International Circuit’.
Markus Reiterberger finishes the first main race in eighth position with his BMW S 1000 RR.
Tom Sykes retires after a crash.
Doha. The first day of racing at the 2019 FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) season finale at the ‘Losail International Circuit’ in Qatar had highs and lows for the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team. Markus Reiterberger (GER) secured eighth place in the first main race on his BMW S 1000 RR after having finished the Superpole within the top ten. Tom Sykes (GBR) had started the race from fourth on the grid but retired after a crash on lap two.
Superpole was held in the early evening at 5 p.m. local time, already under floodlights. Sykes managed to make good use of the faster qualifying tyre and he secured fourth place on the second row in the final stages of the session. Reiterberger continued the positive trend from the practice sessions and qualified ninth on the third row.
When the race was started at 8 p.m. local time, the air temperature was still a humid 31 degrees Celsius. Sykes stormed towards the front, into second place, but then slightly dropped back again. Entering the second lap, however, he crashed while battling and had to retire. Reiterberger also had a stunning start but lost positions in the first corner. Soon, however, he had worked his way back into the top ten. From there, he progressed further forwards, and after 17 laps he crossed the line in eighth place, directly behind a group of three that was fighting for fifth position.
Quotes after race one at Doha.
Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: “We are happy with Markus’ performance, in any case. It was great to see that he was able to fight behind the group in the midfield. In the second half of the race, he was nearly as fast as the front riders in the two middle sectors. That is really pleasing, and one can see a kind of relief on his side of the garage. Tom had a mega start. Unfortunately he had a contact with another rider when entering the second lap and could not stop the bike anymore. That’s a pity but can happen in races. Overall, we have a good base for tomorrow and we will attack once more.”
Markus Reiterberger (28) leading a group of riders during Race One. Photo courtesy of BMW Motorrad Motorsport.
Markus Reiterberger: “Today was really good. I am satisfied, even if I did not fully exploit to 100 per cent what was possible. We made another step for Superpole and I was even able to do a 1:57.7 with race tyres that brought me to sixth place. It was a great lap and my feeling was really good. My lap with the qualifying tyre was also great but not perfect and this already makes the difference between a few positions. But ninth place on the third row still was good. I had a great start, until the first corner. I was already in fifth place but then I shifted down one gear too few and was in third gear. This resulted in the loss of positions but soon I overtook several others and worked my way back towards the front. From then on, I kept my pace to the finish line. The fact that I was able to close the gap to the group of three in front of me at the very end confirms that we are heading in the right direction. I hope that we will make another step tomorrow, especially with the front tyre. Then I think that I can catch those three that were in front of me, at least that’s my goal. I hope to bring home two more strong results.”
Tom Sykes (66). Photo courtesy of BMW Motorrad Motorsport.
Tom Sykes: “I think we maximised our performance in Superpole and got the best out of our BMW S 1000 RR. We were happy to start on the second row. We then made a couple of changes for the race. We had a good start and unfortunately then going into T1 on the second lap, it happened. I wanted to pull it down but there was another rider, so I had to pick it up and there was another rider there so unfortunately I made contact and down I went. So I am obviously very disappointed. I felt we had the set-up to put on a decent result today. We had the capability to come out with a good result today but sometimes these things happen and obviously we just look to have a strong showing tomorrow.”
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
Lowes Storms to WorldSBK Race 1 Podium in Qatar
Race
Alex Lowes consolidated his third position in the championship standings with a fantastic podium in WorldSBK Race 1, which was run in sweltering conditions under the floodlights at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar this evening. The Pata Yamaha with Rizla rider shadowed eventual winner Jonathan Rea closely for much of the race, but lacked the additional pace needed to mount a challenge for the lead. Michael van der Mark was involved in an intense battle for fifth place with Leon Haslam in the closing stages of the race, with the Englishman passing Yamaha’s Dutch rider on the final lap to leave him sixth at the chequered flag.
Lowes, starting from second place on the grid after an impressive qualifying performance this afternoon, was initially the only rider able to match the pace of pole sitter Rea. The pair managed to pull out a significant lead on the opening lap, which they’d extended to more than two seconds by half race distance. It was only as the race entered the final stages that Rea was able to create a small gap at the front, leaving Lowes to defend his position against Chaz Davies, who’d finally managed to close down the leading duo.
Davies made his move with four laps to go, diving up the inside of Lowes into the final turn and then using the power of the Ducati on the one kilometre long straight to build an unassailable gap. Third place in the race means that Lowes remains third in the championship standings but has extended his lead over fourth placed van der Mark from one to seven points, with Toprak Razgatlioglu a further ten points back in fifth.
Van der Mark was disappointed to finish only sixth in Qatar this evening, having struggled throughout the race with a lack of rear grip, especially on corner entry, most likely a consequence of the increased humidity. The Dutchman is confident he and his crew can find an improvement ahead of tomorrow’s two races, which will bring to a close the 2019 WorldSBK season.
GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK riders, Sandro Cortese and Marco Melandri, endured a difficult Race 1 in Qatar, but for different reasons. Cortese made the most of a front row start to run in third place for the first three laps. The reigning Supersport World Champion had just been demoted to fourth by Davies when he lost the front at Turn seven and crashed out of the race.
Melandri was hampered by having to start from the sixth row of the grid and was unable to make significant progress after getting involved in a race long battle with Eugene Laverty and Michael Rinaldi. The GRT Yamaha rider eventually managed to pass his compatriot to finish in 12th position.
Ten Kate Yamaha Supported WorldSBK rider, Loris Baz, overcame the handicap of pain in his chest, a result of his crashes in Argentina, to finish as the top independent rider today, with the Frenchman riding a strong race to follow van der Mark across the line in seventh place.
Alex Lowes
Pata Yamaha WorldSBK with Rizla – P3
“A good grid position was important because on this track it’s easy for the first few guys to get away in the early laps, even with the slipstream effect on the straight. I felt good from the start and managed to jump on the back of Jonathan, who’s always so fast early on, and that helped us pull away. In the mid part of the race I felt quite good, taking some better lines and I thought I might be able to challenge for the lead. But then I started to make some mistakes on the front and Chaz came past me. I saw I had a big gap back to fourth and, at that point, I decided to be sensible and bring the bike home for a podium finish. It was important to start with a good result in Race 1; while it wasn’t possible to secure third place in the championship today, it was certainly possible to make the job a lot harder. I really enjoyed today and now the focus is on tomorrow, which we’ll take race by race.”
Michael van der Mark
Pata Yamaha WorldSBK with Rizla – P6
“My start tonight wasn’t too bad but the first few corners were a bit of a mess. I was struggling with almost no entry grip from the first lap onwards, which made for a long and difficult race for me. We need to find out what caused the issue, as we didn’t make any changes after Superpole, where I had a really good pace on the race tyres. I’m confident we can find a solution and be back out there ready to fight again tomorrow.”
Marco Melandri
GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK – P12
“This was a very difficult race, mainly because of my starting position on the sixth row of the grid. The first few laps the feeling wasn’t so bad, but I couldn’t pass Laverty, who seemed to have better traction than me and was really hard on the brakes. I was a bit smoother in the corners, but it was almost impossible to pass. The first time I passed Rinaldi I ran wide, but I managed to come back and pass him again, although it was way too late by then. The conditions today were really difficult, very hot and very humid, maybe more so than even Thailand. It didn’t help that I was so close to the bikes in front that I could feel their engine heat too. We will see if we can improve tomorrow.”
Sandro Cortese
GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK – DNF
“After such a good Superpole, which put me on the front row, I was expecting a bit more today. I got a good start, felt really comfortable and wasn’t having any problems at all for the first few laps. Then, just six laps in, I lost the front and crashed. From what we’ve seen of the data so far it didn’t look like a big mistake, but more that I was trying to stay with the front guys who were setting an incredible pace in the opening laps. The good thing is that tomorrow we have another chance and we need to take the positives from today, with the front row and the early race pace, and carry that over into the final two races of the season.”
Loris Baz
Ten Kate Yamaha Supported WorldSBK – P7
“My chest wasn’t that painful in the race, but I definitely wasn’t able to move around on the bike how I wanted, which made things harder for me. But I don’t think I lost time because of this; it just made the race a bit tougher. I wasn’t feeling great for the first few laps and the pace of the guys at the front was also a bit of a surprise. I was struggling for grip and nearly highsided myself on corner entry, but changing maps brought an improvement and from that point on it was all about not making any mistakes. I knew at the end of the race I could be faster than the four riders ahead of me, but when I caught them, I was missing just a bit of rear grip and couldn’t make a move on them. It was a good race, but yesterday I really thought we’d be in contention for a podium finish and we were far from this today. It seems we struggle a bit when the humidity increases, so we need to find out why ahead of tomorrow’s two races.”
More, form a press release issued by Kawasaki:
Kawasaki Wins Manufacturers’ Award After Rea Race Win
Five-time WorldSBK champion Jonathan Rea secured his 15th race win of the year and in doing so Kawasaki took an unassailable lead in the Manufacturers’ Championship standings. Leon Haslam (KRT) came out on top of a tough personal battle for fifth today on his Ninja ZX-10RR, one position higher than he had qualified in Tissot-Superpole.
In the surreal night time environment of the 5.380km long Losail International Circuit Jonathan Rea enjoyed even more success in his fifth successive championship-winning season, winning Race One after taking his seventh Superpole award of the season earlier in the day.
Starting from pole, Rea was never headed but he had Alex Lowes for very close company in the early laps and then Chaz Davies closed in for a period during the latter stages of the 17-lap contest. The Ducati rider eventually dropping back to finish 2.732 seconds behind Jonathan at the flag.
Rea’s win gave Kawasaki a 42-point advantage in the Manufacturers’ Standings, with only a maximum of 37 points left to play for on Saturday, in the Tissot-Superpole Race and Race Two.
Haslam had an eventful opening race in his return to Losail race. He overcame a collision with another rider and also being run off track at one point, to take a truly determined fifth place. There will be two more chances for Leon to score points on Saturday, when the race meeting and the entire season wraps-up.
Jonathan Rea on top of the podium in Qatar. Photo courtesy of Kawasaki.
Jonathan Rea, stated: “That was a massive target met. What a year – all the big awards. The Riders’ Championship, Superpole Award, Manufacturers’ Championship… That was the target coming here. I knew I had to finish in front of the Ducatis to win the Manufacturers’ Award today. I felt good from the start with the bike. I had such a good rhythm in Race One, it felt quite automatic, but I know I need to make a step for tomorrow because the pace could be faster with more rubber down. But that might help our situation with more rubber on the track. We just need to work in some areas on the front of the bike to finish the corner a bit better.”
Leon Haslam (91) leading Toprak Razgatlioglu (54) during Race One. Photo courtesy of Kawasaki.
Leon Haslam, stated: “From FP1, FP2, FP3 to Superpole we got faster and faster. We were trying not to run before we could walk, learning this track again, and the way around. We knew everything was going to be difficult here and that fifth is what we could do today. We got caught up a little bit in the early laps with a few people, I got hit by Tom Sykes, got punted off once, but my battle was my battle and I managed to beat them. To make that next step, and go with Lowes and Chaz, we need to make a couple more tenths – and we also need to get away with them as well. We will see what we can do tomorrow.”
Ichiro Yoda, KRT Senior Engineer, stated: “When I think about the start of the season, our competitors started strongly. So we thought maybe it was going to be a quite difficult season and our issues would be different again compared to previous seasons. But we predicted that we would be stronger toward the end, after we moved to the European rounds. Our prediction worked out OK, because together with our strong riders, engines and bikes we finally met our target.”
Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) has already reached the status of top Independent Rider in 2019 but lost out on a top five chance today after he ran wide onto the gravel and fought back to score points for 11th place. He had qualified tenth in Superpole.
Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) crashed on lap one at Turn Two, restarted, but had to pit and then finally retired from the opening race of the weekend. In the initial inspection in pitlane the team found water on the tyres, an indicator that a stone or other object may have holed his bike’s radiator on the warm-up lap.
Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki) had to retire after experiencing a technical issue on lap seven.
More, from a press release issued by Team Go-Eleven:
NINTH POSITION, ANOTHER COMEBACK IN RACE 1!
Friday in the desert of Qatar start with Eugene Laverty in great shape on the Ducati V4-R.
In the Free Practices 3, ran at 15.00 with almost 50 degrees of asphalt, the Irish score a great sixth place a few tenths from Jonathan Rea; a result that raises expectations for Race 1.
The changes in the length of the swingarm made in the night seem to have given considerable advantages, confirmed by Eugene’s smile when he returned to the pits.
Free Practices 3: P 6 1’58.377 +0.416
The Superpole don’t go as planned; with about 10 degrees less on asphalt, unexpected chattering problems emerge. With qualifying tyres, even lap time don’t improve.
A particular condition that seems to have damaged the four Ducatis on the track, all forced to chase.
Sixteenth position on the grid that will force the Go Eleven rider to a comeback race.
Superpole: P 16 1’58.504 + 2.258
Despite the negative Superpole, the race starts with good expectations after the step shown in the free practice sessions.
Eugene starts well, he immediately recovers three positions and forces in pursuit of Rinaldi. He overtakes him towards the middle of the race and imposes a similar rhythm, and in some laps faster, compared to the fight for the fifth position.
The gap taken in the early laps is too much to be able to rejoin and give battle.
He concludes, thus, in ninth position, second in the Independent Rider standings at the finish line, bringing home a solid performance.
Because of the chattering that was still present, we missed a bit in order to fight for the top 5. To give to the rider the feeling of the first afternoon, eliminating the vibrations, will be the goal of the Go Eleven Team for the two races tomorrow!
Race 1:
P 1 J. Rea 33’34.518
P 2 C. Davies + 2.732
P 3 A. Lowes + 5.423
…
P 9 E. Laverty + 24.500
Tomorrow, Saturday evening at 16.00 Superpole Race and at 20.00 Race 2 (local time), down the visors, first gear inside and green light to the last two races of the WorldSBK season!
Eugene Laverty:
“The race was hard, but was good to finish in ninth position. I had a really difficult Qualifying in Superpole, while FP 3 was really strong: I was sixth fastest in that session and I didn’t have any chatter. I was really happy with the bike, but then in Superpole in different conditions the chatter returns, so I need to find the answer to this problem.
If we can cure the chatter there is the potential to finish in fifth position!”
More, from a press release issued by Moriwaki Althea Honda Team:
Top ten for Leon Camier in Race 1 with Ryuichi Kiyonari also in the points.
Leon Camier (2). Photo courtesy of Moriwaki Althea Honda Team.
A rather hot Friday evening with temperatures hovering around 32 degree Celsius until well after sunset, during which Leon Camier and Ryuichi Kiyonari took on the first of the weekend’s three SBK races at the Losail Circuit.
In the Superpole session that preceded Race1, Leon qualified in thirteenth place with Kiyonari in eighteenth position.
A less than brilliant start when the lights went out at 8:00 pm saw Leon drop back to seventeenth position. Not losing heart, the Brit gradually improved both his pace and position, passing several riders while others made mistakes, and ultimately crossing the finish line in tenth place.
Ryuichi Kiyonari also progressed after having made a slow start and finished inside the point-zone in fourteenth position.
Tomorrow’s warm up will commence at 2.00 pm local time, followed by the Superpole Race at 4.00 pm and Race2 at 8.00 pm.
Leon Camier 10TH
“We have made good progress with the chassis over the weekend and have also figured a few things out with the setup, so that’s where we are at the moment. Today’s result was not bad in the end but of course a few people dropped out so we were also a little bit lucky for sure. I didn’t make such a good start as I ran very wide early on, through turn one or one of the first corners, and lost a lot of places which was a pity as I had got off the line well. Anyway, I did as much as I could, managing to get into the mix and pass a few people.”
Ryuichi Kiyonari 14TH
“The first part of the race was quite slow for me as I didn’t have perfect feeling with the front, and the track felt bit greasy maybe due to some moisture on the track. Rear grip was not bad though, so step by step I could improve and pass Delbianco and Schmitter. I tried to be consistent, but I realized that I was making little mistakes here and there, so tomorrow I’ll try to do better in that respect and also be faster in the first half of race”.
More, from a press release issued by Barni Racing Team:
Rinaldi thirteenth in race 1 at Losail
Michael Rinaldi (21). Photo courtesy of Barni Racing Team.
Losail (QAT), 25th October 2019. Race 1 of the final round of the 2019 WorldSBK season got underway tonight in Qatar, in the magnificent setting that the Losail international circuit affords under the lights of floodlights.
Michael Rinaldi concluded thirteenth the 17 laps of the Friday night after a complicated race. This result give him three more points in the Championship, where he’s thirteenth overall with 121 points.
Superpole
After Free Practice session at a good level of performance with the eighth time (1’58.604) Rinaldi struggled with the soft tyre in the qualifying session. The 1’57.827 scored in the Superpole was his personal best time of the weekend but placed him fifteenth.
Race 1
It was a difficult race for Michael Rinaldi on one of the hardest and longest track of the championship. After a positive start which had placed him at the limit of the top 10 the flagbearer of the team from Bergamo lose ground not being able to chase the riders in front of him. Rinaldi was overtaken by Camier, Razgatlioglu and Melandri but he managed to stay in the point zone until the checkered flag. Marco Barnabo, Team Principal
Once again we were unable to take advantage of the soft tyre. As already happened in this season after a good performance in FP3 lapping with the race tyre, in Superpole the bike’s set-up does not fit with the qualifying tyre. Starting from the beck it is difficult to recover. We still have some setup problems and Michael can’t ride as he wants for the whole race.
Michael Rinaldi
Race 1: P13
We are facing problems that affected us during the season and this does not allow me to ride the bike as I know. I hope we can find a way out tomorrow because I want to end the season in the best possible way.
More, from a press release issued by Aruba.it Racing Ducati:
World Superbike in Qatar: Chaz Davies puts in a great run through the field to finish second at the flag, fourth place for Álvaro Bautista
The first race in the Qatar WSBK Round, which is taking place this weekend at the Losail International Circuit, saw a great performance from Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), who finished in second place after a splendid ride through the field from twelfth place on the grid. After starting well from the fourth row, the Welshman crossed the line at the end of the opening lap in fourth place, and he then kept up an excellent pace that took him to a couple of seconds from winner Rea (Kawasaki) at the end of the scheduled 17 laps.
Team-mate Álvaro Bautista, who wasn’t able to find the right feeling with his Panigale V4 R, was in a bit more difficulty in the first race. After a bad start from seventh place on the grid, and despite good pace in the second half of the race, the Spanish rider had to settle for fourth overall.
Tomorrow, Saturday 26th October at 15.00 CET, the Superpole Race will be held over a distance of 10 laps, while the 17-lap second race will get underway at 19.00 CET.
Chaz Davies (7). Photo courtesy of Ducati.
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #7) – 2nd
“It was a really good race actually, much better than expectations, especially after Superpole which was a bad showing, because I just wasn’t able to get the best out of the fresh rear tyre. In the race I got a good start into the first corner, and then the rest was just solid. I had really good pace, I was smooth and clean, trying to get a tenth of a second here and there and see if I could be in the mix with Jonathan come the end of the race. Unfortunately, I just used that little bit extra more tyre to keep me in the fight in the final stages. I’m pretty happy with the result, but I feel we can work on our package a bit and maybe up our pace tomorrow.”
Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #19) – 4th
“Today was a difficult day because already in yesterday’s practice sessions I wasn’t able to find a good feeling with my Panigale V4 R. Today we made some changes to the set-up but unfortunately they didn’t work as expected. After a few laps, with the tyre wear, the bike started to move about in the rear, and as a result I was struggling to keep the right lines. In addition, I lost a few places at the start: at the first corner I found myself on the outside losing ground to the riders who were on the inside. Despite these difficulties I did my best to get back up to fourth place, but wasn’t able to close the gap to the podium battle. I think I managed to get the best possible result and we’ll try and improve tomorrow.”
Editorial Note: American Dallas Daniels qualified 29th out of 29 riders in Supersport 300 with a time of 2:20.932 on his Yamaha YZF-R3. Ana Carrasco qualified on pole position with a lap of 2:14.139 on her Kawasaki Ninja 400.
Race Lap Record: 1:56.974, Jonathan Rea, 2016
All-Time Lap Record: 1:56.124, Tom Sykes, 2018
FIM Superbike World Championship
Losail International Circuit
Doha, Qatar
October 25, 2019
Superpole Qualifying Results (all on Pirelli tires):
Alex Marquez (73) in Austria, tucked in on his Kalex Moto2 chassis powered by a spec Triumph 765cc engine. Note streamlined front fender designed to smooth air flow over the fork tubes and brake calipers. Photo by Gold and Goose/courtesy Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS Racing
Featured In the October 2019 issue of Roadracing World:
Marc Marquez’s younger brother Alex has had an up-and-down career. Alex made history in 2014 when he won the Moto3 World Championship, the same year big brother Marc won his second MotoGP title, which made them motorcycle racing’s first simultaneous sibling World Champions.
Alex graduated to Moto2 the following year, but was in the gravel more often than on the podium. Between 2015 and 2018 he won three Moto2 World Championship races and crashed 71 times. The youngster’s talent promised much, but delivered little. Then came 2019.
Moto2 switched from Honda’s CBR600RR four-cylinder engine to Triumph’s more torquey 765cc Triple. Suddenly, at age 23, Alex Marquez was back in business, winning five of the first 10 races. Alex’s plan is to win the 2019 Moto2 World Championship, then move into MotoGP in 2021, sharing the grid with and racing against his brother. . .
–MotoGP Analysis, Alex Marquez Interview, by Mat Oxley In the October Issue of Roadracing World
Alex Marquez has become a force in Moto2, a threat to win every time out and the leader in the Championship points chase in 2019. MotoGP Editor Mat Oxley talked to the younger brother of the most dominant rider in modern MotoGP history–is there a dynasty in the making? It’s all in the October issue of Roadracing World!
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Maverick Vinales (12). Photo courtesy of Monster Energy Yamaha.
Demolition job: Viñales stakes an early claim on victory Down Under
The 2018 winner puts himself in another postcode, Quartararo suffers a highside and Marquez is outside the top five as action opens in Australia
Friday, 25 October 2019
Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) ruled Day 1 at the Pramac Generac Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, fastest in the wet and dry to make it double trouble for his rivals. By the end of play the only man within half a second of the Spaniard was Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team), although Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) was only hundredths off joining the bracket as the Briton took third.
In classic Phillip Island style, Friday saw a few different seasons hit the circuit and it started with a wintery, rainy FP1. Viñales made short work of that from home hero Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) and reigning Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), and once the sun was back out in the afternoon the 2018 winner repeated the feat, this time from Dovizioso and Crutchlow, who were split by just five thousandths.
Behind Viñales, hundredths and thousandths were the deciding margins in a tight top eight. Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team) was just 0.002 behind Crutchlow, with local favourite Miller completing the top five after ending up 0.017 in further arrears. 0.077 was then the gap back to Marquez in P6, with the number 93 getting the better of Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) by just 0.015. Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) made for close company in eighth as well, 0.036 off the ‘The Doctor’.
Missing someone? By the time you get to the latter half of the top ten of late, there’s a name that you expect to have read a while ago but it wasn’t to be for Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) on Friday. The French rookie was putting together a solid performance for much of FP1 but disaster struck towards the end of the session as he suffered a highside and then headed for the Medical Centre. He was declared fit but to be reviewed before FP3, although the number 20 was sidelined for FP2 after the medication he was given. His left foot is the affected area but the key good news was that he’s suffered no fractures in the crash. His teammate Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) flew the flag for the team on Friday, the Italian sixth in the wet and ninth overall after laptimes plummeted in the dry.
Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) completed the top ten after a solid outing for the Noale factory, the last man within a second of Viñales (and within half a second of everyone else). Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) was 11th ahead of an impressive push from Karel Abraham (Reale Avintia Racing) in P12, with Andrea Iannone (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) in 13th.
Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing) finished the day in 14th despite a crash, just 0.015 ahead of the returning Johann Zarco (LCR Honda Idemitsu). The Frenchman acquitted himself well on first contact with his machine for the next three races; 13th in FP1 in the wet and the second Honda behind, as could be expected, Marquez, but he did get the better of Crutchlow by hundredths and Lorenzo by a few tenths. In FP2 in the dry, the number 5 put it in 15th and only a second and a half off the top. Lorenzo was in hot pursuit in P16.
KTM had a solid start to the weekend in the wet as Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was ninth in FP1, just ahead of Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) by an apt 0.088. But the dry saw the Austrian factory slip down the order a little and they’ll be looking for more on Saturday. Espargaro also suffered a big crash on Day 1, rider ok.
For the premier class, Saturday begins at 10:50 (GMT +11), before qualifying from 15:05 to decide the grid for the Pramac Generac Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix. Will the rain return? Tune in to find out.
Friday’s fastest:
1 – Maverick Viñales (SPA – Yamaha) 1’28.824
2 – Andrea Dovizioso (ITA – Ducati) +0.496
3 – Cal Crutchlow* (GBR – Honda) +0.501
4 – Danilo Petrucci (ITA – Ducati) +0.503
5 – Jack Miller* (AUS – Ducati) +0.520
*Independent Team rider
Tyre Test Session
Given the improved conditions in the afternoon on Friday at Phillip Island, the planned Tyre Test Session was able to go ahead and initial reports were positive.
The session was to give Official MotoGP™ tyre supplier Michelin the opportunity to assess a new specification slick rear tyre at an especially demanding circuit for the rear. This latest evolution has a new construction designed to improve performance at all tracks and has already been tested at the Barcelona, Brno and Misano Tests with the aim of introducing it in 2020. The version that Michelin brought to Phillip Island is asymmetric with a harder left-hand side and features the existing compounds specifically designed to combat the huge stresses the tyres are placed under at the track.
Each rider had one rear tyre in the new specification available and each chose the soft compound. Riders were also given an extra front tyre of their preferred specification – soft, medium or hard – and were asked to do a minimum of 11 timed laps.
Martin keeps his momentum to top Day 1
It’s a KTM kinda day on Friday at Phillip Island with four Austrian machines in the top five – and a few surprises outside it
Jorge Martin. Photo courtesy of Dorna/www.motogp.com.
Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) took his first Moto2™ podium last time out and the Spaniard picked up where he left off on Day 1 at the Pramac Generac Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, this time topping the overall timesheets and with quite a margin. The rookie was 0.343 ahead of teammate Brad Binder by the end of play, with Jorge Navarro (Beta Tools Speed Up) completing the top three and the only non-KTM in the top five.
FP1 was wet and FP2 dry, but the same name was at the top: Martin. He led the first session ahead of fellow rookie Nicolo Bulega (Sky Racing Team VR46) and a standout performance from Stefano Manzi (MV Agusta Temporary Forward), but the dry conditions in FP2 shuffled the combined timesheets behind Martin. In the second session, Binder came to the fore followed by Navarro, with newly-announced 2020 Red Bull KTM Tech 3 MotoGP™ rider Iker Lecuona putting his monday.com American Racing machine into fourth overall.
Marco Bezzecchi (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) was another rookie who, like Martin, shone on Day 1 Down Under. The Italian was seventh in the wet and moved up to fifth in the dry, building on some solid progress of late to end the day ahead of Tetsuta Nagashima (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team). Bulega was P7 overall ahead of Championship leader Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS), who had a fairly solid day inside the top ten in both conditions, although a crash in the morning saw him pushing the bike back to pitlane.
Ninth overall went to a some impressive speed in the dry for Jesko Raffin (NTS RW Racing GP) as the Swiss rider pulled yet more pace at Phillip Island out the bag, ahead of an equally impressive result for Manzi completing the top ten. Raffin was also a protagonist in the most high-profile incident of the day in the intermediate class as he clashed with Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) or rather, vice versa. The Brit has been sent to the back of the grid for irresponsible riding.
Second in the Championship Tom Lüthi (Dynavolt Intact GP) had a lower profile day in P11 overall, with rookie Enea Bastianini (Italtrans Racing Team) splitting him from fellow title hopeful Augusto Fernandez (Flexbox HP 40) as the Spaniard took P13. They’ll be looking for much more on Saturday but they’re at least provisionally into Q2, along with the man in fourteenth: Lorenzo Baldassarri (Flexbox HP 40). With the weather looking worse not better tomorrow, that could prove key.
Fabio Di Giannanontio (Beta Tools Speed Up) was a somewhat surprising name to end the day outside the cut as he was P15, ahead of Lowes in sixteenth. Both crashed. Home hero Remy Gardner (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) likewise as the Aussie suffered a big one – rider ok but P19 overall. And last but not least, back-to-back winner Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46) was down in P20, just ahead of Marcel Schrötter (Dynavolt Intact GP). Marini crashed in FP1 but was declared fit after getting reviewed before FP2.
That’s Friday done Down Under and it seems to be Binder who holds the cards in the crucial Championship fight. Will the South African continue the roll on Saturday? Can Martin stay at the top? Or will a new day bring another new shuffle through the pack and even more inclement weather…find out when FP3 begins at 9:55 (GMT +11), before qualifying from the equally earlier time of 13:30.
Friday’s fastest:
1 – Jorge Martin (SPA – KTM) 1’33.010
2 – Brad Binder (RSA – KTM) +0.353
3 – Jorge Navarro (SPA – Speed Up) +0.395
4 – Iker Lecuona (SPA – KTM) +0.464
5 – Marco Bezzecchi (ITA – KTM) +0.471
Canet fights off Dalla Porta to begin his final stand on top
The Spaniard starts the weekend in P1, but his biggest rival is his closest company
Aron Canet (44). Photo courtesy of Dorna/www.motogp.com.
A Friday of two halves began the Pramac Generac Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix and in Moto3™ it was Aron Canet (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) who took to the top as he fought off Championship leader Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing) for the honour. The Italian, who has his first chance to wrap up the crown this weekend, was 0.281 behind key challenger Canet by the end of play. Last year’s winner Albert Arenas (Gaviota Angel Nieto Team) completed the top three despite two crashes in the difficult conditions that greeted the grid in the morning.
FP1 was a washout for all classes and for the lightweight runners, the conditions gradually seemed to get worse and worse. That meant that Tony Arbolino’s (VNE Snipers) earlier lap couldn’t be bettered, the Italian therefore ending the session an impressive seven tenths clear of Dalla Porta. In a sunnier afternoon it was tougher going for Arbolino, however, as he took P17 – as Dalla Porta put his now-trademark consistency to good use to take second in a wet FP1 and dry FP2.
With the difference in the weather, it’s that dry (or largely so) FP2 that decides the combined timesheets on Friday, with Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) and teammate Tatsuki Suzuki completing the top five. Andrea Migno (Mugen Race) was next up, ahead of John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) in P7. The Brit was also a solid contender in a wet FP1 and took fifth.
Romano Fenati (VNE Snipers) was eighth overall and third in the wet, the Italian hitting the ground running Down Under, with Dennis Foggia (Sky Racing Team VR46) in P9 and Gabriel Rodrigo (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3) completing the top ten. Foggia was a big improver in the dry after ending FP1 in P26, although not quite on the scale of Arenas’ bounce back from quite literally at the back to completing the top three. The Spaniard only managed nine laps in the morning given his two crashes.
Antonelli, Migno and Alonso Lopez (Estrella Galicia 0,0) were three more names amongst the spattering of crashers on Friday, with tough conditions catching a few out.
Stefano Nepa (Real Avintia Arizona 77), Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46), Kaito Toba (Honda Team Asia) and Marcos Ramirez (Leopard Racing) complete the fastest 14 and therefore the provisional Q2 graduates, with the likes of Lopez, Arbolino, Ayumu Sasaki (Petronas Sprinta Racing) and Ai Ogura (Honda Team Asia) left out and doubtless topping the list of those hoping for some better weather in FP3 – but the forecast looks even worse…
See what dawns on Saturday in FP3 at 9:00 (GMT +11) local time before qualifying from 12:35 and keep a weather eye on the horizon…seasons on the Island seem to change in a second! Can Canet defeat Dalla Porta to keep his title hopes alive?
Friday’s fastest:
1 – Aron Canet (SPA – KTM) 1’36.809
2 – Lorenzo Dalla Porta (ITA – Honda) +0.281
3 – Albert Arenas (SPA – KTM) +0.451
4 – Niccolo Antonelli (ITA – Honda) +0.549
5 – Tatsuki Suzuki (JPN- Honda) +0.634
More, from a press release issued by Red Bull KTM Tech3:
Alternating day for Red Bull KTM Tech3 duo in Australia
The opening day at the Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit greeted riders and teams today with its typical different seasons in just a few hours. Following a wet Free Practice one, the sun was back out this afternoon for FP2. In addition, all MotoGP riders had another not timed session to evaluate Michelin’s newest development at the Island.
Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Hafizh Syahrin concluded day one in P19 of the overall standings, after he improved his lap time steadily in wet and dry conditions. Whereas MotoGP rookie Miguel Oliveira initiated the weekend with a ninth fastest lap time in the rain, but struggled to find his pace in dry FP2 this afternoon to finish 0.464 seconds behind his teammate.
Hafizh Syahrin
Position: 19th
Time: 1:30.940
Laps: 42
“Day one here in Phillip Island was quite good so far, although we need to improve a little bit on the front in order to have more support and confidence in turning. I need to ride a v-formed line, because sometimes, I’m having too much lean angle, which destroys the tyre too fast. We try to understand and manage it a bit better tomorrow. I feel good and I have a decent speed. The tyre test session was very helpful, I could improve my feeling further and also my line on the track. I believe we can do a positive Qualifying tomorrow and hopefully also a good race on Sunday.”
Miguel Oliveira
Position: 20th
Time: 1:31.404
Laps: 42
“We had a quite positive start this morning. In wet conditions I felt very confident and the bike was good. In the afternoon, I immediately struggled to find my lines and it was quite hard to ride the bike, so now with the team we try to find the best solution we can for tomorrow to improve, because I feel our potential is much better than this and we just need to work hard to find a better feeling from Saturday.”
More, from a press release issued by Aprilia Gresini Racing:
A GOOD FIRST DAY FOR THE APRILIA RIDERS ON PHILLIP ISLAND
ALEIX IN THE TOP TEN AND ANDREA CLEARLY IMPROVING
That’s a wrap! The opening day of the Australian weekend was positive for Aprilia Racing Team Gresini. After a wet FP1 that made things difficult for the RS-GP and its riders, the dry track conditions in the second session allowed Espargaró and Iannone to move up in the standings.
Aleix took a nice tenth place that provisionally puts him through to the Q2 qualifiers with a time of 1’29.791. Andrea showed marked improvement with respect to recent races and, after battling for a position in the top ten that was decidedly within his potential, he finished thirteenth with a time of 1’30.170, just 379 thousandths behind his teammate and the top ten.
Andrea did even better in the special 20-minute session dedicated to testing the new tyres (obviously not valid for the standings) where he finished second, only behind Márquez, with a time of 1’29.421. A good sign for tomorrow’s sessions which will be decisive in establishing the starting grid order.
Aleix Espargaro (41). Photo courtesy of Aprilia Gresini Racing.
ALEIX ESPARGARÒ
“This morning I struggled in the wet, but it was important because fortunately we turned a lot of laps that will let use configure the electronics better in the event of other wet sessions. In the dry I was more competitive, even if the conditions were not easy, with wind and low temperatures, but in any case, I was able to get into the top 10 and that is always an important result.”
Andrea Iannone (29). Courtesy of Aprilia Gresini Racing
ANDREA IANNONE
“Today I had decidedly positive sensations. It’s a pity I wasn’t able to do a good fast lap, but we preferred working on a bike with a quite different setup. In any case, I am rather serene and confident. We need to put a few ideas together to improve, but I think this can be a good weekend for us. In the additional session I used the bike I liked more, and I must say that the new tyres help us a lot. This is an important sign, but now we are thinking about finishing this season in the best possible way.”
More, from a press release issued by PETRONAS Yamaha Sepang Racing Team:
Up and down day for PETRONAS Yamaha SRT at Phillip Island
Franco Morbidelli ends opening day with provisional Q2 spot in ninth but crash sidelines Fabio Quartararo for the day
Australian GP – 25 October 2019
PETRONAS Yamaha Sepang Racing Team have had an up and down day as Australian Grand Prix action got underway in Phillip Island, with Franco Morbidelli enjoying a good start to the weekend to finish ninth but team-mate Fabio Quartararo sidelined by a crash in FP1 despite showing strong pace early on.
Morbidelli got the day going in fine form despite tricky conditions, ending up in sixth in the rain in FP1 as he continues to gain experience of the Yamaha YZR-M1 in the wet. With the blustery seaside track’s ever-changeable weather drying out for the afternoon’s FP2, Morbidelli was also able to get some dry track time under his belt to end the day in ninth place with a lap time of 1min 29.718secs, only 0.894secs from the provisional pole position and with a Q2 spot secured should tomorrow’s forecast rain appear.
Quartararo’s day came to a premature end in the final seconds of the wet FP1 when he was caught out by conditions at Phillip Island and high-sided heavily at turn six. Undergoing medical examination afterwards, X-rays showed no fractures but he was treated for a haematoma to his left ankle. Quartararo sat out this afternoon’s FP2 and the additional 20-minute tyre test session due to the medication administered following his crash and will undergo further assessment before hopefully returning to action in tomorrow’s FP3.
The Australian Grand Prix action continues tomorrow with practice starting at 1050 local time (0750 Malaysian time) and qualifying at 1505 (1205 Malaysian time), ahead of Sunday’s 27-lap race.
Franco Morbidelli:
“I felt strong on the bike today, with a great FP1 where we were able to be fast in the wet and a good FP2 in the dry. We went faster in the rain and there’s still a little bit of improvement to come in the dry, but we more or less know the direction to go in and we’re quite confident we can go faster. I’m sure that there’s more to come in either condition tomorrow but I hope that we’ll have a dry qualifying. At the end of the day, we tried some new tyres for Michelin in a special session and I think they were a little bit better, but we need some more time to really understand them.” Fabio Quartararo:
“Even though I wanted to ride today in FP2, I have quite a lot of pain in my ankle and I have to go back to the medical centre for another examination in the morning. It wasn’t a nice crash. Nothing is broken though, and I’ll try to ride again tomorrow. If we can, that’ll be good but if we can’t, we won’t take any risks. I still don’t have a lot of experience in wet conditions, but when you crash you learn from it and there’s a lot to take from this one. It looks like tomorrow morning will be wet and that may mean we have to go to Q1 for the first time, but that’s just another opportunity for us to understand something new!”
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki ECSTAR:
FINE FORM FOR RINS AND MIR ON DAY ONE DOWN UNDER
Alex Rins: 8th – 1:29.472 (+ 0.648)
Joan Mir: 11th – 1:29.875 (+ 1.051)
• Alex Rins makes promising start at one of his favourite tracks.
• Joan Mir confident and quick ahead of Day 2.
• Team prepare for unsettled conditions throughout the weekend.
Phillip Island in Australia welcomed the riders for Round 17 of the MotoGP World Championship, just days after the completion of the Japanese GP in Motegi.
FP1 provided a tricky start for everyone as heavy rain lashed the southern Australian circuit and temperatures dropped. Alex Rins and Joan Mir both gained useful information from the session, completing it in 12th and 15th respectively.
Clear skies and bright sunshine were on the menu for the afternoon’s FP2 session, and Team SUZUKI ECSTAR’s riders were keen to make the most of the dry track time as more inclement weather is expected. Mir felt confident and quick, and he was able to set some impressive lap times. Similarly, Rins was fast and relaxed at the track, which he likes so much. A final push saw Rins secure provisional passage to Q2 with 8th place, he was just over six tenths of a second from the top. Mir narrowly missed out on the Top 10 as he finished in 11th with a 1:29.875.
Davide Brivio – Team Manager:
“Today we had a bit of everything; cold and very wet in the morning, dry and sunny in the afternoon. So overall it has been an important day for checking the different conditions. This morning in the wet we were not super-fast, but we still found it useful. This afternoon we tried to start our race preparations, trying settings and tyres. Alex is in the Top 10 and he did well, Joan was also quick, and he only just missed out in 11th, so we’re looking forward to seeing what we can do tomorrow.”
Alex Rins (42). Photo courtesy of ECSTAR Suzuki.
Alex Rins:
“It was a strong day for us. I really enjoy this track and I’m pleased to be in the Top 10 because that should mean I’m in Q2, which was the first target! At the moment I think we need to take one step more to be at the front, but we’re all pretty close on lap times. Today I tried different tyres and settings because it looks like tomorrow will be wet again.”
Joan Mir (36). Photo courtesy of ECSTAR Suzuki.
Joan Mir:
“I’m not super satisfied with today, I would have liked another dry session. It’s my first time here with the MotoGP bike, and I feel that I still need a bit more time to adapt – that would have been easier without the wet conditions. I have a bit of margin to improve and I hope tomorrow I can find something more. Anyway, I feel confident.”
More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:
70.8° of lean – miracle Marquez saves another
An action-packed Friday in Australia saw Marc Marquez and Jorge Lorenzo battle through changeable conditions for sixth and 16th respectively.
Phillip Island’s famously quick-changing weather gave the MotoGP World Championship a sample of the best and worst conditions on offer at the Australian circuit. In the morning the track reached just 16°C as rain fell until midday. But the lunch break brought better weather, the track warming up to 36°C as pit lane opened for Free Practice 2.
As the forecast remains stormy throughout the weekend, riders made the most of the wet morning session. Third fastest in the rain, reigning MotoGP World Champion Marc Marquez and his crew adapted the Honda RC213V quickly to suit the conditions. Marquez was then quick to head out on track for FP2, eager to maximize his dry track time. A best time of 1’29.421 on his 19th lap of 19 had Marquez finishing the day in sixth spot, within a tenth of second placed Dovizioso.
After some early setup changes, Jorge Lorenzo was able to consistently improve his times in both the wet and the dry. Lorenzo managed a 1’41.958 in FP1 for 18th and improved to a 1’30.706 for 16th in FP2 as he continued to assess various setup changes to suit the fast Phillip Island circuit. A switch to the softer option tyre provided Lorenzo with a significantly improved feeling.
The day finished with an additional 20-minute session, Michelin taking the opportunity to assess tyre options for the 2020 season. Times from the session did not contribute towards the top ten for Q2. Marc Marquez pulled off another incredible save during the Tyre Test Session, lifting his RC213V from 70.8° of lean angle at Turn 10 to the delight of onlookers and fans around the world.
Marc Marquez (93). Courtesy of Repsol Honda.
Marc Marquez
SIXTH 1’29.421
“Our feeling today was not bad, I’m happy. In our fast lap we couldn’t find the best way to have a good lap time but our rhythm is there. Honestly, I’m riding better than I expected because I knew Viñales and Yamaha would be strong here but we are not far from them. We’ll now keep working, it wasn’t a bad first day. Of course the weather is still looking very complicated for the rest of the weekend so we will have to see what happens. Today we broke another record with the save. My brother did a great save in Motegi so I had to try and equal it but I think his is still best! At the end of FP2 I came up to Jorge on my flying lap while he was going slowly, we made a bit of contact but Jorge and I already spoke about what happened.”
Jorge Lorenzo (99). Photo courtesy of Repsol Honda.
Jorge Lorenzo
16TH 1’30.706
“Today we started in the wet and my feeling at the start was OK. In the afternoon I was struggling a bit with corner entry when using the medium tyre, but with the soft tyre I was able to go a second and a half faster straight away. It helped our position at the end quite a lot. Unfortunately, right at the end I didn’t look back to see I had three or four riders behind me, I tried to be as far on the inside as possible but Marc and I were a little too close.”
More, from a press release issued by Monster Energy Yamaha:
VIÑALES TOPS PHILLIP ISLAND FRIDAY SESSIONS AS ROSSI TAKES 7TH
Phillip Island (Australia), 25th October 2019
GRAND PRIX OF AUSTRALIA
FREE PRACTICE
The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team had to adapt quickly to various weather conditions at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit today, as FP1 was fully wet and FP2 fully dry. Maverick Viñales was unshaken though. He topped the first two free practice sessions of the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, showing great form. Valentino Rossi also used the two 45-minute outings to set his bike up for whatever track circumstances he might face this weekend. He ended the day in seventh position.
1st MAVERICK VIÑALES 1’28.824 (FP2) / 20 + 25 LAPS
7th VALENTINO ROSSI 1’29.436 (FP2) / 19 + 21 LAPS
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi got back into the saddles of their YZR-M1s for this weekend’s Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix. Viñales loves the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, and it showed in his perfect results: he topped both FP1 and FP2. Valentino Rossi also had a productive day working on his bike in the wet and the dry conditions. He secured seventh place in the combined FP timesheets.
Rain couldn‘t stop Viñales from getting into the groove early on at the Phillip Island circuit. He put his Yamaha briefly in second place and then got to work perfecting the set-up. Fifteen minutes into the session the Spaniard decided to raise the level. He was pushing, clocking a 1‘39.338s for provisional first. He improved his time gradually on the next two tries, only to finish the mid-session run with a 1’38.957. This red-hot time in the wet conditions kept him firmly at the top of the FP1 rankings, 0.147s ahead of his closest rival.
As often at the Australian circuit, the conditions in the afternoon were completely different from the morning session, with the bright sunshine greeting the Yamaha rider as he went out on track to defend his P1 position from the morning. The number-12 rider quickly adapted to the dry track conditions on Run 1, setting a 1‘30.110s for first place again, and kept up his benchmark-setting form. When the pace quickened, he retaliated on Run 2 before he switched to a soft rear tyre for a final push. He posted a 1‘29.012s, increasing his advantage, and followed it up with a 1‘28.824s, the first and only 1‘28s lap of the weekend so far. It earned him first place in the FP2 results with a 0.496s gap to the rider in second.
Rossi was on it right from the start of FP1. He was setting multiple personal best laps and featured in the top 5 as he searched for a set-up that suited the wet track conditions. The Doctor returned to the box to have some adjustments made to his YZR-M1 and went back out on track with 20 minutes to go. However, with rain coming down hard 15 minutes before the end, it was difficult for the Italian to improve his time. He had dropped to sixth place but delayed his hot lap, making another quick stop. On Run 3, he moved up to fourth in the final three minutes with a 1‘39.885s, putting him 0.928s behind his team-mate.
The Doctor needed a little time to get comfortable in the dry conditions in FP2, but once he had tweaked the YZR-M1‘s setting to his liking, he recovered to sixth place before the usual ’mini time attack‘ at the end of the session. He put in a flying lap, a 1‘29.436s, for fifth place but was eventually pushed to seventh. The FP2 result also put him in seventh place in the combined FP timesheets, 0.612s from first.
FP2 was followed up by a special Tyre Test Session at the demanding Phillip Island circuit, to test the durability of the 2020 Michelin tyres. Viñales and Rossi used the 20 minutes of track time just to gather data on the Michelin new soft rear casing, which increases stability and grip. They finished the session in third and seventh place respectively.
MASSIMO MEREGALLI
TEAM DIRECTOR
“Phillip Island is known for its changeable weather conditions, anything can happen, and we’ve seen that again today. FP1 was completely wet and FP2 was fully dry, so that gave us the possibility to work on the set-up for different conditions, and we were competitive in both. Maverick was in a league of his own here. He had a solid gap to the rider in second place in both the wet and the dry session. Valentino was also quite comfortable with his bike and he ended the day in seventh place overall. Especially during FP2 we could evaluate the slick tyre specifications, front and rear, in view of the race. This might have been the only dry session before a dry race, so it could be crucial. It’s early days, because it’s just the Friday, but right now we have good momentum. Today we were also able to try the 2020 tyre casing for Michelin in a special 20-minute Tyre Test Session. Both riders got a positive feeling from it.”
Maverick Vinales (12). Photo courtesy of Monster Energy Yamaha.
MAVERICK VIÑALES
“I feel really good. At this track I always find exceptional lap times, so I‘m quite happy. We set up the bike in a really good way and I stayed out on track just riding and riding, also in the wet, because that’s always difficult here. You have to warm up the tyres really well, you have to keep running a steady pace, so actually I‘m quite happy about today‘s results. It‘s too early to judge what the race will be like. We set the pace today, but we have to keep working. The race is a totally different story, we will see on Sunday. But I do feel good with the bike‘s set-up, and that‘s the most important thing right now. The 2020 Michelin tyres feel good. They are very consistent, that‘s an important point, I‘m happy about the work they did.”
Valentino Rossi (46). Photo courtesy of Monster Energy Yamaha.
VALENTINO ROSSI
“Today is a very important day because we tested in both conditions and it looks like the forecast for tomorrow is wet, so everybody pushed a lot to stay in the top 10. At the end, on the dry, I was in P7 and my pace is quite good. In both conditions I feel comfortable with the bike, I was not so bad also in the wet, I was in P4. For sure, we have to work in some areas to improve and also try to understand the best tyre option, but the feeling with the bike is good.”
More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:
Australian GP: positive first day for Andrea Dovizioso and Danilo Petrucci, second and fourth at Phillip Island after the first two practice sessions
The Australian Grand Prix race weekend has begun in a positive way for both Ducati Team riders. At the end of the first day of practice, Andrea Dovizioso was lying second in the timesheets while his team-mate Danilo Petrucci finished in fourth.
This morning’s FP1 session was held in the rain, and it finished with Petrucci fifth and Dovizioso in tenth.
In the afternoon the track dried out rapidly and the riders went out for FP2 on slick tyres. Andrea Dovizioso ended the session in second place, setting a quickest time of 1’29.320 with soft tyres on the last lap of his third exit.
Danilo Petrucci, who proved to have a good feeling with the Australian circuit right from the start, was always in amongst the fastest riders of the session and he ended the day in fourth place with a best time of 1’29.327.
Andrea Dovizioso (04). Photo courtesy of Ducati.
Andrea Dovizioso (#04 Ducati Team) – 1’29.320 (2nd)
“In the end today went well: I’m very happy with second position, also because tomorrow it might rain and so it was particularly important to be inside the top 10. I managed to set a good time right at the end of the session, and even though in general I still don’t have a good feeling, we are amongst the quickest group of riders. In any case it was a positive first day”.
Danilo Petrucci (9). Photo courtesy of Ducati.
Danilo Petrucci (#9 Ducati Team) – 1’29.327 (4th)
“It’s always great to ride here at Phillip Island: it’s one of my favourite tracks and today we were quick right from the start. Establishing the right set-up of the bike is never easy on this circuit, because of the long high-speed corners and the different ways of interpreting the track, but I’m feeling confident for tomorrow. Today we were quick both in the wet and the dry, and so I’m very optimistic about the rest of the weekend and satisfied with this first day”.
Tomorrow, Saturday 26th October, the riders will be back on track again at 10.50 local time (01.50 CET) for the third free practice session, while qualifying will get underway after FP4, starting from 15.05 local time (06.05 CET).
More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda Castrol:
CRUTCHLOW THE LEADING HONDA ON DAY ONE IN AUSTRALIA
Cal Cruthclow finished the opening day of free practice for Australian Grand Prix as the fastest Honda rider at the legendary Phillip Island circuit. As conditions dried out following a wet start in Victoria, the LCR Honda CASTROL rider pushed himself up into third position by the end of a busy day for the MotoGP field.
After a wet FP1 session in which he was 14th fastest, the riders also took part in an afternoon tyre testing session for Michelin. But it was in FP2 that Crutchlow did his best work as he posted the third quickest lap – ahead of world champion Marc Marquez – to leave himself well-placed ahead of qualifying on Saturday which is forecast to be hit by further rain.
Cal Crutchlow (35). Photo courtesy of LCR Honda.
Cal Crutchlow – 3rd
(1’29.325 – lap 21 of 22)
“I feel ok, I don’t feel fantastic on the bike at the moment. At turn one I’m a little bit scared going in there sometimes, but today I did my fastest top speed going in there in that last session we just did, I think the fastest speed I’ve ever done, 343 kmph, so I can’t have been too scared! But overall, we’re happy enough with the day, I need to improve in some areas and we need to improve the bike. But that extra session we got there (Michelin tyre test) was quite helpful as it meant we got two dry sessions. But with the weather predicted for tomorrow it’s not great as I don’t feel very good with the bike in the rain at the moment, so let’s see if we can improve that feeling tomorrow and hopefully the race is dry on Sunday.”
More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda Idemitsu:
ZARCO UP AND RUNNING IN LCR HONDA IDEMITSU COLOURS
LCR Honda IDEMITSU rider Johann Zarco got his first taste of the RC213V as free practice for the Australian Grand Prix got underway on Friday. The Frenchman is standing in for Takaaki Nakagami for the final three races of the season and made a solid start at Phillip Island as he finished the opening day in the top 15.
Zarco admitted it had taken him some time to find his confidence and rhythm on board his new machine, but is now looking forward to qualifying on Saturday. He went 13th fastest in a rain-affected FP1 session, before taking 15th in FP2 – just ahead of Repsol Honda’s Jorge Lorenzo – as conditions dried out at the famous coastal circuit.
Johann Zarco (5). Photo courtesy of LCR Honda.
Johann Zarco – 15th
(1’30.441 – lap 20 of 21)
“With the rain this morning it was not easy to discover the bike, but it was good because in the rain you go slower so you have more time. With the wet conditions it was a little bit scary, but even being scary I was not super slow, so that was positive. In the afternoon it was good to really try the bike in the dry and get some real information. It was not easy and I had to build some confidence step by step. At this track you really need to trust the bike a lot and you could see that, compared to the others, I was not going as fast into the corners. But step by step I improved, not enough to be in the top 10, but at least I was able to catch back some time. It will be a tough weekend to find new limits and put myself back to a very high level of performance, but that’s the challenge and I will give it my best.”
More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing:
#AustralianGP FP. Great start for Jack at his Home GP (P5). Pecco is convincing despite the crash in the FP2.
The free practice for the Pramac Generac Australian Grand Prix ended with the 5th place of Jack Miller and the 14th place of Francesco Bagnaia who could not take advantage of the final time attack in FP2.
The rain that fell in the early morning conditioned the FP1 before the sun dried the track surface. Jack pushed hard in wet conditions (P3) fighting with Marquez and Vinales while Pecco became familiar with the Australian circuit, lapping at Phillip Island for the first time in MotoGP.
In the FP2 Miller worked convincingly on the race pace and then set the fifth fastest time. Very positive feelings also for Bagnaia even if he could not exploit the time attack due to a crash.
P14 – Pecco Bagnaia
Unfortunately, we had a problem with in FP2 and I crashed. We figured out what happened and this is important. However, there is still some regret because the feeling was really positive. I was convinced that I could get the TOP 10. I hope the track will be dry tomorrow to try and get the direct qualification to Q2.
Jack Miller (43). Photo courtesy of Pramac Racing.
P5 – Jack Miller
It was a positive Friday. The feeling is very good and it is nice to have the support of many fans. But we still have work to do to be at the top. We have to fix some details but I can say that we started well. We’ve had the chance to lap in both wet and dry conditions and this is what we need to collect important data.
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Cognitive Disability Mode: this mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
ADHD Friendly Mode: this mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
Blindness Mode: this mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.
Keyboard Navigation Profile (Motor-Impaired): this profile enables motor-impaired persons to operate the website using the keyboard Tab, Shift+Tab, and the Enter keys. Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.
Additional UI, design, and readability adjustments
Font adjustments – users, can increase and decrease its size, change its family (type), adjust the spacing, alignment, line height, and more.
Color adjustments – users can select various color contrast profiles such as light, dark, inverted, and monochrome. Additionally, users can swap color schemes of titles, texts, and backgrounds, with over seven different coloring options.
Animations – person with epilepsy can stop all running animations with the click of a button. Animations controlled by the interface include videos, GIFs, and CSS flashing transitions.
Content highlighting – users can choose to emphasize important elements such as links and titles. They can also choose to highlight focused or hovered elements only.
Audio muting – users with hearing devices may experience headaches or other issues due to automatic audio playing. This option lets users mute the entire website instantly.
Cognitive disorders – we utilize a search engine that is linked to Wikipedia and Wiktionary, allowing people with cognitive disorders to decipher meanings of phrases, initials, slang, and others.
Additional functions – we provide users the option to change cursor color and size, use a printing mode, enable a virtual keyboard, and many other functions.
Browser and assistive technology compatibility
We aim to support the widest array of browsers and assistive technologies as possible, so our users can choose the best fitting tools for them, with as few limitations as possible. Therefore, we have worked very hard to be able to support all major systems that comprise over 95% of the user market share including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Opera and Microsoft Edge, JAWS and NVDA (screen readers).
Notes, comments, and feedback
Despite our very best efforts to allow anybody to adjust the website to their needs. There may still be pages or sections that are not fully accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or are lacking an adequate technological solution to make them accessible. Still, we are continually improving our accessibility, adding, updating and improving its options and features, and developing and adopting new technologies. All this is meant to reach the optimal level of accessibility, following technological advancements. For any assistance, please reach out to
