More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Rookies rule! Di Giannanontio and Bezzecchi head the grid after a thriller at Mugello

The two rookies front a Ducati top five lock out, with Quartararo leading the resistance in sixth

Saturday, 28 May 2022

How’s that for a Saturday shake up? Gresini Racing MotoGP™ rider Fabio Di Giannantonio has the first premier class pole position of his career after a dream Q2 session for the rookie home heroes in the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley. Di Giannantonio set a 1:46.156 with the chequered flag out to head up a front row comprised of three Italians from two Italian teams, riding Ducati’s Bologna bullets. Fellow rookie Marco Bezzecchi was second-fastest and his fellow Mooney VR46 Racing Team rider, Luca Marini, took third after rain came, faded and then left plenty up for grabs on full slicks in Q2.

With Di Giannantonio heading Bezzecchi, it’s the first time since Qatar 2008 with Jorge Lorenzo and James Toseland that two rookies start 1-2.

Q2

Di Giannantonio came through Q1, when the arrival of light rain spiced up proceedings, but it was clear by the end of that session that slick Michelin tyres had to be the choice for Q2 despite the persistent threat of rain. That meant the battle for pole would be less about strategy and more about a straight fight to set the quickest pace in the hills of Tuscany…

After a red flag interruption for a Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) crash, rider ok, Di Giannantonio then kicked things off with a 1:49.124 before moving the marker to a 1:47.163 and then a 1:46.607 on his following laps. The Gresini rider continued to prove the pacesetter until Prima Pramac’s Johann Zarco put in a 1:46.875, but that time would not stack up as the pace continued to hot up.

Bezzecchi got in a 1:46.616, then Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) a 1:46.471 and Di Giannantonio a 1:46.410 just before the chequered flag, but Zarco wasn’t done yet. The Frenchman clocked a 1:46.383 to go to provisional pole, before it looked like being a VR46 one-two when Bezzecchi set a 1:46.244 and team-mate Luca Marini moved his time to a 1:46.327. The dream scenario did not quite come to pass for the VR46 squad though as Di Giannantonio subsequently found even more time to take it back.

Zarco qualified fourth, one spot ahead of Bagnaia, which means the best of the non-Bologna rest was Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™’s Fabio Quartararo, the World Championship leader taking sixth to lead the resistance.

The Grid

Behind the five Ducatis and a Yamaha, Aprilia Racing’s Aleix Espargaro claimed seventh, although he looked far from pleased.

Joining him on Row 3 will be Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) and Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team), while Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) rounds out the top 10 on another Ducati. Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) qualified 11th-fastest but is set to start 14th as a result of a grid penalty for being slow on the line and disturbing another rider in FP3.

Early, Q2 was red flagged barely more than a minute in as a result of a big crash for Marc Marquez at Turn 2, rider ok but RC213V decidedly not. The machine caught fire and fluid spilt onto the track, necessitating a stoppage so the surface could be cleaned up.

He would later get back out on his second bike and set a personal-best lap time of 1:47.468, but will start 11th due to Martin’s penalty. Ducati Lenovo Team’s Jack Miller similarly moves up to 12th on the grid, the Aussie missing out on advancing from Q1.

That’s quite a grid for the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley, and a MotoGP™ race that promises much. Join us at 14:00 (GMT +2) for another showdown in the stunning hills of Tuscany, with lots of the line on race day.

Fabio Di Giannantonio: “Well, if I could wish for a perfect Saturday, I think it’s this. What a feeling, that’s amazing; my first MotoGP™ pole, here in Mugello with a Ducati, with all the tifosi – unbelievable. It’s unbelievable also because I thought I could be really fast in the dry, and then the conditions became tricky, so I said, ‘Now it’s difficult, it’s tricky, so let’s see.’ But I was just fully committed, fully head down, fully focused, and we did an incredible lap. It’s something unbelievable here, so super, super happy.”

 
Marc Marquez to undergo further surgery

The Repsol Honda Team rider will compete in Italy before surgery next week

It was announced in a Press Conference on Saturday afternoon at Mugello that eight-time World Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) is to undergo further surgery. The number 93 will compete at the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley before travelling to the US for the operation.

Canet edges out Acosta for Moto2™ pole

The Flexbox HP 40 rider heads the grid as the hunt for his maiden Moto2™ win continues

Aron Canet (Flexbox HP40) grabbed the Moto2™ pole position at the at the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley after setting a 1:51.121 in Q2. Canet was just over a tenth of a second quicker than fellow Spaniard Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) around the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello, with Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) also earning a spot on the front row as the Brit bounces back from being declared unfit to race in France.

Q2

Acosta had achieved his first intermediate class pole a fortnight ago at the French Grand Prix, and the rookie was looking good for two in a row when he set a 1:51.265 and then a 1:51.246 on consecutive laps. However, Canet, who is still not at full fitness after the multi-rider crash three rounds ago, had other ideas and it is he who will start from first on Sunday afternoon, for the second time in four rounds, and just 0.158 seconds covers the top three after Lowes managed to put in a 1:51.279.

While pole gives Canet the best possible chance of chipping away at his 19-point deficit to World Championship leader Celestino Vietti (Mooney VR46 Racing Team), the Italian is far from out of the hunt for victory at his home event. Vietti qualified fourth with a 1:51.381, while wildcard Mattia Pasini (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team) was one of the remarkable stories of Q2. He came through Q1, topping that session, and is now set to line up in fifth on the grid having ridden a Kalex motorcycle which he owns to a 1:51.465. Also on Row 2 will be Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia), starting sixth.

The Grid

Behind the packed first two rows, Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team) heads up another on the third, from Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) and Jake Dixon (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team). Arbolino had a crash late in FP3 which locked him into Q1, but the man who is fourth in the World Championship boosted his hopes of a solid points haul by making his way out of that first stanza of qualifying.

Row 4 will be Barry Baltus (RW Racing GP), Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Italtrans Racing Team), and Jorge Navarro (Flexbox HP40). A winner at the French GP last time out, Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) will have to make a charge from 14th on the grid if he is to go back-to-back. Indonesian GP winner Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) starts even further back, in 24th, after missing out on passage to Q2 by more than half a second.

That’s an interesting line up for race day, and with plenty on the line on home turf it should be another stunner in Moto2™. Tune in when the lights go out at 12:20 (GMT+2)!

Aron Canet: “Well, I’m very happy to be back here again. Another pole position in this category, it’s amazing for me. But, the more important thing is tomorrow’s race. My pace during the weekend has been really, really good and we need to improve something on the bike but I’m ready to fight for the victory. We’ll see how the hand is, that’s more important for me. It’s not so painful at the moment because this is a flowing track. But, I’m very, very happy. Thank you to my team and to all the people who support me!”

Öncü plays his cards to perfection for pole

The number 53 takes pole ahead of Holgado and Foggia as Mugello gets set for a Moto3™ showdown

Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Deniz Öncü has claimed Moto3™ pole position at the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley, with Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) not quite able to carry his dominance of Free Practice forward. However, Foggia still had a big say in how qualifying played out at Mugello, as it was the Italian who provided the decisive tow to Öncü. Foggia still made the front row, but will start to the outside of the pole-sitting Turk, with rookie Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Ajo) impressing in the middle of the front row.

Q2

There are perhaps few circuits on the calendar where a tow is more important than Mugello, particularly in the lightweight class, and that was how John McPhee (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max) put himself in top spot in the early stages of Q2 with a 1:57.299. Foggia, on the other hand, was having to punch his own hole in the air, although he managed to go second-fastest in the last few minutes with a 1:57.367.

Then, next time through, Foggia did manage to get the better of the Scotsman as he clocked a 1:57.168. Unfortunately for ‘The Rocket’, he had Öncü close behind him and the Turkish rider used the tow to set an even faster lap. With the chequered flag out, Foggia improved to a 1:57.094 but that was not good enough to knock the Tech3 rider off pole position, nor was it good enough to hold onto second spot as Holgado came through in a bunch of bikes to achieve a 1:56.908.

The Grid

Behind Öncü, Holgado and Foggia, Moto3™ World Championship leader Sergio Garcia qualified fourth, one position ahead of fellow Valresa GASGAS Aspar Team rider Izan Guevara. They will be joined on Row 2 by McPhee, courtesy of his first flying lap, with Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI) heading up Row 3, ahead of Riccardo Rossi (SIC58 Squadra Corse) and Q1 graduate Ryusei Yamanaka (MT Helmets – MSI).

Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo), who is tied for second in the World Championship with Foggia, will be looking to make up ground from 10th on the grid, with Tatsuki Suzuki (Leopard Racing) and Lorenzo Fellon (Sic58 Squadra Corse) also on Row 4. Fellon was another of the riders to come from Q1, making the top four in that session thanks to a triple tow with the chequered flag out.

What will race day bring? We’ll find out from 11:00 (GMT +2) as the lights go out for Moto3™.

Deniz Öncü: “The lap was quite good, and when I saw the lap time – a 6.8 – it was my best lap time of the weekend, so I said, ‘Okay, for sure this is enough to be in the top two rows.’ After the chequered flag, I saw I was pole. I am happy because pole position is nice, to start the race from top, and I’m happy. For sure, tomorrow will be a big group race for me. It’s a disadvantage for me that I am tall and my weight compared to others is more, so I’m losing on the straights, as we see on the sectors. But, my strategy, I’ll be there, just waiting for the last laps, and I still don’t have a victory, so I will play all my cards to do this.”

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Aprilia vs Ducati: Aleix Espargaro and Bagnaia split by just 0.049 on Friday

A duel on Day 1 sees the Noale factory upset the Ducati lock out in the top six

Friday, 27 May 2022

Less than half a tenth decided the top spot on Day 1 at a scorching Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley, with Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) just edging out home hero Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) as the two ended Friday split by just 0.049. Third went the way of Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team), with Aprilia and Espargaro the only presence able to break a Ducati stranglehold on the top six as the two Italia factories came out fighting on Friday.

FP1

LCR Honda Idemitsu’s Takaaki Nakagami dominated the final FP1 timesheets, four tenths clear, but it had been much closer than that. The Japanese rider was already fastest in a top four covered by just 0.031 seconds when he bolted on new medium compound Michelin slick tyres, front and rear, and put in a 1:46.662.

Before Nakagami’s rise,  Bagnaia had been quickest on home soil for both rider and factory. He had clocked a 1:47.070 which Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) came so very close to matching when the Spaniard set a 1:47.071. Then, just before the half-hour mark, Aleix Espargaro did match it – a 1:47.070 exactly – before Nakagami moved the goal posts.

Le Mans winner Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) was fifth with a 1:47.186, with Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) only 0.005 further adrift and Miller next up in seventh after an early tour through the gravel, too.

Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) and Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) also set identical times in P8 and P9 respectively, with Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) in 10th, just edging out World Championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™)…

Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) ran across the grass on the way to San Donato when he had a close call with Aleix Espargaro, also notable was Espargaro’s Aprilia team-mate Lorenzo Savadori, the Noale manufacturer’s test rider running with a REAR wing on his RS-GP…

FP2

It wasn’t long until Nakagami’s 1:46.662 from FP1 was bettered by Zarco, who set a 1:46.381 on his Ducati, and Bagnaia would move into second spot at the halfway mark with a 1:46.604 and 1:46.538 on consecutive laps.

When the time attacks came in the final minutes, Bagnaia punched out a 1:45.940 to go to the very top, with Miller following him across the line to set a 1:46.313 and Zarco also in tow as he rolled out a 1:46.349. They were first, second, and third, with more Ducati riders also in fourth, fifth and sixth, but Aleix Espargaro had other ideas – he moved the marker to a 1:45.891 in the final three minutes, thanks in part to a slipstream from team-mate Viñales.

Bagnaia had run off at San Donato as soon as he’d set that high-1:45, but regrouped and almost reclaimed the mantle of fastest lap as he clocked a 1:45.957 with the chequered flag out. He would stay second though, ahead of Miller and Zarco, with Marini fifth thanks to a 1:46.362, and Bastianini sixth.

Zarco was also in the thick of the action for different reasons over the course of the session. His early flyer was still the benchmark when he tucked the front of his Desmosedici at Materassi, an incident which would not only scuff Pramac’s new purple livery but also caused a brief red flag period to clean up the gravel which had been dragged onto the track, rider ok.

Rins later had a similar crash to the Frenchman, before Zarco went down again in the final minute of the session at Correntaio  – rider ok once again.

Provisional Q2 places

Behind that top six of an Aprilia leading five Ducatis, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Brad Binder was the only other rider in the top eight who wasn’t on Borgo Panigale machinery, the South African slotting into seventh on a 1:46.439. Rookie Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) impressed once more in P8, while points leader Quartararo was ninth. For now, Pol Espargaro is the other rider into Q2 as it stands.

With forecasts of possible rain on Saturday at Mugello, there will be eyes to the skies overnight as the likes of Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) in 11th and Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) in 12th wait it out. Marquez was 0.767 seconds off Aleix Espargaro’s pace but just 0.040 seconds outside the top 10, having apparently finished the session on the new RC213V chassis. Rins and fellow Suzuki rider Joan Mir both also have work to do if they are to get into Q2…

Will the rain ruin their plans, or can they fight their way into the top 10? Make sure you tune in to FP3 on Saturday from 09:55 (GMT +2), before qualifying from 14:10!

Dixon pulls clear of Fernandez on Friday

The Brit ends Day 1 three tenths clear of Fernandez and Canet

Jake Dixon is in the box seat to get through to Q2 at the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley after the Inde GASGAS Aspar Team rider was fastest on the opening day of action in Moto2™. While he was unable to improve in FP2 on his 1:51.966 from earlier on Friday at the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello, the mercury was climbing well into the 30s, and few riders did go quicker in the afternoon. Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) was second quickest, with Aron Canet (Flexbox HP 40) completing the top three, also from FP1.

FP1

Dixon reigned the morning session, and the Brit enjoyed those three tenths in hand to bounce back from a tough end to the French GP. Fernandez was his closest company followed by Canet, and Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) was next up in fourth as the rookie’s leap forward in Le Mans seems to have carried forward. Filip Salač (Gresini Racing Moto2™) also impressed as he took fifth to open his weekend on the right foot.

Sean Dylan Kelly (American Racing) had an early spill when he ran through the gravel at Casanova and while there was a nervous moment with his bike stopped in the middle of the track, the American was able to scamper away. Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) also went down in the latter stages at Arrabbiata 2, and went to the Medical Centre for a check up, declared fit.

FP2

Chantra had an FP1 to forget thanks to that crash and was ninth with a 1:52.899, a time which would not have been good enough to get him into the all-important combined top 14. However, the Indonesian GP winner would set the very fastest lap of FP2, a 1:52.350, which puts him fourth overall too. It was close in the session top three though, with Fernandez second within 0.021 and Acosta third only 0.057 off the top.

Provisional Q2 places

The FP1 trio of Dixon, Fernandez and Canet top the combined times, ahead of Chantra, Acosta and Salač. Albert Arenas (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team), Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) and teammate Tony Arbolino are up next. Completing the top ten overall after a huge leap up the timesheets is Niccolo Antonelli (Monney VR46 Racing Team).

His teammate, World Championship leader Celestino Vietti, is also into Q2 for now in P12, with Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team), Manuel Gonzalez (Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team) and Fermin Aldeguer (MB Conveyors Speed Up) the last set to move through.

Jerez winner and Idemitsu Honda Team Asia rider Ai Ogura is one left on the outside looking in, with P17 against his name. Can he move forward in FP3? Will the skies stay dry? We’ll find out at 10:55 before qualifying from 15:10 (GMT +2).

Foggia sets the benchmark on Friday

The home hero heads Masia and McPhee at Mugello

Day 1 at the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley was Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) vs Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo), with the former setting the benchmark in FP1, a time that wasn’t beaten, and Masia taking FP2 to end the day second overall. Third went to another FP1 lap from John McPhee (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team), the Brit completing the top three on Friday.

FP1

Foggia made his statement lap in FP1, quick throughout the session when running on his own and with a best lap of 1:56.916 near the end to top the session.

The Italian was over three and a half tenths quicker than either of the Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max team-mates, John McPhee and Ayumu Sasaki, who took second and third, respectively. Their best laps came in the slipstream and with both tucked into the same group, with McPhee setting a 1:57.283 and Sasaki a 1:57.394. Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI) finished fourth on a 1:57.850, another impressive showing from the rookie.

Kaito Toba (CIP – Green Power) was the only faller, rider ok.

FP2

Considering he and Foggia are tied for second in the World Championship, it was fittingly Masia who set the pace in FP2, clocking a 1:57.134 right at the end of the session which would earn him second-fastest on the combined times. It also put him a whopping six tenths clear of Sasaki and Tatsuki Suzuki (Leopard Racing), who made an improvement to a 1:57.775.

That was the theme of the second practice session, with only Matteo Bertelle (QJMotor Avintia Racing Team) causing a change to the combined top 14 until the time attacks in the closing minutes.

Toba crashed again, and there was a big crash for Sasaki. The number 71 highsided riding in a group with Masia and Elia Bartolini (QJMotor Avintia Racing Team), with contact made by those following. Taken to hospital in Borgo San Lorenzo, Sasaki was subsequently diagnosed with left and right collarbone fractures and concussion, so he’ll under observation for at least another 12 hours and not take any further part in the race weekend.

Provisional Q2 places

Behind Foggia from FP1, Masia from FP2, McPhee, Sasaki; now out, and Suzuki, Moreira is also into Q2, as it stands, in sixth. World Championship leader Sergio Garcia (Valresa GASGAS Aspar Team) took seventh with a 1:57.921 at the end of the afternoon, and rounding out the combined top 10 are Bertelle on a 1:58.004, from Riccardo Rossi (SIC58 Squadra Corse) and Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team). Izan Guevara (Valresa GASGAS Aspar Team), who is fourth in the World Championship, will be looking to strengthen his grip on a spot in Q2 tomorrow in FP3 considering he is currently 12th, just ahead of Mario Aji (Honda Team Asia) and Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Ajo).

Tune in for Moto3™ FP3 on Saturday morning, before qualifying from 12:35 (GMT +2).

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Aegerter denies Italian duo for pole at Mugello

The Swiss rider takes pole ahead of Zannoni and Casadei as MotoE™ qualifies at Mugello for the first time

Friday, 27 May 2022

Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE™) has marked himself as the rider to beat in the FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup’s first ever round at the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello. He took the lead in the World Cup with a win in Race 2 at Le Mans a fortnight ago and now has pole position for the two races at the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley, having also set the pace in both practice sessions.

Joining the Swiss rider on the front row in Italy will be two home heroes, with Kevin Zannoni (Ongetta Sic58 Squadracorse) qualifying second-fastest and Mattia Casadei (Pons Racing 40) third, the latter making it a clean sweep of front row starts in 2022.

Q1

It was Marc Alcoba (Openbank Aspar Team) and Kevin Manfredi (Octo Pramac MotoE) who made it through, with Hikari Okubo (Avant Ajo MotoE™) and Hector Garzo (Tech3 E-Racing) arguably surprises left behind, given both are solidly top 10 in the World Cup standings. However, they still earnt spots on Row 4 of the grid, with Okubo 11th and Garzo 12th.

Q2

Casadei was fastest after the first flyers of Q2 on a 1:59.535, but he was not able to extract any more time as the 10-minute session played out in hot conditions. Zannoni, on the other hand, was through with a 1:59.473 on his second flyer, only to be knocked off his perch by Aegerter’s 1:59.406.

Aegerter was not willing to settle, either, clocking a 1:59.205 next time around which moved him to 0.268 seconds clear of Zannoni. Beyond that, the margins were close, with Casadei 0.062 seconds away from second place, and Eric Granado (LCR E-Team) missing the front row by only 0.002 seconds. A winner of both races at Jerez just a few weeks ago, Granado is set to line up in fourth for the two Mugello encounters, with Matteo Ferrari (Felo Gresini MotoE™) fifth and Q1 graduate Manfredi sixth.

The Grid

From there, it’s Le Mans podium finisher Niccolo Canepa (WithU GRT RNF MotoE™ Team) in seventh and would have been Miquel Pons (LCR E-Team) in P8 but the Spaniard’s best lap was cancelled after he was found to have low tyre pressures. Andrea Mantovani (WithU GRT RNF MotoE™ Team) therefore moves up, with Alcoba 10th.

That’s the grid for both races this weekend, so tune in for the first on Saturday at 16:25 (GMT +2), before Race 2 on Sunday at 15:30!

Dominique Aegerter: “I’m very happy that I can start from pole position. Last time in Le Mans, it was very, very close, but we started perfectly this weekend, first in both practice sessions and we have strong pace. It’s six laps tomorrow and Sunday, and the conditions are really hot outside, the track temperature is really hot, but the Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE team has done a fantastic job. They have made a nice set-up for Mugello, our first time here, and I love to ride here. I hope many fans come from Italy and also Switzerland, and I will try to get a good result for them.”