Vinales on MotoGP pole following fascinating Valencia qualifier
Marquez fifth despite shoulder dislocation as Miller takes P10 on the grid.
Image: Supplied.
After a sensational final battle for pole in 2018, Q1 graduate Maverick Vinales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) was the man to take P1 at the Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana.
A 1m31.312s was enough to edge out second-place Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) by 0.068s and Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) by 0.080 in a close top three.
Reigning champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), meanwhile crashed, dislocated his shoulder, then headed back out to claim a miraculous fifth and Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) starts way down in 16th.
It was seven-time champion Marquez who led the field onto the first flying lap but then at turn four, the 2018 champion suddenly lost the front and went down, seemingly dislocating his left shoulder in the process. Marquez headed straight back to the Repsol Honda motorhome, but soon after he headed back out.
Back on track it was Dovizioso who was setting the pace, but then Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Racing) got the better of his compatriot to set the first 1m31s of the session before blitzing the field again on his next lap – a 1m31.531s becoming the time to beat.
Then with six minutes to go, a warrior emerged in the form of Marquez as he left pit-lane and all eyes were on the seven-time champion. Before the 93 crossed the line though, Vinales shot to the top to take provisional pole.
Red sectors were lighting up the screens in the final minutes of the session though and it was Vinales who went quicker again to make 0.068s his margin at the top, with the miraculous Marquez climbing back up to P3. He then had a moment at turn one to end his session, but Rins was then threatening to take pole on his final lap.
In the end however, qualifying ended with Vinales spearheading the grid after his first pole on a Saturday since Aragon last year, with his Americas GP pole this season resulting from a Marquez penalty. Rins and ‘DesmoDovi’ complete the front row, and Petrucci is top Independent Team rider in fourth.
Just behind the reigning champion Marquez in P5, sixth made it a great day for Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) with the Spaniard just 0.265s from pole in KTM’s equal-best qualifying performance. He was just ahead of Q1 graduate Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar) in seventh, with Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) P8.
In his final qualifying, Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) claimed ninth to start from the outside of the third row after some difficulties in FP4 that affected his QP, with Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing) suffering his fourth crash of the weekend to start 10th, but automatically through to Q2 once again.
Italian Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46) picked up where he left off in Malaysia to take the Moto2 pole position, his 1m35.777s enough to beat Xavi Vierge (Dynavolt Intact GP) by a slender 0.027s, with fellow Dynavolt Intact GP rider Marcel Schrotter completing the front row. Tech3 Racing’s Remy Gardner was 17th.
In Moto3, Tony Arbolino (Marinelli Snipers Team) did it again in the season finale as he secured his second-career pole position. A 1m46.773s was enough to beat second-place Nakarin Atiratphuvapat (Honda Team Asia) by 0.244s and John McPhee (CIP – Green Power) in third.
Day six saw the ninety-third edition of the FIM ISDE brought to a spectacular close with the traditional Motocross race. Staying close to the host city of Viña del Mar, all professional and amateur riders went head-to-head for the final day of racing on the sandy motocross track.
Daniel Sanders
With a comfortable lead in the classification, Australia entered day six with a virtual grasp on the FIM World Trophy. Putting in a calm, cool and safe ride, they knew winning the Motocross race was not necessary to secure the overall podium.
With Italy and the United States fastest on the final day, Australia played it safe and crossed the finish line third overall to claim the coveted prize of FIM World Trophy champions, backing up their earlier victory from Slovakia in 2015.’
ISDE 2018 – Team Australia
Adding to Australia’s success at the ninety-third edition of the FIM ISDE, Daniel Milner (KTM) secured victory in the overall individual category. Placing a safe eighth on day six, Milner did more than enough to seal the deal.
ISDE 2018
Daniel Milner
“This is a huge result for us. I had a sleepless night last night worrying about the final Motocross race, but it feels awesome that we won. We’ve been so strong as a team all week. Unfortunately, Lyndon Snodgrass dropped out on day two and we knew then how easily things could go wrong. But we never gave up fighting all week – the boys have ridden so, so good. To get this victory, along with the girls winning their class plus myself taking the individual win, is about as good as it gets for Australia and a result that is going to take a very long time to sink in.”
Daniel Milner
The battle for second and third outright in individual honours was a tight affair with Taylor Robert (USA – KTM) edging out Daniel Sanders (AUS – Husqvarna) by just eight seconds for the runner-up result following over four hours and thirty-one minutes of timed racing. The day six Motocross win went to Zachary Bell (USA – Husqvarna).
Taylor Robert
“It’s been an amazing week. I’m a little disappointed not to take the overall win but all-in-all I am happy with my riding. Days three and four were tough and I struggled a little there but I think everyone did. The tests were so technical, the dust was still a problem and the heat made everything a little worse. Day five went well, but I couldn’t catch Milner – hats off to him, he’s been riding really well out here in Chile. I’m really happy to take the win in my class and second for Team USA in the World Trophy competition is great too.”
Taylor Robert
Daniel Sanders
“It was a good week for me. I had a few small mistakes here and there during the week, but I am really happy with my speed. This was my first enduro race on the big FE 501 and I’m more than happy with the way it performed all week long. I really enjoyed racing the big bike in Chile. Conditions were tricky with the dust and the last lap of every day seemed like the most challenging one. With the heat coming through, your heart rate is also going up and you need to be strong physically to keep pushing.”
Daniel Milner and Daniel Sanders
Although knowing that beating Australia would be a tall ask, the United States still put in a determined performance in the hope their rivals would fall at the final hurdle. However, their dream of a second FIM ISDE victory was not to be and they would have to be content with the runner-up result for 2018.
Claiming the final day victory in Chile, Italy complete this year’s FIM World Trophy podium in third, while out-going champions France finish fourth, with Spain fifth. Portugal, the Czech Republic and Sweden were sixth, seventh and eighth respectively, while host nation Chile and Germany complete the top ten.
World Trophy Team Results ISDE 2018
Australia – 13:40:08:56 Josh Strang (Husqvarna) Daniel Milner (KTM) Daniel Sanders (Husqvarna) Lyndon Snodgrass (KTM)
USA – 13:47:18:54 Ryan Sipes (Husqvarna) Taylor Robert (KTM) Steward Baylor (KTM) Zach Bell (Husqvarna)
Italy – 13:50:57:85 Alex Salvini (Husqvarna) Davide Guarneri (Honda) Thomas Oldrati (Honda) Giacomo Redondi (Honda)
France – 13:57:31:53 Loïc Larrieu (Yamaha) Christophe Charlier (Beta) Christophe Nambotin (Gas Gas) Thomas Dubost (KTM)
Spain – 14:01:18:37 Victor Guerrero (Yamaha) Cristobal Guerrero (Yamaha) Jaume Betriu (KTM) Jonathan Barragan (Gas Gas)
Women’s World Trophy ISDE 2018
As the sun set on the 93rd edition of the FIM International Six Days Enduro (ISDE), the Australian Women’s World Trophy Team have won their sixth consecutive world title! Taking out a record breaking 2018 title, Australia lead the charge ahead of Team USA by just over nine minutes, followed afterward by Spain, France and Sweden in third, fourth and fifth place respectively.
Australian Women’s Team dominate ISDE 2018 – Tayla Jones (Husqvarna) – Jessica Gardiner (Yamaha) – Tricker Mackenzie (KTM) – Image John Pearson
After five days of Enduro racing in blinding dust and stifling heat, day six presented the ladies with a short and fast Motocross circuit, where the value of remain mistake free is utterly critical to your individual and the team’s overall success.
Women Day Six – ISDE 2018 – Image John Pearson
With the Pacific Ocean set as the backdrop to the action-packed final day of the 2018 ISDE, Vina del Mar put on a spectacular show for all attending fans, and Australia pulled out all stops to gain further ground on Team USA.
Scoring another consecutive win overall for the day, Tayla Jones clocked in the fastest time for Team Australia of 10:23.76, leaving not a shadow of a doubt as to her rightful place as first overall in the class.
Tayla Jones
“It was a good six days! We had a strong team, we got some good times at the start of the week which really helped overall, and towards the end we stayed consistent which helped reduce the overall stress from the event. I’m really happy to get a sixth consecutive title, which is a new record! I’m also really honoured to get the overall championship! I have won once it before but there is no doubt that the second time is 10 times better. I would like to give a big thank you to the whole Australian team, the supporters, helpers and volunteers – we couldn’t have done it without them. I would also like to thank the whole Women’s World Trophy Team, Mackenzie and Jess, they’re great teammates. I would also like to thank all my supporters and sponsors back home, and everyone who made this possible!”
Tayla Jones dominated the women’s competition
Jessica Gardiner clocked in the second fastest time for the team in day six of 11:21.54, which has secured her place as fourth overall, sitting behind Livia Lancelot from Team France by just over six minutes. 2018
Jessica Gardiner
“It’s day six and finally we’ve gone through a really solid, hard week. The whole Team Australia helped us get through and we’re really happy to become six-time World Champions! It’s not every day that Aussies are six-time World Champions, it takes a lot of consistency and hard work. I couldn’t be happier have ridden with Mackenzie and Tayla, they’re great teammates and they’ve made it a lot of fun all week!”
Jessica Gardiner – Image John Pearson
Splitting the Aussies to take second overall was Brandy Richards from Team USA.
With a first time ISDE Women’s World Trophy title under her belt, Mackenzie Tricker was elated with our part in Team Australia’s dominance of ISDE 2018.
Mackenzie Tricker
“It was my first ISDE, and it started off pretty good in day one and two, but as the week went on, I felt like I went downhill. As we moved closer to day six, I just tried to salvage what I could and finish, but I felt pretty rough. I am absolutely stoked to have finished the event and have learnt a lot in the process. I was part of a great team and in the end, we were able to get the win!”
Australian Women’s Team dominate ISDE 2018 – Tayla Jones (Husqvarna) – Jessica Gardiner (Yamaha) – Tricker Mackenzie (KTM) – Image John Pearson
Women’s World Trophy ISDE Results
Australia – 10:26:54:17 Tayla Jones (Husqvarna) Jessica Gardiner (Yamaha) Tricker Mackenzie (KTM)
Ryan Sipes (Husqvarna) 4:40:00.41… 9. Fraser Higlett (Husqvarna) 4:48:36.03
Enduro 2
Taylor Robert (KTM) 4:31:47.96
Steward Baylor (KTM) 4:37:01.50
Thomas Oldrati (Honda) 4:37:58.89
Josh Strang (Husqvarna) 4:38:18.86
Enduro 3
Daniel Milner (KTM) 4:29:53.48
Daniel Sanders (Husqvarna) 4:31:56.22
Giacomo Redondi (Honda) 4:37:17.18
Enduro Women
Tayla Jones (Husqvarna) 5:08:48.18
Brandy Richards (Husqvarna) 5:11:43.87
Livia Lancelot (Honda) 5:13:24.78
FIM Junior World Trophy
Ending a ten-year winless streak, Italy raced into the FIM record books as the 2018 FIM Junior World Trophy champions. Previously winning the category in Greece in 2008, Italy were overjoyed to return to the top step of the podium once more. In what’s been an outstanding week of racing for the Italian trio of Andrea Verona (TM), Matteo Cavallo (Beta) and Davide Soreca (TM) they also secured their fifth day win in this year’s race.
Andrea Verona
“It’s just an unbelievable feeling. We knew coming into Chile that we could fight for the win, but we never imagined the entire week would go as well as it has. Last year we were just fifteen seconds behind France at the finish, so to win this year is great. Every day we pushed hard and never settled for position and I think that showed by only losing one day. It’s been ten years since Italy last won this class so that’s special too.”
Finishing just under four minutes behind, the United States capped off a memorable week in Chile to take the runner-up result. In the battle for third, France fended off the challenge from host nation Chile to take third. Despite ending their week fourth, Chile proved that they are becoming an Enduro nation to be reckoned with and will no doubt push to secure a debut FIM ISDE podium in the years to come. Australia and Sweden were fifth and sixth respectively.
Michael Rutter took the early initiative, topping the leaderboard in Thursday morning’s free practice session for the 2018 Macau Grand Prix but it was BMW’s Peter Hickman responded in first qualifying later that afternoon to top the leaderboard.
Hickman’s time of 2’25.429s put him 0.949s ahead of Rutter who was riding the Honda RC213V-S for the first time at Macau.
Peter Hickman
Rutter again set the initial pace during Friday morning’s second and final qualifying session but Hickman moved ahead halfway through with a lap of 2’25.022s. Near the end of the 45-minute session though, Hickman increased his pace further around the 3.8-mile Guia circuit and as he flashed across the line, his lap of 2’23.904s was just 0.288s outside Stuart Easton’s outright lap record which was set back in 2010.
However, Saturday’s race saw Rutter make the perfect start and he led the field around at the end of the first lap, Hickman in second ahead of Gary Johnson.
Michael Rutter – Image Stephen Davison
There was little to choose between the leading five riders during the first three laps but on lap four, Hickman moved ahead of Rutter and began to edge clear.
Indeed, the duo pulled away to leave Johnson, Martin Jessopp and Danny Webb to dispute third place and Hickman’s lead at half race distance had gone out to more than a second.
Danny Webb
Not to be outdone, eight-time winner Rutter reposnded to reduce the deficit to 0.795s by the end of lap eight but Peter dug deep once more to add another four tenths to his lead going into lap ten.
Just as he had done so, the red flags came out after an incident involving Phil Crowe and Ben Wylie, fortunately without serious injury to either rider, and the race was red flagged with the result declared at the end of lap eight.
That meant Hickman, winner of the race in 2015 and 2016, made it a hat-trick of wins at the event with Rutter claiming his 19th podium in second.
Martin Jessopp rounded out the podium on a Be-Wiser Ducati ahead of Danny Webb and Gary Johnson.
David Johnson
South Australia’s David Johnson finished seventh on a PR Racing BMW.
David Johnson
After eighteen months away from riding a Superbike, the legacy of multiple injuries sustained at the North West 200 in May 2017, McGuinness was part of the Tak Chun Group by PBM Ducati team and scored an encouraging tenth place on his return to high level Superbike competition.
John McGuinness
Victory in Macau is the perfect end to a successful season for Hickman, who won the Superstock race and the prestigious Senior TT at the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy in June. He also claimed race wins and podiums at the North West 200 and the Ulster Grand Prix. Hickman also made it into the British Superbike Championship (BSB) Showdown as one of the top-six riders over the course of the season.
Peter Hickman
Peter Hickman – P1 – BMW S 1000 RR
“As soon as we completed first practice, I was looking forward to the racing as the BMW was working well right from the off. We quickly found a great set-up and the track was in really good condition, probably the best I’ve seen it since 2015, so I was able to take pole position, which was terrific as I’m not a qualifying rider really, more of a race day man. Michael got a great start in the race but I was happy to sit behind him and follow him for a few laps before making my move. I tried to break him and open up a gap but after half distance he started to reel me in so I got my head down again to pull away once more before the red flags came out. Thankfully, the boys involved are ok and I’m just delighted for Aspire-Ho by Bathams Racing to have won and with Michael in second, it’s been the perfect day.”
Peter Hickman
Michael Rutter – P2 – Honda RC 213V-S
“It was always going to be difficult coming here with a brand new bike, particularly given the limited track time we had prior to Thursday, and I’ve been on a steep learning curve but the team have worked fantastic. I was pleased to be on the front row although I was a bit disappointed with my own performance as I lost a bit of concentration on my flying laps and felt that I could have been a lot closer to Peter. I got the perfect start to the race though to grab the lead immediately and I got my head down although I knew Peter would be right with me. When he came by, he pulled a huge gap on me in just one lap but I got my head down again to close in and I could see his rear tyre had a bit of wear in it which I hoped might play into my hands. He pulled away again but I really enjoyed the race and having come with the aim of getting two bikes on the podium, I’m delighted we’ve done exactly that and I can’t thank the team and all the sponsors enough.”
Michael Rutter – Image Stephen Davison
Martin Jessopp – P3 – Be Wiser Ducati
“I didn’t get a good start, but the key was not to panic as you can’t win round here on the first lap. I was happy to sit there but by the time I got up to third, there was too much of a gap. As crazy as it sounds, I’d love another race tomorrow as there is still so much more to come from both me and the bike. The PBM team have been fantastic but I’ve had so much to learn as I didn’t want to push too hard and make a mistake. A few changes now and we could perhaps take it to the two Aspire-Ho Bathams bikes but overall, I’m happy enough with a podium.”
Macau GP Results 2018 Peter Hickman GBR Aspire-Ho by Bathams Racing Michael Rutter GBR Aspire-Ho by Bathams Racing Martin Jessopp GBR Be Wiser Tak Chun Group Ducati by PBM
Macau GP Results 2018
Peter Hickman GBR Aspire-Ho by Bathams Racing
Michael Rutter GBR Aspire-Ho by Bathams Racing
Martin Jessopp GBR Be Wiser Tak Chun Group Ducati by PBM
Danny Webb GBR MGM by Penz134
Gary Johnson GBR Briggs Equipment Kawasaki
Horst Saiger AUT Saiger Racing
David Johnson AUS PR Racing
Derek Sheils IRL MGM by Penz13
Davey Todd GBR Puraglobe Syntainics Racing
John McGuinness GBR Be Wiser Tak Chun Group Ducati by PBM
After eighteen months away from riding a Superbike, the legacy of multiple injuries sustained at the North West 200 in May 2017, McGuinness was part of the Tak Chun Group by PBM Ducati team and was well aware of the task in front of him but he diligently went about his business as soon as he took to the 3.8-mile Guia circuit on Thursday.
Using the hour-long free practice session to re-familiarise himself with the daunting, Armco-lined course, as well as get more dialled into the 1199 Ducati Panigale, John placed 11th before shaving almost seven seconds off his time later in the afternoon in first qualifying to move up to ninth.
The second and final qualifying session on Friday morning saw him improve by a further two seconds, improving his lap times with each and every lap and the 2001 race winner duly lined up in eighth place on the grid for Saturday morning’s scheduled 12-lap race.
A solid start saw him complete the first lap in tenth place and here he remained for the first half of the race. Heading into lap nine, John had the BMW duo of Derek Sheils and Davey Todd just ahead of him but any hopes of climbing higher up the leaderboard ended soon after when Phil Crowe and Ben Wylie crashed, fortunately without serious injury.
The incident subsequently brought out the red flags and the race result declared at the end of eight laps which placed John in tenth place, a solid result in his Superbike comeback and a valuable outing ahead of 2019.
John McGuinness
“I was a little bit rusty and nervous coming into the meeting having not been on a proper Superbike for two years but I was happy enough with my grid position for the race. Everything slowly came back to me and it started flowing and I got into a bit of a rhythm towards the end and went a bit faster so I was looking to give a good account of myself in the race and enjoy myself. From not being on the Macau start line since 2016 , I rode really tight for a lap or two and was a bit rubbish for a bit but I settled down into a decent pace and rhythm. I had a top ten finish on my radar before getting here and whilst I could be a bit disappointed with tenth, the lads who finished in front of me have been riding all year and are sharp, riding week in week out. The Ducati was fantastic, the team were ace and there was no pressure from anyone so it’s nice to go into winter with a race under my belt and I can look ahead now to 2019.”
John McGuinness
Peter Hickman scored the overall race victory ahead of BMW team-mate Michael Rutter.
Macau GP Results 2018
Peter Hickman GBR Aspire-Ho by Bathams Racing
Michael Rutter GBR Aspire-Ho by Bathams Racing
Martin Jessopp GBR Be Wiser Tak Chun Group Ducati by PBM
Danny Webb GBR MGM by Penz134
Gary Johnson GBR Briggs Equipment Kawasaki
Horst Saiger AUT Saiger Racing
David Johnson AUS PR Racing
Derek Sheils IRL MGM by Penz13
Davey Todd GBR Puraglobe Syntainics Racing
John McGuinness GBR Be Wiser Tak Chun Group Ducati by PBM
It was seven-time Champion Marquez who led the field onto the first flying lap but then at Turn 4, the 2018 Champion suddenly lost the front and went down. The pain and anguish was writ large on the Spaniard as he clutched his limp left arm, his shoulder dislocated yet again, but this time looked more painful than ever as he returned to his motorhome. But minutes later Marquez was back on track, and back on the pace… What a machine.
In the absence of Marquez, it had been Dovizioso was setting the pace, but then Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Racing) got the better of his compatriot to set the first 1:31 of the session before blitzing the field again on his next lap – a 1:31.531 becoming the time to beat.
Andrea Dovizioso
Then with six-minutes to go, a warrior emerged in the form of Marquez as he left pit-lane and all eyes were on the seven-time Champion. Before the 93 crossed the line though, Viñales shot to the top to take provisional pole…
Maverick Viñales
Red sectors were lighting up the screens in the final minutes of the session though and it was Viñales who went quicker again to make 0.068 his margin at the top, with the miraculous Marquez climbing back up to P3. The World Champion was going for it again to take pole but then another moment at turn one put an end to his chances.
But there was still time for change elsewhere as Rins was then threatening to take pole on his final lap. In the end, however, a breathless qualifying ended with Viñales spearheading the grid after his first pole on a Saturday since Aragon last year, with his Americas GP pole this season resulting from a Marquez penalty.
Maverick Viñales – P1
“Great to be back on pole and to be on the front row. The target for today was to be on the first or second row, and in the end we got pole, so that’s something amazing and unbelievable. I’m so happy, to finish the season in that form, feeling really strong. Honestly, I can’t say anything more than that, I’m just happy. However, I will take it session by session. We did good in the qualifying and I’m excited about tomorrow, but tomorrow is another day. It could rain, or maybe not, we don’t know – we have to be ready for all conditions. I think the bike, in the rain, still needs to be improved. The bike we have right now is in the top-10, but let’s see. I’m curious what will happen. It’s very important to start from pole, because if you’re at the front in the first laps it’s better. I’ll do my best, but there’s no pressure. It’s the last race of the season. I will give everything, but I don’t pay too close attention to the championship standings right now, I’m just going to enjoy the time on the bike and let’s see if we can be at the top.”
Maverick Viñales
Rins and ‘DesmoDovi’ complete the front row, and Petrucci is top Independent Team rider in fourth, gunning for that title on Sunday too.
Alex Rins – P2
“I’m happy. For sure I would’ve liked to get pole, I was very close to it. But the most important thing is that after the second crash of the day I’m OK, it was quite a heavy fall and I wasn’t feeling great afterwards. Luckily I was still able to get 2nd place. The bike was working well today, despite the mixed conditions. Tomorrow will be wet but I think I can stay in the lead group, the target will be the podium. I’d like to finish this year in the best way possible.”
Alex Rins
Andrea Dovizioso – P3
“The qualifying session went well and I’m very happy, because starting up at the front is always important, especially here at Valencia. This morning we made a big step forward in the rain, and it was important to be ready in case of a wet qualifying session. In fact, Q2 was held on a dry track surface and we were able in any case to find a good set-up and set a good time. For the race we have a good chance, but it will almost certainly rain and in that case anything can happen.”
Andrea Dovizioso
Danilo Petrucci – P4
“I am very satisfied because we did well in both wet and dry conditions. Honestly there is a bit of disappointment because I could have won the front row but that’s okay. We are competitive but it is clear that in rain I will feel better this week end”.
Danilo Petrucci
Marquez’ miracle top-five performance sees him remain well in the mix.
Marc Marquez – P5
“Qualifying today was a bit unlucky as I crashed in the first right-hand corner on my first flying lap, and I soon felt something strange in my shoulder. Luckily, when I got back to my truck and tried a few movements, we realized it wasn’t that bad and I started to feel better. When the doctors arrived and checked it, it was all back in its place and I was ready to get back on my bike. I didn’t push as usual though, as it was better to stay on the bike! Only one tenth off the pole isn’t bad so tomorrow, race day, will be another day.”
Marc Marquez
Just behind the reigning Champion, sixth made it a great day for Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) with the Spaniard just 0.265 from pole in KTM’s equal best qualifying performance.
Pol Espargaro – P6
“With everything we have been through this season this feels a bit more than a [great] qualification session for us. It means quite a lot and I’m feeling happy, and for the boys in the pitbox. I think we did the maximum today – just two tenths from first place – and we didn’t expect to be so close in the dry. We were always in the top ten in the wet and in very tricky conditions. We are good here and it means we need to think about what we can copy for the other circuits. Most of it is to with the fact that I am coming back to my normal speed. I think we are in a position for a nice result. I don’t think we have had an opportunity like this so far with KTM but we must take it calmly tomorrow.”
Pol Espargaro
Pol Espargaro just ahead of Q1 graduate Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar) in P7, with Aleix Espargaro’s (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) P8 the final piece in the puzzle that saw all six manufacturers inside the top eight, split by just 0.318.
Andrea Iannone – P7
“For sure it’s been a difficult day because I had a crash, and in the wet conditions it’s very tricky. In Q1 I had a better feeling with the bike and I was able to get a great lap time. When it came to Q2 I didn’t have the same pace, and I used a different tyre so the feeling was different. But in any case, tomorrow I’ll start on the 3rd row and it’s OK. Set-up is not easy here, especially when it’s raining or half-wet, half-dry. We’ll try to stay in the top group tomorrow, let’s see what happens!”
Andrea Iannone
Aleix Espargaro – P8
“I’m happy with how the entire weekend has gone and not just because of the performance today. Yesterday we were consistently competitive even in the wet. This morning in FP3 I crashed right in the final moments. I raced back to the garage and with the second bike I managed to do the ninth time and go through to Q2, so that is positive and very important. Then, in qualifying I struggled on the first turn, but despite this, we finished just three tenths behind the pole position time. My RS-GP worked well both in the wet and on dry asphalt. We have a good pace and that makes me confident for the race, but I am also happy with the many indications that we are gathering in view of the tests next week and for the 2019 bike.”
Aleix Espargaro
In his final ever qualifying, Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) claimed P9 to start from the outside of the third row after some difficulties in FP4 that affected his QP, with Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing) suffering his fourth crash of the weekend to start P10 but automatically through to Q2 once again.
Dani Pedrosa – P9
“Today in the dry FP4 I had an issue with the bike’s setup that we weren’t able to adjust before qualifying, so I went out still struggling a bit. I did my best but didn’t manage to get a better position for tomorrow. If it rains tomorrow track conditions will be the key, as whether there’s a lot or a little water on the asphalt will affect the feeling a lot. This morning I ultimately found a good feeling in the wet, but it took me a long time. So let’s wait and see how the weather is and see what we can do tomorrow.”
Dani Pedrosa
Jack Miller – P10
“I’m disappointed. I was convinced that I could qualify well and I pushed hard but I crashed. I have to find a better feeling with the front tyre but the race pace is very interesting. I am confident that I can have a good race tomorrow”.
Jack Miller
While on a lap that was 0.3 under, Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) also crashed at Turn 10 to start P11 – rider ok, with Michele Pirro (Ducati Team) settling for P12 after making it straight into Q2 from Free Practice.
Johann Zarco – P11
“Saturday in Valencia has been a good day. In FP3 we did some great work with the team and I could manage the decisive practice well, caught a top 5 result and made it to Q2. So I was happy, but at the same time there was not so much water on the track. This gave me great confidence, although the bike was not perfect. In the afternoon, we had dry conditions. I enjoyed it and was quite competitive. I began the Qualifying not too good, because something was missing on the bike. We tried to change it a bit to get an enhanced feeling. When I restarted with the second new tyre my feeling improved immediately a lot. I could control the bike better, but trying to be fast on the first flying lap, I crashed in turn 10. It’s a right corner, so maybe the front tyre was still a bit cold and also because the conditions were not 100 percent clear. It’s a pity, because the potential for the first row was there today. Now we start in 11th position. Anyway, we will see what happens tomorrow and hope to have a strong race from the beginning to the end in order to play with Danilo Petrucci and Alex Rins.”
Johann Zarco
Jorge Lorenzo narrowly missed out on going through to Q2.
Jorge Lorenzo – P13
“We went out on track for Q1 without any real data because in all the other sessions the track was wet. I think I did a good time, which was quite a surprise, and for just a few thousandths of a second I couldn’t get into Q2. In the end it was Viñales who knocked me off the top 2 spots in Q1 and then he set pole, so for this reason I think that if I had gone through I would have been a lot further up the grid. In any case it’s highly likely that tomorrow’s race will be held in the rain and we’ll find completely different conditions to today so we’ll try and bring home the best possible result.”
Jorge Lorenzo
Another star failing to make it through Q1 was Valentino Rossi, The Doctor starts P16 after a tough day at the office.
Valentino Rossi – P16
“It was a difficult day, very tough. On the wet yesterday I felt comfortable, so I was quite optimistic this morning that I could finish in the top-10 because it was still wet. I tried to push at the beginning and I crashed with one bike, but apart from that I was not fast enough in FP3 anyway to go through to Q2. After that the conditions changed and it became drier, so from the morning to the afternoon we changed something on the bike, but in reality I never felt good and couldn’t push 100% in the afternoon. At the end, I improved my lap time in Q1, but it wasn’t enough to get into Q2, so we start from very far back, which will be hard. We have to work and try as hard as possible, and we also have to wait and see what the conditions will be like tomorrow morning, because the forecast is very bad.”
Valentino Rossi
MotoGP Q2
Pos.
Rider
Bike
Km/h
Time
1
Maverick VIÑALES
Yamaha
313.7
1’31.312
2
Alex RINS
Suzuki
312.0
1’31.380
3
Andrea DOVIZIOSO
Ducati
318.5
1’31.392
4
Danilo PETRUCCI
Ducati
314.3
1’31.414
5
Marc MARQUEZ
Honda
315.9
1’31.442
6
Pol ESPARGARO
KTM
315.0
1’31.577
7
Andrea IANNONE
Suzuki
311.6
1’31.629
8
Aleix ESPARGARO
Aprilia
308.2
1’31.630
9
Dani PEDROSA
Honda
314.3
1’32.140
10
Jack MILLER
Ducati
311.0
1’32.145
11
Johann ZARCO
Yamaha
313.1
1’32.179
12
Michele PIRRO
Ducati
318.4
1’32.310
MotoGP Q1
Pos.
Rider
Bike
Km/h
Time
1
Andrea IANNONE ↑
Suzuki
313.6
1’31.382
2
Maverick VIÑALES ↑
Yamaha
314.9
1’31.858
3
Jorge LORENZO
Ducati
315.4
1’31.900
4
Takaaki NAKAGAMI
Honda
307.6
1’31.928
5
Franco MORBIDELLI
Honda
308.8
1’32.385
6
Valentino ROSSI
Yamaha
311.7
1’32.452
7
Thomas LUTHI
Honda
308.9
1’32.545
8
Karel ABRAHAM
Ducati
313.6
1’32.547
9
Alvaro BAUTISTA
Ducati
314.3
1’32.568
10
Stefan BRADL
Honda
319.0
1’32.708
11
Hafizh SYAHRIN
Yamaha
312.1
1’32.749
12
Bradley SMITH
KTM
309.2
1’33.011
Records
Fastest Lap:
Lap: 6
Andrea IANNONE
1’31.382
157.7 Km/h
Circuit Record Lap:
2016
Jorge LORENZO
1’31.171
158.1 Km/h
Best Lap:
2016
Jorge LORENZO
1’29.401
161.2 Km/h
Moto2
The clouds loomed for Moto2 qualifying but it stayed dry and as the clock ticked towards the 10-minute remaining mark, it was Marini who led the way. Schrötter then took over at the top to better the Italian by 0.080 but he wasn’t going down without a fight. Straight away the Malaysian GP race winner leapfrogged the German to head the field again – 0.007 the gap. Then, the Italian went quicker once more to move the goal posts further, with 0.201 his advantage over the field.
Vierge was then on a mission, but could he topple Marini’s time? Nearly, but not quite. The Spaniard crossed the line just 0.027 off to go to P2. Personal best laps were incoming, but nothing would trouble Marini at the summit – a second pole of the year was the Italian’s, with Vierge’s time also unable to be bettered. Schrötter tried to climb up the front row but despite setting his best time on his final lap, the German would remain P3 – 0.168 off pole.
2018 World Champion Francesco Bagnaia (Sky Racing Team VR46) managed to launch himself up to P4 at the chequered flag as he prepares to go into battle for the final time in the intermediate class on Sunday and compatriot Lorenzo Baldassarri (Pons HP40) also managed to improve on his last lap to go from P7 to P5. He now starts one place ahead of Sam Lowes (Swiss Innovative Investors) in P6 after Lowes’ best qualifying result since the German GP. But just 0.001 behind the British rider was Joan Mir (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) in seventh, who in turn was just 0.044 ahead of countryman Augusto Fernandez (Pons HP40) – another top result with P8 for the Spaniard getting him into the top ten in the latter stages.
Fabio Quartararo (HDR Heidrun – Speed Up) was ninth, with the two Red Bull KTM Ajo machines next up – P10 for Miguel Oliveira, P11 for Brad Binder.
Moto2 Qualifying Results
Pos.
Rider
Bike
Km/h
Time
1
Luca MARINI
Kalex
257.8
1’35.777
2
Xavi VIERGE
Kalex
260.2
1’35.804
3
Marcel SCHROTTER
Kalex
259.2
1’35.945
4
Francesco BAGNAIA
Kalex
257.4
1’36.173
5
Lorenzo BALDASSARRI
Kalex
257.8
1’36.270
6
Sam LOWES
KTM
257.3
1’36.335
7
Joan MIR
Kalex
258.7
1’36.336
8
Augusto FERNANDEZ
Kalex
260.2
1’36.380
9
Fabio QUARTARARO
Speed Up
255.6
1’36.396
10
Miguel OLIVEIRA
KTM
259.7
1’36.429
11
Brad BINDER
KTM
260.2
1’36.464
12
Jesko RAFFIN
Kalex
256.6
1’36.499
13
Simone CORSI
Kalex
256.1
1’36.515
14
Mattia PASINI
Kalex
261.5
1’36.532
15
Khairul Idham PAWI
Kalex
258.8
1’36.572
16
Alex MARQUEZ
Kalex
258.8
1’36.580
17
Remy GARDNER
Tech 3
252.0
1’36.595
18
Andrea LOCATELLI
Kalex
258.3
1’36.638
19
Joe ROBERTS
NTS
255.0
1’36.656
20
Tetsuta NAGASHIMA
Kalex
259.8
1’36.667
21
Iker LECUONA
KTM
255.7
1’36.671
22
Steven ODENDAAL
NTS
258.2
1’36.819
23
Jorge NAVARRO
Kalex
258.0
1’36.909
24
Dominique AEGERTER
KTM
260.0
1’36.976
25
Hector GARZO
Tech 3
253.0
1’37.444
26
Niki TUULI
Kalex
257.5
1’37.457
27
Tommaso MARCON
Speed Up
254.1
1’37.483
28
Federico FULIGNI
Kalex
252.3
1’38.351
29
Isaac VIÑALES
Suter
254.7
1’38.406
30
Xavi CARDELUS
Kalex
253.9
1’38.718
31
Jules DANILO
Kalex
255.9
1’39.275
32
Lukas TULOVIC
Suter
250.6
1’39.600
Moto2 Records
Fastest Lap:
Lap: 18
Luca MARINI
1’35.777
150.5 Km/h
Circuit Record Lap:
2014
Thomas LUTHI
1’35.312
151.2 Km/h
Best Lap:
2016
Johann ZARCO
1’34.879
151.9 Km/h
Moto3
It was a hectic start to the Moto3 qualifying session as several riders went down in the opening exchanges on a drying Circuit Ricardo Tormo. Marco Bezzecchi (Redox PreustelGP) was the man to lead the opening exchanges, but he crashed his KTM machine at Turn 8. 2018 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Champion Can Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) then took over at the summit, but he also went down at Turn 8 – the Turkish rider able get straight back on track but the Italian having to get his bike fixed.
As they have been all weekend, the track conditions were tricky but with no rain falling, a slight dry line started to appear as the times continued to tumble, with Atiratphuvapat sitting 0.2 clear with 12 minutes remaining. However, with his bike repaired, Bezzecchi then took over at the top but by only 0.027.
The track was getting drier and drier and the times started to get faster, with Raul Fernandez (Angel Nieto Team Moto3) and Jakub Kornfeil (Redox PruestelGP) taking over at the top soon after and from there on in, the red sectors were coming from across the board as five minutes remained. Pole position? Anyone’s guess at that stage – but there were still no gamblers changing from wets.
With two to go, it was Atiratphuvapat on top by 0.188 but half the field were lighting up the timing screens with red sectors as some began to gamble on slicks. Arbolino was one of them and he moved the goal posts by over a second, so could that be beaten? Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0) got within 0.3 of the Italian as they homed in, before Arbolino went even quicker to set a 1:46.773; the insurmountable time that would earn the Italian pole.
Öncü then leapt up to a stunning P2 on his final run, before McPhee and then Atiratphuvapat just bumped the 15-year-old wildcard down to fourth and the front of the second row. He’s joined by Canet who ended the session P5 after the late flurry of times, with Bezzecchi starting from the outside of the second row in his last Moto3™ race – P6 for the Italian.
After a crash, Marcos Ramirez (Bester Capital Dubai) managed to get himself up to P7 at the end of the session, with Kornfeil settling for eighth. Ninth went to Albert Arenas (Angel Nieto Team Moto3), the Spaniard another rider to crash during the session, with teammate and wildcard Fernandez rounding out the top ten in another impressive showing.
The sensational qualifying session ends with some big names down the order: 2018 Champion Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) starts P13, with teammate Fabio Di Giannantonio P15 and Enea Bastianini (Leopard Racing) sandwiched between the two in P14.
Better hurry up and get my road licence so I can take advantage of the Carole Nash Insidebikes price promise ! They’ll pay any biker £10 if you can find a cheaper car insurance renewal than theirs. #DriveLikeABiker
So much of the pleasure of motorcycling is auditory: the intake growl of a GSX-R, the thump and rumble of a Big Twin, even the quiet whir of an electric motorcycle, where the loudest noise is the sound of the chain moving around its sprockets. When Motorcyclist commissioned Grado Labs to build a custom pair of headphones out of Harley-Davidson Street 750 pistons, we hoped the collaboration would highlight the association between high-fidelity audio (the hardware of sound) and motorcycles (the sound of hardware).
Grado’s history is a very American story. In 1953, Joseph Grado, a watchmaker at Tiffany and Co., started building phono cartridges at his kitchen table in Brooklyn, New York. Three generations in and Grado is still a family-run business operating out of the same factory that Joseph opened above his father’s grocery store in 1955. In addition to its phono cartridges, Grado’s signature open-back headphones have cemented its legacy in the high-end audio world and beyond. Every product that bears the family name retains Grado’s original philosophy of handcrafted quality.
“All we are concerned about is the sound,” says president and CEO John Grado, who released the original headphone line in 1990. “We’ve built a reputation around what is known as ‘the Grado sound.’”
To the uninitiated, Grado headphones, which often use handmade wooden enclosures, look decidedly old-school. And in certain ways, they are. Though the headphones have a low enough impedance (32 ohms) to be driven by an iPhone or iPod, they really demand to be powered by a headphone amp, or home receiver. That means you’ll be less likely to use them at the airport or on the subway. But that’s as it should be. These ’phones are for sitting down, closing your eyes, and simply listening. Like shutting out life’s distractions with the flip of a dark visor, putting on a pair of high-end headphones tunes out the world beyond the music.
As a complex of mechanical elements, the motorcycle itself is a source of fascination and attraction: the subtle etched lines of a billet footpeg, the satisfying click of a detented damping adjuster beneath a screwdriver, the snappy return of a properly adjusted throttle. The Grado headphones offer a tactile pleasure tantamount to the most beautiful motorcycle part. Lifting the headphones by their piston enclosures and leather headband is a reminder of the relationship between the moto and the audio worlds. Each housing weighs 8.5 ounces, a mass that Grado says helps shield the driver from outside resonances. The heft of the headphones is pleasing in the hand but sufficiently lightweight when worn.
For Grado, the biggest challenge of turning pistons into a pair of headphones was figuring out how to properly vent air to enable the driver to move freely. Rather than milling out a simple circle from the center of the piston, Grado removed a bar and shield-shaped vent, then added an internal vented cocobolo structure to surround the 50 mm dynamic transducers derived from its GS2000e headphones. Since airflow is the name of the game, Grado—as is its typical practice—used large foam earpieces to prevent a seal around the ear. In place of piston rings, there are beautiful cocobolo inlays. Junction blocks made of the same wood connect the enclosures to the sumptuous leather headband borrowed from the company’s top-line PS2000e headphones. Heavyweight 12-conductor cables as thick as brake lines hang from the enclosures and tether the listener to the audio source.
The purity of the tones and the generous soundstage convey the headphones’ built-right, only-the-essentials design.
On Colter Wall’s “Motorcycle,” slight fret buzz from the finger-picked guitar is palpable, displaying great clarity and detail without being so precise as to sound sterile. Thanks to the open-back design and the freely moving driver, the listener can hear the echo of Wall’s voice in the recording studio, conveying a capacious soundstage. It’s as though the listener’s room is transformed into a small-town bandstand at a sweltering Fourth of July concert. While some closed-back headphones can seem to hem in the listener, the Grados offer a far less claustrophobic experience. Peer into the generous ear cups, past the drivers, and the other side of the room is visible. That openness is evident in the sound.
These Grado headphones aren’t high-tech in the way the general population defines it—at least not when it comes to personal audio. There’s no noise-canceling circuitry, no wireless connectivity, no attempt at achieving absolute portability. But the perception of what’s on the bleeding edge of technological advancement doesn’t have to be the only metric of judging value.
A motorcycle’s merit, if determined by measurable performance, is an ever-moving target. As technology advances, a rider’s notion of what’s good moves on with it. In the hi-fi world, on the other hand, the ultimate metric of determining value is unchanging: the human ear. It’s not that high-fidelity technology hasn’t adapted at a commensurate rate to motoring technology, but what sounded good decades ago can sound just as good today. Excellence, as the Grados exemplify, is not contingent on the newest technical innovation or our perception of what’s high-tech.
It’s not a bad lens through which to judge a motorcycle. For some riders, the best Harley may not be the “best” motorcycle in the lineup. And next to a Ducati Panigale V4, a Kawasaki H2R, or a BMW HP4 Race, Harleys don’t match up. Judged by performance and technology metrics—acceleration, braking, handling—a Harley is inferior, plain and simple. But what this pair of Grado headphones taught me, and what Harley devotees have known all along, is that judging a motorcycle by a constant human metric—not something as fickle as technology—affirms the thing doing the judging, not the thing being judged.
Maybe you think that’s a cop out. “Let’s call a spade a spade,” you may be thinking. After all, Harley-Davidson doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Except for when it does. Some riders couldn’t care less about what’s outside the Harley vacuum. For them, Harleys hit all the right notes. Harleys are what move them.
In honor of 115 years of moving people, we thought it would be fitting to present Harley with the Grado headphones as our contribution to the museum. The pistons are returning home to Milwaukee, but they’re bringing a piece of Brooklyn with them.
However, even if you transform them into a pair of headphones, they don’t stop being Harley pistons. It’s just what they are. It’s the same with Harley riders themselves. For that crowd, the sound of a Harley is as profound as the second movement of Beethoven’s seventh symphony, and that’s all that matters.
And when that symphony is heard through the right pair of headphones, it’s downright transcendent.
The penultimate day of racing at this year’s FIM ISDE offered competitors a new course and new challenges. Taking competitors south and into demanding forestry in a route known as the Peñuelas Lake and Wood, both riders and machines were put through another three-hundred kilometres of challenging Enduro terrain. Those remaining in the competition now only have the traditional day six final Motocross race to finish off this year’s gruelling race.
Offering no weakness to their rivals, Australia continued to stamp their authority on the ninety-third edition of the FIM ISDE. Marching ever-closer to their second FIM World Trophy title, they left no one doubting who was in control of the proceedings by topping the standings on day five. With a commanding lead, only the final Motocross race now stands in their way of securing the top step of the podium in Viña del Mar.
Daniel Milner remains untouchable with yet another consecutive day win and heading into the final test tomorrow Milner has an iron fist hold on first place overall, ahead of Taylor Robert from Team USA, by almost one-and-a-half minutes.
Clocking the second fastest time for Team Australia on day five was Daniel Sanders, the Victorian comfortably in third podium position overall.
Daniel Sanders
Rounding out Australia’s World Trophy Team was Joshua Strang who now sits in 10th position overall.
Joshua Strang
Daniel Milner – Team Australia
“There were two new tests today and I had to try and memorise the first test whilst moving through it, which ended up being a struggle! Although I essentially guessed a lot of it, I ended up being 10 seconds ahead of everyone else, which was fantastic! Thankfully we had already walked through the second test last week, so I was much more comfortable walking into it knowing full well which sections were tricky and the points where I could quicken the pace. After completing the tests, I found myself changing into cruise mode and lost a bit of time, but overall I still won the day by 28 seconds! The team is killing it! We’ve put some more time on Team USA, so all in all its been a good day for me and the team.”
Daniel Milner
Despite putting in another determined performance, the United States were unable to force the Australians into a mistake and had to settle for second. Barring any final-day drama, they look set to claim the runner-up result this year, holding a healthy four-minute buffer over Italy in third.
After a disappointing week in Chile, defending champions France will be happy to see this year’s event come to an end. Fourth in the FIM World Trophy classification, the hot, dry and dusty conditions have not favoured them, as Loic Larrieu (Yamaha) explains.
Loic Larrieu – Team France
“Unfortunately, it’s just not been our year,” admitted Larrieu. “The dusty, hard pack terrain and unique special tests have been difficult to adapt to and we’ve not shown our best. Personally, it’s been a hard race for me, especially having won the overall in 2017. I was carrying some injuries starting and through a combination of too many crashes, I haven’t been able to race like I wanted to.”
Spain are currently fifth, Portugal, the Czech Republic and Sweden round out the top eighth.
In the Enduro 1 category Italy’s Davide Guarneri (Honda) claimed the day win over Spain’s Victor Guerrero (Yamaha) and Andrea Verona (ITA – TM). However, despite suffering some trouble on day five, Verona still tops the Enduro 1 standings from Guarneri and Guerrero.
Aiming for a clean sweep of class day wins, Taylor Robert was again fastest in Enduro 2, winning four of the six special tests. Over five minutes clear of Steward Baylor (USA – KTM) in second, Robert can enjoy his final day of racing in Viña del Mar.
Taylor Robert
Arguably the standout performer in this year’s FIM ISDE, Daniel Milner added the Enduro 3 class win to his overall victory on day five. Two minutes clear of fellow Australian Sanders in second, the KTM rider will aim for a trouble-free Motocross race to sign off his week in style.
Juniors
In the FIM Junior World Trophy class, the United States finally got the better of rivals Italy, claiming the day five win. Feeling good on the new special tests, the United States pushed hard to reduce the gap to Italy ahead of day six. But with the Italians fighting back during the latter half of the day, they limited their loss and are three minutes and thirty-five seconds clear with the final Motocross remaining.
Putting the brakes on Chile’s challenge for the final step of the podium, France answered back having lost out to them during the last two days. Third fastest on the penultimate day, France keep Chile one-minute and thirty seconds behind them entering day six. Knowing all is still not lost, expect Chile to lay everything on the line in the hope of a possible debut FIM ISDE podium result, on home soil.
Andrew Wilksch
Australia continues to sit comfortably in fifth position, behind Chile in fourth place, who gained ground ahead of Australia by just under 12 minutes. Clocking the fastest time for Australia in day five was Fraser Higlett ahead of Andrew Wilksch and Thomas Mason who fought through the punishing conditions to make a staggering jump from yesterday’s 70th position to a new 52nd position overall!
Women
Easing back as they race towards a recording-breaking sixth consecutive FIM Women’s World Trophy victory, Australia still claimed victory on day five. Beating closet rivals the United States by less than one-minute, the trio of Tayla Jones (Husqvarna), Jessica Gardiner (Yamaha) and Mackenzie Tricker (KTM) have a commanding nine-minute lead. Now eleven minutes behind the United States, Spain are third, with Sweden fourth.
Day two of the FIM Vintage Trophy saw Germany’s Jens Oestreich (SWM) top the ’76 class. Germany’s Jens Bossdorf (SWM) leads the ‘79 class over Rolf Nickolai (DEU -Kramer), while Sven Roth (DEU – Kramer) is the overall leader of the ’82 category. Germany’s Swen Schiller (Kram-It) is best of the Evo 86 riders.
World Trophy and Women’s Trophy teams on the verge of victory in Chile.
Image: Supplied.
Australia are on the cusp of victory at the 2018 FIM International Six Days Enduro (ISDE) as they take a sizeable lead into the final day of racing in Chile.
With just day six of the ninety-third FIM ISDE remaining, Australia’s FIM World Trophy team enjoy a 7m30s lead over the United States, with Italy third.
Offering no weakness to their rivals, Australia continued to stamp their authority on the 93rd edition of the ISDE. Marching ever-closer to their second World Trophy title, they left no one doubting who was in control of the proceedings by topping the standings on day five.
With a commanding lead, only the final motocross race now stands in their way of securing the top step of the podium in Vina del Mar.
Despite putting in another determined performance, the United States were unable to force the Australians into a mistake and had to settle for second ahead of Italy. After a disappointing week, defending champions France will be happy to see this year’s event come to an end as they sit fourth in the classification.
In the Junior World Trophy class, the United States finally got the better of rivals Italy, claiming the day five win. Feeling good on the new special tests, the US pushed hard to reduce the gap to Italy, but with the Italians fighting back during the latter half of the day, they limited their loss and are 3m35s clear.
Putting the brakes on Chile’s challenge for the final step of the podium, France answered back having lost out to them during the last two days. Third fastest on the penultimate day, France keep Chile 1m30s behind them entering day six. Australia currently sits fifth overall.
Easing back as they race towards a recording-breaking sixth Women’s World Trophy win in a row, Australia still claimed victory on day five. Beating closet rivals the US by less than one minute, the trio of individual leader Tayla Jones (Husqvarna), Jessica Gardiner (Yamaha) and Mackenzie Tricker (KTM) have a commanding nine-minute lead.
Racing to his fourth overall day win, Daniel Milner (KTM Enduro Racing Team) once again set the benchmark. The Australian is now almost 90 seconds clear of closest rival Taylor Robert (KTM) in second, with Daniel Sanders (Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team) 33 seconds behind in third.
Milner and Sanders are currently 1-2 in the E3 division, Andrew Wilksch (Sherco) is 15th and Tom Mason (KTM) P16 in class. Husqvarna’s Josh Strang climbed to fourth in E2, as Fraser Higlett (Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team) is now sixth in E1.
Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) completes Day 1 at the Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana as the fastest man in some tough and wet conditions thanks to his FP1 time of 1:39.767, with the Spaniard heading Alma Pramac Racing’s Jack Miller and Danilo Petrucci with the top three split by just 0.140 on Friday.
Marc Marquez
Just like FP1, the FP2 session was red-flagged in the early stages due to unsafe track conditions. This came after debris was left on circuit after Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) crashed at the tricky Turn 12, but the Frenchman was ok and returned to the pits. A short delay followed before the riders headed back out, but with the rain heavier than it was in FP1, none of the riders were able to improve on their morning times and the top three – and ten – were decided for the day.
Marc Marquez – P1
“Honestly, it was a difficult day because not only were there wet conditions with a lot of water, but also because it was very cold. When there’s so much water on track, it’s a kind of lottery, and the only thing you can do is try not to crash. This situation made things more complicated, but luckily the track here in Valencia has very good drainage and very good grip all things considered, and this allowed us to actually ride today. That said, I felt very good on the bike and was able to feel the limit and be fast, which is very important. It looks like the weather will be a bit better tomorrow, only to worsen again on Sunday, so we need to be ready for whatever condition we may find if we wish to fight for the podium.”
Marc Marquez
Jack Miller had clocked the second fastest time in the FP1 session and looked as though he was going to the top of the charts after lighting up the red helmet late in the session before a fall cost the Australian his chance.
Jack Miller – P2
“The feelings are very positive. This morning we did very well and in the afternoon we preferred not to do too many laps not to wear out the soft rear tyre in sight of qualifying and the race. I’m satisfied.”
Jack Miller
Danilo Petrucci topped the wetter FP2 session by a significant margin, 0.407 was the gap back to Marquez with Valentino Rossi the only other rider within a second of the Ducati rider in the second session. It was P12 overall for ‘The Doctor’, however.
Danilo Petrucci – P3
“The conditions we found in FP2 are better for me. However, I have to admit that in some parts of the circuit it was not easy as the visibility was really limited. But I am happy because the feeling was very good from the start”.
Danilo Petrucci
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) sits fourth overall and the Italian was P12 in FP2, with Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) completing the top five on Day 1 despite conditions that have often been more difficult for the newly-inducted Legend this season.
Andrea Dovizioso – P4
“This morning, despite the rain, the track had good grip but in the afternoon we encountered different conditions: there was really a lot of water and I didn’t have a particularly good feeling with my bike. In any case we managed to do a few tests with the tyres: the session was useful for this reason, especially because this year we haven’t lapped much in the rain, and we picked up some good indications for Sunday’s race, should it be wet.”
Andrea Dovizioso
Dani Pedrosa – P5
“It seems it’s going to rain quite a lot this weekend! The track changes when the water increases, and in some points it’s a bit difficult to ride. That was the case this afternoon, so I just did very few laps. On the other hand, when there’s a bit less water, like at a certain point during FP1, you can be much faster. So we must wait and see what conditions we’ll have over the weekend. This will also affect the tyre choice and the rhythm of the race.”
Dani Pedrosa
Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar) – fourth in FP2 – ends P6 on the combined times, with Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) ending the day as the fastest Yamaha rider in P7 overall.
Andrea Iannone – P6
“Today was not so bad, and it’s only Friday. The conditions are a bit difficult, but that’s the same for everyone. We worked well today and found a few areas we can improve on – especially on the braking point and cornering. So for tomorrow we hope we’ve found the solutions for these areas. We’ll give our best for qualifying and my feeling is positive and good. The grip on the track is really good, but when there’s a lot of water we get some spinning, especially on the straight. But we just have to deal with these conditions.”
Andrea Iannone
Maverick Vinales – P7
“I didn‘t feel so bad, and honestly it was better than I expected. In the morning I was a bit faster than I was this afternoon, because there was a lot of water on the track. There are still some things to improve on, but I‘m actually happy. Let‘s see if we can take another step tomorrow. Our objective is to be in the top-5, if it‘s raining and conditions are similar to today, that result would be great. Today I announced that next season, and starting from next Tuesday at the Valencia test, I will be riding with a new number: 12. The reason why I decided to change the number is that I used to ride with number 12 when I was a kid, for at least five or six years, and I was really successful. I also feel that number 12 identifies me a bit more, though I‘ve been riding with number 25 for quite a few years.”
Maverick Vinales
Wildcard and Ducati Team test rider Michele Pirro sits P8 overall thanks to his FP1 time, a strong showing for the Italian, as Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pol Espargaro grabs a provisional Q2 spot by ending Friday in P9. A P6 in FP2 – along with teammate Bradley Smith’s P8 – caps off a good day for the Austrian manufacturer in the wet conditions.
Michele Pirro – P8
“It was a day with really a lot of rain, but this morning we worked well in any case and in the afternoon we tried a few things in view of the race that might be useful because on Sunday it seems as if the conditions could be similar to today. With such changeable weather it was important to finish the day inside the top 10: I managed to do this, I’m eighth and this is positive. Let’s hope we can continue to work like this also tomorrow.”
Michele Pirro
Alex Rins (Team Ecstar Suzuki) rounds out the top ten, but just 0.002 ahead of compatriot Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) in P11.
Alex Rins – P10
“I’ve been feeling very good today, both in FP1 and FP2. The bike is working well and we’re preparing for race day. It looks like it will be wet all weekend but we are ready for that. It’s really difficult to ride in these conditions, and during FP2 the track was so wet that all of us riders were experiencing a bit of aqua-planing and spinning on the straight, but I think the track will be OK for the race. I came into the box towards the end of the session because the risk was a bit higher and my feeling was already good.”
Alex Rins
Aleix Espargaro’ – P11
“Today I really felt good. Finishing FP1 close to the top 10 and fifth in FP2 is a great sign. The bike’s grip is very good and I was fast, confirming that we have made some steps forward from this point of view because the grip problems get worse in the wet. If the weekend should continue along these lines, we’ll be able to aim for important positions in the race.”
Aleix Espargaro’
Valentino Rossi – P12
“It was a busy day and fully wet. It’s actually a good thing, because it looks like the weather will be very bad on Sunday, so we need to understand which tyre we will try to use and also work on the balance of the bike. This morning the track was a bit faster because there was less water on it, but unfortunately I didn’t feel fantastic with the bike, it wasn’t a perfect combination. But we made some good modifications so in the afternoon I was stronger. It’s a shame we couldn’t improve our laptime from this morning. I’m outside of the top-10, but with a good feeling and also a good pace, so in the end it’s not so bad.”
Valentino Rossi – The effectiveness of the chin spoiler on the back of the bottom fairing can be seen here in this shot of Rossi in the rain at Valencia
Jorge Lorenzo for the moment had to settle for nineteenth place with a time of 1’41.782 in his return to the MotoGP grid, and his final appearance with Ducati before the Spaniard joins Repsol Honda for season 2019.
Jorge Lorenzo – P19
“Undoubtedly these aren’t the best conditions for my come-back, because the track today was treacherous. My wrist still hurts, especially under braking and coming out of the corners, and even more when I do more than five laps continuously. I can’t be too aggressive and I have to make smooth movements that make me lose speed. With very little water on the track I feel better, but when it rains a lot everything becomes more complicated. Let’s see if conditions improve a bit tomorrow and we’ll try and get inside the top 10 to go straight through into Q2.”
Jorge Lorenzo
A completely wet day in Valencia looks like it will set the tone for the weekend.
Valencia Day One MotoGP Combined Free Practice
MARQUEZ Marc SPA Repsol Honda 1’39.767
MILLER Jack AUS Alma Pramac Ducati 1’39.873 / 0.106
PETRUCCI Danilo ITA Alma Pramac Ducati 1’39.907 / 0.140
ESPARGARO Aleix SPA Aprilia Racing Gresini 1’40.967 / 1.200
ROSSI Valentino ITA Movistar Yamaha 1’41.015 / 1.248
ZARCO Johann FRA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1’41.146 / 1.379
ABRAHAM Karel CZE Angel Nieto Team 1’41.160 / 1.393
SIMEON Xavier BEL Reale Avintia Racing 1’41.277 / 1.510
BRADL Stefan GER LCR Honda 1’41.479 / 1.712
SMITH Bradley GBR Red Bull KTM 1’41.489 / 1.722
MORBIDELLI Franco ITA EG 0,0 Marc VDS 1’41.713 / 1.946
LORENZO Jorge SPA Ducati Team 1’41.782 / 2.015
NAKAGAMI Takaaki JPN LCR Honda 1’42.471 / 2.704
BAUTISTA Alvaro SPA Angel Nieto Team 1’42.617 / 2.850
REDDING Scott GBR Aprilia Racing Gresini 1’42.857/ 3.090
LUTHI Tom SWI EG 0,0 Marc VDS 1’43.000 / 3.233
SYAHRIN Hafizh MAL Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1’43.727 / 3.960
TORRES Jordi SPA Reale Avintia Racing 1’45.001 / 5.234
Valencia Day One MotoGP Combined Free Practice
Moto2
Iker Lecuona (Swiss Innovative Investors) impressed in tough wet conditions after his FP1 time saw him end Day 1 at the Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana at the summit of the Moto2 combined standings. Because of the heavier rainfall in the afternoon, FP1 times would remain the fastest of the day for the intermediate class and Lecuona’s 1:46.705 in the morning was enough to see him better Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) by 0.798, despite a crash for both. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) sits third quickest on the combined times – 0.912 off Lecuona.
Fourth overall and P4 in FP2 was American rider Joe Roberts (NTS RW Racing GP), who showed his incredible pace in the wet once again, despite a crash. He was just ahead of Lorenzo Baldassarri (Pons HP40), who was fifth on Day 1 and third in the second, trickier session. World Champion Francesco Bagnaia (Sky Racing Team VR46) ends Friday in P6 overall but was P13 in FP2, with Marcel Schrötter (Dynavolt Intact GP) seventh quickest overall.
Second of the NTS wet weather heroes was Steven Odendaal (NTS RW Racing GP), the South African crashing in both sessions but quick, with two MotoGP-bound riders completing the top ten: it was P9 for Joan Mir (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) and P10 for Fabio Quartararo (HDR Heidrun – Speed Up).
Remy Gardner – P24
“Today has been quite good. I definitely thought that I would be stronger in the wet, but I always struggled in Valencia, so I knew it’s going to be a tough one. I had a bit of a strange crash this morning, but anyway, we got a bit softer clutch setting which helped in the afternoon, where I just did laps and found confidence. We were back inside the top 10 in FP2, my feeling was pretty ok, although the conditions were a lot worse than this morning. We’re still working on the setting and we still have to do some things before Sunday, as it looks like it’s going to be wet.”
FP2 saw no less than 16 crashes: Lukas Tulovic (Forward Racing Team), Hector Garzo (Tech 3 Racing), Khairul Idham Pawi (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia), Jorge Navarro (Federal Oil Team Gresini) twice, replacement rider Tommaso Marcon (HDR Heidrun – Speed Up), Xavi Cardelus (Marinelli Snipers Team), Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2’s Simone Corsi, Tetsuta Nagashima (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia), Sky Racing Team VR46’s Luca Marini, Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team) and Sam Lowes (Swiss Innovative Investors), riders ok.
Valencia Day One MotoGP Combined Free Practice Moto2
Rookie Alonso Lopez (Estrella Galicia 0,0) went fastest on his final flying lap in FP2 to end Friday at the Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana on top; his 1:51.873 enough to oust Marco Bezzecchi (Redox PruestelGP) – despite a late crash – from the summit by just 0.039. Fabio Di Giannantonio (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) took P3 in FP2 and on the combined times after a P15 in the morning, and the top three overall were split by just 0.094 on Friday.
A wet FP1 and a wet FP2 was the order of the day as the lightweight class machines completed their final Friday of the year in a rain-soaked Valencia. The aforementioned home rider Lopez takes the honours to top the two Italians, with Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) fourth in a tight top four – 0.140 was the gap from the Japanese rider to the Spaniard after he ended the first session in P13. Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing) completed the top five on Friday.
World Champion Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) – who didn’t venture out in FP1 – ended the day sixth fastest, just ahead of Andrea Migno (Angel Nieto Team Moto3), who rounds out a solid day in P7 after ending FP1 inside the top three. Wildcard and Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Champion Can Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo), meanwhile, took an impressive P8 to end his first day in Grand Prix racing in the top ten despite a crash, with fellow former Asia Talent Cup rider Nakarin Atiratphuvapat (Honda Team Asia) P9 overall. Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) took P10 and was another who crashed in tough conditions.
Crashes were aplenty in the wet conditions, with replacement rider Izam Ikmal (Petronas Sprinta Racing) the first rider to crash, joined by Tony Arbolino (Marinelli Snipers Team), Kazuki Masaki (RBA BOE Skull Rider), Raul Fernandez (Angel Nieto Team Moto3), Vicente Perez (Reale Avintia Academy 77) for the second time of the day, Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0), Bester Capital Dubai’s Jaume Masia and Gabriel Rodrigo (RBA BOE Skull Rider) – riders ok.
Valencia Day One MotoGP Combined Free Practice Moto3
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