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Jerez Day One | Times/Quotes/Reports/Images | All classes

2020 MotoGP Jerez Day One Quotes

Marc Marquez – P1

“I’m happy again today. It is great to officially start the 2020 season and I felt really good from this morning, starting with the base we found on Wednesday. Then in the afternoon today we started to experiment a bit, trying a few ideas and using the time differently. I feel competitive, our opponents are fast but I’m feeling good. We had one small crash today because the track temperature is really high, making the track slippery. I went a bit wide and maybe I need to practice saving it with my elbow again, it’s just the second day back after a long break! But I was able to keep riding the bike, it was a really small crash.”

Marc Marquez

Maverick Vinales – P2

“It was a good day. The feeling that I have on the bike, and also with the team, is amazing. This morning it was unbelievably good, the bike was working fantastic! I‘m also happy, because this afternoon we worked so well. We found out many, mainly positive, things for the race. I‘m actually very enthusiastic, because in the last run I did some good lap times, which were done towards the end of the tyre‘s life, and I was still fast. For sure, we will still have to improve, but I feel ready. It‘s very important to qualify at the front tomorrow. Judging by the time attacks from this morning, the qualifying times are going to be fast, but our main focus remains the race. We found a good pace today in both the morning and the afternoon conditions, but the problem is that the temperature is so high – and this is a very demanding track, you are working all the time – so it‘s very tough. It‘s also very hard on the bike and the tyres, so it will be an interesting race. We have to keep working hard to improve, especially in the hot conditions in tomorrow‘s FP4.”

Maverick Vinales

Cal Crutchlow – P3

“Today was not a bad day at all. We worked really well as a team and it’s nice to be back into a race weekend after waiting as long as we have to get back. We tested on Wednesday, but it was great to get out there for real this morning.  We set not too bad a lap time in the morning session, and then this afternoon we worked on the race-pace and race set-up of the bike and I think we have managed to improve that a little bit. We still have a fair amount of work to do tomorrow, however, to make sure we are ready for Sunday’s first Grand Prix. I can’t wait!”

Cal Crutchlow

Andrea Dovizioso – P4

“Today went well! I am pleased because we were able to take a step further than Wednesday’s test, and that was our main goal for the day. We got very close to the fastest riders, and we also have a good pace ahead of Sunday’s race. The GP this Sunday will be very hard, and I still don’t feel completely comfortable on the bike, but we have several aspects that we need to work on, and for sure, we have room for improvements. In general, I am satisfied with this first day.”

Andrea Dovizioso

Joan Mir – P5

“The feeling was good, it’s great to be back riding properly! We did a really good job today and we were able to try a few things that we didn’t manage to do during the test day. We also spent some time today trying the front tyre options and checking which will be best for us on race day. At the moment it’s difficult to decide because the conditions are so tough. But anyway, the feeling with the bike is good and I’m ready for tomorrow.”

Joan Mir

Jack Miller – P6

“I’m very happy, today was the first real day of the Championship. This afternoon I struggled a bit because of the wind and the heat. We worked a lot in the box with the team to try to understand how we can improve in some corners. It was a really positive first day and we have a good feeling with the bike since this morning.”

Jack Miller

Alex Rins – P7

“I’m feeling confident with my pace and with the bike; in the morning I worked on lap times and then in the afternoon I worked on tyres. Now I feel as though I understand the limits with the used tyres. I’m happy because I tried the various options and it helped a lot to figure out how Sunday will be. For tomorrow I’ll be focusing on making sure I’m in Q2 and see what we can do from there.”

Alex Rins

Iker Lecuona – P9

“I’m truly happy today. This morning, I started to work on the bike and improved a lot. Later on, I put a new tyre in and finished my first FP1 inside the top 10, so it’s really, really nice. I knew that it was difficult to do a fast lap in the afternoon, so I was working more for the race. I’m very satisfied, especially because I’m so close to the top, finishing just 0.364 seconds behind the fastest rider with 19 laps on the soft tyre. Overall, I’m really happy and I hope we can keep going this way tomorrow.”

Iker Lecuona

Franco Morbidelli – P12

“It was a really good day for us; we’ve been consistent this morning and we’ve been fast this afternoon. I’m really happy with the overall performance that we have demonstrated today. We need to put everything together and our priority tomorrow is to get directly into Q2, before we think about which tyres to use for the race. Last year was a good race for us here and with the performance we’ve had so far I’m confident ahead of qualifying tomorrow.”

Franco Morbidelli

Valentino Rossi – P13

“It was a difficult day. This morning was already not fantastic, but this afternoon it got worse. I’m struggling with the rear grip because, unfortunately, we have a tyre temperature problem, and in this heat we are suffering a lot. In the morning it’s cooler, so that’s a bit better. In the afternoon we lose a lot, so I’m not very fast. We need to work, and we need to improve the bike’s balance to try to be more competitive. Sincerely, I don’t know how we will improve this, but we have to find something, because tomorrow morning it will be very important to try to stay in the top 10 and go straight into Q2.”

Valentino Rossi

Takaaki Nakagami – P14

“It was quite a difficult day for us, especially in the morning because we didn’t put in any soft tyres – which most other riders did to get a lap time. We preferred to focus on race tyres, particularly in FP2 in the afternoon. Conditions were really tough. It is extremely hot, but there was also a lot of wind out on track, and so it was difficult to hold onto the bike in the session. Step by step we started to improve the feeling on the bike but we need to make a lot more improvements, especially in sector four. We are losing a bit there and I need more confidence on the bike there. On this track the last two sectors are so important and require a lot of confidence, so if you don’t have the lap time. We know which areas we need to improve in, so that’s a good thing. FP3 in the morning will be like a qualifying session and it’s going to be very hard to get through into Q2, but hopefully we will be able to manage it!”

Takaaki Nakagami

Fabio Quartararo – P15

“I struggled in the morning practice, but in the afternoon we had a good setting on the bike and it felt great. The pace was good in the heat, which is really good as the race will be at more or less at the same time as we had FP2 today. We’ve come here with a new bike compared to last year, no running since pre-season testing and that’s why I struggled a lot this morning. We need to go step by step in making improvements, but I’m really looking forward to tomorrow where we can work on our time attack pace ahead of qualifying and I’m feeling confident.”

Fabio Quartararo

Aleix Espargaro – P16

“This was not a simple day. I had a lot of chattering this morning and it’s the first time this has happened with the 2020 RS-GP. We analysed the causes and, thanks to a change we made, I was able to get the feeling back in FP2. I didn’t use too many new tyres, so I can say that, after turning a lot of laps, our pace is not at all bad. Tomorrow morning, I’ll need to take a few risks in the first session to get into the top 10. I think I’ll be able to do that and I hope to find the same sensations as I did this afternoon.”

Aleix Espargaro

Alex Marquez – P17

“The first day was a positive, especially in the morning. It was like the first day of school again, you’re excited but a little bit nervous! We had a plan to push on the last exit after confirming some settings we found in the test. I made a 1’38.2 which was not bad – I was a second faster than the test. There are still some things to improve so I was pleased. In the second session I made a bit of a rookie mistake with the conditions changing, but physically I am fine. A good day of learning.”

Pecco Bagnaia – P18

“This morning during fp1 I didn’t change the tires, we preferred to focus on race pace because last year for me was very difficult to ride with old tires. During FP2 we were very fast both on time and pace and this was very important because the qualifying practice and the race will be in the same track conditions and we have to handle high temperatures. I’m happy because during FP2 despite the heat I could made a good chrono and I hasn’t got worse compared to FP1. We have to work, but in this moment I don’t have many changes to do. We are ready for tomorrow.”

Pecco Bagnaia

Miguel Oliveira – P20

“It was a first good Friday for us. Of course, the position is not what we want and it doesn’t really reflect our work as we didn’t do any time attack in the morning or in the afternoon. I think our pace is much closer to the top guys than what the position shows. The team did a great job, we found some solutions to gain more grip and we are happy about today. Tomorrow we have our chance to go to the top 10, everything is very tight, but I think we can manage it.”

Danilo Petrucci – P21

“It was quite difficult to find the rhythm immediately after Wednesday’s crash! In this morning’s session, I didn’t feel completely well on the bike, but, in the afternoon, I started to regain the feeling with the Desmosedici GP despite the great heat. There are still several aspects that we need to improve, especially the race pace, but we have already managed to get closer to the firsts, and this makes me positive and confident for the rest of the weekend”.

Danilo Petrucci

Bradley Smith – P22

“This morning, we made a few obvious checks, but I am pleased with how the session went. I did my fast lap almost straight away. On the other hand, we struggled just a bit with the heat in the afternoon and we had to try the various combinations of the available tyre compounds. At the end of the day, I used the one that suited me best at the least ideal time and that had an impact on the final standings. In any case, the position does not reflect our potential and the feeling I have in the saddle. As a racer, everything is more frenetic than the tests and you have to take very quick decisions. I would have liked two 90-minute sessions!”

Bradley Smith

Team Managers

Massimo Meregalli – Yamaha Team Director

“It‘s been a mixed first day of school for us. It‘s great to be back in action, but unfortunately also some of our problems from previous years with tyre degradation seem to have returned, especially with Valentino. We already gathered a lot of data during the test on Wednesday, but it‘s never enough, so today‘s sessions, especially the hotter FP2 – held at a similar time as the race – play a significant role in our preparations for Sunday. On the bright side, Maverick is in his element and has been since the last part of the pre-season. The new bike with his riding style makes a good package, and together they result in a positive outcome. He has always been very motivated, but this year we can clearly see that extra fire in his eyes. He is eager to try anything and everything, and his high level is a direct result of it. Valentino suffered more from the heat. He seems to lose feeling with the tyres after a couple of laps, and accordingly he then also struggles with the balance of his bike. We will work hard this evening and overnight to find solutions for both issues to make him feel more comfortable during FP3, when we will be trying out for a place in Q2, a crucial part of the GP weekend.”


Round 2 – Jerez – Day One Report

After setting the fastest time in the cooler FP1 conditions at the Gran Premio Red Bull de España, Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) takes the opening Friday honours of 2020 as he remained fastest by the end of play – but it was far from an easy return to the top for the reigning Champion.

Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) was just 0.024 in arrears, and after having topped the last couple of tests, with Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) completing the top three less than a tenth off the top.

FP1 saw the action get underway as an eager Bradley Smith (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) roared out of pitlane as the first MotoGP bike out in an official race weekend session this year, and the morning session was the one that would count most on the timesheets for most of the grid.

Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) had to sit out the first 20 minutes of the session though, with the Frenchman given a penalty for training on “illegal” machinery – ie outside the regs – but by the end though the time attacks were underway full force, and it was Marquez who came out on top. With Viñales and Crutchlow so close, and Quartararo not yet having had the same running, the Jaws music need not start quite yet for the reigning Champion though.

In the afternoon it was Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) who proved the man to beat in FP2, but the times were a good eight tenths slower in a sweltering afternoon at the Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto. Quartararo was second in the more “race similar” conditions, and the only man to improve, with rookie Brad Binder putting in a stunner to put his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing machine inside the top three in the session and only a tenth off the top. FP2 also saw the first two race weekend crashes of the season: Marc Marquez and rookie teammate Alex Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), with both lowsiding out (separately) and unhurt.

Overall though, it’s Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) who takes fourth as the veteran Italian really cranked up the pace after a more anonymous day on the Wednesday test timesheets, looking strong despite being on the way back from a collarbone injury, with Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) turning the tables on more experienced teammate Alex Rins to complete the top five. Rins was seventh, just behind Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) as the Aussie stuck it in sixth.

Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) took eighth in an impressive first day, and he led a trio of KTMs in the top ten overall on Friday. Rookie Iker Lecuona (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) put in an awesome performance to end up only 0.002 off the more experienced Espargaro and take ninth, with the aforementioned Brad Binder, as well as ending FP2 in third, doing an impressive enough job with his FP1 time to take tenth overall.

Johann Zarco (Reale Avintia Racing) was P11 after a solid day, ahead of Morbidelli on the combined timesheets, with Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) next up in P13 on Friday. The ‘Doctor’ seemed to have a tougher time of it on Day 1, but remains the most recent winner for Yamaha at the track (from pole, in 2016) so he’ll be looking for more on Saturday. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) was fourteenth, with Quartararo ending the day in fifteenth and surely heading for a bounce back on Saturday.

Saturday begins at 1755 (AEST)) for MotoGP with FP3, which also welcomes in the riders’ last chance to move directly into Q2. With temperatures expected to be a little cooler in the morning, there could well be a big chance to improve – and the likes of Rossi and Quartararo will be top of the list for a time attack late in the session. Qualifying then begins at 2210 (AEST)

MotoGP Combined Practice Times

Pos Rider Bike Time/Gap
1 Marquez HONDA 1m37.350
2 M.Viñales YAMAHA +0.024
3 C.Crutchlow HONDA +0.088
4 A.Dovizioso DUCATI +0.121
5 J.Mir SUZUKI +0.131
6 J.Miller DUCATI +0.137
7 A.Rins SUZUKI +0.219
8 P.Espargaro KTM +0.362
9 I.Lecuona KTM +0.364
10 B.Binder KTM +0.573
11 J.Zarco DUCATI +0.590
12 F.Morbidelli YAMAHA +0.632
13 V.Rossi YAMAHA +0.768
14 T.Nakagami HONDA +0.779
15 F.Quartararo YAMAHA +0.802
16 A.Espargaro APRILIA +0.859
17 A.Marquez HONDA +0.862
18 F.Bagnaia DUCATI +0.966
19 T.Rabat DUCATI +0.987
20 M.Oliveira M KTM +1.156
21 D.Petrucci DUCATI +1.157
22 B.Smith APRILIA +1.380

Moto2

The second Moto2 Friday of the 2020 season belonged to Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46) at the Gran Premio Red Bull de España, the Italian topping the timesheets in FP1 and FP2 to lay down the gauntlet for his rivals. Thanks to his FP1 time, Jorge Navarro (HDR Heidrun Speed Up) sits P2 as the Spaniard splits the Sky Racing Team VR46 duo inside the top three, with Marco Bezzecchi third.

Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46)

Much like it was in the MotoGP class, it was clear from the early stages that the Moto2 riders were going to struggle to better their FP1 times that were set in cooler track temperatures of the morning. Ground temperatures were well into the 50s for the intermediate class, but Marini looked as comfortable as he did in the morning session. Both he and teammate Bezzecchi looked strong in both sessions on Friday, and they worked in tandem for a brief period in FP2. It wasn’t quite such a straightforward afternoon for the man second overall as Navarro’s bike suffered some sort of issue and the Spaniard had to pull to the side of the track down the back straight, a slight disruption to his FP2 running. Nevertheless, Navarro was able to get back out and finish P6 in the session itself.

Championship leader Tetsuta Nagashima (Red Bull KTM Ajo) was another man to look comfortable across Friday’s action as he finished the day fourth, with Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP) completing the top five. Previous Jerez winner Sam Lowes (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) was sixth as he rejoins the field after injury, ahead of Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo). Fabio Di Giannantonio (HDR Heidrun Speed Up) took P8, with American rider Joe Roberts back in action to put his Tennor American Racing machine in ninth. Hafizh Syahrin (Inde Aspar Team Moto2) was P10 to make it three Speed Ups in the top ten.

Tom Lüthi (Liqui Moly Intact GP) was 11th despite a crash, with two-time Jerez winner Lorenzo Baldassarri (Flexbox HP 40) just behind him. Enea Bastianini (Italtrans Racing Team) and Somkiat Chantra (Honda Team Asia) lock out the fastest fourteen who are currently on for provisional Q2 entry.

Moto2 Combined Practice Times

Pos Rider Bike Time/Gap
1 L.Marini KALEX 1m42.228
2 J.Navarro SPEED UP +0.048
3 M.Bezzecchi KALEX +0.315
4 T.Nagashima KALEX +0.326
5 M.Schrotter KALEX +0.342
6 S.Lowes KALEX +0.371
7 J.Martin KALEX +0.375
8 F.Di Giannanto SPEED UP +0.450
9 J.Roberts KALEX +0.472
10 H.Syahrin SPEED UP +0.478
11 T.Luthi KALEX +0.486
12 L.Baldassarri KALEX +0.555
13 E.Bastianini KALEX +0.577
14 S.Chantra KALEX +0.647
15 M.Ramirez KALEX +0.723
16 N.Bulega KALEX +0.738
17 A.Canet SPEEDUP +0.780
18 R.Gardner KALEX +0.801
19 X.Vierge KALEX +0.802
20 A.Fernandez KALEX +0.804
21 S.Manzi MV AGUSTA +0.938
22 S.Corsi MV AGUSTA +1.085
23 J.Dixon KALEX +1.158
24 A.Izdihar KALEX +1.166
25 H.Garzo KALEX +1.170
26 B.Bendsneyde NTS +1.254
27 E.Pons KALEX +1.282
28 L.Dalla Porta KALEX +1.717
29 J.Raffin NTS +2.444
30 K.Daniel KALEX +2.577

Moto3

Gabriel Rodrigo (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3) matched the scorching Friday sun with some scorching Friday pace at the Gran Premio Red Bull de España, with the Argentinean breaking the lap record in the morning and completing the full set by topping the timesheets in FP2 to end the day over half a second clear. Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) was second fastest overall, with John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) completing the top three only thousandths off the Spaniard in second.

Gabriel Rodrigo (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3)

It’s hot in July in Jerez, and that could be seen on the timesheets for much of the field as only a handful improved their laptimes in the afternoon. The top 12 – and Rodrigo’s record – remained unchanged in FP2, but there were only two crashers despite the hot pace overall: Ayumu Sasaki (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) in FP1 and 2019 Jerez winner Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) in FP2, riders ok.

Behind the near half second gap accrued by Rodrigo at the top though, the timesheets were incredibly tight. The thousandths separating Fernandez and McPhee were followed up by just another 0.063 back to Andrea Migno (Sky Racing Team VR46), with rookie and reigning FIM Moto3 Junior World Champion Jeremy Alcoba (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3) completing the top five by 0.024. Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46), Kaito Toba (Red Bull KTM Ajo), Qatar winner and therefore Championship leader Albert Arenas (Gaviota Aspar Team Moto3), Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing) and Tony Arbolino (Rivacold Snipers Team) locked out the top ten.

Sterilgarda Max Racing Team’s Romano Fenati put the new Husqvarna into a positive P11, only 0.003 off the top ten, and the Italian slotted in ahead of Valencia 2019 winner Sergio Garcia (Estrella Galicia 0,0). Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) was next up as the first on the timesheets to go quicker in the afternoon in P13 overall; his laptime in FP2 having put him second in that session. As it stands, Qatar podium finisher Ai Ogura (Honda Team Asia) holds the final provisional place in Q2 as he ended the day in fourteenth.

Moto3 Combined Practice Times

Pos Rider Bike Time/Gap
1 G.Rodrigo HONDA 1m45.663
2 R.Fernandez KTM +0.430
3 J.Mcphee HONDA +0.439
4 A.Migno KTM +0.502
5 J.Alcoba HONDA +0.526
6 C.Vietti KTM +0.631
7 K.Toba KTM +0.636
8 A.Arenas KTM +0.796
9 J.Masia HONDA +0.860
10 T.Arbolino HONDA +0.886
11 R.Fenati HUSQVARNA +0.889
12 S.Garcia HONDA +0.994
13 T.Suzuki HONDA +1.022
14 A.Ogura HONDA +1.043
15 R.Yamanaka HONDA +1.050
16 N.Antonelli HONDA +1.134
17 S.Nepa KTM +1.277
18 F.Salac HONDA +1.283
19 D.Foggia HONDA +1.375
20 R.Rossi KTM +1.377
21 C.Tatay KTM +1.396
22 Y.Kunii HONDA +1.425
23 K.Pawi HONDA +1.426
24 A.Sasaki KTM +1.491
25 A.Lopez HUSQVARNA +1.630
26 D.Binder KTM +1.636
27 D.Öncü KTM +2.011
28 D.Pizzoli KTM +2.281
29 M.Kofler KTM +2.342
30 B.Baltus KTM +2.924
31 J.Dupasquier KTM +2.982

MotoE

Despite only completing two laps in FP2 and suffering a crash at Turn 2, Eric Granado (Avintia Esponsorama Racing) took charge of the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup timesheets on Day 1. Only four riders improved in FP2 at the Gran Premio Red Bull de España in the hotter temperatures, with rookie Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP) and Niccolo Canepa (LCR E-Team) keeping their positions in the top three thanks to their FP1 efforts.

It was a good day of running as the first race and E-Pole of the year appear on the horizon, although unfortunately for Alessandro Zaccone (Trentino Gresini MotoE), the rookie has decided to sit out the weekend’s action after feeling the effects of his testing crash on Wednesday. The rest of the field, however, took the opportunity to do an E-Pole simulation on Friday afternoon in FP2, with time attacks coming in thick and fast to test out the conditions at a similar time of day to the qualifying session on Saturday afternoon.

Granado and fourth on the timesheets Xavier Simeon (LCR E-Team) did manage to go slightly better in FP2, as did Maria Herrera (Openbank Aspar Team) and rookie Jakub Kornfeil (WithU Motorsport) despite the scorching temperatures. However, that didn’t change the overall look of the combined timesheets as Granado simply increased his advantage slightly, with Aegerter second and Canepa third.

Xavier Simeon (LCR E-Team) was fourth overall, with rookie Jordi Torres (Pons Racing 40) making a big leap up the timesheets to complete the top five on Friday. Behind him came reigning Cup winner Matteo Ferrari (Trentino Gresini MotoE), with Niki Tuuli (Avant Ajo MotoE), Alex de Angelis (Octo Pramac MotoE), Matteo Casadei (Ongetta SIC58 Squadra Corse) and Mike Di Meglio (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) completing the top ten.

Australia’s Josh Hook was 13th quickest.

Josh Hook – P13

“Today was a bit more complicated for us, we still have some changes to make but I am very positive. We weren’t able to use the new tires, we have to save those for FP3 tomorrow. The bike is working well now, and I think the result doesn’t show the real progress we have made. But still we’re going in the right direction and I’m very confident about tomorrow.”

MotoE Combined Practice Times

Pos Rider Bike Time/Gap
1 E.Granado ENERGICA 1m48.531
2 D.Aegerter ENERGICA +0.157
3 N.Canepa ENERGICA +0.229
4 X.Simeon ENERGICA +0.278
5 J.Torres ENERGICA +0.440
6 M.Ferrari ENERGICA +0.448
7 N.Tuuli ENERGICA +0.488
8 A.De Angelis ENERGICA +0.588
9 M.Casadei ENERGICA +0.650
10 M.Di Meglio ENERGICA +1.031
11 A.Medina ENERGICA +1.032
12 L.Tulovic ENERGICA +1.040
13 J.Hook ENERGICA +1.054
14 X.Cardelus ENERGICA +1.511
15 T.Marcon ENERGICA +1.778
16 M.Herrera ENERGICA +1.824
17 J.Kornfeil ENERGICA +3.580

2020 Jerez MotoGP Schedule (AEST)

Source: MCNews.com.au

MotoGP riders reflect on Jerez Test

#JerezTest


Maverick Viñales – P1

“Very happy to be back. It’s very nice to ride my M1 again as it’s always very exciting. We have been working hard especially thinking about the race, that was our main goal today. We tried to see how the bike works in these incredibly high temperatures, and we are surprised that our level is so high. So, I’m really looking forward to the weekend as I felt really good on the bike, and that’s very important. The bike is in perfect shape, and now we have to get the most out of it. I’m feeling happy and confident for this weekend. Last year’s bike was also working well here, but this year I can attack the corners in a different way by braking very hard, which will give me an advantage when I overtake. But we need to make another improvement in that area, that will be my main focus this weekend, because this track is not easy.”

Maverick Viñales
Fabio Quartararo – P2

“It feels really good to be back after such a long time and I think that today was positive. We started the day struggling a little bit because I didn’t have that good feeling with the bike. It was to be expected as it’s the first time I’ve ridden the M1 at Jerez this year, plus it’s the first time I’ve been on the race bike since Qatar. Jerez is a completely different track to Sepang and Qatar too. I didn’t expect to improve that much in the afternoon because the pace was quite consistent. Tomorrow we will have time to think about the settings, tyres and electronics, so that we can improve further. We didn’t do a time attack so it’s going to be strange when we do, but I’m really happy ahead of Friday and can’t wait for the race weekend to start properly.”

Fabio Quartararo
Marc Marquez – P3

“I’m happy today. We had a hard pre-season but it looks like at the end of the Qatar Test we found something, so it was good to be able to confirm it here because Qatar is always a unique situation. From the start of today it was my bike, the bike I had in 2019 but with an evolution. My shoulder was also feeling good and I could see the speed was there. We had to work on consistency, which was the real focus in the afternoon. Honestly, I’m just really happy to be back on the bike!”

Marc Marquez
Alex Rins – P4

“After a long time, I’m so happy to be back! It seems as though no-one has been off the bikes because the lap times are so competitive as always! I’m happy with today’s progress, we tried a lot of configurations on the bike and I’m ready to keep working for the weekend. Despite the extreme heat I feel comfortable with my physical condition and also with the feeling on the bike. Let’s see what happens this weekend!”

Alex Rins
Valentino Rossi – P5

“It’s been a strange situation, I’ve never stayed away from my MotoGP bike for this long. But I’m in good shape because I trained a lot. This morning was good. I put in a good lap time with the soft tyre during the time attack. In the afternoon, I struggled a bit. We need to work on the pace. We can compare Jerez to Malaysia. The conditions are different though, the heat here is drier than Sepang. When you ride it’s difficult to breathe as you get lots of hot air into your face. It will be challenging for the race.

“We won’t be able to confirm the Petronas SRT deal now. I haven’t signed yet, but we have decided together with Yamaha and Petronas SRT to talk about 2021. I’ve already spoken with Razlan Razali, Wilco Zeelenberg, and Johan Stigefelt and I have good feelings about it, but it’s not true that I already signed as there are still some details that we have to work out, but most likely I will be here in 2021!”

Valentino Rossi
Aleix Espargaro’ – P6

“I felt good in both sessions – maybe not super fast on the flying lap, but with a great pace. Especially at the time of day when the races are held, with 20 laps on the tyres, I was able to maintain a good pace. This is rather comforting, because racing here in Jerez is never simple and we managed to maintain the same good feelings as we had in Malaysia and Qatar. The situation in Italy clearly slowed down our schedule, so we’ll have to work harder over the coming months, also in view of 2021. We had a few small problems today, which is only normal, given the little time available to develop such a new project due to COVID. The temperatures are extremely demanding, but I must say that they did a great job on the asphalt. A lot of riders managed to go fast even with this heat and I personally appreciate the conditions that put my athletic preparation.”

Aleix Espargaro’
Cal Crutchlow – P7

“It was great to be back today, riding the LCR Castrol Honda bike here in Jerez. It’s been a long break and it’s great to be back and see some familiar faces… even though they’ve got masks on! But yeah, it was nice to work again this Wednesday and then have a little break for everyone to analyse what we’ve done here. Now we look forward to the race weekend here in Jerez.”

Cal Crutchlow
Jack Miller – P8

“First of all I am very happy to be back on my bike today after a long break. The initial feeling was immediately very positive even though it was my first time riding the new Ducati 2020 here at Jerez. We still have some small adjustments to make but we are definitely on the right way. A very positive first day.”

Jack Miller
Joan Mir – P9

“It felt unbelievably good to get back on my bike! Everything feels so smooth and fast, and I’m really happy about how today went. We improved a lot and we know what we need to do to be fast. I felt good in the morning session, but I lacked a bit in the time attack during the afternoon – so we have some work to do there. But overall, my pace is quite good. I think today was the hottest conditions ever, and that will make it very tough for everybody, especially on Sunday!”

Joan Mir
Pecco Bagnaia – P10

“Today was difficult after the 5 months break, especially during the first session. But I thought that it would be more difficult considering the heat in these days in Jerez. I feel good and I’m happy especially for the second session of the test during the afternoon. Today we focused about the feeling with my bike starting from the work done during the winter test. I think that we made some steps forward working on my limits to improve. We will continue in this way.”

Pecco Bagnaia
Miguel Oliveira – P11

“It was a nice day and it was good to compare ourselves to the rest of the field. The morning session was a bit easier for us, while in the afternoon we struggled to find grip and make the bike turn. This will be our target to improve on Friday.”

Miguel Oliveira
Pol Espargaro – P13

“It’s so nice to be out on track again. For sure we want more but – for now – we are seeing at this test, and the ones before, that our pace is good enough to fight for the top ten at a place where we have struggled in previous years when it has been so hot and we lost a lot with the grip. With the 2020 bike we are turning a bit more and it seems to be a bit more stable. It’s good for us.”

Pol Espargaro
Franco Morbidelli – P14

“First of all, I’m really happy to be back at the circuit and meet again with my family at the circuit, my crew. Secondly, it was very nice to back on my M1 and it felt great immediately from lap one to be riding it again. We immediately started working on set-up and preparing ourselves for the upcoming weekend. There is some room to improve but I felt good and we know what we need to improve. Unfortunately I couldn’t see what my real potential was today after a mistake in the last corner towards the end of the second session, but I know that the potential is there. Now we look forward to starting the 2020 season properly this weekend, I can’t wait.”

Franco Morbidelli
Andrea Dovizioso – P15

“After these four months of break, today turned out to be crucial, and I’m pleased with how it went. Thanks to the work I have done at home after the collarbone surgery, I was able to arrive here in the ideal conditions to do a good test. I found a particular feeling: the temperatures are high, the tyres different than last year and we spent a lot of time without riding. Thanks to this test, we can now focus on the important aspects of the race without wasting time.”

Andrea Dovizioso
Takaaki Nakagami – P16

“First of all I’m really happy to be able to jump back on the bike again after these four months without MotoGP. It was not that easy to adapt for the first half hour, because this is MotoGP and this racing speed is not easy to adapt to. We had two hour and a half sessions, it’s only three hours today, but in the end understood where we were losing time and we’ll go step by step. Tomorrow is a day off and we’ll try to focus on this weekend. It will be different conditions on Friday, Saturday and Sunday as there is more rubber on the track. But it was really tough and super hot today, especially the afternoon session, but we’ll keep working towards the weekend and pushing hard.”

Takaaki Nakagami
Bradley Smith – P17

“I’m happy to be riding again. Even with all the appropriate precautions, considering the weekend ahead, we were able to carry out the test programme, especially in terms of endurance performance. It was important for us to gather as much data as possible, given how young the project is. Now the techs will be able to analyse it between today and tomorrow in order to prepare for the race as best as possible. There are obviously still some question marks, but at the moment, I’m satisfied. These temperatures put the tyres, riders and bikes to the test. I can guarantee that you feel every extra degree when you’re on the bike!”

Bradley Smith
Brad Binder – P18

“Today was quite OK. This morning was good, and I felt much more at home with the bike straightaway. It’s a physical racetrack and I had some issues and messed up quite a lot of laps which didn’t help but had a longer run. It was nice to do a good few laps in a row just to get comfortable and to get an idea of what Sunday is going to be like. I have made good steps forward and I am much more ready for the first grand prix.”

Iker Lecuona – P19

“Today has been a very good for me. I continued to learn and to improve with the bike. I tried something new and immediately felt better. This morning I went very fast and also with used tires I managed to improve, likewise this afternoon with high track temperatures. I’m very happy and ready to finally start the MotoGP World Championship in 2020.”

Alex Marquez – P20

“I am happy with the rhythm that we found today, as a rookie it’s important to improve lap by lap. Looking ahead to the weekend as a whole, the main objective will be to keep our rhythm in what looks to be a very hot weekend. Unlike in Qatar or Malaysia with the longer straights, you hardly get a chance to rest here. I have a good feeling with the bike and I am ready for my first weekend in MotoGP.”

Alex Marquez
Danilo Petrucci – P21

“It was a hectic day, but I’m happy because I was able to regain the feeling with the Desmosedici GP right away. This morning I was quite satisfied with the work done and even this afternoon I was doing a nice lap before the crash. Unfortunately, the bike in front of me lost some oil, and I couldn’t avoid the crash. I slipped out at turn 11 and hit my head hard. Fortunately, I didn’t get injured, but I preferred not to risk this afternoon and rest ahead of the race weekend”.

Danilo Petrucci

Team Managers

Massimo Meregalli – Yamaha Team Director

“It’s great to be back! But we had little time to feel euphoric this morning because we had a lot of work to do. First and foremost, we wanted to give Maverick and Valentino the opportunity to get comfortable with their bikes again. But besides letting them build confidence, we also needed to compare the data from the earlier tests and see how they translate to this track. The characteristics here are of a different nature than the Sepang and Losail circuits. Normally when we arrive in Jerez we already have some races under our belts, but this time we’re starting from zero, so that made today’s track activity extra important. So far, we have done a solid job. We have two riders in the top 5 today, though we still have some work to do in certain areas. But anyway, we are looking forward to the free practice sessions on Friday.”

Massimo Meregalli – Yamaha Team Director
Davide Brivio – Team Suzuki Manager

“We’re happy to start the season with this test, especially as everything went well. It was a good opportunity to confirm our final package, and a good chance for the riders to get used to being back on the bikes. We’re ready for the first weekend of the championship, we’ll have one more day of preparation tomorrow, and then everything will get going for real!”

Mike Leitner – Red Bull KTM Race Manager

“We had a good first day in these hot temperatures with no crashes and the riders showed good performance: Pol was in the top ten and Brad rode well: we can feel that he is really adapting to MotoGP. In the morning Miguel was fast and Iker was able to show more promise. We wanted to lock down some settings for these conditions, so a rapid lap-time was not our priority. Now we’ll look towards the weekend.”

Hervé Poncharal – Red Bull KTM Tech3 Team Manager

“It was a very useful day for the Red Bull KTM Tech3 team. Although we have had the luck to do the test in Misano in June, it was important to do these two sessions of 90 minutes to re-understand our MotoGP bike. It was very interesting also to compare the data from November with cold weather and the 19+ bike with the 2020 version in hot temperatures. We can definitely see that there has been massive improvement done by KTM. Both of the riders feel at ease, feel good on the bike, which is a great sign for the coming weekend. Clearly, Miguel has shown one more time that he is now a proper top MotoGP rider and this is going to be a very interesting season for Miguel and we could see that our rookie, the youngest MotoGP rider on the grid, Iker Lecuona, has done massive improvement as well. He is feeling better and better with the bike and with the team. He is riding like a real MotoGP rider. We are happy to have that test behind us. It was tough for the crew, for the riders, but very important in order to prepare the race that is going to be in very similar weather conditions, which means hot and difficult to handle. But we are happy to be here, so thanks again to everybody who has been working hard to make this possible. I’m quite sure, there will be a great show on Sunday.”


Test Summary

Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) finished Wednesday’s MotoGP Jerez Test at the top of the timesheets, just as he did in Qatar last time we had MotoGP bikes on track.

A 1m37.793 in the afternoon session saw the Spaniard take the first spoils of a restarted 2020 as we heard the sweet symphony of MotoGP machines roaring out of pitlane. Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) claimed P2 as both Yamahas went quicker in the scorching afternoon temperatures, with reigning Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) sitting P3 – but his morning time the best of his day.

The top track temperature recorded in Jerez on Wednesday was 57 degrees, adding an extra challenge to that of returning to the track after four months without MotoGP. That was in the afternoon session, taking place at a similar time to when the race will be held, making it all the more vital for the riders to get accustomed.

The morning session went ahead without any drama but at the beginning of the second session, Aleix Espargaro’s Aprilia Racing Team Gresini bike encountered an issue, dropping oil on the circuit at Turn 11. Alex Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) and Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team) were the unfortunate duo to crash as a result, riders ok but red flags shown to enable the track clean up.

Once play resumed, Marc Marquez was the man to beat as he – at one point – sat 0.7 clear of his nearest rival. After HRC seemingly suffered some troubles in preseason testing, that was a good sign for the marque and the number 93 was looking like his normal self on track.

Quartararo didn’t leave it long to strike back, however, subsequently getting the better of the eight-time World Champion by 0.030 on the combined times to go P1. The shuffle still wasn’t done though, as Viñales then hit back with less than five minutes on the clock to go over a tenth clear and keep the P1 he’s so often occupied in preseason.

Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) claimed P4 on his GSX-RR, another with previous form for 2020 pace, although everyone down to fellow Team Suzuki Ecstar rider Joan Mir in P9 failed to go faster in the afternoon conditions. Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) was P5, with Aleix Espargaro giving the Aprilia another good showing in P7 despite the earlier issue encountered.

Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) and Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) made for close company though, with Mir and fellow MotoGP sophomore Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing) rounding out the top ten… and a top ten split by just 0.624.

Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) was P11, ahead of a good day’s work from Johann Zarco (Reale Avintia Racing) in P12.

Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) and Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) – the latter on the way back from his collarbone injury – completed the top 15.

That’s it from Wednesday’s action and after a scorching first day back, it looks to be as close as ever. 22 riders, 10 were able to go quicker in the afternoon’s hotter temperatures – will that stand them in good stead for Sunday? We’ll start to see more answers from Friday evening at 1755 (AEST) ahead of FP2 from 2210 (AEST) Friday night. The MotoGP race is scheduled to take place at 2200 (AEST) Sunday night.


MotoGP Test Combined Times
Both Sessions

Pos Rider Bike Time
1 Maverick Vinales Yamaha 1m37.793
2 Fabio Quartararo Yamaha 1m37.911
3 Marc Marquez Honda 1m37.941
4 Alex Rins Suzuki 1m38.193
5 Valentino Rossi Yamaha 1m38.222
6 Aleix Espargaro Aprilia 1m38.285
7 Cal Crutchlow Honda 1m38.313
8 Jack Miller Ducati 1m38.348
9 Joan Mir Suzuki 1m38.380
10 Pecco Bagnaia Ducati 1m38.417
11 Miguel Oliveira KTM 1m38.426
12 Johann Zarco Ducati 1m38.513
13 Pol Espargaro KTM 1m38.592
14 Franco Morbidelli Yamaha 1m38.646
15 Andrea Dovizioso Ducati 1m38.779
16 Takaaki Nakagami Honda 1m38.873
17 Bradley Smith Aprilia 1m38.942
18 Brad Binder KTM 1m39.016
19 Iker Lecuona KTM 1m39.089
20 Alex Marquez Honda 1m39.151
21 Danilo Petrucci Ducati 1m39.249
22 Tito Rabat Ducati 1m39.461

Moto2

Moto2 got back on track with some incredibly tight timesheets on Wednesday, with Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) setting a 1:42.436 in the afternoon to lead Tom Lüthi (Liqui Moly Intact GP) by just 0.076 by the end of play. Marco Bezzecchi (Sky Racing Team VR46) – despite only being ruled fit to ride on Tuesday after suffering a broken ankle while training – was P3 overall and not much further back either.

Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo)

Under the soaring Andalusian sun, the intermediate class riders were getting to grips with their Triumph machines for the first time since Tetsuta Nagashima (Red Bull KTM Ajo) took that emotional victory in Qatar, but Moto2 remains competitive as ever, with hardly anything separating the top 10. Luca Marini made it two Sky Racing Team VR46 bikes in the top four in P4, with former Jerez winner Sam Lowes (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) completing a top five split by 0.251 as he got up to speed quickly on his return from injury.

Italtrans Racing Team’s Enea Bastianini – a podium finisher in Qatar – finished P6 on the combined times, with Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP), Nagashima and Jorge Navarro (HDR Heidrun Speed Up) up next, sitting three tenths off the pace. Xavi Vierge rounded out the top 10 on his Petronas Sprinta Racing machine, but the close battle went on as 19 riders finished the two sessions within a second of each other.

Moto2 Test Times

  1. Jorge Martin – Red Bull KTM Ajo – Kalex 1:42.346
  2. Tom Lüthi – Liqui Moly Intact GP – Kalex +0.076
  3. Marco Bezzecchi – Sky Racing Team VR46 – Kalex +0.116

Moto3

Petronas Sprinta Racing’s John McPhee was the man to beat as Moto3 returned to track action for the first time since the Qatar Grand Prix in March. McPhee, who’s second in the Championship coming into the Gran Premio Red Bull de España, was 0.3 seconds clear of a chasing pack led by another impressive performance from Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and fellow home hero Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing) a they completed the top three.

McPhee set his 1:46.263 in the opening session of the day when the scorching southern Spanish temperatures were at least a touch cooler, with Fernandez the only rider in the top seven to better his time in the afternoon and taking P2 in the process. The Spaniard was also the only KTM presence in a top five dominated by Honda. Fourth fastest was Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse), who completed the short roll call of riders able to get within half a second of McPhee’s pace.

John McPhee

After signing a new Rivacold Snipers Team contract on Tuesday in Jerez, Filip Salac was up the sharp end in the test once again, backing up an impressive performance in the season opener in Qatar. The Czech rider finished fifth but it was a close-run deal with the Husqvarna of Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team), who was just 0.008 off Salac in P6.

Last year’s Jerez winner Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) was even closer than that in seventh, just 0.003 off Fenati. Gabriel Rodrigo (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3), Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) – the Italian only getting out in the afternoon session after a minor gearbox problem at the start of the day – and Tony Arbolino (Rivacold Snipers Team) completed the top ten.

Moto3 Test Times

  1. John McPhee – Petronas Sprinta Racing – Honda 1:46.263
  2. Raul Fernandez – Red Bull KTM Ajo – KTM +0.321
  3. Jaume Masia- Leopard Racing – Honda +0.330

Aegerter lays down the gauntlet in MotoE test

Dynavolt Intact GP’s Dominique Aegerter was the man to beat in FIM Enel MotoE World Cup testing at the Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto. The Swiss rider improved in every session to eventually set a best time of 1:48.596, 0.445 ahead of Eric Granado (Avintia Esponsorama Racing) and 0.492 ahead of reigning Cup winner Matteo Ferrari (Trentino Gresini MotoE) in a serious statement of intent. Aegerter is, after all, a rookie to the class…

Dominique Aegerter

The MotoE riders were putting their Energica Ego Corsas to work through three sessions on Wednesday, with the majority of the grid setting their best times in the second or third session.

Matteo Ferrari

For Aegerter, the third session was where he excelled most, and Granado also set his personal best at the end of the day. Ferrari, meanwhile, set his best time in the second session.

Eric Granado

LCR E-Team’s Xavier Simeon was fourth quickest on the combined times as he changes teams for 2020, with the Belgian and Alex de Angelis (Octo Pramac MotoE) the only other riders to get within a second of Aegerter during the test.

Xavier Simeon

Mike Di Meglio (EG 0,0 Marc VDS), Niccolo Canepa (LCR E-Team) and Jordi Torres (Pons Racing 40) were all within just another tenth though in a tight midfield, with Josh Hook (Octo Pramac MotoE) for close company too.

Josh Hook – P9

First of all, it’s really good to be back. It was a positive day, we have already improved compared to last year and the feeling is good. We’ve made some changes and there are some points we need to improve on but I’m on the right track.”

Josh Hook

Niki Tuuli (Avant Ajo MotoE) locked out the ten fastest riders on Wednesday and the 2019 race winner will be looking for more this weekend.

Mike Di Meglio

The final session of the day was briefly red-flagged after Alessandro Zaccone (Trentino Gresini MotoE) crashed unhurt, although his Energica Ego Corsa was too damaged to be able for the class rookie to continue. Once the session restarted, Maria Herrera (Openbank Aspar Team) also crashed, and was also unhurt.

Alex de Angelis

The FIM Enel MotoE World Cup begins its second year of competition on Friday at 1950 AEST with FP1 to start preparing for the race on Sunday at 1805.

MotoE Combined Test Times

  1. Aegerter – 1m48.596
  2. Granado – 1m49.041
  3. Ferrari – 1m49.088
  4. Simeon – 1m49.181
  5. De Angelis – 1m49.357
  6. Di Meglio – 1m49.617
  7. Canepa – 1m49.705
  8. Torres – 1m49.745
  9. Hook – 1m49.861
  10. Tuuli – 1m49.968
  11. Marcon – 1m49.974
  12. Casadei – 1m50.219
  13. Zaccone – 1m50.265
  14. Herrera – 1m50.311
  15. Medina – 1m50.375
  16. Tulovic – 1m50.383
  17. Cardelus – 1m51.745
  18. Kornfeil – 1m53.694

2020 Jerez MotoGP Schedule (AEST)

Source: MCNews.com.au

Rookies and veterans in the MotoE mix

MotoE ready to race in 2020

After an interesting first season of some great races that more often than not went right down to the wire, season two of MotoE is upon us and with it a few familiar faces – and a few new ones.

The Energica MotoE machine

The Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto hosts the opener and it’s a track the grid know well from testing, which could make for a bit of a leveler for the newcomers. Reigning Cup winner Matteo Ferrari (Trentino Gresini MotoE) is most definitely the man with a target on his back as season two begins though, and he looks to have lost none of his pace in testing. That added to the confidence of returning as the man to beat will only add to the mountain the rest have to climb, but the grid will be as close as ever.

MotoE Jerez Test March Matteo Ferrari cover
Matteo Ferrari topped official Jerez MotoE test back in March

Eric Granado (Avintia Esponsorama Racing), the 2019 third place man, is sure to be a contender for both the Cup and the first win of the year. The Brazilian aced testing ahead of the inaugural Cup before the best laid plans of mice and former European Moto2 Champions went awry, but by the end of the season he was on a roll and ended the year with a double win. He’ll be looking to pick up where he left off and more.

MotoE Jerez Test March Granado
Eric Granado (Avintia Esponsorama Racing)

The other 2019 winners – Mike Di Meglio (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) and Niki Tuuli (Avant Ajo MotoE) – will also have their eyes on the prize. Consistency and injury respectively hurt their campaigns last year, but now it’s a complete reset for a new season and they’ll be wanting to stay near the top – or at it – in what’s a competitive field. Xavier Simeon was another fast man in 2019 and he’s now at LCR E-Team alongside Niccolo Canepa, and the likes of Alex De Angelis (Octo Pramac MotoE), Mattia Casadei (Ongetta SIC58 Squadra Corse), Maria Herrera (Openbank Aspar Team) and Josh Hook (Octo Pramac MotoE) all bring their experience back for season two.

MotoE Josh Hook
Josh Hook (Octo Pramac MotoE)

And then there are the new faces. Moto2 race winners Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP) and Jordi Torres (Pons Racing 40) move to MotoE this year, as does Moto3 veteran Jakub Kornfeil as the Czech rider gets the call up to replace Bradley Smith at WithU Motorsport. He’s going in almost blind too, just to add to the challenge – and will likely be the busiest man in the test on Wednesday.

MotoE Jerez Test March Aegerter
Dominique Aegerter

Lukas Tulovic (Tech 3 E-Racing) is another new to the class – and another with plenty of Moto2 experience – and a good few faces he now races in the Moto2 European Championship are also heading from their season openers in Estoril and Portimao in the FIM CEV Repsol to get back on track in MotoE. They include Tuuli, Alessandro Zaccone (Trentino Gresini MotoE), Alejandro Medina (Openbank Aspar Team) and Xavier Cardelus (Avintia Esponsorama Racing), all of whom will be eager to hit the ground running.

MotoE World Cup test Valencia Final Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta watches on
Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta watching a MotoE practice start

Tommaso Marcon (Tech 3 E-Racing) is another of a similar profile, but the Italian is instead on the way back from an injury sustained in testing. Will that affect his debut? Or will the shorter race distance of MotoE and his couple of weeks of recovery time work in his favour?

It’s a mouthwatering cast of riders in the 2020 FIM Enel MotoE World Cup. From experienced veterans to fresh faces, every CV is packed with experience from 125s and 250s to Moto3, Moto2 and MotoGP, as well as WorldSSP, WorldSBK and more – making a true melting pot of a grid. Who will strike first?


2020 MotoE Entry List

Rider Nationality Team
5 Alex De Angelis San Marino Octo Pramac Motoe
6 Maria Herrera Spanish Openbank Aspar Team
7 Niccolo Canepa Italian Lcr E-Team
10 Xavier Simeon Belgian Lcr E-Team
11 Matteo Ferrari Italian Trentino Gresini Motoe
16 Josh Hook Australian Octo Pramac Motoe
18 Nicolas Terol Spanish Openbank Aspar Team
20 Xavier Cardelus Andorran Avintia Esponsorama Racing
27 Mattia Casadei Italian Ongetta Sic58 Squadracorse
35 Lukas Tulovic German Tech3 E-Racing
38 Bradley Smith British One Energy Racing
40 Jordi Torres Spanish Join Contract Pons 40
51 Eric Granado Brazilian Avintia Esponsorama Racing
61 Alessandro Zaccone Italian Trentino Gresini Motoe
63 Mike Di Meglio French Eg 0,0 Marc Vds
66 Niki Tuuli Finnish Ajo Motoe
70 Tommaso Marcon Italian Tech3 E-Racing
77 Dominique Aegerter Swiss Intact Gp

2020 Jerez MotoGP Schedule (AEST)

Source: MCNews.com.au

2020 MotoE Jerez Test | Ferrari fastest | Hook ninth

MotoE Official Jerez Test


2019 FIM Enel MotoE World Cup winner Matteo Ferrari (Trentino Gresini MotoE) kicked off 2020 by topping the first Official Test in Jerez, setting a best lap of 1:47.494 on the final day to head the combined timesheets.

Matteo Ferrari – P1

“It was a good test. We made a big step forward set-up wise and there’s still some changes to make to understand if the direction we’re taking is the right one – and there’s no better situation to do so than during testing. It wasn’t easy, especially as we did not have the telemetry engineer with us since day two. We made an effort to fill his absence: from my side to make myself clear and from the team to make the changes we needed. I set some good lap-times which came quite naturally, so this surely is a good sign.”

MotoE Jerez Test March Matteo Ferrari

MotoE Jerez Test March Matteo Ferrari

Matteo Ferrari

Eric Granado’s (Avintia Esponsorama Racing) 1:47.546 on Day 2 placed the Brazilian a close second, with MotoE rookie Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP) impressing to finish third overall in his first event on the Energica Ego Corsa.

Dominique Aegerter – P3

“For me, of course, this is a new challenge and the motorcycle is completely different from anything I’ve ridden so far. I am happy to have such a good team on my side. Ultimately, the motorcycle has a little less power than I thought. Riding is a bit difficult because at the exit of the corners you can open the throttle quite early, which is not possible with a gasoline motorcycle. Of course, you can feel the 260kg weight especially when braking, but less in the corners, which is good. I was able to improve well over the three days. We had a good test plan, even if you can’t do too much with this production motorcycle. But we worked on the translation, the chassis and the seating position. In the end, I was able to set solid times. At the moment we can do 7-9 full laps with the e-bike, where we actually have the full power available. As a result, you can only really ride eight laps three times a day. The first two days I had problems adjusting because as I said, it is a completely different riding experienc. We as a team are super happy to end the three test days with a positive feeling and a good lap time.”

MotoE Jerez Test March Aegerter

MotoE Jerez Test March Aegerter

Dominique Aegerter

At the end of the three days in Andalucia, the top eight were covered by just eight tenths and only 1.2 seconds split the top 14 as MotoE got off to a competitive start in 2020.

2019 Cup runner-up Bradley Smith (WithU Motorsport) was fourth fastest at the Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto, the British rider sitting 0.379 off Ferrari’s pace.

Bradley Smith – P4

“Overall, I’m very happy after these three days in Jerez. We are back to the same level where we left off last season. The bike is exactly the same as the one from 2019, although we had to focus on understanding the completely new profile of the rear tyre, with a different shape, casing and compound. Due to this, we had to re-test aspects that we had already looked at during the past year. We also tried some other very important elements of the setup that we didn’t have time to test during the race weekend last year. For the upcoming test we will focus mainly on improving our pace over a single lap. I’m satisfied with our fourth position and the time that I set. The level is very high again this season, so we have to keep improving.”

MotoE Jerez Test March Smith

MotoE Jerez Test March Smith

Bradley Smith

Five riders managed to dip into the 1:47s and the last of those was Octo Pramac MotoE’s Alex De Angelis, the Sammarinese rider ending the test 0.450 from the top.

Alex De Angelis – P5

“I’m happy with today, and very satisfied with the test. Today I did my best lap time and we improved also the pace thanks to a good set-up. I want to thank my team for staying here with me in this particular moment, and hopefully we can get back to normal as soon as possible.”

MotoE Jerez Test March Alex De Angelis

MotoE Jerez Test March Alex De Angelis

Alex De Angelis

Xavier Simeon (LCR E-Team) was sixth fastest, he and fellow sophomore Mike Di Meglio (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) heading eighth place Niki Tuuli (Avant Ajo MotoE) as the Finn continues to recover from recent surgery to remove screws put in after his injury last year.

Xavier Simeon – P6

“Today has been a positive day. We made some improvements compared to yesterday, but not as big as we were hoping for. I think we finish 6th in the overall classification, which is not bad, but I was expecting a little bit more. We are not far in lap time, we closed the gap to the guy before, but we did not make the improvement I was expecting. Anyway, this is only the first test, and we can be satisfied with how things went. I hope we can make the next test, we’ll see what happens with the coronavirus situation.”

MotoE Jerez Test March Simeon A

MotoE Jerez Test March Simeon A

Xavier Simeon

Octo Pramac MotoE’s Josh Hook and rookie Jordi Torres (Pons Racing 40) completed the top 10 as 2020 sparked to life.

Josh Hook – P9

“Three very positive days, we got a lot of useful information. The weather allowed us to do many laps on the track and giving us the opportunity to understand much more than last year. The pace is definitely good, we just have to try to find some more power, but overall, I am very satisfied with how these days went and how we worked.”

MotoE Jerez Test March Josh Hook

MotoE Jerez Test March Josh Hook

Josh Hook

Niccolò Canepa just missed out on a top-10 finish, landing in 11th position overall.

Niccolò Canepa – P11

“We’ve just finished the 3rd session of testing here in Jerez. I am satisfied with the work that we did, and the things we found in the bike to improve. Unfortunately, I couldn’t improve my lap time at the end, because I found some slower riders while I was pushing with the battery fully charged. Except the first two sessions, where there was a big difference, the results are very close, so it is positive feeling for the next test. I can’t wait to have the new tyres. There was only one front tyre that we could use but its a big step for me, for my riding style. The good news is that we will have these tyres for everyone starting from the next test. I am very happy about that. I think with these tyres I can improve quite a lot. I am confident. Now, I’ll try to go back home, stay safe and wait for the next test.”

MotoE Jerez Test March Caneda VR A

MotoE Jerez Test March Caneda VR A

Niccolò Canepa

Alejandro Medina finished twelfth this first pre-season test, just 1.1 seconds from the fastest time.

Alejandro Medina – P12

“It has been a positive three-day test: we are close to the leaders in terms of lap time and I feel good on the bike. When everything is in place and I’m already fully adapted, we will surely do well. The Energica is a difficult bike to understand, because it is very different from any bike that I have previously ridden, but every day we have given a step forward and we have understood it more. In the last session we have improved even more. We are happy with this test.”

MotoE Jerez Test March Alejandro Medina

MotoE Jerez Test March Alejandro Medina

Alejandro Medina

Throughout the Official Test the MotoE class were testing new tyres from Michelin, as well as new Öhlins forks and new airflow cooling for the batteries, which helps the Energica Ego Corsas charge quicker too.

See below for the updated 2020 MotoE calendar, as of March 13, 2020.


MotoE Jerez Test – Overall Top 10

  1. Matteo Ferrari (Trentino Gresini MotoE) – 1:47.494
  2. Eric Granado (Avintia Esponsorama Racing) + 0.052
  3. Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP) + 0.225
  4. Bradley Smith (WithU Motorsport) + 0.379
  5. Alex De Angelis (Octo Pramac MotoE) + 0.450
  6. Xavier Simeon (LCR E-Team) + 0.624
  7. Mike Di Meglio (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) + 0.816
  8. Niki Tuuli (Avant Ajo MotoE) + 0.843
  9. Josh Hook (Octo Pramac MotoE) + 1.074
  10. Jordi Torres (Pons Racing 40) + 1.100

2020 MotoE Calendar (Updated March 13, 2020)

  • Race 1 – July 5th -7th – Sachsenring, Germany
  • Race 2 – August 9th -11th – Red Bull Ring, Austria
  • Races 3 & 4 – September 13th -15th – Misano, Italy
  • Races 5 & 6 – November 15th -17th – Valencia, Spain

Source: MCNews.com.au

Eric Granado to test Ducati GP18 at Jerez this week

Eric Granado to joinsJerez test on Ducati GP18


After a great season finale with two victories in the MotoE category, the Reale Avintia Racing Team will reward Brazilian rider Eric Granado by giving him the opportunity to ride the Ducati GP18 during the test that will take place this week at the Jerez circuit.

MotoGP Rnd Valencia QP MotoE Garzo Granado Smith
Eric Granado topping QP in MotoE

Despite a challenging start to the year, Granado concluded the first MotoE season in third position overall, overcoming the adversities that he had to face throughout the year.

MotoE World Cup test Valencia Final Eric Granado Wins
Eric Granado

The Reale Avintia team is to offer the riders of our structure what they deserve and this is a great opportunity to see the potential and feelings of this young pilot in MotoGP.

MotoE World Cup test Valencia Final Eric Granado With Energica Eva
Eric Granado with his Energica Eva

Jerez marks the second 2020 test, with the two-day event taking place on Monday and Tuesday. Maverick Vinales was fastest at the previous Valencia test, leading the Yamaha trio including Quartararo and Morbidelli, with top Ducati being Dovizioso back in eighth, followed by Jack Miller in 11th.

Source: MCNews.com.au

Energica eases electric range anxiety

If range anxiety is the biggest hurdle for electric motorcycles, Italian company Energica, who supplies the bikes for MotoE, may have the answer.

Their new Ego and Eva have a larger battery with up 400km (250 miles) of range.

Now that’s a substantial amount and it should ease any range anxiety you might feel about electric motorcycles.

As far as we can see it’s the best on the market beating Zero motorcycles with 360km if you use their optional Charge Tank which costs an extra $US2295.

2020 Energica Eva Ribelle
2020 Energica Eva Ribelle in the city

Range anxiety

However, Energica’s quoted 400km range is for city riding only.

As we know, regenerative braking helps replenish a battery, so stopping and starting actually provides more range than a steady throttle. It’s the opposite of petrol-powered vehicles.

Read all about the electric vehicle range hoax here!

Out on the highway, Energica’s range drops to 230km (143 miles) which is still pretty good, but may not ease some people’s range anxiety.

However, they don’t say at what speed that is. You certainly won’t get that far if you are doing their rated top speed of 200km/h!

If you buy or have access to a DC Fast Charger, it will charge to 80% in 40 minutes, which is fairly standard across most electric vehicles.

On fire!

electric garage fire energica
Energica garage explodes in flame

Meanwhile, Energica is still reeling from the fire earlier this year that destroyed their entire fleet of MotoE race bikes.

The fault was found to be in an overheating charger that wasn’t even plugged in.

Harley-Davidson last month embarrassingly, but temporarily, pulled the plug on its electric LiveWire production over the same issue after one charger overheated.

Harley-Davidson LiveWire electric motorcycleHarley-Davidson's electric LiveWire short circuit
LIveWires on DC fast chargers

Energica models

Despite the issues with chargers, these Energica electric bikes certainly look fantastic.

They’re not yet available in Australia, but they would cost more than $A30,000.

That’s still about $14,000 less than Harley’s LiveWire is expected to cost when it goes on the market here late next year.

It comes with a mix of Marzocchi forks and Bitubo shock, with Bosch brakes and full-colour TFT instruments.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Vinales leads Yamaha charge in Friday FP at Misano

2019 MotoGP – Round 13 – Misano


Yamaha dominated Friday’s practice at the Gran Premio Octo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini, led by Maverick Viñales and Fabio Quartararo with just 0.057 between the two on the combined timesheets, as Marquez claimed third, with Rossi and Morbidelli not far behind.

MotoGP Rnd Misano Fri Maverick Vinales
Maverick Vinales – Misano MotoGP 2019 – Friday

Augusto Fernandez took the Moto2 lead, with Aussie Remy Gardner ending the day in P8 after sitting third fastest in P1, while in Moto3 it was Albert Arenas setting the fastest times in FP1 and FP2.

MotoE also kicked off, with Alex De Angelis claiming pole position, with Matteo Ferrari and Xavier Simeon completing the front row.

The weekend will also see the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup run, with Haruki Noguchi leading the Qualifying Practice and Aussie Billy van Eerde claiming 14th on the grid.


MotoGP

It was a sunny first day on the Riviera di Rimini, and it was pretty sunny for Yamaha too as the Iwata marque had all four bikes in the top five. Home hero Valentino Rossi was just behind Marquez, with Franco Morbidelli in fifth to leave the number 93 the sole non-Yamaha in the top five.

MotoGP Rnd Misano Fri Valentino Rossi
Valentino Rossi – Misano MotoGP 2019 – Friday

After Quartararo kicked things off in FP1 to edge out the reigning Champion, it was Marquez who was the early leader in FP2 as the Championship leader got straight down to business, closing down the rookie’s FP1 advantage to just 0.018 on the combined timesheets to head the afternoon session by over four-tenths.

The likes of Alex Rins had jumped into the overall top ten in the early stages of FP2, with Morbidelli and Rossi also improving on their FP1 times.

MotoGP Rnd Misano Fri Alex Rins
Alex Rins – Misano MotoGP 2019 – Friday

The afternoon then went quiet in terms of personal best times, the riders getting some valuable work done on different tyres to see what their preference will be for Sunday’s race.

But with just over ten minutes remaining – and after a couple of close front-end moments – Quartararo was yet to improve his FP1 time and so was Viñales. The traditional FP2 time attack was forthcoming, however, and with eight minutes to go, we had plenty of movement.

MotoGP Rnd Misano Fri Maverick Vinales
Maverick Vinales – Misano MotoGP 2019 – Friday

Rossi moved into P3 overall on his first flying run on the soft rear, but teammate Viñales would move the goalposts at the top as a 1:32.775 saw the Spaniard leap over three tenths clear. Quartararo was on a personal best behind, but the rookie sensation wasn’t quite able to match Viñales’ time as the 20-year-old went a tenth off.

The Ducati Team riders had a quiet morning but both Danilo Petrucci and Andrea Dovizioso then found a way into the top ten, with Viñales looking like he had P1 in the bag as the flag dropped.

MotoGP Rnd Misano Fri Andrea Dovizioso
Andrea Dovizioso – Misano MotoGP 2019 – Friday

Quartararo, however, was on a fast one. Personal best sectors were set by the Frenchman but at the line, it wasn’t quite enough as he ended the day 0.057 in arrears – barely anything splitting the two Yamahas. Marquez failed to improve and stayed P3, with Rossi and Morbidelli completing the top five.

Maverick Viñales – P1

“Honestly, today I tried to keep the good feeling from the test going, because we worked in a really good way. For sure it was very difficult because the track was very slippery today, but somehow I was still able to hit the lap times, so I’m quite happy and enthusiastic for that reason. Anyway, there’s still a lot of work to do. For sure we, with two or three riders, are a little bit ahead of the competition, but they will come to our level, so we need to keep working and see what we can improve. The track felt difficult today because it’s very slippery, especially on the initial laps on the tyre, but we’ll see. We only tried the medium tyre, never the hard or a long run on the softs, so tomorrow we will see more properly.”

MotoGP Rnd Misano Fri Maverick Vinales
Maverick Vinales – Misano MotoGP 2019 – Friday
Fabio Quartararo – P2

“It was a positive day, although the track was quite tricky with much less grip than we had during the test. I think we need to wait a little bit, because the Moto2 and Moto3 riders will help us to clean the track and the more rubber on the surface the better. In the end we had not bad pace with soft tyres, and there’s still a little bit to go as we develop our settings. I’m a little slower than I was at the test, but I’m not the only rider in the same situation. I had a few small moments on the front today, but every time it happens I learn, because it’s helping me to better understand the limit of the tyre.”

MotoGP Rnd Misano Fri Quartararo
Fabio Quartararo – Misano MotoGP 2019 – Friday
Marc Marquez – P3

“Today was not so bad, it was quite similar to during the test with the Yamahas being strong and especially Quartararo and Viñales. Everyone is strong after the test. Anyway, we are continuing to work hard and find the best solution to improve on the small areas we need to. Like always, we spent the day trying things like different tyres and making the most of the track time. I am happy with what we have done so far.”

MotoGP Rnd Misano Fri marquez
Marc Marquez – Misano MotoGP 2019 – Friday
Valentino Rossi – P4

“Today the Yamaha feels very fast, also with different configurations between us and the Petronas team for example. It looks like our bike is very competitive, we have good grip and good acceleration, and this is so positive. For me personally we still have a lot of work to do, because I don’t feel fantastic with the balance, with the setting. I need a bit more grip, but it’s a good Friday and to have all the Yamahas in front is great, so we will try to continue like this.”

MotoGP Rnd Misano Fri Rossi
Valentino Rossi – Misano MotoGP 2019 – Friday
Franco Morbidelli – P5

“It was a positive first day for us. This morning we tried some set-up elements that didn’t feel so good, but we got it right towards the end. I was able to get going strongly in the second session to see how the tyres react in higher temperatures and after a few laps. I felt comfortable and I’m having fun on the bike, and that’s resulting in me riding nice and smoothly. The time attack is still my weak point, but we can improve in tomorrow morning’s practice, with the target to qualify in the front two rows. It’s been a good Friday for Yamaha, with four riders in the top five. It’ll be important to understand the grip levels tomorrow before we know for sure what result we can achieve on Sunday.”

MotoGP Rnd Misano Fri Franco Morbidelli
Franco Morbidelli – Misano MotoGP 2019 – Friday

Sixth was a headline in itself as Pol Espargaro impressed in P6 in both FP1 and FP2, ending the day ahead of Ducati Team’s Michele Pirro. The Italian slipped from P4 in FP1 to P7 at the end of play after failing to go quicker in FP2, but the test rider remains the fastest Ducati on track so far.

Michele Pirro – P7

“Today we got back a bit of the feeling and the speed that we had in the test at the end of August: there are still certain aspects of the bike we have to work on because we are still missing something, but in the two sessions we brought home some useful information, and in any case both this morning and this afternoon my times were in line with those of the other Ducatis.”

MotoGP Rnd Misano Fri Michele Pirro
Michele Pirro – Misano MotoGP 2019 – Friday
Danilo Petrucci – P8

“Today we weren’t entirely satisfied because we are still struggling to get the best out of the tyres, and even with the soft option, which I put on at the end of the second session, I was unable to make a significant improvement on my time. However, we’ve got some ideas about how to improve the situation and now we’ll have a good look at the data of both sessions in order to see what direction to take for tomorrow.”

MotoGP Rnd Misano Fri Danilo Petrucci
Danilo Petrucci – Misano MotoGP 2019 – Friday
Andrea Dovizioso – P10

“This morning we started off pretty slowly because we knew that the track conditions were not particularly favourable for us and we did several tests with the set-up, which in my opinion went in the right direction because my feeling improved over the two sessions. We are not yet amongst the quickest riders but we’re getting there bit by bit: for sure there’s a lot more work to do but we have some ideas about how to improve the bike tomorrow.”

MotoGP Rnd Misano Fri Dovizioso
Andrea Dovizioso – Misano MotoGP 2019 – Friday

Petrucci sits just behind him in P8, with Aleix Espargaro – P5 in FP1 – claiming P9 on Friday thanks to his morning time. Last year’s winner Dovizioso occupies the last provisional automatic Q2 place in P10 heading into Saturday – not an easy day for the man second in the Championship.

MotoGP Rnd Misano Fri A Espargaro
Aleix Espargaro – Misano MotoGP 2019 – Friday

It’s Silverstone winner Alex Rins and Cal Crutchlow who just lost out on the top ten on Friday, but it’s just 0.6 that splits Dovi in P10 to Andrea Iannone in P21.

Jack Miller had to settle for 16th after some niggling issues and traffic on the track limited his chance to lay down fast times.

Jack Miller – P16

“It’s certainly not one of the best Fridays of the season. I couldn’t get the tyres to work, we tried some solutions on the set up but we weren’t able to get sensitive results. The FP1 crash? I was pushing and I lost the front. We have to improve to stay in Q2.”

MotoGP Rnd Misano Fri Jack Miller
Jack Miller – Misano MotoGP 2019 – Friday
Pecco Bagnaia – P15

“I am satisfied with the improvements made during the day on the race pace. We are at the level of the other Ducati so far and we should have already identified the choice of tyres for the race. However, we need to make progress with the soft tyre to qualify directly for Q2.”

Jorge Lorenzo – P17

“I am pleased with how today went, especially in the afternoon we were able to make a clear step forward. Compared to Silverstone we are closer to the front and also I am in less pain. We were able to improve the rear grip which helped a lot with the conditions today. Tomorrow we will look to improve our overall pace to keep closing the distance and improving.”

MotoGP Rnd Misano Fri lorenzo
Jorge Lorenzo – Misano MotoGP 2019 – Friday

MotoGP Combined Times

Pos Rider Bike Times
1 M.Viñales YAMAHA 1m32.775
2 F.Quartararo YAMAHA 1m32.832
3 M.Marquez HONDA 1m33.171
4 V.Rossi YAMAHA 1m33.470
5 F.Morbidelli YAMAHA 1m33.524
6 P.Espargaro KTM 1m33.624
7 M.Pirro DUCATI 1m33.704
8 D.Petrucci DUCATI 1m33.728
9 A.Espargaro APRILIA 1m33.762
10 A.Dovizioso DUCATI 1m33.826
11 A.Rins SUZUKI 1m33.874
12 C.Crutchlow HONDA 1m33.907
13 J.Zarco KTM 1m33.956
14 T.Nakagami HONDA 1m33.998
15 F.Bagnaia DUCATI 1m34.003
16 J.Miller DUCATI 1m34.070
17 J.Lorenzo HONDA 1m34.139
18 T.Rabat DUCATI 1m34.206
19 J.Mir SUZUKI 1m34.229
20 M.Oliveira KTM 1m34.362
21 A.Iannone APRILIA 1m34.381
22 K.Abraham DUCATI 1m34.843
23 H.Syahrin KTM 1m34.935

Moto2

Augusto Fernandez was fastest on Friday in the Gran Premio Octo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini, but it wasn’t by much. The Spaniard, now second in the Championship after his win at Silverstone, was just half a tenth ahead of the man he’s chasing in the standings, Alex Marquez, with rookie Fabio Di Giannantonio flying the home flag in third on Day 1.

MotoGP Rnd Misano Fri Moto Augusto Fernandez
Augusto Fernandez – Misano MotoGP 2019 – Friday

At a sunny and breezy Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, the latter half of FP2 proved decisive on the combed timesheets. Before then it was Tetsuta Nagashima on top, although the Japanese rider didn’t lose out too much as he ended the day in fourth, 0.010 off ‘Diggia’, with former Misano winner Lorenzo Baldassarri completing the top five by just 0.021.

Next up was Sky Racing Team VR46’s Luca Marini, who improved in the latter stages to grab P6 having finished FP1 down in P22, with Enea Bastianini taking an impressive seventh on his return from injury. Misano is where the ‘Beast’ took his first Grand Prix win in the Moto3 race in 2015.

Remy Gardner slipped down to P8 after setting the third-fastest time in FP1 and bothering the top of the timesheets earlier in FP2, whereas Sam Lowes moved up one spot to P9 from P10 in the morning. Nicolo Bulega improved late in FP2 to take tenth overall after ending FP1 in fifth, the last piece in the puzzle to make it three rookies and five Italians in the top ten.

After Friday it’s Mattia Pasini, Iker Lecuona, title contender Thomas Lüthi and Marco Bezzecchi who are the last to have a provisional place in Q2, with Xavi Vierge and Jorge Martin just losing out.

Martin crashed on Friday, rider ok, as did Marco Bezzecchi, Lukas Tulovic, Baldassarri, Navarro and Lecuona. Brad Binder crashed early in FP1 as the South African suffered a monster highside, rider luckily ok.

With the weather set to hold, will the top 14 change on Saturday morning? The automatic Q2 places are still up for grabs so don’t miss the action at 10:55 local time (GMT+1), with the likes of Binder, Navarro and Marcel Schrötter especially looking to bounce back…

Moto2 Combined Times

Pos Rider Bike Times
1 A.Fernandez KALEX 1m38.325
2 A.Marquez KALEX 1m38.374
3 F.Di Giannanto SPEED UP 1m38.463
4 T.Nagashima KALEX 1m38.473
5 L.Baldassarri KALEX 1m38.494
6 L.Marini KALEX 1m38.541
7 E.Bastianini KALEX 1m38.567
8 R.Gardner KALEX 1m38.591
9 S.Lowes KALEX 1m38.637
10 N.Bulega KALEX 1m38.708
11 M.Pasini KALEX 1m38.723
12 I.Lecuona KTM 1m38.752
13 T.Luthi KALEX 1m38.874
14 M.Bezzecchi KTM 1m38.881
15 X.Vierge KALEX 1m38.946
16 J.Martin KTM 1m38.956
17 M.Schrotter KALEX 1m38.965
18 S.Chantra KALEX 1m39.001
19 J.Navarro SPEED UP 1m39.084
20 A.Locatelli KALEX 1m39.211
21 S.Corsi NTS 1m39.225
22 S.Manzi MV AGUSTA 1m39.267
23 B.Binder KTM 1m39.279
24 D.Aegerter MV AGUSTA 1m39.290
25 J.Roberts KTM 1m39.620
26 B.Bendsneyde NTS 1m39.772
27 L.Tulovic KTM 1m40.009
28 P.Oettl KTM 1m40.144
29 J.Dixon KTM 1m40.151
30 A.Norrodin KALEX 1m41.032
31 X.Cardelus KTM 1m41.643
32 A.Izdihar KALEX 1m42.796

Moto3

Albert Arenas topped the timesheets in both FP1 and FP2 to prove the man to beat so far at the Gran Premio Octo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini, with home hero Niccolo Antonelli next up on the overall timesheets. Gabriel Rodrigo completed the top three to impress as he comes back from injury, with the trio all setting their best laptimes in the morning.

MotoGP Rnd Misano Fri Moto Albert Arenas
Alberto Arenas – Misano MotoGP 2019 – Friday

On a late summer scorcher at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, the top three may not have improved in the afternoon, but plenty did despite the heat. Petronas Sprinta Racing’s John McPhee in fourth was the first whose laptime on the combined timesheets came from FP2, but the Brit ended the day just ahead of another whose FP1 time proved his quickest: Tony Arbolino. From there, however, the rest of the top ten all found time in the afternoon.

Ayumu Sasaki found nearly half a second to take sixth, just 0.012 ahead of veteran home campaigner Romano Fenati, a former winner at Misano. Championship leader Lorenzo Dalla Porta was P8 just behind his compatriot, although the quieter day for the Leopard rider still saw him beat key rival Aron Canet as the Spaniard was P11 overall and suffered a late crash.

Kaito Toba crashed twice on Friday, Celestino Vietti took a tumble and Can Öncü crashed in FP. The Turk was declared unfit due to a broken collarbone, so he’ll sit out the rest of the weekend – and will be replaced by twin brother Deniz, who rides for the team in the Moto3 Junior World Championship.

Meanwhile Andrea Migno had a solid opening day at his home Grand Prix to take ninth and make the top ten 50% Italian on the Riviera di Rimini, with rookie Ai Ogura next up after another impressive day at the office.

Behind Canet in P11, Jaume Masia, Tatsuki Suzuki and Jakub Kornfeil complete the fastest fourteen on Friday and those who currently stand to move through to Q2 – but everything could change in FP3 on Saturday morning.

Moto3 Combined Times

Pos Rider Bike Time
1 A.Arenas KTM 1m42.824
2 N.Antonelli HONDA 1m42.945
3 G.Rodrigo HONDA 1m42.990
4 J.Mcphee HONDA 1m43.052
5 T.Arbolino HONDA 1m42.824
6 A.Sasaki HONDA 1m42.945
7 R.Fenati HONDA 1m42.990
8 L.Dalla Porta   Ita HONDA 1m43.142
9 A.Migno KTM 1m43.217
10 A.Ogura HONDA 1m43.223
11 A.Canet KTM 1m43.254
12 J.Masia KTM 1m43.286
13 T.Suzuki HONDA 1m43.303
14 J.Kornfeil KTM 1m43.312
15 D.Binder KTM 1m43.441
16 M.Ramirez HONDA 1m43.539
17 F.Salac KTM 1m43.254
18 S.Garcia HONDA 1m43.585
19 C.Vietti KTM 1m43.588
20 R.Fernandez KTM 1m43.596
21 T.Booth-Amos KTM 1m43.613
22 A.Lopez HONDA 1m43.630
23 K.Toba HONDA 1m43.635
24 D.Foggia KTM 1m43.648
25 K.Masaki KTM 1m43.713
26 R.Rossi HONDA 1m43.743
27 S.Nepa KTM 1m43.915
28 M.Yurchenko KTM 1m44.802
29 E.Bartolini KTM 1m45.047
30 M.Kawakami KTM 1m45.836
31 D.Oncu KTM 1m46.414

MotoE

Not since 2011 has Alex De Angelis (Octo Pramac MotoE) taken pole position in the MotoGP paddock, but the Sammarinese rider was a cut above his rivals in E-Pole at the Gran Premio Octo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini to take his first FIM Enel MotoE World Cup pole position.

MotoGP Rnd Misano Fri MotoE Alex De Angelis
Alex De Angelis – Misano MotoGP 2019 – Friday

It was a close duel for the top with Matteo Ferrari (Trentino Gresini MotoE), however, as the Italian was forced to settle for second by half a tenth. Xavier Simeon (Avintia Esponsorama Racing) took third to complete the front row.

In the order dictated by combined practice times, the riders headed out one-by-one, with the fastest three heading for parc ferme before a faster rider knocked them out. After finishing 13th at the end of the two Free Practice sessions, De Angelis was the sixth rider to head out and the Sammarinese rider’s lap time was over a second better than Lorenzo Savadori’s (Trentino Gresini MotoE) earlier benchmark.

Overall standings leader Mike Di Meglio (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) was then out on track straight after De Angelis, but big drama hit as the Frenchman’s E-Pole ended early at Turn 6, a huge highside as he powered onto the straight meaning the points leader has to start from the back of the grid after failing to set a time.

The laps kept coming as the faster riders from practice headed out, but no one could better De Angelis’ time. Eric Granado (Avintia Esponsorama Racing) went to P3 but the Brazilian’s lap was scrubbed off for exceeding track limits at the final corner. Jesko Raffin (Dynavolt Intact GP) then ran De Angelis close to go P2, displacing Maria Herrera (OpenBank Angel Nieto Team) from second place at the time. Then, it was the turn of second in the Cup standings Bradley Smith. Could the One Energy Racing rider capitalise on the misfortunes of his title rival?

MotoGP Rnd Misano Fri MotoE Simeon
Xavier Simeon – Misano MotoGP 2019 – Friday

The British rider put in a solid lap but could only manage to get within 0.3 of provisional pole, that nevertheless a valuable time on the board to give the Brit a significant advantage over Di Meglio on the grid in Race 1 and Race 2.

Niki Tuuli (Ajo MotoE) was next up, the Finn setting the timing screens alight and looking like a serious threat. Up in sector one, even quicker in sector two and with over three tenths in his pocket in sector three, the Ajo rider looked set to challenge. But then, Tuuli suddenly went down at Turn 14, forced to join Di Meglio at the back of the grid as even more drama hit another frontrunner.

Next, though, was Simeon, after the Belgian went third fastest in Free Practice. Could he oust de Angelis? Not quite. But he stuck his Energica Ego Corsa into P2, 0.109 off de Angelis’ time and with only Ferrari to come, that guaranteed him a front row start at least. So could Ferrari do it?

He was up in the first split but lost time in the second, with a tense wait seeing De Angelis watch his rival’s lap from parc ferme and the timing screens showing it would be close. It was, but the rider from San Marino held on to make a little history. The two are also only a point apart in the standings, in fifth and sixth.

MotoGP Rnd Misano Fri MotoE Ferrari
Matteo Ferrari – Misano MotoGP 2019 – Friday

Raffin starts fourth after just losing out to Simeon, with Niccolo Canepa (LCR E-Team) impressing in fifth and Maria Herrera (Openbank Angel Nieto Team) likewise as she put in a solid lap to complete the second row. Smith was forced to settle for seventh, with Hector Garzo (Tech 3 E-Racing) alongside him after a tough day including a big crash earlier on for the Spaniard. Nico Terol (Openbank Angel Nieto Team) locks out the third row.

Mattia Casadei (Ongetta SIC58 Squadra Corse), Lorenzo Savadori (Trentino Gresini MotoE), Josh Hook (Octo Pramac MotoE), Kenny Foray (Tech 3 E-Racing) and Randy De Puniet (LCR E-Team) are next, with Sete Gibernau (Join Contract Pons 40) joining Granado, Di Meglio and Tuuli at the back after the Spanish veteran had his lap cancelled.

Alex De Angelis

“Obviously I’m really happy about today because it’s my first E-Pole, at my home GP and it’s an Octo GP which is also our sponsor so putting it all together it’s unbelievable, like a dream. I’m also surprised because this morning in FP1 and FP2 I had so much trouble with the set up and I asked my team to change direction completely. We did and I immediately felt much better on the lap before the qualifying. So I thought ‘ok, this is the time. Push and focus.’ And I did, I only made very small mistakes and the lap was incredibly fast. I knew it could be a good laptime but I didn’t think it was enough for pole. So I’m very happy, and I’d like to say thanks to my team and my family.”

MotoGP Rnd Misano Fri MotoE front row Ferrari De Angelis Simeon
Alex De Angelis led Ferrari and Simeon claiming pole – Misano MotoGP 2019 – Friday

MotoE Combined times/EPole

Source: MCNews.com.au

Austria hosts second round of the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup

MotoGP 2019 – Rnd 11 – Red Bull Ring, Austria

FIM Enel MotoE World Cup

After an interesting first weekend of racing for the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup in Germany (Link), it’s time to saddle up this weekend for Round 2 where the electric bikes join the MotoGP circus at Red Bull Ring. 

Niki Tuuli (Ajo MotoE) leads the way as the grid prepare to fight it out for another 25 points, with Austria presenting a very different challenge.

The Sachsenring is tight and twisty, which the Red Bull Ring most definitely isn’t. Testing at Valencia and Jerez had created some expectations ahead of the season opener, but practice in Germany certainly saw the order shuffle as the grid took on the unique track. So will that also be true as we switch it up again and head for Spielberg?

Niki Tuuli

“Like I always say, we’ve been in the top three in almost every session this year and we’ll try to continue like this and consistently be in the top three in every session, and also in qualifying we’ll try to do as we did last time. That’s our plan, so we try to continue like this. This first weekend was really good for us, we have good pace for the bike and with this bike, I don’t think the changes are such a big difference and I think we have good pace for every weekend, I feel really good on the bike and that’s the main thing. I think this track will be a bit more difficult for me, there are many hard braking points and that’s where I don’t feel I was really good at Sachsenring. I think other riders in the top group were better than me in the braking zones. But we’re not so far on the brakes, and it will be a different weekend with the track so different, but there are also fast corners, which is where I feel good. But we’ll see, we need to find a compromise between braking and the fast corners. We’ll see but I hope we’ll be in the top three in the first session.”

MotoGP Rnd Sachsenring Germany MotoE
Niki Tuuli – 2019 MotoE Round 1, Germany

Tuuli and fellow podium finishers Bradley Smith (One Energy Racing) and Mike Di Meglio (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) will be hoping not, as will Hector Garzo (Tech 3 E-Racing), who all had some serious speed in Germany.

Bradley Smith

“I’m ready for Round 2. I have analysed what happened at Sachsenring as much as I can, looking at Free Practice, qualifying and the race. I think we gave everything we had in Germany, so we are satisfied with the second place we achieved. Looking ahead to Austria, the E-Pole session is the main aspect where we have to improve, but the introduction of an FP3 session will help us get better prepared for qualifying. The Red Bull Ring is a track with very long straights, so we will have to study what our strengths might be with the MotoE bike. The goal for this weekend is to continue from where we left off. We must prevent our rivals from breaking away in the standings, since there are not too many races in the MotoE World Cup. We will try to emerge from Round 2 as the series leaders.”

MotoE Rnd Germany Hector Garzo
2019 MotoE Round 1, Germany

Mike Di Meglio

“Here will be a hard race because there a lot of hard braking, and I think for the first lap and during the race there will be a lot of fighting. In Sachsenring I felt good in the hard braking, but a little slower than Niki in the fast corners. So we have to see because each track is different, and we have to see how the grip will be at this track. But we need to be in the front and push practice by practice. I don’t think it’s a very complicated track, many riders come here to train to understand the track but after a few laps they understand where to go, it’s stop and go. It’s not like Sachsenring where you have to focus on where to put the wheel. But we have to focus practice by practice and see if some new rider arrives at the top.”

MotoGP Rnd Sachsenring Germany MotoE Podium
MotoE podium 1) – Sachsenring Round 9 – MotoGP 2019

The likes of Eric Granado (Avintia Esponsorama Racing) need more from Round 2 after a tougher start, with a six-race calendar making every point crucial in the fight for the crown.

Eric Granado

“I am quite motivated, among other things because I don’t know the Austrian circuit and I really want to start working with the team on Friday and get the bike ready for Sunday’s race. This weekend we will have one more training, what which is very important for me as I’ve never race in this track. Despite not getting the result we expected, in Germany we had a great rhythm and I am happy with the level we proved. Here I’ll try to be competitive again in the Superpole and mainly in the Race.”

MotoE Rnd Germany Bradley Smith AX
Bradley Smith

Matteo Ferrari (Trentino Gresini MotoE) will be looking to bridge the gap to the front quartet and hoping the Red Bull Ring is the place to do it, too, with the Italian having completed the top five last time out.

Matteo Ferrari

“I’m really charged up, because at Sachsenring we were competitive, so we want to aim higher. This is a new tack for the bike, we have no data, so the methodical work we’ll put in place will be even more crucial than before. I never race at the Red Bull Ring with other categories, so it will be important to understand the key parts of the track. There are some very important braking zones at this track and with MotoE the braking part is crucial. Despite the unusual time, the 8:30am FP3 session on Saturday is surely a positive factor.”

MotoE Rnd Germany Hector GarzoAlex De Angelis
Hector Garzo – 2019 MotoE Round 1, Germany

And Alex De Angelis (Octo Pramac MotoE) and Xavier Simeon (Avintia Esponsorama Racing), who were only tenths apart, will be eager to take that duel a few places forward.

Xavier Simeon

“I am very motivated and looking forward to this second race. The Red Bull Ring is totally opposite to the Sachsering circuit where we raced the first race because it has many straights. How the MotoE bikes will behave here is a big question mark. In Sachsenring I could show that I am competitive with these bikes and I hope to be that fast also this weekend where the goal will be to get on the podium.”

MotoE Rnd Germany Hector Garzo
Hector Garzo – 2019 MotoE Round 1, Germany

Sete Gibernau (Join Contract Pons 40), meanwhile, made a huge step forward once the lights went out and came out on top in an incredibly close fight throughout the points. He led Nico Terol (Openbank Angel Nieto Team), Mattia Casadei (Ongetta SIC58 Squadra Corse), Niccolo Canepa (LCR E-Team), Jesko Raffin (Dynavolt Intact GP) and Kenny Foray (Tech 3 E-Racing) over the line when the race was stopped, with only a second separating a solid top ten from only a couple of points for those in the squabble. That’s sure to reignite at Spielberg.

Josh Hook was the final points scorer in the opening MotoE race and will be looking to march further up the order this weekend. 

MotoE Rnd Germany Hector GarzoJosh Hook
Josh Hook – 2019 MotoE Round 1, Germany

Two practice sessions on Friday are joined by a new FP3 on Saturday morning in Austria, with all three deciding the order the riders then head out for E-Pole at 16:00 (GMT +2). Will Tuuli rule the Ring? The six-lap race begins at 10:00 on Sunday.

MotoE Points Standings

Pos Rider Bike Nation Points
1 Niki TUULI Energica FIN 25
2 Bradley SMITH Energica GBR 20
3 Mike DI MEGLIO Energica FRA 16
4 Hector GARZO Energica SPA 13
5 Matteo FERRARI Energica ITA 11
6 Alex DE ANGELIS Energica RSM 10
7 Xavier SIMEON Energica BEL 9
8 Eric GRANADO Energica BRA 8
9 Sete GIBERNAU Energica SPA 7
10 Nicolas TEROL Energica SPA 6
11 Mattia CASADEI Energica ITA 5
12 Niccolo CANEPA Energica ITA 4
13 Jesko RAFFIN Energica SWI 3
14 Kenny FORAY Energica FRA 2
15 Joshua HOOK Energica AUS 1
16 Maria HERRERA Energica SPA 0
17 Randy DE PUNIET Energica FRA 0
18 Lorenzo SAVADORI Energica ITA 0

Source: MCNews.com.au

Niki Tuuli wins first ever MotoE World Cup race

2019 MotoE World Cup

Round 1 – Sachsenring, Germany


Niki Tuuli has laid claim to the first ever FIM Enel MotoE World Cup race win, converting his E-Pole (also a first ever) into victory as the Cup kicked off in style in Germany alongside the MotoGP. A Red Flag on the penultimate lap brought the race to an early end with Bradley Smith taking second and Mike Di Meglio completing the podium.

MotoE Rnd Germany Hector Garzo
2019 MotoE Round 1, Germany

It was Hector Garzo who took the holeshot from second on the grid, with Smith up to his old MotoGP class tricks to get a stunning launch from P7 and move into second, round the outside of polesitter Tuuli. Garzo then headed wide and Smith took over in the lead, with Tuuli also a little off line and that letting Di Meglio through into third. Xavier Simeon then picked the pocket of the Finn too, and the polesitter was down into fifth.

He soon set about hitting back, however, slicing through into fourth and then third as Di Meglio attacked Smith at the front, taking the lead. The trio were pulling away to make the fight for the podium a three-way affair, leaving Garzo battling Matteo Ferrari for fourth and Alex de Angelis defending from Simeon.

MotoE Rnd Germany Garzo
Hector Garzo – 2019 MotoE Round 1, Germany

With six to go, Smith struck back for the lead and it wasn’t long until Tuuli moved through too, tagged onto the back wheel of the Brit and recovery from a tougher first couple of laps almost complete. A lap later he made a move but Smith took him back at the final corner, and the two blasted down the start-finish straight in tandem.

Tuuli set it up and attacked again into Turn 1, the Finnish rider back in charge and slowly but surely able to get just enough breathing space to stay out the clutches of Smith. Meanwhile, just behind, Garzo had managed to tag onto the battle for second. But drama then hit slightly further back as Eric Granado came together with Lorenzo Savadori and the Italian went down, and ultimately that would decide the race.

MotoE Rnd Germany Smith Di Meglio
Smith & De Meglio battle it out – 2019 MotoE Round 1, Germany

Savadori was up and ok, but the air fence took a hit from the bike and that meant the Red Flag came out, cutting the race short. With the standings based on the last lap over the line, that made Niki Tuuli the history-making first ever winner in the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup.

Bradley Smith took second ahead of Di Meglio, with the Frenchman having only just attacked him for P2 but that now null and void. Garzo was forced to settle for fourth, with Ferrari completing the top five.

MotoE Rnd Germany Hector GarzoJosh Hook
Josh Hook – 2019 MotoE Round 1, Germany

Alex De Angelis got the better of Xavier Simeon and took P6, with Eric Granado recovering from well outside the top ten after getting caught out in an early melee and the Brazilian taking P8. Sete Gibernau was ninth at the head of a big gaggle of riders squabbling over the final two places in the top ten, ahead of Nico Terol, Mattia Casadei, Niccolo Canepa, Jesko Raffin and Kenny Foray. Australian Josh Hook completed the points.

MotoGP Rnd Sachsenring Germany MotoE Podium
MotoE podium 1) Niki Tuli, 2) Bradley Smith, 3) Mike di Meglio – 2019 MotoE Round 1, Germany
Niki Tuuli – P1

“I’m really happy, already after the first test we knew the bike was going to fit for me, but every time we’ve gone but we’ve been close to the top three and that’s the main thing, and especially here in the fast corners I’ve been really good and I think that’s where yesterday I made the laptime as well. On Friday and Saturday we had good speed and I know the places where I’m quite a lot faster at the moment. In the race because the weather is quite difficult we didn’t know where were the wet patches on track and we made the bike softer. Then straightaway when we started the race and I hit the brakes at Turn 1 I hit the bottom and knew it was too soft. After that I tried to keep the riding quite soft for the first two laps and after that I tried to push a bit and find out where it was working or not. I made a couple of mistakes when I was pushing too much, but in the end I made a small gap. We have many thing to improve and unfortunately today we had a really short race. But in the end we were first all weekend so it’s a good start to the year!”

MotoGP Rnd Sachsenring Germany MotoE
Niki Tuuli – 2019 MotoE Round 1, Germany
Bradley Smith – P2

“I’m very happy to have got on the podium at this first MotoE World Cup race with ONE Energy Racing. Yesterday I was somewhat disappointed with my result in E-Pole, but I still knew that if I got a good start I could be in the fight in the race. I managed to get a very good start and lead the race, so that was nice. I couldn’t be a part of the race simulation in Valencia, so I was lacking some knowledge of what the contest was going to be like, but I learned a lot today. It was only five laps, but I know where I can improve for the next round in Austria. The race was exciting, so that’s good for the show and for the competition. I want to thank the team; they changed the bike from yesterday to today and did a great job.”

MotoE Rnd Germany Bradley Smith FER
Bradley Smith – 2019 MotoE Round 1, Germany
Hector Garzo – P4

“Unfortunately, it was a difficult race and not the result we have hoped for. I was waiting for the last two laps. Just the moment before the red flag, I was thinking about my overtake. But well, this is racing. You never know, that this is going to happen. Anyway, I’m happy because we four riders finished with a great time. For sure, I would have been a bit more satisfied to get a podium in the first MotoE race, but still our work is good and we know we are strong in every condition. Thanks a lot to the team, we did a really good job and for the first MotoE race of the history, it’s not bad. We must be happy. I’m looking forward to Austria now, keep calm and work hard.”

MotoE Rnd Germany Hector Garzo
Hector Garzo – 2019 MotoE Round 1, Germany
Alex De Angelis – P6

“I had a great time. At the first corner I chose to brake and stay inside and it was a good tactic because it allowed me to recover some positions. The duel with Simeon made me lose contact with the leading group but it was really exciting.”

MotoE Rnd Germany Hector GarzoAlex De Angelis
Alex De Angelis – 2019 MotoE Round 1, Germany
Niccolò Canepa – P12

“I’m really upset because I had contact in the first lap – I was in 8th place and was put back to 14th place. I was coming back into the top 10 and was 10th when the red flag came out but they gave the results from the previous lap so I was actually 12th in the results. I feel frustrated because I think this time a 5-lap race is too short.”

Kenny Foray – P14

“It was a good race. The result is not, what I expected, but my feeling was better. Now, I need to be more aggressive in the race, because two times, I decided to stay behind the guys in front of me and two times, somebody overtook me. So, I need to push all the time. I was really good on the brakes, but I couldn’t take full advantage of this. My feeling on the bike was good, it was great fun. The result is not ideal, but now I need to improve for the next race. I was a good experience for me and I’m happy, although I was hoping for a few more points. I’m sure for Austria, we will be better.”

MotoE World Cup test Valencia Final Kenny Foray
Kenny Foray – 2019 MotoE Round 1, Germany
Josh Hook – P15

“The feeling with the bike grew during the race. It was very important to be with the peloton on a circuit where I raced on Friday for the first time. It wasn’t a particularly satisfying weekend but we have to take the positive side and improve.”

MotoE Rnd Germany Hector GarzoJosh Hook
Josh Hook – 2019 MotoE Round 1, Germany
Randy De Puniet – P17

“It was not an easy race – since the beginning of the weekend, as I’ve explained before, I have zero feeling and I’m not confident after crashing in Valencia. I really hoped to get some more confidence and speed during the race, but it was not the case. I’m sorry to the team and the sponsors but I was not able to do better today. I hope after the break I will feel better on the bike so we will see for the next race.”

That’s it from the inaugural weekend for the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup, with Tuuli the first ever winner and therefore first Championship leader. How will Austria shake it up? The Sachsenring is about corners, and the Red Bull Ring is much more stop-and-go. Tune in on the August 11 for Round 2!

MotoE Rnd Germany Terol leads Gibernau
2019 MotoE Round 1, Germany

MotoE Results


Source: MCNews.com.au

Marquez claims tenth Sachsenring win in a row | Miller sixth

MotoGP 2019

Round Nine – Sachsenring
MotoGP Race Results / Report


Marc Marquez proved who’s boss at Sachsenring over the weekend taking his tenth victory at the track in a row, having claimed an early lead from Turn one and then proceeding to lead for the entire duration, finishing +4.587 ahead of Maverick Vinales.

Marc Marquez

“My plan was try to lead from the beginning to the end, that was my mentality. For that reason the start wasn’t perfect but I took a lot of risk in the first corner, I braked so late and I was able to be in there and then the first two laps I was just cruising and trying to understand the limit of the track after the rain. Then when I saw the tyres were ready, I was ready and the bike was ready, then I started to attack. I started to do low 1:21s, that was my rhythm in the first ten laps, and apart from that, when I saw Rins was three seconds behind me, then I started to save the tyre and finish the race.”

MotoGP Rnd Sachsenring Germany Marquez Podium
Marc Marquez – Sachsenring Round 9 – MotoGP 2019

That makes it ten wins in a row in Germany for the reigning Champion, all from pole, with Maverick Viñales and Cal Crutchlow completing the podium. Marquez’ win for the seventh successive time in the premier class at the Sachsenring also equals Valentino Rossi’s record of premier class wins in a row at one venue, set in Mugello from 2002-2008.

Despite a bad start Marquez kept it pinned into Turn 1, the last of the late brakers able to emerge in the lead as Fabio Quartararo slipped back from second to sixth at the start; Viñales, Jack Miller, Alex Rins and Crutchlow all getting past the Frenchman. The first shot of drama would come from the Frenchman too as Quartararo’s race suddenly ended at Turn 3 on Lap 2, the rookie going to get back past Ducati Team’s Danilo Petrucci but the front washing away in his first ever premier class crash out of a race.

MotoGP Rnd Sachsenring Germany Marquez
Marc Marquez – Sachsenring Round 9 – MotoGP 2019

The battle at the front at that point was more a freight train, with Marquez conducting the pace from Viñales as Crutchlow and Rins demoted Miller down to fifth. The top four started to edge clear of the rest, but edging clear of everyone was King of the Ring Marquez as a 1:21.228 – a new lap record – on Lap 5 saw his lead creep up to just under a second. The man in second was Rins, and he was also stretching his advantage over Viñales and Crutchlow to the same distance, but Marquez was in the groove.

The seven-time Champion showed exactly why the Sachsenring is his playground, not powering away at a rapid rate but instead eking out a tenth here and there, his lead gradually increasing until he suddenly put the hammer down. Lap 10 saw Marquez go 0.4 faster than Rins as the gap rose above the two-second barrier. From then on, there was no stopping the now ten-time Sachsenring winner.

MotoGP Rnd Sachsenring Germany Cal Crutchlow
Cal Crutchlow – Sachsenring Round 9 – MotoGP 2019

The battle for the second and third steps on the podium was heating up, however. Crutchlow was shadowing Viñales, who in turn was sitting a second back from Rins, with the gap remaining constant between the trio as we passed the mid-stage of the race. And the battle for fifth place was very much on as Ducati Team’s Andrea Dovizioso and Petrucci were going head-to-head with fellow GP19 rider Miller, Joan Mir, Valentino Rossi and Aprilia Racing Team Gresini’s Aleix Espargaro in a close fight for big points.

Nearer the front though, disaster then struck at the top of ‘The Waterfall’ for Rins. 0.9 clear of Viñales and Crutchlow, the Suzuki man suddenly skitted out at Ralf Waldmann corner for his second consecutive DNF. With the man on the chase down and out, it left Marquez with an unassailable 4.9 lead.

The last ten laps were just about controlling the gap for Marquez as he saw a 10th Sachsenring win appear ever closer, but who would finish second? Crutchlow had been attached to Viñales’ back wheel for some time to put the Spaniard under pressure and with two laps to go, the duo were separated by nothing.

MotoGP Rnd Sachsenring Germany Vinales Crutchlow
Maverick Vinales – Sachsenring Round 9 – MotoGP 2019

But the number 35 then had a scare at Turn 10; a warning sign that saw Crutchlow running wide and subsequently keeping it calmer to give up the chase. Just ahead, Marquez crossed the line to win his fifth race of 2019, the seventh consecutive year he’s won five or more races in a premier class season – a record that sees him surpass MotoGP Legend Giacomo Agostini and nine-time Champion Rossi, both of whom managed to do it for six straight years.

Viñales crossed the line to take his second straight podium, with Crutchlow getting his equal best result of the year in third and his first rostrum since Qatar GP. The Brit’s ride was even more impressive as he battled a torn anterior cruciate ligament and a small fracture to the top of his tibia this weekend following a cycling mishap. Behind the top trio, meanwhile, there were important points in the Championship to be decided just down the road.

MotoGP Rnd Sachsenring Germany Jack Miller
Jack Miller & Valentino Rossi – Sachsenring Round 9 – MotoGP 2019

Rossi had lost touch on the battle for fourth in the latter stages, and it was Mir vs the three Ducatis. With Marquez out in front, second in the Championship Dovizioso needed to limit the damage as much as possible but Petrucci wasn’t going to let his teammate have it all his own way. The Italians exchanged P4 at the bottom of ‘The Waterfall’ before Dovi went to get back past Petrucci into Turn 1 with three to go and they both ran wide; Miller diving up the inside of both.

Dovizioso was aggressive though and attacked the Australian as the battle between the Ducatis went down to the wire, Petrucci leading them onto the last lap. The Mugello winner would ultimately hold fourth as the chequered flag came out, a terrific performance after his big crash in Q2, with Dovizioso producing another fine fight back to take P5 from P13 on the grid. Miller was forced to settle for a solid sixth.

MotoGP Rnd Sachsenring Germany Petrucci Dovi
Dovizioso chases down teammate Petrucci – Sachsenring Round 9 – MotoGP 2019

Mir picked up his third consecutive top ten in seventh, a great ride from the rookie, with Rossi ending his run of three-straight DNFs with a P8 at the Sachsenring. Franco Morbidelli finished ninth in Germany, the first time he’d raced in the premier class at the track after missing out last year, with Jorge Lorenzo’s replacement Stefan Bradl grabbing his second top ten of the season in front of his home fans.

Tito Rabat put in a stunner to take P11 from last on the grid, ahead of a tougher race for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pol Espargaro. Andrea Iannone was 13th and top Aprilia after a crash for teammate Aleix Espargaro, with Takaaki Nakagami riding through the pain barrier to P14. Karel Abraham completed the points.

MotoGP Rnd Sachsenring Germany MotoGP Podium
Marquez took the win from Vinales and Crutchlow – Sachsenring Round 9 – MotoGP 2019

The summer break is now upon us and Marquez will doubtless be the most relaxed after extending his lead once again. But next up is Brno and it’s a good venues for some key rivals…as well as a few weeks away, giving the likes of Quartararo time to come back swinging. Will the reign continue? The Monster Energy Grand Prix České republiky will decide…

MotoGP Results


Source: MCNews.com.au