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Aragon II MotoGP Qualifying Report | Times | Stats | Quotes | Images

October 24, 2020 mcnews Leave a comment

2020 MotoGP Round 12 – Aragon II
Qualifying Times / Report / Quotes

MotoGP Qualifying Report

Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) kept his fine form rolling on Saturday at the Gran Premio Liqui Moly de Teruel, taking a maiden MotoGP pole position and becoming the first Japanese rider on pole in the premier class since Makoto Tamada at the 2004 Valencia GP.

Takaaki Nakagami has qualified on pole for the first time since he stepped up to MotoGP in 2018. This is the first pole position for a Japanese rider in MotoGP™ since Makoto Tamada was on pole position at the 2004 Valencia GP.

Nakagami also makes it three maiden polesitters this year, a first in a single MotoGP season since 2013, and ends Honda’s longest premier class run without a pole since they returned to the class in 1982. It was close in the end though, with Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) just 0.063 off as the Italian starts second; the only other man in the 1:46s. Aragon GP winner Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) took an ominous third place to start the Teruel GP a good few places higher up the grid than last weekend, locking out the front row.

2020 Aragon II MotoGP front row
1 Takaaki Nakagami – LCR Honda Idemitsu – Honda – 1:46.882
2 Franco Morbidelli – Petronas Yamaha SRT – Yamaha – +0.063
3 Alex Rins – Team Suzuki Ecstar – Suzuki – +0.273

In Q1, however, all eyes were on Ducati. With every Borgo Panigale machine set to fight it out in the session, there was plenty at stake… and it started well enough for Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) as he held onto the provisional fastest lap after the first runs. Then though, a stunner came in from Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) as the Spaniard pulled clear at the top… and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) looked set to move through too. But then, a last lap dash from Johann Zarco (Esponsorama Racing) ensured there was going to be one Ducati in the fight for the top 12 – with the Frenchman taking second right at the flag and moving through along with Pol Espargaro. That left Aleix Espargaro set to line up 13th, Miller 14th and Championship contender Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) in a difficult P17 for race day.

The action was back underway soon enough for Q2, and it was a familiar name at the top after the first runs as Nakagami came straight out the blocks with a 1:47.072. It was also a familiar name in second, with Morbidelli just half a tenth off once again. Zarco impressed as the Q1 graduate slotted into third early on before the calm before the storm returned to pitlane, first runs done.

With just five minutes left on the clock, the field filed back out. Mir was 4.5 seconds off after failing to set a competitive lap time on his opening run, Aragon GP podium finisher Alex Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) was P11 and Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) seventh, with a lot at stake in the final few minutes. With two minutes to go though, everyone was still setting grey sector times for the time being, with no one able to go quicker…

That left Mir with a one-lap shot at picking up places from P12. Pol Espargaro found time in Sector 2 and was on a personal best time, Viñales had also found time, but all eyes then returned to Nakagami. The Japanese rider was 0.239 up in Sector 3, and Honda have been mighty in Sector 4… would it be a 1:46? It would. Coming across the line, Nakagami set a phenomenal 1:46.882 to move the goalposts significantly, and ultimately secure his maiden MotoGP pole position.

Quartararo was threatening but had a second wobble coming onto the front straight to go P5, and just behind the Frenchman, Rins did improve even more to take third. On his last lap, Viñales also went quicker – but it wasn’t enough to threaten Nakagami or for the front row. Morbidelli, meanwhile, did threaten slightly – but it wasn’t quite enough as the Italian ended the session 0.063 off.

Nakagami will be aiming to become the first Japanese rider to finish on the podium in MotoGP since Katsuyuki Nakasuga was second in Valencia back in 2012.

That guaranteed a maiden MotoGP pole position for the LCR Honda Idemitsu rider, and he’ll be one to watch on race day. Morbidelli takes his fourth front row start of the season in second, with Rins retaining P3 and looking a little threatening after his win last weekend from 10th on the grid…

Aragon GP winner Alex Rins is third and top Suzuki. It’s his third front row in MotoGP, along with Valencia 2018 and Assen 2019. This is the first Suzuki front row start at Aragon since 2016 when Maverick Viñales was second. This is also only the second front row start for Suzuki this season so far; Joan Mir was third on the grid in Styria (although he qualified fourth).

Viñales is forced to settle for fourth, with Zarco keeping P5 despite a crash late on for the Frenchman, his earlier laptime proving stunner enough. Quartararo will start from sixth, just pipping LCR Honda Castrol’s Cal Crutchlow.

Zarco on row two despite a crash for the Frenchman, he is the fastest Ducati

Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) slots into eighth alongside the Brit, getting the better of Pol Espargaro by just 0.010 as the Q1 graduate starts ninth. Tenth place went to Alex Marquez as the rookie took his best qualifying result so far – better than last weekend, when he took another podium – with Iker Lecuona (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) right behind him, also a best ever for the rookie number 27.

So where’s Mir? After some late drama that looked like the Yellow Flag for Zarco’s crash would cancel a number of laps, including that of the Championship leader, it looked like he may have to settle for his first effort – over four seconds adrift. But the laptimes were reinstated after it was shown the Yellow Flag hadn’t been out for the likes of Mir, Oliveira, Crutchlow and Alex Marquez… but it didn’t prove a key aide. By just 0.021, the Championship leader is forced to settle for P12 – and will have plenty to do on race day. But then, we’ve seen some sensational comebacks this season already…

MotoGP Rider Quotes

Takaaki Nakagami – P1

“It’s just an amazing feeling. It was a pretty good last lap, well sector one was not the best because I saw I was one tenth slower, but as it was my last lap I tried my best to improve and make adjustments for sector two, three and four and we managed to go faster and faster. I didn’t know it was under 1’47 because there is no monitor on the track and I didn’t know if it was pole position or which position, but at the end I came to the pitlane and our crew had P1 and then I realised; ‘Ok, I have pole position’. It’s an amazing, amazing feeling and I want to say thanks to my team as they have worked well this weekend so far. But tomorrow is the most important thing and we have to concentrate and not lose our way. Now I have a pole position I’m really proud, but we need to keep concentrating and let’s see what we can do in tomorrow’s race.”

Franco Morbidelli – P2

“It was a great lap and I really had fun out there today, I had a good feeling on the bike. We worked well together, like we did last weekend, and we’re on a good path. I think tomorrow I need to be a bit sharper in the first laps and increase our pace, compared to the last race. FP4 was good to look at the tyres, as we need to make our choice for tomorrow and we need to find the right setting for the race. I do think things are a bit clearer now, especially with the data from last weekend as well. We used the soft tyre for the time attack and we were looking at the medium front for the race tomorrow. Still, we need to wait and see what happens, but being on the front row is good and hopefully it will be a great race.”

Franco Morbidelli is second and the top Yamaha rider, which is his fourth front row start so far this season.

Alex Rins – P3

“I’m really happy to be back on the front row. It’s been a long time, and it feels good to be back. Since last weekend we’ve found a few extra things to make me quicker and feel even better with the bike, so this has increased my confidence. I think I have good race pace, but it will be tough because there are a lot of competitive riders here. What happened last weekend gives me a boost and motivation to get back on the podium, but we’ll have to see how the race plays out.”

Maverick Vinales – P4

“I‘m very happy, honestly. We got the maximum result possible for us today. What‘s positive is that our main rivals didn‘t do so well either. We did a good qualifying, so I‘m quite satisfied about that. For tomorrow I will try to push from the beginning. We know we prepared well for the race, so our expectations are quite high, and I think we can do a really good job tomorrow. In the race everything changes, so we will try to be smart, be smooth on the bike, and save the tyres for the last ten laps – this is crucial at this track. Tomorrow will also be a real chance for us to see if we can benefit from racing before the Moto2 race has taken place. It could be good for us in terms of grip, but then again it could be good for everyone. So, we will try to hit good lap times straight away. Sure, there are many fast riders, but we will try to manage and be fast.”

Maverick Viñales has qualified fourth, which is the fifth time this year he has failed to start from the front row.

Johann Zarco – P5

“Very happy with today’s afternoon, as we have taken a big step forward. In the morning with low temperatures it was more difficult for me to have a good feeling with the bike, but in the afternoon everything was much better despite suffering a crash in Q2. I felt strong and very comfortable on my bike, which allowed me to go fast and finish in fifth position. Tomorrow we will try to have a good race and get the best possible result”

Fabio Quartararo – P6

“We have changed quite a few things this weekend, which was positive for our race pace but maybe not so great for qualifying. It didn’t feel as good as last weekend but, at the end of the day, the most important thing is the race pace. I think we have made a step forward, but there is still more to do. Qualifying wasn’t too bad, but now it’s time to focus on the race tomorrow. This is a circuit where I have always struggled, Valencia and Portimão should be better, but I will do my best to finish with as many points as possible, and hopefully ahead of our rivals. We need to look at our pace with the used tyre in Warm Up tomorrow, with the aim of increasing our potential in the race.”

On pole last week at the Aragon GP, Fabio Quartararo has qualified sixth, which is only the second time so far this season he missed the front row of the grid along with Styria when he qualified 10th (but started from ninth).

Cal Crutchlow – P7

“Today was not as easy in qualifying as it was last week to get the front row, I pushed quite hard and nearly crashed three times on the fast lap, in all the fast corners; turn four, turn ten and the last corner. I tried my best and I think we did a good job this weekend, Taka did a really good lap and congratulations to him and the team for the pole position. Now we look forward to the race tomorrow, I think it’s going to be a really difficult race as the times are very close and a lot of riders are able to push fast this weekend.”

Miguel Oliveira – P8

“I’m happy about Qualifying, it’s a nice come back. We managed to go to Q2 several times, but finished just in P12, which means we couldn’t take the maximum out of the position. But now I feel like we gained a little bit of speed back, I feel competitive and tomorrow we can have a good race. I think we have a strong pace and we can manage the tires much better than last weekend, so we have a good opportunity to score decent points.”

Pol Espargaro – P9

“We did a good job today. The morning didn’t go so well and it was where we lost our options to go straight to Q2. I didn’t want to use the race tire so I had to do everything in Q1. I was happy because we turned things around in FP4 and the lap-time in Q1 would have put us on the front row. Overall, we not far away from first place so I’m happy.”

Alex Marquez – P10

“Last weekend we did a 48.1 and this weekend a 47.5 in the morning, so we have made a step. But honestly, I was aiming to be on the first three rows for the race, but we just missed out, MotoGP is like this this year where just half a tenth can make the difference. Our pace is looking good but starting 10th it will be difficult to be on the podium as everyone has made a step this weekend. A good start will be important because I think we are strong on used tyres and I think the top five is possible tomorrow. Let’s have a good race.”

Iker Lecuona – P11

“I’m really happy about today! It was the first time in Q2 for me and the lap time I did in FP3 was great. I have a very good pace for tomorrow’s race and I know it’s possible to stay in this position in order to fight for the top 10 again. I have to admit, I was not absolutely satisfied about my Qualifying because I think I could have been gone a bit faster. Anyway, I’m all focused for the race and hope I can stay inside the top 10.”

Iker Lecuona made it straight through to Q2 for the first time

Joan Mir – P12

“I’m not happy with how qualifying went. In FP4 I worked with a medium front tyre and I felt really good with that, but then in Q2 we decided to switch back to the soft front and I couldn’t get the same feeling so I wasn’t able to push. I was a bit unlucky because I was doing a good lap just before the end, but I saw the yellow flag and I rolled off, and then the time ran out. In general my times weren’t too bad, but I’m not happy with the position. On the plus side, my feeling and pace in the other sessions was good so let’s see what’s possible.”

Championship leader Joan Mir is 12th, equalling his second-worst qualifying so far this season from Spain, when he qualified 12th but started 10th. His worst qualifying so far in 2020 was in France, when he qualified 14th

Aleix Espargaro – P13

“I’m usually not pleased with thirteenth place, but today is different. I was consistently fast, I have a good pace and in qualifying I also did an outstanding lap. It’s a pity about not going through to Q2 because, with this speed, I could have made a play for a spot on one of the front three rows. The starting position will force me to be very aggressive in the early laps, but if I’m able to stay with the leading group, I’ll be able to aim for a good race.”

Jack Miller – P14

“I was doing my lap but the second tyre didn’t work well, apart from that everything was good. I was able to do very good laps but I had no control during the second run in Q2. I’m sad but as always tomorrow I will do my best and we see.”

Brad Binder – P15

“It was a lot easier for me to put down consistent laps, which is good for the race tomorrow. I feel like I am lacking a little bit of straight-up one-lap pace and it was difficult today because I was missing a tenth of a second here and there and it is so tight out there at the moment. Any steps we can make for tomorrow will give us a small advantage going into the race. In general, I think we are much better prepared than we were last week.”

Stefan Bradl – P16

“We are much faster this weekend and even faster than yesterday, even if our final position looks further. The crash I had meant that I couldn’t use my favourite bike but my grid position and laps are better than last week, so I am pleased. It will be a very fast race tomorrow because everyone now has two weeks of data. We are starting ahead of some strong riders so I think it will be a good race.”

Andrea Dovizioso – P17

“Unfortunately, this GP is proving to be even more challenging than last week, where we had already encountered several difficulties. Our opponents are making a big difference, as in these days they have managed to improve a lot. Tomorrow we will start rather from the back, and unfortunately, our race pace is neither that strong. We will do our best to bring home as many points as possible”.

Andrea Dovizioso has qualified 17th. That equals his second-worst qualifying result since he stepped up to MotoGP in 2008, which was from Catalunya this year. His worst was also this year in Brno, when he qualified 18th

Pecco Bagnaia – P18

“From today I was expecting more. I liked the changed we made yesterday and I thought that with the new tires we would be able to do better. The only improvement I made was 4 tenths on the pace, but it is not enough to make a time attack. We are all very competitive, and now even if we are in trouble we will try to do our best.”

Danilo Petrucci – P19

“Today’s qualifying has been rather difficult, and we still haven’t been able to solve the problems that we had already last week here at MotorLand. We hope to find some solutions that will allow us to make some progress tomorrow in the warm-up, but as we are starting far from the back, we already know that we’ll have to expect an uphill race”.

Tito Rabat – P20

“A bit disappointed with today as after the good FP3 we did, I was hoping to improve in the afternoon. Tomorrow we hope to have a good race and continue to improve.”

Bradley Smith – P21

“On one hand, I’m pleased with the work we did in preparation for the race. Clearly, starting from that far back will not make life easy for me. We tried a lot of things and maybe that’s why we were unable to be incisive in qualifying. For tomorrow, we’ll analyse the data collected today and try to put together the best possible setup. I’ll also have a look at a few of Aleix’s laps, since he was rather fast, and I’ll use that to try and improve my riding style as well to make up a few tenths of a second.”

Davide Brivio – Suzuki Team Manager

“It’s great to have Alex on the front row again, he did a really good job all day and he has good pace for tomorrow’s race. Unfortunately, Joan struggled with the front end during qualifying and he wasn’t able to push. He will start from 12th on the grid, which won’t be easy, but we’re hoping to put everything together to give him the best chance of fighting at the front tomorrow.”

Massimo Meregalli – Monster Yamaha Team Director

“Today we continued in line with the work we did yesterday. In order to give Maverick the best possible chance in the championship, we need to make sure that he has good grip on the maximum lean angle for the duration of tomorrow‘s race. We used both FP3 and FP4 to further tweak the findings from Friday, because Maverick wasn‘t fully satisfied after the morning outing. After FP4 he felt much better on the bike, and his first place in that session is a good sign for tomorrow‘s race. In Q2 we had really hoped for another front-row start like last week. It‘s a shame that he missed out by just 0.086s, but it‘s nothing to be dramatic about. Fourth place on the grid is still a good place to start the race from. If Maverick repeats his great start and opening lap from the Aragon GP, he will be right there fighting at the front. In the meantime, we will now finalise the set-up, which we can confirm in the warm up. If it all comes together as we intend, we can expect another thrilling race at the Aragon track tomorrow.”

MotoGP Qualifying Results

Pos	Rider	Bike	Q	Time/Gap
1	Takaaki NAKAGAMI	HONDA	Q2	1m46.882
2	Franco MORBIDELLI	YAMAHA	Q2	+0.063
3	Alex RINS	SUZUKI	Q2	+0.273
4	Maverick VIÑALES	YAMAHA	Q2	+0.359
5	Johann ZARCO	DUCATI	Q2	+0.415
6	Fabio QUARTARARO	YAMAHA	Q2	+0.444
7	Cal CRUTCHLOW	HONDA	Q2	+0.495
8	Miguel OLIVEIRA	KTM	Q2	+0.627
9	Pol ESPARGARO	KTM	Q2	+0.637
10	Alex MARQUEZ	HONDA	Q2	+0.721
11	Iker LECUONA	KTM	Q2	+0.739
12	Joan MIR	SUZUKI	Q2	+0.760
13	Aleix ESPARGARO	APRILIA	Q1	(*) 0.301
14	Jack MILLER	DUCATI	Q1	(*) 0.323
15	Brad BINDER	KTM	Q1	(*) 0.407
16	Stefan BRADL	HONDA	Q1	(*) 0.514
17	Andrea DOVIZIOSO	DUCATI	Q1	(*) 0.676
18	Francesco BAGNAIA	DUCATI	Q1	(*) 0.688
19	Danilo PETRUCCI	DUCATI	Q1	(*) 0.784
20	Tito RABAT	DUCATI	Q1	(*) 1.043
21	Bradley SMITH	APRILIA	Q1	(*) 1.331

Moto2 Qualifying Report

Sam Lowes (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) remains the man in form after an impressive Q2 at the Gran Premio Liqui Moly de Teruel, the Brit laying down the gauntlet of another new lap record for his 11th Moto2 pole position. Jorge Navarro (Lightech Speed Up) was the man closest on the chase as he takes second, two tenths down, with Remy Gardner (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) completing the front row in a hotly-contested third place. Championship leader Enea Bastianini (Italtrans Racing Team) starts sixth, with third overall Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46) down in P11 for the Teruel GP…

Sam Lowes has qualified on pole for the 11th time in Moto2, one less than Alex Marquez who is fifth on the list of riders with most Moto2 poles. It’s Lowes’ third pole at Aragon along with 2016 and last week, when he won.

Marini was the man in the spotlight in Q1 as the Italian struggled to break the top 20 in Free Practice, but he moved through in third behind Bo Bendsneyder (NTW RW Racing GP) and Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP), with Stefano Manzi (MV Agusta Forward Racing) the fourth man through. Could Marini make a dent in the top 18 in Q2? It was time to reset and find out.

Marcos Ramirez (Tennor American Racing) was the early pacesetter but Lowes didn’t allow the rookie to spend long at the summit, taking four tenths off and sitting just a tenth off the lap record to set his competition an almighty challenge early on. Navarro then cut Lowes’ gap down to less than a tenth though. before Gardner and Ramirez slotted themselves onto the provisional front row.

Lowes wouldn’t be stopped, however. With eight minutes to go, the number 22 slammed in a new lap record to set the benchmark once again, with Navarro still pushing and taking P2 but still a couple of tenths off Lowes. Could he do it next time around? The Spaniard was getting closer but his pole position dreams ended at Turn 7 as he slipped out of contention, ultimately ensuring the battle remained a brief duel and making it a Lowes-Navarro 1-2 on the grid.

The fight for third was close and Gardner held off Fabio Di Giannantonio (Lightech Speed Up) by just 0.009, with the fight for fourth even closer yet. Ramirez was forced to settle for fifth, but the rookie was just 0.001 off Diggia as he continues his impressive run of MotorLand form. Championship leader Bastianini had a more solid qualifying than last weekend and locks out the second row, the Italian now likely focused on trying to stop Lowes from winning – or limiting the damage.

Jake Dixon (Petronas Sprinta Racing) keeps his impressive speed rolling to spearhead the third row, ahead of Hector Garzo (Flexbox HP 40) and Augusto Fernandez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) as the two Spaniards complete Row 3. Q1 graduate Bendsneyder picked up an impressive P10, his best Q2 result since the Dutchman qualified P5 in Qatar, with Marini forced to settle for P11 in the end but beating Aragon GP podium finisher Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) to it by less than a tenth.

At the end of the session, there was some drama for Martin too. He and Marco Bezzecchi (Sky Racing Team VR46) vented their frustration at each other after an incident in the closing moments of Q2, and title challenger Bezzecchi has to settle for P14, his first non-top 10 qualifying result of the season…

That’s a wrap from Saturday and Lowes reigns once again at MotorLand. Can anyone stop the man second in the Championship from taking his third win in a row? A victory would see Lowes take the title lead heading into the final three races, Bastianini is the only contender in the title race looking likely to challenge Lowes on Sunday afternoon…

Sam Lowes

“I’m really happy to get pole today after last weekend’s pole to win. A lot has changed in my life and riding since 2016, I’m different now, I’ve learned a lot and changed a lot, and this year I feel a lot more controlled and feel like I’m riding technically a little bit better which is helping me to be more consistent. There are many little things, but I’m feeling good, I’m on a bit of a wave at the moment with the results as they are but we have to stay focused. Obviously the race is the most important, we need to not get carried away because it’ll be a tough race as always. Just focus for 21 laps and see what we can do tomorrow.”

Moto2 Qualifying Results

Pos	Rider	Bike	Q	Gap
1	Sam LOWES	KALEX	Q2	1m51.296
2	Jorge NAVARRO	SPEED UP	Q2	+0.216
3	Remy GARDNER	KALEX	Q2	+0.415
4	Fabio DI GIANNANTONI ITA	SPEED UP	Q2	+0.424
5	Marcos RAMIREZ	KALEX	Q2	+0.425
6	Enea BASTIANINI	KALEX	Q2	+0.480
7	Jake DIXON	KALEX	Q2	+0.484
8	Hector GARZO	KALEX	Q2	+0.535
9	Augusto FERNANDEZ	KALEX	Q2	+0.543
10	Bo BENDSNEYDER	NTS	Q2	+0.650
11	Luca MARINI	KALEX	Q2	+0.662
12	Jorge MARTIN	KALEX	Q2	+0.694
13	Joe ROBERTS	KALEX	Q2	+0.711
14	Marco BEZZECCHI	KALEX	Q2	+0.774
15	Edgar PONS	KALEX	Q2	+0.803
16	Marcel SCHROTTER	KALEX	Q2	+0.838
17	Lorenzo BALDASSARRI ITA	KALEX	Q2	+0.959
18	Stefano MANZI	MV AGUSTA	Q2	+1.159
19	Somkiat CHANTRA	KALEX	Q1	(*) 0.393
20	Hafizh SYAHRIN	SPEED UP	Q1	(*) 0.400
21	Nicolò BULEGA	KALEX	Q1	(*) 0.500
22	Xavi VIERGE	KALEX	Q1	(*) 0.546
23	Lorenzo DALLA PORTA ITA	KALEX	Q1	(*) 0.595
24	Simone CORSI	MV AGUSTA	Q1	(*) 0.599
25	Tetsuta NAGASHIMA	KALEX	Q1	(*) 0.685
26	Thomas LUTHI	KALEX	Q1	(*) 0.955
27	Kasma DANIEL	KALEX	Q1	(*) 1.094
28	Xavi CARDELUS	SPEED UP	Q1	(*) 1.301
29	Andi Farid IZDIHAR	KALEX	Q1	(*) 1.957
30	Piotr BIESIEKIRSKI	NTS	Q1	(*) 2.465

Moto3

Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) has done it again! The Spaniard’s 1:57.199 in Q2 at the Gran Premio Liqui Moly de Teruel sees him take a fifth pole of the season, edging out Tony Arbolino (Rivacold Snipers Team) by 0.231. Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46) bounced back from a more difficult Friday to complete the front row, as the riders third and fourth overall start the furthest forward of the title challengers on Sunday…

In Q1 it was Filip Salač (Rivacold Snipers Team) who topped the timesheets, and with an impressive advantage of nearly four tenths. The Czech rider was joined by Stefano Nepa (Solunion Aspar Team), Kaito Toba (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Gabriel Rodrigo (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3) in moving through to Q2, and so the stage was set for the fight for pole.

It was – as ever – Fernandez who led the way early doors, the Spaniard the man on top heading into the classic final shootout. But, again as ever, that classic final shootout would shuffle a good few rows – just not at the top. Fernandez was the only man able to beat his own time, knocking a few tenths off and securing himself a fifth pole of 2020.

It looked like it would be with a substantial gap back to Vietti initially, but Arbolino struck late to take second and home in on Fernandez. Arbolino, who missed the Aragon GP due to mandatory self-isolation, has been quick since his return – and Vietti was also a top qualifier last weekend, despite his tougher Friday this time around.

Fourth goes to Rodrigo as the Argentinean impressed in Q2 despite having to move through Q1, setting his best lap earlier in the session and missing out on the front row by just 0.017. Championship leader Albert Arenas (Solunion Aspar Team) starts fifth in Teruel, with the second row completed by Ayumu Sasaki (Red Bull KTM Tech 3). That’s the Japanese rider’s best qualifying of the year so far, and he was only 0.033 off Arenas.

Aragon GP winner Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing) lines up to try and repeat the victory from seventh place, which is actually ten places less of a task than his impressive charge last weekend. Masia has Q1 graduate Toba and Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) for company on Row 3.

Tenth place went the way of Ai Ogura (Honda Team Asia), the man second in the Championship taking back-to-back top tens in qualifying for the first time since Styria and San Marino.

Salač, Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing), Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team), Jeremy Alcoba (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3) and Darryn Binder (CIP – Green Power) complete the top 15 – with John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) down in P17 and looking for a comeback on race day. But remember, last weekend’s winner did it from that exact grid position… can McPhee get up there too?

Raul Fernandez

“Incredible, my second pole here in Aragon. This track is special for me, one of my best tracks and I enjoy riding here. It’s incredible to get a second pole, I want to say thanks to my team and my family, yesterday afternoon they made a surprise for me and it was a +1 in my mentality and I want to say thanks!”

Moto3 Qualifying Results

Pos	Rider	Motorcycle	Q	Time/Gap
1	Raul FERNANDEZ	KTM	Q2	1m57.199
2	Tony ARBOLINO	HONDA	Q2	+0.231
3	Celestino VIETTI	KTM	Q2	+0.345
4	Gabriel RODRIGO	HONDA	Q2	+0.362
5	Albert ARENAS	KTM	Q2	+0.477
6	Ayumu SASAKI	KTM	Q2	+0.510
7	Jaume MASIA	HONDA	Q2	+0.612
8	Kaito TOBA	KTM	Q2	+0.623
9	Tatsuki SUZUKI	HONDA	Q2	+0.638
10	Ai OGURA	HONDA	Q2	+0.650
11	Filip SALAC	HONDA	Q2	+0.812
12	Dennis FOGGIA	HONDA	Q2	+0.823
13	Romano FENATI	HUSQVARNA	Q2	+0.830
14	Jeremy ALCOBA	HONDA	Q2	0.877
15	Darryn BINDER	KTM	Q2	0.987
16	Stefano NEPA	KTM	Q2	1.006
17	John MCPHEE	HONDA	Q2	1.129
18	Deniz ÖNCÜ	KTM	Q2	1.199
19	Niccolò ANTONELLI	HONDA	Q1	(*) 0.715
20	Carlos TATAY	KTM	Q1	(*) 0.784
21	Alonso LOPEZ	HUSQVARNA	Q1	(*) 0.790
22	Yuki KUNII	HONDA	Q1	(*) 0.844
23	Barry BALTUS	KTM	Q1	(*) 0.883
24	Davide PIZZOLI	KTM	Q1	(*) 1.370
25	Ryusei YAMANAKA	HONDA	Q1	(*) 1.401
26	Andrea MIGNO	KTM	Q1	(*) 1.450
27	Khairul Idham PAWI	HONDA	Q1	(*) 2.171
28	Sergio GARCIA	HONDA	Q1	(*) 2.234
29	Maximilian KOFLER	KTM	Q1	(*) 2.293
30	Jason DUPASQUIER	KTM	Q1	(*) 2.481

MotoGP World Championship Standings

Pos	Rider	Bike	Points
1	Joan MIR	Suzuki	121
2	Fabio QUARTARARO	Yamaha	115
3	Maverick VIÑALES	Yamaha	109
4	Andrea DOVIZIOSO	Ducati	106
5	Takaaki NAKAGAMI	Honda	92
6	Franco MORBIDELLI	Yamaha	87
7	Alex RINS	Suzuki	85
8	Jack MILLER	Ducati	82
9	Pol ESPARGARO	KTM	77
10	Miguel OLIVEIRA	KTM	69
11	Brad BINDER	KTM	67
12	Alex MARQUEZ	Honda	67
13	Danilo PETRUCCI	Ducati	65
14	Valentino ROSSI	Yamaha	58
15	Johann ZARCO	Ducati	53
16	Francesco BAGNAIA	Ducati	42
17	Aleix ESPARGARO	Aprilia	27
18	Cal CRUTCHLOW	Honda	21
19	Iker LECUONA	KTM	20
20	Bradley SMITH	Aprilia	11
21	Stefan BRADL	Honda	8
22	Tito RABAT	Ducati	8
23	Michele PIRRO	Ducati	4

2020 MotoGP Calendar

Rnd	Date	Circuit
1	~~08 March (Moto2/Moto3)~~	~~Losail International Circuit~~
2	~~19 July~~	~~Circuito de Jerez-Ángel Nieto~~
3	~~26 July~~	~~Circuito de Jerez-Ángel Nieto~~
4	~~09 August~~	~~Automotodrom Brno~~
5	~~16 August~~	~~Red Bull Ring-Spielberg~~
6	~~23 August~~	~~Red Bull Ring-Spielberg~~
7	~~13 September~~	~~Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli~~
8	~~20 September~~	~~Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli~~
9	~~27 September~~	~~Barcelona – Catalunya~~
10	~~11 October~~	~~Le Mans~~
11	~~18 October~~	~~MotorLand Aragón~~
12	25 October	MotorLand Aragón
13	08 November	Comunitat Valenciana-Ricardo Tormo
14	15 November	Comunitat Valenciana-Ricardo Tormo
15	22 November	Autodromo Internacional do Algarve

Aragon Schedule (AEST)

Time	Class	Session
1920	Moto3	WUP
1950	MotoGP	WUP
2020	Moto2	WUP
2120	Moto3	Race
2300	MotoGP	Race
0030 (Mon)	Moto2	Race

Source: MCNews.com.au

MotoGP, Motorcycle News, Motorcycle Racing, News

Takaaki Nakagami tops Jerez 2019 MotoGP pre-season test

November 29, 2018 mcnews Leave a comment

Francesco Bagnaia fastest rookie

Jerez MotoGP Test – November 2018 – Day Two

Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) was impressive on Day 1 of the Official Test at the Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto but the Japanese rider usurped the adjective on Thursday to not only impress, but go quickest. The Japanese rider’s 1:37.945 was unmatchable on Day 2 and he put in 66 laps on his 2018 Honda.

Takaaki Nakagami

“Of course, it was a great day and I’m really happy to finish with the top time. The time was good, today our target was to get into the high 37s and we did that. I’m really happy with my feeling on the bike and we are improving day by day. The lap time is at a good level, obviously only me and Marc (Marquez) did a 37. It’s a great way to finish for the season and now I’ll relax at home. But I’m already looking forward to the 2019 season and can’t wait to ride this bike again in Sepang.”

Reigning Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) was in close pursuit, however, ending the day just 0.025 off Nakagami’s best with a 1:37.970 – with Maverick Viñales (Yamaha Factory Racing) completing the top three and still within a tenth of the top.

At Honda, the devil was in the details – not just the logo on the number 99’s side of the garage – although there was a new airbox on show. Marquez said he was working more on refinements, as well as different tyres, with some good and some bad to report. Overall though it was a satisfied seven-time World Champion, happy with engine improvements. He did 56 laps – including a Marquez-style save – and says now focus will shift more towards the chassis.

MotoGP Test Jerez Nov Day Marquez — Marc Marquez

Marc Marquez

“Today we worked more on the details of the setup and straight away this morning the feeling was very good. We spent time testing some medium and hard Michelin rear tyres and then we continued with testing new things. Some of the updates were very good and some less so, as is normal. We improved in the engine area but we have to continue working on this, and on the chassis area as well. We have a lot of information to analyse now. At the end of the day I put the soft tyre on for the first time and we did a good lap time, even though that wasn’t our main priority. We’re happy with how the test went and now it’s time to take a rest!”

New teammate Jorge Lorenzo was also a force to be reckoned with on the timesheets. He put in a 1:38.105 and was just 0.039 off Viñales in third, with the number 99’s fourth day on the Honda seeing him take P4 after 65 laps – the third Honda in the top five.

The leading Yamaha on Day 2 was Viñales after completing 78 laps, and he seems happy with 2019 development so far. Both he and teammate Valentino Rossi (Yamaha Factory Racing) have been testing two different engine specs, with Viñales clear as to which one they should go with. The Spaniard reflected after Day 2 by saying “overall we have a really competitive bike” and “the laps times were consistent” – positive from the now number 12, but what about Rossi?

Maverick Viñales

“So far, I think we’ve kept a really good rhythm, because we always got a lot out of used tyres, and I’m actually really happy because when I finally pushed for one lap, the bike responded quite well. I know we could improve the chassis quite a lot, now we’ve focused a lot on the engines, so for me it’s quite clear. Let’s see after the meeting what we decide to do. For sure, we always have to improve, but the important thing was to find the base, and now I think for Malaysia we have to improve the top speed, this will be important for the long tracks. I think over all we have a competitive bike.”

MotoGP Test Jerez Nov Day Maverick Vinales — Maverick Viñales

While Viñales seems content, the nine-time World Champion wasn’t quite as happy after Day 1, saying that it was good enough for fourth – if they can capitalise on others’ misfortunes. On Day 2 though, Rossi finished 11th fastest after setting a quickest time of 1:38.596, 0.651 from Nakagami’s benchmark after completing 67 laps.

Valentino Rossi

“Today was a good day because we worked more in detail and we improved. My pace was not so bad and the feeling with the bike was quite good. From the start we knew we had to decide on the engine spec and we have already decided. I think the situation is quite clear.”

Rossi had already shared that he would be taking an in-depth look at the data to make a decision on the engine spec. After a total of 67 laps today, he has come to a clear decision on which direction to work in.

Massimo Meregalli – Yamaha MotoGP Team Director

“Though we weren’t able to use all of the available track time due to the cold temperatures in the morning on both days, the test proceeded well. After completing 60% of the programme earlier in Valencia, we had quite a full-on programme here in Jerez, because we intended to make a decision on the engine specs at the end of these two days. Both Maverick and Vale have given clear feedback and have agreed on a direction, so I think we‘re close to making a decision. There do remain some different points of view on certain aspects, which we will work on clarifying during the 2019 pre-season tests, but for now we have a sense of which base we should work with. We were looking for smooth power delivery and engine brake, which is especially something Maverick was asking for, because it suits his riding style. We also worked on improving the tyre life, which was a concern during the 2018 season. We‘ve made progress, but we need to keep working. The engineers in Italy and Japan will go over the data thoroughly to come up with further steps to try at the first upcoming test in Sepang, at the start of February, next year.”

In the Petronas Yamaha SRT garage, it was another good day for both Franco Morbidelli and rookie Fabio Quartararo. For the former, a P6 finish after 68 laps and just 0.173 from the top sees him continue his quick adaptation from Honda to Yamaha.

Franco Morbidelli

“Today has been a very productive day. We have tried some different set-up configurations and managed to improve the race pace this morning and then the lap time this afternoon, so I am very happy about that. The two tests we have had with the team have been very positive and I feel very comfortable with the team and the people from Yamaha. We can say that we have started the preseason well, so over the winter we can study the information we have gathered and try to make the 2019 bike even better.”

For Quartararo, it was another vital 58 laps in the bag – and it was another hugely positive day. The Frenchman ended P12 on the timesheets after setting a fastest lap of 1:38.761, just over a tenth off Rossi’s fastest lap and under a second from P1.

Fabio Quartararo

“On this last day of the test we have improved the feeling and the lap time. We have taken a step forward and managed to try some things with the electronics, which up until now we had hardly touched. The biggest gain has been on the first contact with the throttle, in acceleration and also in corner entry. Today I could feel that the lap times were coming down and I felt fast, it was a really nice feeling. We knew that the more laps we could do with the Yamaha, the more we were going to improve. My objective today was a 1’38 lap and we did three of them. We are working on our pace, little by little, and gradually closing the gap to the fastest guys. I am really happy with how these few days have gone here in Jerez and this first phase of the 2019 preseason, so my thanks to all the team for the work they have done. Now I’m just looking forward to February!”

Wilco Zeelenberg – Team Manager

“We can say that I am a happy Team Manager. After just two tests everything is going pretty well for the team and in terms of the lap times we are competing with the fastest guys. To have Franco [Morbidelli] finish sixth and Fabio [Quartararo] twelfth is much more than we could have hoped for. In general, we are very satisfied with the results. There has been no pressure and no problems, and our riders are happy and fast. As far as this winter is concerned we have a lot to do to get ready for Sepang, because we are competing against teams with more than 25 years of experience in the paddock and we are still new. To be competitive you need a good bike and good riders and we have that, but we also need to grow as an organisation until we reach the maximum in every aspect.”

Meanwhile Ducati were the only manufacturer, according to Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team), who weren’t on engine duty – they were confirming, successfully, their results from the Valencia test. The Borgo Panigale factory were focused elsewhere, including some time working on a seat modification first seen on Day 1 ridden by test rider stand-in Alvaro Bautista.

Despite a tumble on Wednesday, Dovizioso put in 44 laps – saying he didn’t feel limited by the crash – with a fastest of 1:38.292 to put him in P8, and it was new teammate Danilo Petrucci who flew the flag highest in fifth, a 1:38.109 his fastest of 68 laps.

Danilo Petrucci

“After four days of testing at Valencia and Jerez, I’m very happy with the work that we have done. We tested many different solutions but my feeling with the bike has always been good and so I’m satisfied. For me this is the first time in a factory team, with a new way of working, but I’m really very happy with the atmosphere I found in the box. In these days we’ve collected a lot of important data to work with over the winter and develop the best solutions for next year.”

Andrea Dovizioso

“Luckily I’m OK physically and I didn’t have any problems with my hand, so we were able to carry out all the work programme, which was very important to develop the last aspects of the new material before the winter break. I’m pleased because we were able to understand the differences between the various solutions better than yesterday and we have ended these last two tests of 2018 at Valencia and Jerez with some good feedback. For the first time we have managed to put the 2019-spec bike on track in these end-of-year tests, and for us that’s a very important step forward: our speed is good and I’m very happy with the work we’ve done.”

Álvaro Bautista

“Also today we tried a lot of different solutions and did a lot of laps as well as managing to complete the work schedule we had planned without any setbacks. This is always important to collect all the data necessary to develop the bike for next year. On my side I’m grateful to Ducati for the trust they’ve put in me and from tomorrow onwards I’ll be concentrating once again on Superbike, which is my new objective and which is a project that means a lot to me.”

MotoGP Test Jerez Nov Day Alvaro Bautista — Álvaro Bautista

Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing) had an impressive day on track, including a lot of time spent working on different setups that “seemed to work better and better” every time they made a change. He was fastest for a brief time in the afternoon, and ended the day in P7 overall after 57 laps, the best of which was a 1:38.207.

Jack Miller

“We did a really good test. We have tried many different set ups and things on the bike working also on ergonomics. There are a lot of experiments and a lot of work to be done but the feelings are very positive. I am really satisfied with the way things went in the first two tests”.

Miller’s rookie teammate Francesco Bagnaia, meanwhile, made for close company and was the quickest of the new kids on the grid. The Pramac duo were split by Dovizioso but ‘Pecco’ was only just over a tenth off Miller and the Italian debutant did 50 laps, just working on getting experience – especially on used tyres.

MotoGP Test Jerez Nov Day Francesco Bagnaia — Pecco Bagnaia

Pecco Bagnaia

“I’m very happy because the feeling improves lap by lap. I am also very satisfied because we were able to improve the braking phase compared to the first day of testing. We still have a lot of room for improvement, but we are certainly on the right path. Next step? Enjoy the holidays. See you in Malaysia.”

Tito Rabat was another impressive performer on Ducati machinery. The Spaniard, who is still coming back from his leg break sustained at Silverstone, managed 60 laps and ended the day in P13. The best lap from the recovering Reale Avintia Racing rider was a 1:38.876 – with teammate Karel Abraham putting in a 1:39.744 after 40 laps, taking P17.

Tito Rabat

“The test was very positive because we managed to finish within a second from the fastest rider and, considering my physical condition it is not so bad. I also understood my new bike better and I think we have a bike with a big potential. The team did a master job during the test and, with this bike and this team we have a very competitive package to be fighting for better results next season. Now we have to get stronger during the winter break.”

Karel Abraham

“I think it was a very good and productive two days of testing. Today we did manage to make another step forward to go faster and be more consistent, which is important for us. It was the last test of the season and I felt good, we were fast, we did not crash and everything we tried has worked in the right direction. Now holidays, that will be good to refresh and work to get back stronger for the first test of the year in Sepang.”

For Suzuki, Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) was able to continue to test the new GSX-RR engine and chassis combinations, alongside test rider Sylvain Guintoli.

Davide Brivio – Suzuki Team Manager

“Today was another good day of testing, very intense and useful. Here we had different options of chassis and engine, together with some other items like the swingarm and some electronics, so we had to work hard to define which works better. It’s a tough job, pretty boring for the riders but absolutely crucial. We have to put together all the best pieces and compose the puzzle, especially for the engine we have to take a decision now that will affect the winter work and the whole new season. We have some pressure on for this, but that’s racing and the pressure is also our motivation. All Alex, Joan and Sylvain carried out this hard work, putting together lot of information that will now be useful for the engineers, and I’m happy that Alex could also put together a positive lap time. So we can go into this winter break feeling happy and hoping for a positive restart again in February in Sepang.”

Rins was able to post the 10th quickest time on Day 2, his 1:38.522 0.577 off Nakagami’s pace as he completed 63 laps on Thursday.

Alex Rins

“These two days have been very positive because we tried everything – new chassis, new engine, and lots of comparisons. Yesterday I was more focused on the chassis, and today more focused on the engine. This morning we started with the 2018 chassis and the new engine spec. and we tried all the suggestions that the engineers made, it was very positive. We haven’t finalised yet, but the engineers will be working on this. We’ve been working very hard and we feel like we can have a very competitive bike.”

For teammate Joan Mir, it was another 55 laps under his belt as he continues to impress, bouncing back extremely well from a fast crash on Day 1. P14 on the timesheets for the Spaniard and under a second from P1 shows the 2017 Moto3 World Champion is continuing to adapt well, and he also got to try the new Suzuki engine and chassis on Thursday.

Joan Mir

“It was a really tough day today. We were really focused on trying the new parts because we need to prepare everything for the winter so the guys in Japan can continue their work there. It’s been a pretty positive day, we tried a little bit of everything and did some comparisons and that was useful. We weren’t focused on lap times today, it was more for me to try the engine. We have a lot of good information to send to Japan. I feel that I’m improving with every session, I still need to get more used to riding the big bike but it’s gone well.”

It was a tough test for Aprilia Racing Team Gresini with Aleix Espargaro missing the whole of Day 1 through illness, while also missing the morning of Day 2 to complete just 11 laps. In addition, after a crash on Day 1, Andrea Iannone (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) was riding with an injured foot as the Italian completed 36 laps by the end of the second day to finish P18 on the timesheets. This left new test rider Bradley Smith with the majority of the testing duties, the British rider getting 59 laps done on Thursday, and Matteo Baiocco was also on circuit for the Italian factory once again – with 48 laps completed for the latter.

Bradley Smith

“Today we once again had to change our plans slightly since Aleix was unfortunately still debilitated. Our work focused on the comparison between two different engine types, a decision in anticipation of the 2019 season to try to find, above all, rideability and better power distribution. Our ideas are rather clear. During the two days of testing in Valencia and these tests, Aleix, Andrea and I had rather similar sensations and this is certainly helpful for development of the new Aprilia MotoGP bike.”

At KTM, Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was once again the quickest Austrian machine as the Spaniard put in a best of 1:39.144 after 60 laps – putting him fifteenth on the timesheets.

Pol Espargaro

“It has been a busy, busy test and we tried the bike from bottom to top. Yesterday we mainly did longer runs with a used tyre and our pace is not bad but we struggled a bit today in making a single fast lap. I had a big list of things to try and it is difficult to make fast lap-times and be consistent with pace when the bike is changing so much and is ‘live’! We were trying different parameters in the engine and something for turning when the tyre drops. In the chassis we made some modifications, which I think will be an improvement for the future, and the swing arm also. The WP guys have been working quite a lot with suspension and they also have some ideas. The team will work for Malaysia and we’ll have some meetings now to see in what areas Johann wants to go as well so we can improve this bike together.”

Work continued on many different parts of the RC16, with Espargaro testing what Team Manager Mike Leitner called “bigger items”.

Mike Leitner, Red Bull KTM Team Manager

“We came to Jerez to make a lot of base setting work so we started with the 2018 bike and brought many new items. We ‘loaded’ Pol a lot and he did a great job. We tried many aspects on the engine, chassis, aerodynamics and suspension. We have some good information now and will have to go home, work and bring the best mix to the next test in Sepang. Johann made a big step with his understanding of the bike and went into the ’39 lap-times with used tyres and that was positive. Also his feeling on the bike was getting better but for sure we still have a lot of work to do with him also. We’ll work during the winter now to be ready for Malaysia.”

MotoGP Test Jerez Nov Day Zarco — Johann Zarco

Johann Zarco was getting to better grips with his switch to the machine – with Leitner confirming his adaptation to the bike and vice versa. The Frenchman was seven tenths off his teammate on Day 2.

Johann Zarco

“So, some more days with the KTM and I’m happy because I made a step that I was looking for. It gave confirmation for the technicians for which direction we have to go. We began today on a better level and I was improving my lap-time. We then moved to test different things and could not do so many laps. We are still working on my base setting. We are not working to be the fastest one out there but the base is coming better and better every time I go out, and I can see that because the lap-time is there and I can repeat it relaxed. It means this is the direction we need. This engine is giving a good feeling to go out of the corner. Even if you miss it the bike will go and this is still one of our strong points and when we go faster we will be able to use it even better.”

KTM Tech 3 Racing, meanwhile, had Hafizh Syahrin on a 1:40.520 and rookie teammate Miguel Oliveira with a best lap of 1:40.577 – only half a tenth off the Malaysian.

Hervé Poncharal-KTM Tech 3 Racing Team Manager

“The last two days of testing this year were important for everybody, but especially for KTM Tech3 Racing. We needed a lot of laps and fortunately the weather was on our side this time. We could do many kilometres. The crew together with KTM, who is helping us tremendously well are acting more and more like a KTM race team, we improve our understanding of the bike. Still, we have only one bike, so each operation in the garage takes some time, but we are happy. We feel better and better, more and more comfortable with the KTM bike. I think both Hafizh and Miguel improved their feeling and of course also improved their lap times. Obviously, the positions are not great, but we’ve been going faster almost every single run. For sure the lap time is the main point of reference at the end of the day, but the confidence both Hafizh and Miguel are having on the bike is very important, because without that confident feeling, you can’t push and this is what we’ve been working on without changing the tyres too often, without chasing the lap time, as we are not at that stage yet. I believe this was a very productive test and everybody is going to think a lot about what we have to do, what we have to improve – the riders on their side, they have a lot of things to digest. Meanwhile the whole team is going to KTM to schooling and assembling before Christmas time. I believe this is going to be a very important week as well. At the end of the day, I would like to thank the team again, because the season has been long and tough, but everybody has been working hard with a positive frame of mind all the time. I would like to thank KTM for their trust and support, because we know how important the MotoGP project is and we feel proud to be part of it. Plus, I would like to thank Hafizh Syahrin and Miguel Oliveira, obviously, as they did a good job. I’m really pleased to see Miguel with a small smile on his face at the end of this test. It’s always very interesting to take a rookie coming from Moto2 and helping to discover the MotoGP, which is what we’ve been doing again and I think it’s working. Now there is a break, everybody has to rest and we see everyone in Sepang with a positive attitude and full charged batteries.”

The KTM Tech 3 Racing duo in 54 and 61 laps respectively as they both switch machinery – the former from Yamaha and the latter from Moto2.

Hafizh Syahrin

“For me today has not been too easy. To be honest, we expected to improve our lap time a bit more, but we still need more rear grip to find decent traction. At the moment, I feel very good with the front tyre, which is really stable, but at the same time the rear is spinning. We tried many things, but didn’t find the ideal solution yet. Now we need to think about it to find something for the next test. Overall, the two days of testing were very positive, but we are a bit far from the top. Anyway, we work hard and try to improve step by step in 2019.”

MotoGP Test Jerez Nov Day Syahrin — Hafizh Syahrin

Miguel Oliveira

“On the last day of testing this year I was able to make a very big step compared to yesterday regarding the lap time, more than a second, so I’m happy for that. Again we understood more about the bike, about what is missing and I’m just glad that the team and me are going home with a clear idea of what we need to do on the bike and I think this is the biggest positive we took out from today. Merry Christmas!”

MotoGP Test Jerez Nov Day Oliveira — Miguel Oliveira

So that’s a wrap on official track action in 2018! The Sepang test is next to welcome bikes back on track in February.

Jerez MotoGP Test- November 2018
Day Two Times

NAKAGAMI Takaaki 30 JPN LCR Honda 1:37.945
MARQUEZ Marc 93 SPA Repsol Honda Team 1:37.970 / 0.025
VINALES Maverick 12 SPA Yamaha Factory Racing 1:38.066 / 0.121
LORENZO Jorge 99 SPA Repsol Honda Team 1:38.105 / 0.160
PETRUCCI Danilo 9 ITA Ducati Team 1:38.109 / 0.164
MORBIDELLI Franco 21 ITA Petronas Yamaha SRT 1:38.118 / 0.173
MILLER Jack 43 AUS Alma Pramac Racing 1:38.207 / 0.262
DOVIZIOSO Andrea 4 ITA Ducati Team 1:38.292 / 0.347
BAGNAIA Francesco 63 ITA Alma Pramac Racing 1:38.333 / 0.388
RINS Alex 42 SPA Team Suzuki Ecstar 1:38.522 / 0.577
ROSSI Valentino 46 ITA Yamaha Factory Racing 1:38.596 / 0.651
QUARTARARO Fabio 20 FRA Petronas Yamaha SRT 1:38.761 / 0.816
RABAT Tito 53 SPA Reale Avintia Racing 1:38.876 / 0.931
MIR Joan 36 SPA Team Suzuki Ecstar 1:38.931 / 0.986
ESPARGARO Pol 44 SPA Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 1:39.144 / 1.199
BAUTISTA Alvaro 19 SPA Angel Nieto Team 1:39.338 / 1.393
ABRAHAM Karel 17 CZE Reale Avintia Racing 1:39.744 / 1.799
IANNONE Andrea 29 ITA Aprilia Racing Team Gresini 1:39.826 / 1.881
ZARCO Johann 5 FRA Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 1:39.864 / 1.919
ESPARGARO Aleix 41 SPA Aprilia Racing Team Gresini 1:40.156 / 2.211
SMITH Bradley 38 GBR Aprilia Racing Test Team 1:40.325 / 2.380
GUINTOLI Sylvain 50 FRA Team Suzuki Ecstar 1:40.498 / 2.553
SYAHRIN Hafizh 55 MAL Red Bull KTM Tech 3 1:40.520 / 2.575
OLIVEIRA Miguel 88 POR Red Bull KTM Tech 3 1:40.577 / 2.632
BAIOCCO Matteo 15 ITA Aprilia Racing Test Team 1:41.907 / 3.962

Jerez MotoGP Test- November 2018
Combined Day1-2 Times

Nakagami – 1m37.945
Petrucci 1m37.968
Marquez 1m37.970
Vinales 1m38.066
Lorenzo 1m38.105
Morbidelli 1m38.118
Dovizioso 1m38.185
Miller 1m38.207
Bagnaia 1m38.333
Rins 1m38.522
Rossi 1m38.596
Quartararo 1m38.761
Bautista 1m38.830
Rabat 1m38.876
Mir 1m38.931
Iannone 1m39.008
P Espargaro 1m39.144
Abraham 1m39.744
Zarco 1m39.864
A Espargaro 1m40.156
Smith 1m40.174
Guintoli 1m40.498
Syahrin 1m40.520
Oliveira 1m40.577
Baiocco 1m41.907

Source: MCNews.com.au

MotoGP, Motorcycle News, Motorcycle Racing, News

Riders & Team Managers reflect on Australian GP

October 29, 2018 mcnews Leave a comment

Australian MotoGP 2018

Yamaha resurgent as Vinales from Iannone, Dovi wins

Riders and Team managers talk the Phillip Island GP

Maverick Vinales – P1

“This is the best feeling ever, honestly! We‘ve been in the dark all year, and suddenly we came into the light! I couldn‘t show my potential in the previous races, but today I could. Being first in Australia is always amazing! It‘s the best track ever, and I like to be at the front there. To win here and break this long none winning period of Yamaha is unbelievable! I was riding on the bike like I was in FP4. I got a really good feeling from the bike, so I knew I could maintain 1‘29s. That‘s what I did for most of the middle of the race. I tried to escape as far as I could, because I knew my tyre wasn‘t going to last until the end. I knew opening that gap would be difficult, I had some moments with some riders, and some shaking on the bike – I was struggling, but I still made it through anyway. It was amazing! I have to say ‘thank you’ to the team, because this weekend they worked for the win. We will try to be the best and we‘ll try to work in a good way. We don‘t want to lose the concentration, because we don‘t know what will happen in Malaysia, but for sure the level of motivation will be high after this weekend.”

MotoGP Australia Vinales — Maverick Vinales

Andrea Iannone – P2

“I’m really happy, especially as we were at the top almost all weekend long, and this gives us a lot of positivity. We worked together on improving my feeling with the bike and it meant I was able to finish really close to the top. I felt able to win but it was a hard fight with the others and I was losing ground with them. When I managed to overtake them and keep them behind I realised I couldn’t catch Viñales, so I just tried to defend and manage the tyres. At the end I pushed at 100% to make sure I could get 2nd place.”

MotoGP Australia Iannone Dovi Bautista Rins Rossi Miller — Andrea Iannone

Andrea Dovizioso – P3

“I’m really satisfied with the way the race went. Even though we knew we had good speed, managing to get a podium here is another thing. I’m pleased I got myself immediately into an ideal position in the race, because if you start from the third row here at Phillip Island anything can happen, as we saw. Instead with a bit of luck I immediately managed to make up some positions and after a few laps I was first: I never expected that! Then I had a chance to manage the tyres and reach the end of the race in a good state, even though we were all in trouble a bit. I’m very pleased with the work we’ve done here: Phillip Island was a fundamental test to understand our level of competitiveness and now we know we have made a good step forward over last year.”

MotoGP Australia Dovizioso UC — Andrea Dovizioso

Álvaro Bautista – P4

“At the end of a difficult weekend in which I crashed three times, this fourth place is a great reward for me. To come into a new team and step onto a new bike at a circuit like this was for sure not going to be easy, but I think we’ve worked well together, making steps forward in every session. I started the race really focussed and relaxed because I had no real targets to aim for, except for enjoying riding the Desmosedici GP18. After quite a complicated start, I was able to soon catch up with the leading group and fight for the front positions. In the last few laps I made a few small mistakes and lost contact with Dovizioso and Iannone, but in any case I’m very happy with my overall result, especially for the team and for Ducati, whom I would like to thank once again for the trust they have shown in me.”

MotoGP Australia Bautista UC — Álvaro Bautista

Alex Rins – P5

“It was an interesting race and I was able to learn a lot. During the first part, when I was inside the group, I was feeling good but then when I got the contact from Maverick I lost a lot of ground and it cost me a lot because the group got away, but this is racing. I also lost further time trying to overtake Miller. But we want to focus on the positive points, and there were many, for instance the way I was able to battle with Rossi and defend my 5th place. We’re going to Malaysia with good feelings and we are prepared, so we hope for another nice result there.”

MotoGP Australia QP Vinales Rossi Rins Dovi — Alex Rins chases down Vinales and Rossi

Valentino Rossi – P6

“Unfortunately from the first lap I already started to slide a bit too much on acceleration. I lost some grip compared to yesterday and this morning. It’s a shame because for sure we wanted to try to do better. I tried to ride smoothly and manage the tyres, but unfortunately after 15 laps I was in trouble, because when exiting left corners I had too much spin. We need to understand why this happened and then try to improve, but having Maverick win a race is good news for the team and Yamaha, because it gives great motivation.”

MotoGP Australia Rossi — Valentino Rossi

Jack Miller – P7

“If I have to be honest I was expecting a little more but I am still happy with this result and being the first Independent rider. I got off to a good start even though I honestly didn’t think I would be in the lead so early. In the middle of the race I tried to save my tyres but in the end I didn’t have any room to attack the podium group.”

MotoGP Australia QP Jack Miller — Jack Miller

Franco Morbidelli – P8

“I am very happy with this result, my personal best result in MotoGP. We did a god job to exported the situation with riders going out of the race. Our tyre choice was the right one and I had good pace especially from half-race and I was able to get into the tope ten. I want to thank my crew for a great job this weekend to sort out the set-up of the bike for the race.”

MotoGP Rnd Thailand Morbidelli GP AN — Franco Morbidelli

Aleix Espargaro’ – P9

“On the straight, I was in the slipstream of a lot of riders and at a certain point, a piece of Marc’s bike struck my left hand. I began to feel pain, but fortunately in MotoGP we only use the clutch for the start, so I was able to finish the race. We’ll assess the situation in view of Malaysia. After a less-than-easy weekend, in warm up we made a big step forward and in the race I was able to ride very incisively. This is demonstrated by the fact that we lapped faster than in qualifying, but unfortunately on the final laps, the soft rear tyre began to suffer and I was unable to hold onto eighth place. In any case, the result is good, considering the hard work done this weekend with two different bikes.”

MotoGP Aragon Espargaro Aleix GP AN — Aleix Espargaro – AJRN Image

Bradley Smith – P10

“We did a good job. We saw Phillip Island as an important weekend for KTM because we knew the bike would work quite well here. The team did a fantastically because the main aim of the weekend was to try and set up the bike as best as we could to look after the rear tyre. It meant we had to sacrifice qualification a little bit yesterday but it paid off today. I had a great first lap to come from sixteenth to eighth and then tried to hold the position for as long as possible. Unfortunately towards the end I just didn’t have anything left for Morbidelli or Aleix. Sepang now and it is a difficult track but I think we have some good confidence and the bike has a good setting and it working well for me. I’m optimistic we can keep the same level and take some good points.”

MotoGP Australia Bradley Smith — Bradley Smith

Karel Abraham – P11

“We have to be happy with this race, we have doubled our points score for the season in just round. I am happy to have had the chance to ride the Ducati GP17, I could see how much potential the bike has but you also have to consider that it is difficult for any rider or chief mechanic to find the perfect set-up for a new bike in just one weekend. In any case we have done a good job and you could see that at the start of the race, when I felt really good. After that the bike started to slide and pump, I changed the mapping and it helped for a couple of laps but then it started again. I didn’t want to use the last two maps because they are for emergency use and we still had a lot of laps to go. The riders behind me were closing in and I wanted to push harder but I couldn’t get any more out of the bike. In the end, luckily, I managed to stay ahead of them.”

MotoGP Australia Abraham — Karel Abraham

Danilo Petrucci – P12

“It’s really a shame. I felt like I had a great feeling right from the warm-up. I went on track very focused and made my best start in my career. Unfortunately at turn two I had a problem with the clutch. I am really sorry but these are the races: once it is the rider who makes a mistake, another time it is the bike that betrays you. We’ll try again in Sepang.”

MotoGP TBG Rnd Phillip Island Petrucci ALI — Danilo Petrucci

Scott Redding – P13

“I am happy with the way the race went. To be honest, I didn’t expect it. Even in warm up, I didn’t have any particularly good feeling. Apparently, staying in the slipstream of the other riders helped me warm up the front tyre better. Maybe in terms of pace I could have done a bit better too, but when I found myself leading the group, I began to have some difficulties. In any case, I battled, overtaking Nakagami on the final lap and bringing home important points. A few crashes helped, but we did a good job anyway turning a complicated situation around.”

MotoGP Silverstone Redding GP AN — Scott Redding

Takaaki Nakagami – P14

“It was a difficult weekend. The weather conditions were a little bit better than yesterday, they were less windy and the track temperature was getting higher and higher. We decided to go with a soft compound on the rear and I think that was the correct choice, but I really struggled in the last ten laps. The lap times were quite strong and I couldn’t find the race pace I wanted. In the end I got into the points which is very good, but I was expecting a better result here so now we have to think about the next one in Sepang and try to be more consistent over the weekend.”

MotoGP Australia Takaaki Nakagami AX — Takaaki Nakagami

Xavier Simeon – P15

“I have a lot of problems with the clutch and once again, my start was horrible. I was last again, but this time at least I was able to recover some positions on the first lap. The bike was very good and I had the pace to fight between eleventh and fifteenth position. Ten laps from the end though, the left flank of the rear tyre was destroyed and I had to slow down. Therefore I’m a little bit disappointed. The weekend has been very good and I always felt strong, but we depend too much on tyre wear. Apart from this, I’m super happy about achieving my first MotoGP point and I want to thank my team because they helped me a lot since I got on this bike. In Malaysia we have to improve the start and work more with the tyres for the race. I hope to have fun again like here and score more points.”

MotoGP Aragon Simeon GP AN — Xavier Simeon

Tom Luthi – P16

“I had a good rhythm for the first ten laps and could stay with the group I was in so I’m little disappointed for this result. But then I lost a lot of edge grip and could not keep corner speed in the fast left-hand corners and I was struggling with understeer and that’s where I lost too much time. I’m disappointed to be 16th again and just miss some championship points.”

Jordi Torres – P17

“The race has left me with a bad taste in my mouth. This morning in the warm-up I felt pretty strong and we had a very promising pace. But it was more windy in the race and tyres maybe did not reach the right working temperature on the first laps because twice I was close to a crash when I tried to push. This affected my confidence and I wasn’t riding comfortably throughout the race. I know what I have to do to go fast, but I lacked the confidence to do it. At least I’m gaining experience in every race and I hope things will go better in Malaysia. Sepang is a very long circuit and I’ll have to learn many things in a short time, because the other riders have done lot of kilometres over there. The heat will also be a new challenge for me. I hope to my level of fitness is high enough.”

MotoGP Rnd Thailand Torres GP AN — Jordi Torres

Mike Jones – P18

“I just wanted to give my best and finish the race, and we achieved our objective. I am very happy and grateful to the Ángel Nieto Team for the opportunity to race in MotoGP in front of the Australian fans. It has been an incredible experience, the power of the bike is crazy and the braking force is unreal. It has been a physically demanding weekend because this is such a different bike to anything I have ridden before.”

MotoGP Australia Mike Jones — Mike Jones

Marc Marquez – DNF

“At first I didn’t understand exactly what had happened, but I was angry because I felt the contact from the rear. I couldn’t continue the race because my seat was broken and moving around. It was impossible to ride. When I arrived in the garage and saw the video, I understood. It was just a race incident because at that point of the track, we arrive really fast, over 300 km/h. I was behind Jack Miller when I braked even a bit later than usual, and then I felt the impact. Zarco had taken the slipstreams from the two of us. You may think he could have considered that, but for me it’s just a race incident and I already spoke with him. What I can say is that today I feel really lucky, and the most important thing for me is that both me and Johann are okay. Today I was really focused, and the race was going as expected. I led for a couple of laps, and then I decided to stay in the group and wait a bit. I had the pace and I felt I was able to fight for the win. It’s unlucky that we got a zero here at Phillip Island, but if next year I can win the title in Japan again and have another DNF here, I’ll sign up for that! Now let’s focus on the next race.”

MotoGP Australia Marquez Damage — Damage to Marc Marquez’s Honda

Dani Pedrosa – DNF

“It has been a difficult weekend. We never had a good feeling over the three days, and unfortunately I crashed out of the race. I wasn’t in a good position, and then I lost the front in the braking point after the straight—quite a big crash, as it’s a fast point. Anyway, we just have to move forward, hoping to have a better race next Sunday.”

MotoGP Australia Pedrosa AX — Dani Pedrosa

Hafizh Syahrin – DNF

“Until lap 19 I had a good race. I just lost the front because I tried to close again on Miller. In the straight it is just impossible, as the Ducati just passes very easily. The guys and myself, we are already working very hard with our package, which is a bit different to the rest of the Yamahas. I was fighting with the faster group in the front, but it was just technically impossible to keep up with them, although I was pushing very hard. It’s a great pity to crash on the 19th lap. Anyway, we keep pushing, working hard and believing in ourselves because my team and me work very hard to be strong in the race. We tried to use our speed for a good result, but in the end we didn’t have a chance to fight with the rest of the riders in front.”

MotoGP Rnd Thailand Syahrin GP AN — Hafizh Syahrin

Johann Zarco – DNF

“It was a bit cold today, but the sunshine made it a nice day. Starting from third position was a good advantage. I got a good start, but in the second corner I slide with the rear and a few guys had the same, I lost a few positions, but then I was really feeling quite ok to attack and try to overtake. I’m happy about the feeling that I was strong and did some good passes. After a few laps, I was still feeling pretty good, I got the slipstream of Jack Miller and Marc Marquez was also there. We were going so fast and when we were braking for corner one, I touched the rear wheel of Marc and totally flew away. I had a big crash, but I’m okay, which is the most important thing, as that crash was really fast It’s a shame about the race, because finish the race would have been important for the independent riders’ championship, but I didn’t. The crash was big and I am sorry that Marc could not finish the race. Thank you to my team, because the bike was competitive today! I did a mistake and I need to make up for it on the next two rounds.”

Pol Espargaro – DNF

“I was super-angry because I think we worked well this weekend and did a lot of laps with the tyres front and rear and we put the Soft options for the race thinking it would be OK. For some reason after six-seven laps it started to drop and I couldn’t open the throttle. After a few more laps it was dangerous to ride the bike so I had to stop. I don’t know what else to say. We made all the processes and procedures to know the tyre 100% but it looks like it can be a lottery. We’ll talk to Michelin and try to learn from this.”

MotoGP Australia Pol Espargaro — Pol Espargaro

Davide Brivio – Suzuki ECSTAR Team Manager

“This has been another very good day for our team, we took another podium, the second in a row and the third in 4 races. Andrea had a great battle with many riders and was able to finish 2nd. Because of this big battle it was hard to catch the leader, but anyway, it was a good race and we scored our 7th podium of the season. Alex finishing 5th was also very positive, Top 5 is really important to us. I really hope we can continue like this for the last two rounds of the season and thanks again to everybody involved for always working hard, especially on difficult times.”

MotoGP Australia Iannone — Andrea Iannone

Massimo Meregalli – Yamaha MotoGP Team Director

“What a thrilling and dramatic race! Maverick is always strong at the Phillip Island circuit, and he once again outdid himself in Australia today. He really deserved the victory, because he had been strong the entire weekend. It‘s a great feeling for the team to secure a win again – we have all been working so hard for this. It‘s not just us who have been waiting, but also our fans, so this is as much for them as it is for us. It was a pity that Vale wasn‘t able to join the podium, because he was showing great potential for the majority of the race. It would have been great to have him up there too. He and his crew have also been pushing to the maximum, but sixth place was really the best he could do today due to tyre wear at the end of the race. Overall this weekend has been a great moral boost, because both riders were competitive, so we‘re all looking forward to the next round, the Grand Prix of Malaysia, in just a week‘s time.”

MotoGP Australia Vinales Forcada — Maverick Vinales with crew chief Roman Forcada

Hervé Poncharal – Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team Manager

“There are some days you wish what you see is a dream – or rather a nightmare. But unfortunately, what we saw today was reality. We had high hopes with a great Qualifying from both of our riders, Johann on the front row and Hafizh with his best ever Qualifying in 10th. The start was difficult as usual, it was a big pack as we saw in the other two classes and clearly, Johann was trying to find his way through the field after a bit hectic lap one. We could see that he was really fast and I think he wanted to use the advantage of the soft-soft choice he had made for front and rear and that was quite intense until that incident, which was unbelievable. When you see a rider going down at such a high speed – I think he touched the ground at 280 km/h – for the few seconds following the incident, you just hope nothing bad will happen. Johann had a really good reflex and although his bottom is quite sore, he was strong to walk back to the garage and be still fully fit and ready to race the next round. That was a big thing. Unfortunate for the fans and the racing overall, Marc and Johann were out of the race, which made it less exciting. So, our focus went on Hafizh, who was behind the leading group until he slowly los the contact. But he was still holding on a good eighth position and we were quite happy because although he was loosing ground he was still keeping a good pace and he crashed without any warning, without really understanding why. That was the end of our weekend. Both of our riders could have been really strong and both of them get no points, which is a big disappointment. I know you always have to keep up the ‘never-give-up-attitude’, but today it is hard, also with Remy in the Moto2 class. The only good thing is, our riders are fit, ok and we have a race next week.”

MotoGP Phillip Island Moto Wayne Remy Gardner GP AN — Remy Gardner

Mike Leitner – KTM Team Manager MotoGP

“Race conditions can be difficult here and so can tyre choice. It went quite well for Bradley and he ran where he we think we can be – between 8-10. We lost ninth position by four hundredths of a second: it was very close. A shame for Pol. He had a different tyre choice but then other riders also had that selection. In the middle of the race he had a very big drop which is not usual and he had to stop. So we need to analyse what happened. He should have also been able to fight for the top ten. We’ll go to Malaysia now and try to make it happen.”

MotoGP Australia Bradley Smith Pol Espargaro — Bradley Smith & Pol Espargaro

Piero Taramasso – Michelin Motorsport Two-Wheel Manager

“Phillip Island is always a big challenge and this year was certainly no different. The strong gusting winds and cold temperatures made it difficult for everyone, but the whole Michelin team worked in a very professional and methodical way with the riders to make sure the tyres which were best suited to the conditions and riding styles were used today. Despite the challenges, the race was very exciting and it is good for Michelin to have another winner, both rider and manufacturer, and it is also pleasing to see all six manufacturers in the top-ten and three different ones on the podium. We are constantly striving to give tyres to all that they can use to the best of their abilities, so having results such as this are very rewarding. The Michelin Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix is a very big occasion on the company’s calendar and this has been another great event. We have again learned a lot about the toughest track of the year and this will enable us to come back even stronger next year.”

MotoGP Australia Michelin — Michelin at the Australian MotoGP 2018

2018 Phillip Island MotoGP Results
Pos	Rider	Team	Time
1.	Vinales M.	Movistar Yamaha	40:51.081
2.	Iannone A.	Team Suzuki Ecstar	+1.543
3.	Dovizioso A.	Ducati Team	+1.832
4.	Bautista A.	Ducati Team	+4.072
5.	Rins A.	Team Suzuki Ecstar	+5.017
6.	Rossi V.	Movistar Yamaha	+5.132
7.	Miller J.	Alma Pramac Racing	+6.756
8.	Morbidelli F.	Marc VDS Racing Team	+21.805
9.	Espargaro A.	Aprilia Racing Team Gresini	+22.904
10.	Smith B.	Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	+22.940
11.	Abraham K.	Angel Nieto Team	+34.386
12.	Petrucci D.	Alma Pramac Racing	+35.025
13.	Redding S.	Aprilia Racing Team Gresini	+36.348
14.	Nakagami T.	LCR Honda	+36.389
15.	Simeon X.	Reale Avintia Racing	+44.214
16.	Luthi T.	Marc VDS Racing Team	+48.226
17.	Torres J.	Reale Avintia Racing	+1:04.965
18.	Jones M.	Angel Nieto Team	+1:19.817
DNF	Espargaro P.	Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	DNF
DNF	Syahrin H.	Monster Tech 3	DNF
DNF	Pedrosa D.	Repsol Honda	DNF
DNF	Marquez M.	Repsol Honda	DNF
DNF	Zarco J.	Monster Tech 3	DNF

2018 MotoGP Championship Standings
Pos	Rider	Team	Points
1.	Marquez Marc	Repsol Honda Team	296
2.	Dovizioso Andrea	Ducati Team	210
3.	Rossi Valentino	Movistar Yamaha MotoGP	195
4.	Vinales Maverick	Movistar Yamaha MotoGP	180
5.	Crutchlow Cal	LCR Honda	148
6.	Petrucci Danilo	Alma Pramac Racing	137
7.	Zarco Johann	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	133
8.	Iannone Andrea	Team Suzuki Ecstar	133
9.	Lorenzo Jorge	Ducati Team	130
10.	Rins Alex	Team Suzuki Ecstar	129
11.	Bautista Alvaro	Angel Nieto Team	96
12.	Pedrosa Dani	Repsol Honda Team	95
13.	Miller Jack	Alma Pramac Racing	83
14.	Morbidelli Franco	Marc VDS Racing Team	46
15.	Espargaro Aleix	Aprilia Racing Team Gresini	39
16.	Rabat Tito	Reale Avintia Racing	35
17.	Espargaro Pol	Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	35
18.	Syahrin Hafizh	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	34
19.	Smith Bradley	Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	29
20.	Nakagami Takaaki	LCR Honda	21
21.	Redding Scott	Aprilia Racing Team Gresini	15
22.	Abraham Karel	Angel Nieto Team	10
23.	Kallio Mika	Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	6
24.	Nakasuga Katsuyuki	Yamaha Factory Team	2
25.	Simeon Xavier	Reale Avintia Racing	1
26.	Pirro Michele	Ducati Team	1
27.	Luthi Thomas	Marc VDS Racing Team	0
28.	Bradl Stefan	Honda Racing Corporation	0
29.	Torres Jordi	MV Agusta Reparto Corse	0
30.	Jones Mike	Reale Avintia Racing	0
31.	Guintoli Sylvain	Pata Yamaha Official WSBK Team	0
32.	Ponsson Christophe	Ponsson C.	0

2018 MotoGP Team Points
Pos	Team	Points
1.	Repsol Honda Team	391
2.	Movistar Yamaha MotoGP	375
3.	Ducati Team	353
4.	Suzuki MotoGP	262
5.	Alma Pramac Racing	220
6.	LCR Honda	169
7.	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	167
8.	Angel Nieto Team	93
9.	Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	64
10.	Aprilia Racing Team Gresini	54
11.	Estrella Galicia 0,0	46
12.	Reale Avintia Racing	36

Source: MCNews.com.au

2020 MotoGP Round 12 – Aragon IIQualifying Times / Report / Quotes

MotoGP Qualifying Report

MotoGP Rider Quotes

Takaaki Nakagami – P1

Franco Morbidelli – P2

Alex Rins – P3

Maverick Vinales – P4

Johann Zarco – P5

Fabio Quartararo – P6

Cal Crutchlow – P7

Miguel Oliveira – P8

Pol Espargaro – P9

Alex Marquez – P10

Iker Lecuona – P11

Joan Mir – P12

Aleix Espargaro – P13

Jack Miller – P14

Brad Binder – P15

Stefan Bradl – P16

Andrea Dovizioso – P17

Pecco Bagnaia – P18

Danilo Petrucci – P19

Tito Rabat – P20

Bradley Smith – P21

Davide Brivio – Suzuki Team Manager

Massimo Meregalli – Monster Yamaha Team Director

MotoGP Qualifying Results

Moto2 Qualifying Report

Sam Lowes

Moto2 Qualifying Results

Moto3

Raul Fernandez

Moto3 Qualifying Results

MotoGP World Championship Standings

2020 MotoGP Calendar

Aragon Schedule (AEST)

Francesco Bagnaia fastest rookie

Jerez MotoGP Test – November 2018 – Day Two

Jerez MotoGP Test- November 2018Day Two Times

Jerez MotoGP Test- November 2018Combined Day1-2 Times

Australian MotoGP 2018

Yamaha resurgent as Vinales from Iannone, Dovi wins

Riders and Team managers talk the Phillip Island GP

Maverick Vinales – P1

Andrea Iannone – P2

Andrea Dovizioso – P3

Álvaro Bautista – P4

Alex Rins – P5

Valentino Rossi – P6

Jack Miller – P7

Franco Morbidelli – P8

Aleix Espargaro’ – P9

Bradley Smith – P10

Karel Abraham – P11

Danilo Petrucci – P12

Scott Redding – P13

Takaaki Nakagami – P14

Xavier Simeon – P15

Tom Luthi – P16

Jordi Torres – P17

Mike Jones – P18

Marc Marquez – DNF

Dani Pedrosa – DNF

Hafizh Syahrin – DNF

Johann Zarco – DNF

Pol Espargaro – DNF

Davide Brivio – Suzuki ECSTAR Team Manager

Massimo Meregalli – Yamaha MotoGP Team Director

Hervé Poncharal – Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team Manager

Mike Leitner – KTM Team Manager MotoGP

Piero Taramasso – Michelin Motorsport Two-Wheel Manager

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2020 MotoGP Round 12 – Aragon II
Qualifying Times / Report / Quotes

Jerez MotoGP Test- November 2018
Day Two Times

Jerez MotoGP Test- November 2018
Combined Day1-2 Times