MotoGP Riders reflect on Catalunya

MotoGP 2018 – Round Seven – Catalunya

MotoGP Rider Quotes

Jorge Lorenzo – P1

“Today’s win was really fantastic! We showed that we can win not only by entering the first turn in first place, but also by recovering and overtaking the others. It was actually a complicated race because I got off to a bad start and lost a lot of metres to Marquez, but I told myself that the race was long and I had to keep calm. It wasn’t too difficult to take Marc, because I had that little bit extra under braking, but he stayed pretty close to me right down to the flag. Now we’ve got a very competitive package and I think that this is the most complete Ducati bike of all time: both Dovi and I this weekend have always been competitive. We must capitalize on this situation because the Desmosedici works well at virtually every track, it doesn’t consume the tyres too much, and this is a big advantage. Now let’s enjoy this win and then we’ll think about the next race.”

Luigi Dall’Igna – Ducati Corse General Manager

“I am very pleased because here at Montmeló we were fast with both our riders throughout the entire weekend. Jorge was great and to see him ride this way, for everyone who loves our sport, is something really fantastic. I’m disappointed for Andrea, who was doing a good job, but in any case we’re satisfied because our performance in the last two races make us feel confident also for Assen and for Sachsenring, two tracks that are normally not so favourable for us.”

Marc Marquez – P2

“Today was a race where we had to manage as best as possible and I tried to be smart. Of course in the first laps I pushed hard because it was important to follow Jorge and to open a gap on the chasers. When we built a comfortable advantage I just managed the pace. I even slowed down a bit in the final part of the race as it was impossible to catch Lorenzo. I saw many crashes, which made me think more than I did in other races. Sometimes the tyre choice you make doesn’t result in the exact feeling you were hoping for, but I think that second is very good for the Championship because we arrived here with a 23-point lead and go to Assen with 27. It’s time to understand how the situation is and try and manage it as best as possible. We made a mistake in Mugello and that had me thinking a lot. Of course, when you don’t win the feeling that you were missing something remains, but a podium is a good result! Maybe other challenging races will arrive but the good thing for us is that so far in every race we have been in good shape.”

Valentino Rossi – P3

“Yesterday, after the practice sessions, I saw that my rivals were a bit faster than I was. I was very close to the second group, but this morning we improved the settings with my team, together with Silvano, and then I had better turning and could go a bit faster. After that I wasn‘t far off, but unfortunately just not close enough. Later Dovi made a mistake and I arrived on the podium. I‘m happy because last year at this race track we struggled a lot – it was a disaster – while this year I was able to keep up the pace until the last lap, in a good way. These are also important points for the championship, because I’ve gained a small advantage to defend second place and we have to continue like this.”

Massimo Meregalli – Yamaha MotoGP Team Director

“Looking back at the struggles we faced last year, today’s third place by Valentino is a good result. He found a solution in the warm up and made the right tyre choice, even though we took a bit of a gamble as none of the front tyre specs were a perfect fit. He had a really good start and managed the gap to fourth place well. It’s a pity that Maverick was unable to finish higher than he did. This weekend he worked hard with his team in all practice sessions to have a good pace in the earlier laps, but unfortunately he got stuck mid-pack after a difficult start and couldn’t quite get into a fast rhythm until the second half of the race. We will continue to work hard tomorrow at the one-day test here in Montmeló. We’ll use today’s data to compare some new options.”

Cal Crutchlow – P4

“A good day today, obviously the whole LCR Honda Castrol Team did a good job. We’re pleased with the result. For the bad qualifying yesterday I’m sorry to the team, but I think we repaid them today with a good result. I aimed for the podium and we finished fourth, so we have to be happy with the result and it’s also good for the championship. Thanks to my team for all their efforts this weekend, we put on a good show and now I look forward to Assen.”

Dani Pedrosa – P5

“I think we did a good result enough considering the weekend, because starting eleventh and finishing fifth is a good recovery. Of course, we cannot be satisfied with that. The feeling was not there, and I struggled a lot with a lack of grip during the race. The riders I was fighting with could gain on me, especially mid-corner and out of the corners. I could be a bit stronger in braking but ultimately my lap times were a bit slower. Cal passed me in the end as a result, and Vinales could catch me as well, though I was able to hold him off on the last lap. Tomorrow we have a one-day test and hopefully we’ll be able to solve this issue and be fast in the coming races.”

Maverick Vinales – P6

“I had a lot of trouble in the first laps, especially at the start, I seem to be the only Yamaha to have problems, I really don’t understand it. I need to have the possibility to start well and then, for sure, it’s going to be another race. When I’m alone on the track I can do the same rhythm as Jorge and Marc. We need to keep working, stay focused on our side, to be strong. It’s difficult right now, but we’ll keep pushing. I know that when the bike is good I’m there at the front, that’s why I’m calm.”

Johann Zarco – P7

“This has been a difficult race. The pace was quite ok, but I had many unlucky moments during the race. The start was good, but then I had to close the gas between two riders, so I lost positions. I could not find a place to overtake and later on, when I was ready to pass, it was a yellow flag, so I had to slow down again. There were many moments that lowered my pace a bit and then I really tried to manage all the race and catch Pedrosa and Crutchlow. I was almost able to do it, but then I was tired and holding the bike became more and more difficult. Viñales caught me and I had to finish in seventh position. It’s not a disaster, we are still pretty good in the Championship, pretty good to fight for the second place overall. Rossi is in this position at the moment and he has to be very clever to keep it, I want to be clever, too. I think we are on a good way together with my crew, we just have to keep working in this good direction and keep trusting that once everything will be understood well, I will be able to be back on the podium.”

Danilo Petrucci – P8

“I am satisfied with what I did in the first laps. I was with Pedrosa trying to manage the rear tire then I started to have a problem with the front as I could not brake hard. I was convinced I could be in the Top 5 but I am happy because I am 5th in the standings”.

Álvaro Bautista – P9

“It was a great comeback, moving up thirteen positions. We knew it was going to be a battle for survival, and that proved to be the case. We started calmly, in order not to heat up the tyres too much. Last year I had trouble finishing the race, but this year with the soft tyre they weren’t too worn down at the chequered flag. I had a good pace; except for when passing other riders I was in the 1:40s. It’s a shame to have started so far back, because if I were to have qualified better on Saturday I could have been with the front group. It is something that we have to improve. I hope to be able to qualify better for the next race. I’m happy with how I felt during the race.”

Andrea Iannone – P10

“I’m not so happy because I tried really hard but I couldn’t achieve the result I wanted. For sure we have improved the bike a lot in some areas, but in others we still have work to do, especially when accelerating and trying to control sliding. In any case, I’m happy with my performance because I tried my best when the tyres were good, and I was close to the top at the start so that was important. I hope we’ll make more improvements in the coming races.”

Pol Espargaro – P11

“I think we did everything we could today. I was cruising in the race because I could not push any more and could not open the throttle so hard because we were spinning a lot and suffering in the long turns where we have to wait to pick up the bike. I tried to ride smooth until the end and to pick up points: 11th again! We made progress here compared to last year and hopefully will test some more parts of the package to get consistently where we need to be and inside that top ten. That’s what we are working for.”

Scott Redding – P12

“It wasn’t a bad race. Everyone was having trouble with the grip, whereas for me the situation was similar to other races. Generally, throughout the entire weekend I have felt better in the afternoon in conditions similar to the ones today. We changed the tyre choice just before the start and today it was the right move. I maintained my pace for all 24 laps, doing almost the entire race behind Pol Espargaró. I would have tried to overtake him toward the end, but a bit of chattering at the front, the same as I had felt this morning before crashing, convinced me to hold off and bring home the result.”

Karel Abraham – P13

“This was a war of attrition. I didn’t start well but I was in the group. Unfortunately, on the last corner Kallio highsided in front of me and I lost several seconds that left me separated from the group. After a few laps I started hearing a strange sound from the bike, but I kept pushing to get to the line. This technical problem made us use our heads, think about finishing and about taking the maximum possible points, because I also saw that other riders were crashing out. It would have been a shame not to have finished; it’s a bittersweet feeling, with us taking three points but having a tricky race.”

Bradley Smith – DNF

“A shame what happened and especially because I felt good all weekend. The start was amazing and I pushed hard in the first laps to maintain the position. I then found my normal pace and rhythm with Pol just inside the points and unfortunately Nakagami crashed and took me out. It is hard to finish a race like that after a positive weekend but we’ll look forward to the test tomorrow and trying to get our bike ready for Assen.”

Mika Kallio – DNF

“Really sad to finish the weekend like this. In the morning we went back to our standard set-up on the bike and I felt quite good and confident for the race. The plan was to attack on the first lap because I was quite far back on the grid. There was nothing strange in the moment that I crashed. I was following my line in the group and it really surprised me because I touched the throttle and immediately lost rear grip. I don’t know if I pushed a bit too much on the first lap but I felt really good in the other corners. I thought we had a chance to collect points in the race. I had a big bang on the right side of my body and it was a bit hard to breathe but everything seems to be OK. It’s just a bit painful and will be better after some days. We have to see for tomorrow but I hope with some painkillers I can ride in the morning before giving my bike to the race guys.”

Mike Leitner – KTM Team Manager

“We reduced the gap to the winner and took some more positions compared to last year but this race was difficult from day one because we were struggling with the tyre situation. It was a tricky race for each rider and they just had to survive in a way. Pol did well and Bradley did really well and was unlucky. We found quite a good package in the warm-up for Mika and he was feeling confident because he wasn’t happy in qualifying but he had a typical ‘first lap’ mistake. We have a full list of things to test tomorrow and we knew that here, and Mugello, would be tough for us and where we suffered in our first year. We are still suffering in our second year but we are coming closer and we have to work to be even better in our third season.”

DNF – Jack Miller

“I managed to save the tyre in order to be competitive in the second half of the race. I was with Vinales and Zarco and felt confident. Then I had a technical problem. It is a shame. I could make a good result. I can’t wait to be in Assen”.

Andrea Dovizioso – DNF

“The crash was my fault because I was pushing hard because I didn’t want to lose contact with Jorge and Marc. Unfortunately, in the race there wasn’t as much grip as in the morning and I wasn’t able to ride in the same way. I didn’t expect that, I came into the turn too quickly and crashed under braking. A real pity because once again here we were fast and we could have scored a lot of points, but now we can only look ahead because we know we are fast everywhere, and even though we still have to improve several aspects, we are always fighting for the win. We’ll start to think about the championship when the time comes, but for the moment we’re only thinking about winning races.”

Davide Brivio – Suzuki Team Manager

“It’s been a difficult day. Andrea tried his best, he made a good start and pushed very hard since the beginning of the race. This probably affected the tyre wear over race distance, especially on this lower grip circuit, and so he had to slow down later. In the end he finished 10th. On the other side, Alex was really unlucky to suffer a technical problem and he had to retire from the race. It’s been tough in general this weekend for Alex because we also struggled in qualifying. It’s also a pity for Sylvain, because he was very happy to race here and I’m sorry for him that he crashed. It’s been a difficult weekend, but every weekend is a different story, so we’ll look forward to the next one and try to get back to better positions.”

MotoGP 2018 - Round Seven - Catalunya - Results Jorge LORENZO Ducati Team 40'13.566 Marc MARQUEZ Repsol Honda Team +4.479 Valentino ROSSI Movistar Yamaha MotoGP +6.098 — MotoGP 2018 – Round Seven – Catalunya – Results
Jorge LORENZO Ducati Team 40’13.566
Marc MARQUEZ Repsol Honda Team +4.479
Valentino ROSSI Movistar Yamaha MotoGP +6.098

Alex Rins – DNF

“For sure, the race was difficult from the beginning in terms of conditions. Then on Lap 5 I started to feel something wrong with the bike, and it got worse, so I decided to come back to the box and it seems that it was an electric issue. It’s been a strange weekend for us, because on Friday and Saturday the race pace has been good, but I was missing something when trying to set a fast lap. But we’ll take the positive things, and think about the negative things and how to change and improve. At Assen I expect to come back to the top and I hope for a good weekend there.”

Sylvain Guintoli – DNF

“Obviously I’m disappointed because I really wanted to finish the race and enjoy it. I did enjoy it, but not for very long unfortunately! I lost grip on the front early on in the race and went down at Turn 7. There were a lot of crashes, so if I had stayed on and kept a consistent pace I would have scored points which would have been nice for the record. But that’s just how it is, lots of riders got caught out and unfortunately I was one of them. Now we’ll concentrate on the test tomorrow, and I’m fine physically.”

Takaaki Nakagami – DNF

“Unfortunately I had a crash in the middle of the race. From the beginning I didn’t have a great feeling with the front tyre and in many places I started to close the steering. I knew it would be a difficult race, but that made it harder. On turn five I tried to overtake Bradley (Smith), but I was over the limit and I lost the front. I’m sorry for crashing into Bradley and sorry for the team also because this weekend they did a great job. Of course we’re disappointed, but tomorrow we have the test so we’ll just think about the next one.”

Tito Rabat – DNF

“It was a shame because until this moment, our weekend was perfect, the race included. We were close to the front and I think it would have been possible to score a good result. We had positive experiences throughout the weekend, like our strong FP3 that allowed me to get straight in Q2, like my good start in the race today and my strong race pace. I overtook several riders and got a lot of information for my technical crew. I’m happy because race by race I feel more confident with the bike. I love how the Ducati works and my team did a wonderful job again. We wanted to push very hard at home, and this things can happen. Now we are concentrating on tomorrow’s test and the next round in Assen.”

Xavier Simeon – DNF

“I want to say sorry to my team, because the crash was my fault. Apart of that, the weekend has been positive and I want to keep all this in my mind and learn from the mistakes. During the weekend we have been closer, and I was able to show more of my potential, and this is definitely positive. I understand better now how this bike works, so despite the crash I think I have reason to be happy. I look forward to go to Assen and keep this progression.”

Aleix Espargaro’ – DNF

“One of my most difficult weekends. Usually on this track I am able to be competitive, but not this time. We made some significant changes to the RS-GP compared to yesterday and, to be honest, I felt a lot better, both in warm up and in the race. Unfortunately, everything was compromised by the qualifiers yesterday and the penalty this morning just added to that. I started very far back and I recovered a lot of positions straight away, but unfortunately then I had a stupid sliding crash on a turn where I did not expect that I could have crashed. The tests tomorrow will be fundamental for us. We need to change something in terms of settings in order to come out of this complicated period.”

Hafizh Syahrin – DNF

“I felt really good during the race, but just made a mistake and went wide. I tried to come back to the right line and I had a highside immediately, so I crashed out. I’m truly sorry to the team. I try to learn from this mistake and I try to come back stronger. We could finish inside the top 9, but it was not meant to be. I can’t express, how sorry I feel for my guys and my sponsors and everybody, that supports me. I promise, I try to make up for this in the next round.”

Herve Poncharal – Tech3 Yamaha Team Manager

“We had a tough weekend here in Montmeló. We knew from the practices and the Qualifying that it will not be easy. The start of the race was average, still I think Johann put his head down and pushed all race long. He managed to have a very steady pace and climbed up to seventh. We have to take the positives. Although the races have not been easy, we are fourth in the Championship, just a few points away from third, so everything is still open and clearly, as I said in Mugello before, we need to score points everywhere. It was not a brilliant weekend, but in the end, we managed to score some good points. We stay here for another day tomorrow and maybe we can learn and understand a bit more. On Hafizh’ side, I’m really disappointed, because all weekend long, he was showing a really unbelievable pace and was by far the best rookie. Five laps to go, he was in a strong position with nobody threatening him and the board was clear. All I can say is, that this was a big mistake, but apart from that he has done a great weekend, he has been fast all the time, which will give him confidence. I think he would have really liked to finish this race. Barcelona is his second home GP, he lives here and has many friends here, so this is a bitter feeling. Never mind, he is only two points behind Morbidelli in the rookie ranking and we have many more races. Hopefully, he can learn more tomorrow and then Assen will be a bit sweeter.”

MotoGP 2018 – Round Seven – Catalunya – Results

Jorge LORENZO Ducati Team 40’13.566
Marc MARQUEZ Repsol Honda Team +4.479
Valentino ROSSI Movistar Yamaha MotoGP +6.098
Cal CRUTCHLOW LCR Honda CASTROL +9.805
Dani PEDROSA Repsol Honda Team +10.640
Maverick VIÑALES Movistar Yamaha MotoGP +10.798
Johann ZARCO Monster Yamaha Tech 3 +13.432
Danilo PETRUCCI Alma Pramac Racing Ducati +15.055
Alvaro BAUTISTA Angel Nieto Team Ducati +22.057
Andrea IANNONE Team SUZUKI ECSTAR+24.141
Pol ESPARGARO Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +36.560
Scott REDDING Aprilia Racing Team Gresini +38.229
Karel ABRAHAM Angel Nieto Team Ducati +1’21.526
Franco MORBIDELLI EG 0,0 Marc VDS Honda 3 Laps

The MotoGP Championship

Marquez extended his Championship lead to 27-points, but Rossi remains his closest challenger – and the ‘Doctor’ has often been the master of the TT Circuit Assen.

Despite a lack-lustre start to the season Maverick Vinales has still been racking up points and lies third in the standings ahead of Zarco and leading Ducati contender Danilo Petrucci.