Marquez smashes his own COTA MotoGP lap record to take pole
Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez rode a sensational final lap in MotoGP Qualifying Practice 2 to smash his own Circuit of the Americas lap record as he vies for a third consecutive victory at the Texas circuit.
After having to swap motorcycles due to a technical issue, Marquez produced an amazing one-lap display to set a time of 2’02.135, bettering his own COTA lap record by 0.638 seconds to maintain his perfect pole record at the circuit.
Qualifying in second place was Ducati Team’s Andrea Dovizioso who continued his strong form with a time of 2’02.474, while Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Jorge Lorenzo completes the front row having qualified third with a time of 2’02.540.
The general pace of qualifying at this year’s Grand Prix of the Americas was tremendous, with the top six riders in QP2 lapping under the old outright lap record.
Both Marquez and Lorenzo used the combination of the medium compound front and rear slicks to set their best qualifying times, while Dovizioso used the soft compound rear slick in conjunction with the medium compound front for his hot lap.
Today was overcast but there was no sign of the rain that plagued yesterday’s sessions, with dry tarmac throughout the day. The cloud cover kept temperatures to a moderate level, with the peak track temperature of 28°C recorded at the end of QP2 the same as yesterday’s high. The mild conditions meant that the hard compound rear slick remained unused by the factory Honda and Yamaha riders, although the hard compound front slick was used by some riders in FP4 and qualifying.
Overall, the medium compound front and rear slicks proved to the most popular choice in FP3 and FP4 given the weather and track conditions, and in the case of a dry race are likely to be used by most of the twenty-five riders grid. For qualifying, almost every rider used the softest rear slick available, the medium compound for the factory Honda and Yamaha riders, and soft compound for the rest of the field.
Marc Marquez – 1ST 2’02.135 – “I’m happy, because after having a problem we were able to come back and set the fastest time. It was rather different to what we are used to, because when I crossed the line for the first time with the second tyre I saw a warning light on the bike. When that happens, we are normally advised to shut off the engine. I was able to get out again on the second bike and cross the line right at the cut-off point to put in a final lap, which worked out well for us. It’s important, because tomorrow we are expecting an eventful race with the unstable weather conditions. If the race is dry, then I’m ready. If it’s wet, then we will have to see how things go in the moment!”
Andrea Dovizioso produced another outstanding performance for the Ducati Team at Austin, as he powered his Desmosedici GP15 to the second-quickest time in qualifying, just 339 thousandths of a second away from poleman Marquez.
On a cloudy but dry day, Dovizioso finished the morning’s third free practice session (FP3) in eighth place, guaranteeing him direct access to Q2. In the thirty minutes of FP4, the 29-year-old Italian then set third-quickest time behind Marquez and Lorenzo. In Q2, Dovizioso, who went out in the last minutes of the session with a soft compound rear tyre, managed to notch up an excellent pace-setting time of 2’02.474, but he had to settle for second place after being passed by Marquez in the final moments of the session.
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 2’02.474 (2nd) – “When we get these results, it means that we have certainly been working well. I am very satisfied with the front row position and with my best time, and I’m also happy with the way my team has worked. We managed to improve the feeling a bit in FP4, and this allowed me to be aggressive in qualifying and record a really good time. Here in Texas we’ve had a bit more difficulty than in Qatar, because the Austin track is very unusual and the weather conditions have certainly not helped. Tomorrow it’s not going to be easy, but I have to say that we are competitive and so I think I can do a good race.”
Andrea Iannone’s day, on the other hand, was a bit more complicated. The 25-year-old from Vasto finished FP3 in eleventh place and as a result had to take part in the first qualifying session (Q1). During the pre-qualifying FP4 run, Iannone succeeded in improving the feeling with his GP15 to finish in fifth place. In Q1, using a medium compound rear tyre, Andrea then set a best time of 2’03.644, which guaranteed him access to Q2. In the decisive qualifying session, he was unable to get the most out of the soft tyre and so returned to the track on medium rubber to set a good time of 2’02.792. This left him in seventh place, and so tomorrow he will start from row 3 for the GP of the Americas.
Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team #29) – 2’02.792 (7th) – “To be honest I am not very satisfied with my qualifying and grid position, but on the other hand I am optimistic about the race because with the medium compound tyre I can manage to keep up a good pace, and in FP3 and FP4 we went further than the race distance using always the same tyre. Unfortunately I still have a bit of difficulty in qualifying and I am unable to get the best out of the soft tyre, which could have given me a hand in starting further up the grid, and this is something that me and my team will have to work on.”
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP riders Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi secured third and fourth place respectively.
Lorenzo was the first out of the box and took provisional pole with his first flying lap of 2‘03.505, before the field pushed him back down to sixth place. On his next lap he dropped under the 2‘03 mark with a 2‘02.927, moving up to second, before he returned to the pits for a new set of rubber. With five minutes left of the session he rejoined the track for a final time attack. Bettering his time through all sections he reclaimed the top spot with a 2‘02.540, before being pushed back to third, 0.405s from the front in the final seconds of the session. He will start tomorrow‘s race from the end of the first row.
Teammate Rossi was also quick on the pace, with his first flying lap bettering his personal best to a 2‘03.170, momentarily taking pole before dropping down the order to fourth place. He had a wobble on his next lap, which cost him valuable time. He quickly headed back to his pit box for a fresh set of tyres with five and half minutes left on the clock. After a minute he came back out and picked up the pace even further, closing in to 0,033 from his teammate with a 2‘02.573. As he was unable to improve his starting position on the grid on his last lap, he will start his challenge tomorrow heading the second row.
Jorge Lorenzo – 3rd / 2’02.540 / 6 laps – “Qualifying was very exciting as always. The positions were changing a lot and we tried the maximum, even with not the best physical conditions. For one lap it was not so bad, I could give a maximum effort to ride this lap time. I was really satisfied with this time and position, I didn‘t expect to make the top five. Let‘s see what the weather is like tomorrow. Personally I prefer a dry race, but a wet race would be better for my physical condition. I am very happy that the Yamaha is becoming better in this track. We didn‘t have a lot of time, so we don‘t exactly know what our pace is like. The front tyre wears down very quickly on the right side, just like last year. Let‘s see in a dry race how it performs. I feel so-so at the moment. The antibiotics are doing their job, but I need to be in a perfect condition for tomorrow.”
Valentino Rossi – 4th / 2’02.573 / 6 laps – “I’m happy because the second row was my target and I think that with a better lap I could have stayed on the first row, because we are very close to Jorge and Dovizioso. Second row is not a bad place for the start, also because we have a quite good pace. For sure we have to work and help the front tyre, where we have some issue, and after that the weather will be very important. It was supposed to rain today, but fortunately it was dry. We hope the weather remains the same tomorrow. Last year there was a bigger difference to Marc‘s pace, this is very positive, but he remains the favorite for the race tomorrow. After him there‘s me, Jorge and Dovi very close in terms of rhythm.”
CWM LCR Honda Team rider Cal Crutchlow will start from the second row of the grid in Sunday’s Grand Prix of the America’s after setting the fifth fastest time in qualifying practice.
The British rider wasted no time in putting the new material to the test, setting the pace for much of this morning’s foggy FP3 only to be pipped to the fastest time by Marquez on the final lap. Crutchlow continued to impress in race trim during FP4, setting his best time on a tyre that had completed 17 laps, and he was confident of a challenge for a front row spot in qualifying.
However, a small mistake in turn 11 cost him crucial time through the second and third sectors and halted his challenge for the front row and possibly even for pole position. Nevertheless, fifth place remains a positive result and hopes are high for tomorrow’s race.
Cal Crutchlow #35, 5th (2’02.613, lap 5 of 6) – “It is frustrating not to be on the front row but it is my own fault. I felt comfortable riding on my own but I just outbraked myself into turn 11, which is in the second sector and then I lost all the drive onto the straight, which is into the third sector. I wrecked two sectors basically and it definitely cost me the front row.
“The race is going to be quite difficult because we don’t understand the package enough at the moment to make changes and we don’t really know what way to go. The new chassis is better but I haven’t had enough time on it. Anyway we’ve definitely improved and our pace is not too bad because in FP4 I did my fastest lap with 17 laps on the tyre, so that’s a positive thing and I think a lot of the other guys were on new tyres.
“It’s a good step to go into tomorrow confident but we need to work for the start of the race and we need to be there on the first eight laps of the race because I think at the moment we might lose some time, but then gain it back at the end of the race.”
Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider, Scott Redding, qualified sixth with an impressive final flying lap. Redding had secured his place in the second 15-minute qualifying session with a time of 2’03.946 and ninth place in FP3 this morning, but the 22-year-old Briton improved on this time by more than a second in qualifying to secure his best grid position since stepping up to the premier MotoGP class in 2014.
Scott Redding: 6th – 2’02.674 – “Finally we’re finding our way with this bike. We struggled a lot in Qatar, but at least we left there with an idea of which direction we needed to go in and I think the lap times here show that it’s the right one. Each session we’ve improved, gone a little bit faster and closed the gap just a little bit more to the guys in front, while my race pace over the longer runs has also been good. Now we need to keep working in the same way, improving step by step. We know the weather could do anything tomorrow.
“It could be dry, it could be wet or we could end up with a flag-to-flag race. My pace has been good in both the dry and the wet and every time I’ve returned to pit lane in the sessions this weekend I’ve practiced the bike change so, while I’d prefer a dry race tomorrow, we’re well prepared whatever the weather throws at us.”
Some positive improvements have been made by Team Suzuki riders at the Grand Prix of The Americas at Austin, Texas, where both riders got into the top 12 positions and both took part in the final Q2 session that defined the grid for tomorrow’s race.
The morning session saw Aleix Espargaro well-up on the timing sheets for almost all of the 45-minute session. He was also the first rider to get under the 2’04s bracket, ending with a best of 2’03.790s which got him access to Q2. The qualifying session saw all the riders being very fast and the young Spaniard kept his rhythm lowering his times lap-after-lap. At the end of qualifying, the timesheets showed his best lap a 2’02.869s effort, which gives him eighth position on the grid.
Maverick Viñales made some positive efforts during FP3; constantly improving his performance but that was not enough to have direct access to the Q2 session. During the afternoon’s Q1 session, the MotoGP rookie did find an effective set-up that let him make a 2’03.878s lap-time that finally got him into Q2. His improvements continued steadily and he scored a positive 2’03.754s lap, which unfortunately was not enough to improve his position on the grid so he starts in 12th position overall.
Davide Brivio – Team Manager: “First of all we are happy to have brought both riders into Q2 eventually. Also Maverick has made constant improvements throughout the weekend and this is really important. Aleix has been consistent and very effective during all the sessions. Maybe only at the end he missed something that could have resulted in an even better position. However all their performances have been excellent so far. Considering the race tomorrow, we still have to improve both riders’ machines in order to put them in an even better condition come the start of the race. Also, for the future, we are making notes about everything that we still have to improve. We are happy with today but for tomorrow we will try to be as consistent as possible with our race pace.”
Aleix Espargaro P8: “The final position doesn’t satisfy me, but it’s better than Qatar and it is important to constantly improve. Also for tomorrow’s race we will need to increase our performance and do better than we did in Qatar. Being eighth is not the position we want, but the times have been very fast and we have been very close to last year’s pole position. This means that all competitors are going much faster than in 2014. We improved a little on the chatter problem we had at the rear-end, but we couldn’t solve it completely; however the bike is very positive in its handling and I feel so confident with it that I’m happy. We made great progression – especially in our electronics and the result is that we are very close to the first-row times. My pace with the hard tyre is not so bad, I’ve always been in the top eight positions, so I believe we can fight to be close to the top six finishers. ”
Maverick Viñales P12: “It’s been a positive day. We managed to get into Qualifying 2 and we are happy with this, but finally I couldn’t make a really quick lap to get a better place on the grid. I tried to make the quick ‘time attack’ with a soft tyre, but I still lack experience so I couldn’t exploit this to its best. We still need to work to get ready for the race. My pace is pretty good but we can still improve further. For sure we need to find a solid performance and do better than we did in the last race in order to constantly progress my performance.”
Eugene Laverty took a big leap forward on the second day in Austin. His first experience of the track was in the wet the previous day, and at an unknown circuit this was not easy for him. Today he was able to improve throughout the day and prepare well for the qualifying session. He also made progress in that session, although seventeenth on the grid is slightly further back than anticipated. The Northern Irishman has set his sights on scoring points in the race.
Nicky Hayden will have to make a comeback through the field at his home Grand Prix. He also improved his feeling with the bike on the second day, but ended up qualifying in twenty-second position. Unfortunately, his best lap did not count, as he had set it without having seen that the chequered flag had already been waved.
17th Eugene Laverty 2.04.875: “Certainly today we had a better day than yesterday. On the first day the track was wet and we were able to ride in the dry today. That allowed me to be improve steadily throughout the day and in the qualifying session we made significant improvement. Finishing as the top Honda in the Open class is a positive, and I’m happy about that, but seventeenth on the grid is definitely not the position I would like to be. In any case we must continue to work hard and perform at top level to try to take some points tomorrow.”
22nd Nicky Hayden 2.05.569: “This morning we started out not feeling good, but as the day progressed we found the right direction for our work. That allowed me to face the last free practice and qualifying with confidence. I’m not happy with my grid position, but at least I managed to improve my feeling with the bike. It was a shame that my last lap did not count, as I am supposed to have crossed the line under the chequered flag but I didn’t see it. Right on my last lap I improved by four tenths and had also gained a lot of confidence on the changes of direction. In any case we shouldn’t dwell on it, tomorrow we will start from far back and will have to work hard. We’ll have to try to make a comeback and get a positive result at my home race.”
HRC test rider Hiroshi Aoyama is standing in for the injured Dani Pedrosa this weekend and was 18th fastest on the Repsol Honda, only a fraction quicker than MotoGP rookie Jack Miller. “Today we were fortunate to have dry conditions all day and in each session I have improved but it wasn’t easy. During qualifying I had an issue with chatter but still bettered my time, however, it wasn’t enough to get a good grid position. I still have room to improve in time for tomorrow’s race so I hope it’s dry. I’ll try to find a few tenths in different places to allow me to move up in the standings.” Stated Aoyama after the completion of Saturday’s COTA MotoGP action.
For Australia’s Jack Miller the weekend has seen some marked improvement in performance, finishing all the free practice sessions as the top Open spec Honda machine out on track. During qualifying the rookie set his best lap of the weekend, and although he felt there was still more time to get out of the bike, he is confident of making forward progress from 19th position on the starting grid.
Jack Miller #43, 19th – 2’05.156 – “If we could have got our best lap in during qualifying it would have been awesome, but nonetheless it was good. I feel more comfortable on the bike and I did my lap time without any slipstream so it means I’m looking forward to the race.”
“Tomorrow’s still going to be a difficult day and that’s especially true on the first laps and how difficult is in MotoGP with a big group – I got caught out a little bit in Qatar because of that. You can’t quite put the bike exactly where you want to, but you have to get your head down, and I’ll be focusing on just improving every lap.”
Aprilia Racing Team Gresini continued working on development of the RS-GP bikes. After finishing in 19th place in FP3, Bautista had to forego the bike he had used for that time due to a technical problem. He wasn’t able to find that feeling and he had to settle for a time of 2’05,595, taking 23rd place which places him on the eighth row of the starting grid tomorrow. In the decisive session Marco Melandri improved his time (2’07,267) compared to the free practice sessions, but not enough to move up from 25th place which puts him on the ninth row for tomorrow’s race.
Alvaro Bautista – “We worked a lot on the electronics to have better power management, trying a lot of solutions that will also be useful for the future. But for the qualifiers I was forced to take out the other bike with a different setup and I wasn’t able to take advantage of all the work we had done up to that point. It’s a shame because I’m sure I would have been able to lap faster. For tomorrow the unknown is the weather. If we have a wet race it will be important to set a good pace straight away. In any conditions, and considering how things went in Qatar, the important thing will be to finish the race.”
Marco Melandri – “Until we get back to Europe and can count on more consistent developments we’ll just have to grit our teeth and try to learn from each session. Only when I’m completely at ease in the saddle will I be able to push the way I’d like to.”
Shinji Aoki – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department – “I am happy that all of today’s sessions were dry, as it was important for the riders to evaluate some different tyre combinations as this circuit requires good bike setup to ensure efficient use of the tyres.
“The track temperatures today were around fifteen degrees cooler compared to FP4 and qualifying last year, so although tyre performance was strong and consistent, the harder compound options weren’t very popular as optimum warm-up performance and heat retention is important in cooler conditions.
“The performance of our latest tyres in conjunction with the 2015 MotoGP machinery was evident in qualifying with the top six riders lapping under the existing lap record, and I hope to see the race lap record also beaten tomorrow if the race is dry.”
Americas MotoGP QP 2 times
- MARQUEZ Marc 93 SPA Repsol Honda Team 2’02.135
- DOVIZIOSO Andrea 4 ITA Ducati Team 2’02.474
- LORENZO Jorge 99 SPA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 2’02.540
- ROSSI Valentino 46 ITA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 2’02.573
- CRUTCHLOW Cal 35 GBR CWM LCR Honda 2’02.613
- REDDING Scott 45 GBR Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS 2’02.674
- IANNONE Andrea 29 ITA Ducati Team 2’02.792
- ESPARGARO Aleix 41 SPA Team Suzuki Ecstar 2’02.869
- ESPARGARO Pol 44 SPA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 2’03.161
- SMITH Bradley 38 GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 2’03.440
- PETRUCCI Danilo 9 ITA Pramac Racing 2’03.741
- VINALES Maverick 25 SPA Team Suzuki Ecstar 2’03.754
- BARBERA Hector 8 SPA Avintia Racing 2’03.926
- BRADL Stefan 6 GER Athina Forward Racing 2’04.275
- HERNANDEZ Yonny 68 COL Pramac Racing 2’04.313
- DI MEGLIO Mike 63 FRA Avintia Racing 2’04.392
- LAVERTY Eugene 50 IRE Aspar MotoGP Team 2’04.875
- AOYAMA Hiroshi 7 JPN Repsol Honda Team 2’05.086
- MILLER Jack 43 AUS CWM LCR Honda 2’05.156
- BAZ Loris 76 FRA Athina Forward Racing 2’05.214
- ABRAHAM Karel 17 CZE AB Motoracing 2’05.261
- HAYDEN Nicky 69 USA Aspar MotoGP Team 2’05.569
- BAUTISTA Alvaro 19 SPA Aprilia Racing Team Gresini 2’05.595
- DE ANGELIS Alex 15 RSM Athina Forward Racing 2’06.145
- MELANDRI Marco 33 ITA Aprilia Racing Team Gresini 2’07.267
Simeon secures Americas GP Moto2 pole
Federal Oil Gresini’s Xavier Simeon took his second Moto2 pole position at the Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas.
The predicted rain stayed away, allowing for dry sessions both in FP3 and Qualifying. Moto2 was fortunate enough to finish Friday with a fully dry session, with only a handful of riders not improving their times from FP3.
Sam Lowes suffered a big crash in FP3 but seemed unhindered by it as he immediately started setting record-breaking laps in Qualifying. The Speed Up rider suffered a crash after one of his fastest laps but remained out for several more laps before coming into the pits. The majority of the session saw Lowes lead with a 2’09.942.
It was not until the very final stages of the session that Simeon got his charge underway. The Belgian rider set two laps in the 2’09s with a best of 2’09.888, a new pole position record for the Moto2™ class. He claimed an emotional podium in Qatar and will be looking to go one better in this Sunday’s race. “It’s a good start to the season, but today is zero points so tomorrow is the most important. The podium in Qatar wasn’t just luck and we confirmed that today,” said Simeon.
Zarco looked certain to win the race in Qatar before a technical problem with the gear shifter left him stuck in third gear for the final laps. The new Kalex rider continued his strong form and will start from fourth, 0.214s from pole. He reflected, “We’re not on the front row, but the pace we have is very good. I lowered my best lap time, but other riders did so by even more. I’m not worried.”
It has been a difficult weekend for the Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS team, as both Tito Rabat and Alex Marquez crashed twice on Friday. Rabat had a steadier Saturday, focusing as always on longer runs managing 20 laps in the Qualifying session. His best time of 2’10.077 secured him third on the grid. Rabat’s pace is steady in the mid to low 2’10s and looks more consistent than that of Lowes.
The rookie season of Alex Marquez continues to be filled with crashes, the Spaniard tumbling in the final stages of Qualifying. He will start 23rd on the grid. Fellow rookie Alex Rins lines up eighth ahead of experienced riders such as Mika Kallio and Simone Corsi, as he continues his impressive adaptation to the class.
Qualifying also saw a return to form for two former front runners in the shape of Takaaki Nakagami and Julian Simon, lining up on the grid in sixth and seventh respectively. Nakagami had a strong start to 2014 before struggling to score points for the remainder of the season. He and his IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia team appear to have resolved the setup issues that plagued them last year.
Meanwhile Julian Simon, along with Anthony West, received the new aluminium swing arm for their QMMF Racing Tram Speed Up machines. They were previously running a carbon swing arm but the new one has improved the feel for the riders. Lowes has been running the newer version since testing.
Thomas Luthi’s session was filled with frustration as technical problems plagued his Kalex machine, forcing him back to the pits on multiple occasions. He was able to salvage 17th on the grid and was just 1.097s back from Simeon on pole, once again demonstrating how competitive the Moto2™ class is.
Crashes filled the session with Mulhauser and Cardus both having issues in the opening minutes. Lorenzo Baldassari also lost the front of his Athina Forward Racing Kalex machine. Cortese was attempting to follow Johann Zarco but also fell. Marcel Schrotter and Franco Morbidelli also had incidents on their last laps.
Moto3
Danny Kent achieves pole position at the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas, setting a new lap record in the process.
Despite heavy fog in the morning, both FP3 and Qualifying were fully dry for the Moto3™ riders in Austin. Rain was predicted during the closing stages of Qualifying but held off, allowing Danny Kent to charge to pole position. There was an early red flag as Hiroki Ono fell and required help to leave the track. The Japanese rider was okay however.
The experienced Brit went unchallenged the entire Qualifying session. FP3 saw him set a new circuit record, and he was able to improve to a 2’15.344 in Qualifying. Kent was the first Moto3 rider to ever lap in the 2’15s around the Circuit of the Americas, although Oliveira would join him in that club later on in the session. “We can expect a good race tomorrow, but the gap between me and the second placed rider on the grid isn’t that big so you never know what can happen in the race,” reflected Kent.
In previous years Kent has struggled at the start of the season, but 2015 has seen him be competitive from the off on his new Honda machine. Kent’s pace for the race looks a step above the rest, the British rider able to lap consistently in the 2’15s.
Miguel Oliveira was the only other rider in the 2’15s with a 2’15.829s. The Portuguese rider will be looking to make amends after contact at Turn 1 in Qatar ended his race early. Former Red Bull KTM Ajo rider, and CotA race winner, Jack Miller was on hand to give help and advice to Oliveira during FP3.
It was a debut front row for Andrea Locatelli in only his second race for the Gresini Racing Team Moto3. The Italian youngster had been challenging for the top three throughout the weekend in both the wet and dry. “I got my fastest lap at the end of the session, alone: I wanted to improve myself and I did it. I saw on the TV board that I was in fourth place, but I really wanted the front row and was able to further improve my lap time by a few tenths,” he said.
Locatelli’s teammate Enea Bastianini had a much better time in Qualifying than in Qatar, lining up eighth on the grid. Bastianini’s ride to second was a highlight of the Qatar race and he will no doubt be a threat with a much improved grid position. Fellow Italian Romano Fenati had another difficult session, an issue halting him on his final lap. Fenati, who finished second here last year, will start 19th on Sunday’s grid.
Both the Estrella Galicia 0,0 riders will make second row starts, despite never having raced in Austin before this weekend. Navarro, fifth, is hoping for a dry race, “I really wanted to run at this circuit, because the corners here are fun,” he said. Meanwhile teammate Quartararo will line up sixth and is hoping to fight for the win like in Qatar.
The top six was filled with five Hondas and just one KTM. Honda seem to have improved their Moto3 machine yet again this year after KTM had previously dominated the class. Brad Binder was the next highest KTM in 11th, with Isaac Viñales in seventh on the leading Husqvarana. Franceso Bagnaia was once again the top Mahindra in ninth on his Mapfre Team Mahindra bike.
Remy Gardner, Australia’s only entrant in the Moto3 class, qualified 27th in the 34-rider field.
Remy Gardner (27th – 2’17:894): “It’s been not an easy weekend but today things have gone better. There was some humidity on the asphalt during FP3 and was difficult to push really hard because this situation. At qualifying condition was very different because track was totally dry. At the end we reached a good setting compromise and it’s been possible reduce de gap to the front guys”.
There were a number of incidents throughout the session, with Livio Loi and John McPhee coming together on their outlap, with the latter receiving a penalty point from Race Direction for not looking where he was going. Moments later Niklas Ajo suffered a heavy fall, narrowly avoiding the bike of Ferrari.
Alexis Masbou also received two penalty points from Race Direction for causing a crash while overtaking a rider in FP3.
