Marc Marquez takes P.I. MotoGP pole
The MotoGP Q2 session at Phillip Island saw 2014 World Champion Marc Marquez take pole, with Cal Crutchlow and Jorge Lorenzo also securing front row starts for Sunday’s Tissot Australian Grand Prix race.
After light rain fell before Q2 the riders were not overly affected as the track remained dry with Marquez taking pole position with a 1’28.408 lap, outpacing his nearest rival by 0.234s. By taking his 12th pole of the season, Marquez matched Casey Stoner’s record of most poles in a MotoGP season from 2011 and Mick Doohan’s 12 poles in 500cc in 1997.
Crutchlow (Ducati Team) showed his pace with the second best lap of the session, giving Ducati another front row result after Andrea Dovizioso’s pole at Motegi. It is Crutchlow’s first front row this year.
Completing the front row, Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) lapped just 0.008s behind Crutchlow for third, making it three different manufacturers on row one.
Heading the second row Bradley Smith (Monster Yamaha Tech3) was on a similar pace, just 0.006s behind Lorenzo. Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) was in fifth, again just fractionally (0.19s) behind the rider in front, having made it through from Q1.
Just before rain began to fall in Q1 Pedrosa set the fastest time in that session and the fastest of the weekend at that point – 1’29.097. That was a significant improvement on his 1’29.976 in FP3.
Aleix Espargaro (NGM Forward Racing) completed the second row, just in front of third row qualifiers Andrea Iannone (Pramac Racing), Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) and Pol Espargaro (Monster Yamaha Tech3).
The fourth row, meanwhile, features Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team), Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda MotoGP) and Hiroshi Aoyama (Drive M7 Aspar). Japanese rider Aoyama also went through from Q1 with Pedrosa but could only qualify 12th.
MotoGP Qualifying Practice Classification
Moto2: Saturday action rounded off with electric Rabat on pole
In the Moto2™ race at the Tissot Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, Tito Rabat will get away from the front of the grid as he looks to win the title, followed by Johann Zarco and Mika Kallio on row one.
Rabat (Marc VDS Racing Team) continued his domination at Phillip Island, producing a recording breaking lap of 1’32.470s to secure pole position ahead of Zarco (AirAsia Caterham) by just 0.015s. Rabat’s championship rival Kallio (Marc VDS Racing Team) completed the front row and was 0.228s behind his teammate.
The top five were split by a margin of just 0.287s, both Maverick Viñales (Paginas Amarillas HP 40) and Thomas Luthi (Interwetten Sitag) putting in strong lap times in fourth and fifth respectively. Sandro Cortese (Dynavolt Intact GP) completes row two.
Sam Lowes (Speed Up), Jordi Torres (Mapfre Aspar Team) and Xavier Simeon (Federal Oil Gresini) will all line up on row three. Marcel Schrotter (Tech 3) completed a top ten with all the riders qualifying within half a second of pole.
Lowes and Thitipong Warokorn (APH PTT The Pizza SAG) collided at Turn 4 as qualifying drew to a close. Both riders were unhurt.
Rabat needs to increase his lead in the standings by at least 12 points to clinch the Moto2 title on Sunday and the following scenarios would make him a World Champion:
– Rabat wins the race and Kallio does not finish on the podium
– Rabat is second and Kallio finishes eighth or lower
– Rabat is third and Kallio finishes 12th or lower
– If Rabat is fourth and Kallio finishes 15th or lower
Moto2 Qualifying Practice Classification
Moto3: Title candidate Alex Marquez the pole setter in smaller class
As Saturday’s Moto3™ Tissot Australian Grand Prix QP action came to a close, it was Alex Marquez who took pole position, with Alex Rins and Juanfran Guevara also on the front row.
Championship leader Marquez (Estrella Galicia 0,0) got his third pole of 2014 with a 1’36.050 lap to qualify just 0.014s ahead of his second placed teammate Rins. Guevara (Mapfre Aspar Team Moto3) took third place by 0.339s.
On the second row Danny Kent (Red Bull Husqvarna Ajo) and John McPhee (SaxoPrint-RTG) qualified in front of Efren Vazquez (SaxoPrint-RTG).
In a session which saw the riders battling against traffic around the picturesque Phillip Island circuit Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Ajo) qualified in the middle of the third row, sandwiched by Jasper Iwema (CIP) and Alexis Masbou (Ongetta-Rivacold). Romano Fenati (SKY Racing Team VR46) will line up on the grid in tenth.
Two seconds covered the top 29 in the session highlighting the competitiveness of the class once again.
Alexis Masbou (Ongetta-Rivacold) fell early in the session and was able to rejoin. Niklas Ajo (Avant Tecno Husqvarna Ajo) lost the front at Turn 1, his leathers protecting him, but ending his session. Indeed the crash saw Ajo suffer a fracture of fifth finger on the left hand, but he is fit to race on Sunday.
Eric Granado (Calvo Team) took a very heavy fall, his second of the day, and like Ajo was taken to the medical center. Suffering dorsal pain Granado was later taken to Dandenong hospital for CT scan after initial x-rays did not show any injury. Enea Bastianini (Junior Team GO&FUN Gresini) also had a small off in the closing stages.
Moto3 Qualifying Practice Classification
