Valencia MotoGP #FinalShowdown Race Day Guide

Valencia MotoGP #FinalShowdown Race Day Guide

MotoGP Race starts at midnight (AEDT) – 2100 in Perth

• Marc Marquez is on pole for the eighth time in 2017. He is aiming to become the youngest ever rider to win four premier-class world titles.
• In second place on the grid is Johann Zarco, which is his fourth successive front row start. He is aiming to be the first satellite team rider to win in his rookie season in the premier-class since Valentino Rossi in 2000.
• Andrea Iannone is back on the front row for the first time since the opening race of the year in Qatar. Iannone finished third last year in Valencia when riding for Ducati, which is the Italian manufacturer’s only podium at this circuit in the last six years.
• The MotoGP race in Valencia has only once been won by a rider who has not qualified on the front row, which was when Marc Marquez won from fifth place on the grid in 2014.
• Jorge Lorenzo heads the second row on a Ducati, making it four different manufacturers filling the top four places on the grid. Lorenzo has won in Valencia three times in the last four years.
• Triple Valencia MotoGP winner Dani Pedrosa has qualified in fifth place on the grid. Pedrosa is scheduled to make his 277th GP start, which moves him into a clear fourth place above Alex Barros is the all-time Grand Prix start list.
• In sixth place on the grid is wild card rider Michele Pirro, who took his only Grand Prix victory in the Moto2 class in Valencia in 2011.
• Heading the third row is Valentino Rossi, who has competed in all eighteen Grand Prix events that have taken place at the Valencia circuit.
• Aleix Espargaro, who has qualified in eighth position, made his Grand Prix debut in the 125cc class at the Valencia circuit in 2004 at the age of fifteen.
• Championship challenger Andrea Dovizioso starts from ninth place on the grid, which is the same qualifying position from which he won the Japanese Grand Prix four weeks ago.
• Danilo Petrucci, who has qualified in 15th position, is scheduled to make his 100th Grand Prix start, all of which have been in the MotoGP class.

MotoGP 2017 – Round 18 – Valencia – Qualifying Times

1. MARQUEZ Marc 93 SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1’29.897
2. ZARCO Johann 5 FRA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 0.349
3. IANNONE Andrea 29 ITA Team Suzuki Ecstar Suzuki 0.502
4. LORENZO Jorge 99 SPA Ducati Team Ducati 0.563
5. PEDROSA Dani 26 SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 0.692
6. PIRRO Michele 51 ITA Ducati Test Team Ducati 0.867
7. ROSSI Valentino 46 ITA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 0.951
8. ESPARGARO Aleix 41 SPA Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Aprilia 0.960
9. DOVIZIOSO Andrea 4 ITA Ducati Team Ducati 1.064
10. RINS Alex 42 SPA Team Suzuki Ecstar Suzuki 1.075
11. ESPARGARO Pol 44 SPA Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM 1.147
12. MILLER Jack 43 AUS EG 0,0 Marc VDS Honda 1.293
13. VINALES Maverick 25 SPA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 1’31.030 Q1
14. RABAT Tito 53 SPA EG 0,0 Marc VDS Honda 0.304
15. PETRUCCI Danilo 9 ITA Octo Pramac Racing Ducati 0.323
16. CRUTCHLOW Cal 35 GBR LCR Honda Honda 0.404
17. SMITH Bradley 38 GBR Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM 0.407
18. ABRAHAM Karel 17 CZE Pull&Bear Aspar Team Ducati 0.432
19. KALLIO Mika 36 FIN Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM 0.468
20. BARBERA Hector 8 SPA Reale Avintia Racing Ducati 0.594
21. BAUTISTA Alvaro 19 SPA Pull&Bear Aspar Team Ducati 0.685
22. REDDING Scott 45 GBR Octo Pramac Racing Ducati 0.732
23. BAZ Loris 76 FRA Reale Avintia Racing Ducati 0.882
24. LOWES Sam 22 GBR Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Aprilia 0.923
25. VAN DER MARK Michael 60 NDL Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1.611

Moto2

• Alex Marquez is on pole for the third time in 2017, all of which have been achieved at Spanish tracks, following poles in Jerez and Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. He won both of those races.

• Franco Morbidelli starts from second place on the grid, which is his 14th front row start of the year. He is going for his ninth win of the year, which will equal the record for most wins in a single season in the Moto2 class. That was achieved by Marc Marquez in 2012.
• Mattia Pasini starts from the front row for the 10th time in 2017. Pasini’s only podium finish in Valencia is in the 125cc class back in 2005 when he finished third.
• Heading the second row is Miguel Oliveira, who is aiming to win his third successive Moto2 race. The last time a non-Kalex rider won three successive Moto2 races was Marc Marquez on a Suter in 2012.
• Brad Binder, who won the Moto3 race at Valencia last year, starts from fifth place on the grid.
• Completing the second row is Dominique Aegerter, who finished third in the Moto2 race in Valencia back in 2011, which was his first podium finish in Grand Prix racing.

Moto3

• Jorge Martín is on pole for the ninth time this season, which is the highest number of poles achieved in a single season in Moto3. It is also the highest by a rider in the lightweight-class since Marc Marquez was on pole twelve times in 2010 in the 125cc class. Martin will be aiming to take his first Moto3 race win in what will be his 50th Grand Prix start.

• In second place on the grid is Joan Mir, who is aiming to win his eleventh race of 2017 to equal the record for most wins in a single season in the lightweight-class of Grand Prix racing, which was set by Valentino Rossi in 1997.
• The 125cc win by Dani Pedrosa in 2002 is the only win in the lightweight-class in Valencia by Honda.
• The highest placed KTM rider on the grid is Gabriel Rodrigo, who starts from the front row for the fifth time in 2017. He is still looking to finish on the podium for the first time.
• Heading the second row is Tatsuki Suzuki, which is his best qualifying result in what is his 54th start in the Moto3 class.
• In fifth place on the grid is Enea Bastianini, who has finished on the podium three times in the last six races and was fourth last year in Valencia finishing just 0.147 seconds behind race winner Binder.
• Heading the third row is Ayumu Sasaki, which is the best qualifying result of his rookie year. Sasaki is the leading rider in the battle for the Moto3 Rookie of the Year title with a nine-point advantage over Marco Bezzecchi.