MotoGP 2011 – Round Eight – Mugello
Simoncelli shines on Friday morning, Dovizioso tops rainy afternoon
Marco Simoncelli’s last minute fast lap in Friday morning’s free practice put him on top of the pack for the day, ahead of Repsol Honda riders Casey Stoner and Andrea Dovizioso on the first day of action at the Gran Premio d’Italia TIM. Dovizioso topped a rain marred second practice session.
The top three riders were within one tenth of a second of each other in the morning session, with the Italian from Cattolica setting the fastest time of the day with a 1’48.987, while the second session was hindered by a light rain that was not enough to warrant rain tyres, and yet too slippery to push for fast laps on slicks until the last five minutes, thus leaving the MotoGP field unable to make the most of the second free practice.
Simoncelli’s morning lap on his San Carlo Honda Gresini Team bike was 0.040s faster than the best from Casey Stoner, who did not participate in the second session, and 0.101s ahead of Andrea Dovizioso for the day. The fastest Yamaha in the session was Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo, who set a fourth quickest time of 1’49.251, just slightly more than a tenth of a second ahead of team mate Ben Spies.
Colin Edwards posted the sixth fastest time of the day on his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 bike, followed by Dani Pedrosa, who returns to racing after a 3 round absence due to a fractured a collarbone sustained at Le Mans. The Repsol Honda rider won the race here last year, leading every lap from pole position.
Friday’s swiftest Ducati was that of Nicky Hayden, who posted a time of 1’50.203, while team mate Valentino Rossi suffered an electrical problem. The Italian pulled off the track in FP1 and was assisted by track marshals who pushed his Ducati to the pits, leaving him 13th in the timings.
Hiroshi Aoyama (San Carlo Honda Gresini) and Álvaro Bautista (Rizla Suzuki) completed the top ten times of the session.
1 Marco Simoncelli Honda ITA 1’48.987
2 Casey Stoner Honda AUS 1’49.027
3 Andrea Dovizioso Honda ITA 1’49.088
4 Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha ESP 1’49.251
5 Ben Spies Yamaha USA 1’49.364
6 Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 1’49.810
7 Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 1’50.104
8 Nicky Hayden Ducati USA 1’50.203
9 Hiroshi Aoyama Honda JPN 1’50.629
10 Alvaro Bautista Suzuki ESP 1’50.658
11 Cal Crutchlow Yamaha GBR 1’50.683
12 Randy De Puniet Ducati FRA 1’50.729
13 Valentino Rossi Ducati ITA 1’50.780
14 Hector Barbera Ducati ESP 1’51.153
15 Toni Elias Honda ESP 1’51.868
Marc Márquez remained the fastest Moto2 rider, topping the dry afternoon session despite rain falling earlier in afternoon. The Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol rider and winner at Assen last weekend posted a lap time of 1’53.241, nearly half a second over his best morning time despite lower track temperatures.
Championship leader Stefan Bradl (Viessmann Kiefer Racing) and Alex de Angelis (JiR Moto2) were again second and third fastest, although they were much closer to the Spaniard in the afternoon session, respectively 0.121s and 0.230s behind Márquez compared to their margins of 0.319s and 0.583s of the earlier practice.
Italian Andrea Iannone (Speed Master) went over a second faster in FP2, bettering his position to from sixth to fourth for the day, and nearly half a second faster than the fifth of Scott Redding (Marc VDS Racing).
Pol Espargaró (HP Tuenti Speed Up) was sixth, just ahead of Tech 3 Racing Team mates Bradley Smith and Mike di Meglio. The British rider, who crashed out of the morning practice, was able to make up some of his lost time to place seventh, while his French team mate bettered his morning time by 0.752s, moving into eighth.
Randy Krummenacher (Switzerland Team GP Kiefer Racing) followed in ninth by a mere 0.002s behind di Meglio, and Aleix Espargaró (Pons HP 40) placed tenth for the day, completing the first ten riders who were all within a second of each other.
Finishing just outside the top ten was Italian Michele Pirro (Gresini Racing Moto2) in 11th, with the next Italian riders placing 21st, 22nd and 23rd for the day, respectively Raffaele De Rosa (Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2), Mattia Pasini (IODA Racing Project) and Simone Corsi (IODA Racing Project).
Bankia Aspar’s Nico Terol resumed his position at the top of the timings in the 125cc field. The Spaniard was followed by Avant-AirAsia-Ajo team members Johann Zarco and Efrén Vázquez.
World Championship leader Terol resumed his lead position after missing the race at Assen due to injury to his right hand. The Spaniard was 0.864s faster than Zarco, who crashed out at the end of the dry free practice session, and one second faster than Vázquez.
The three lead a top ten dominated by Spanish and German riders, with Sandro Cortese (Intact-Racing Team Germany) riding his Aprilia fourth quickest with a time of 1’59.879, lone British rider Danny Kent (Red Bull Ajo MotorSport) 0.564s behind the German in fifth, Maverick Viñales (Blusens by Paris Hilton Racing Team) sixth, Jonas Folger (Red Bull Ajo MotorSport) seventh, team mates Héctor Faubel (Bankia Aspar Team) and Adrian Martín eighth and ninth fastest, and Spaniard Alberto Moncayo (Team Andalucía Banca Cívica) completing the top ten.
The fastest Italian rider in the single cylinder class was local wildcard rider Massimo Parziani (Faenza Racing), who posted the 12th fastest time, just 0.068s behind Blusens by Paris Hilton Racing Team’s Sergio Gadea, who topped the later rain affected afternoon session.
– Ducati Report
Turning fewer than ten laps on the first day of practice at Mugello prevented Valentino Rossi from doing better than thirteenth-best, but there are nonetheless promising signs. In the first session, some technical problems forced the Italian to return to the garage after a positive first outing. The afternoon weather was erratic once again, rendering the second practice session useless.
Rossi’s teammate Nicky Hayden began working on a setup for the step 2 frame in the morning, but the rain forced the postponement further tests.
Nicky Hayden (Ducati Marlboro Team) 8th (1:50.203) – “We were pretty strong in our first run this morning. We didn’t improve much from there, but I used the same hard tyre the whole session, and it worked well here on both sides. We made a couple little changes with the bike that felt like they were in a good direction. I did my fastest lap on the step 1 chassis, but the data showed that the step 2 had some pluses. This afternoon was wet one minute and dry the next. It looked like guys were destroying their wet tyres quick, and there was no point in putting on engine mileage and taking risks. We just went out to check a power setting on a practice start. We’ll see what tomorrow brings.”
Valentino Rossi (Ducati Marlboro Team) 13th (1:50.780) – “It’s almost as if we didn’t have practice today. This morning we only had one complete outing, which went pretty well. Then we had problems with both of the bikes, and I was left with the time that I did on my fourth lap. They were really just minor problems, but the fact is that we didn’t ride anymore after the early minutes: on the first bike, a wire touched a hot part and the bike stopped. On the other bike, there was a separate electrical problem, and the result was the same. The afternoon session was halfway between wet and dry, so it was useless. Only in the final minutes were we able to do three laps to check some changes we had made, and the results seemed interesting. We hope we can try them more thoroughly tomorrow to see how competitive we are in normal conditions. Having tested the GP12 here gives us a starting point, but we still have to adapt the 800’s setup, as it requires different lines in order to maintain corner speed. Tomorrow we’ll continue to test, and we hope to get close to the others.”
– Repsol Honda Report
The sun and high temperatures allow a good practice for the Repsol riders in the first session. The day was interrupted at noon due to the rain.
The Motorcycling World Championship arrived this week to the green valleys of Tuscany, where the changeable weather conditioned the first practice sessions held at the Mugello circuit. Casey Stoner and Andrea Dovizioso were competitive from the beginning and finished in second and third position, respectively, while Dani Pedrosa, returning after undergoing surgery twice on the right collarbone, took a remarkable seventh place.
At half past ten this morning, with ambient temperatures up to 26ºC and the tarmac nearly at 40ºC, started the first free practice of the Italian Grand Prix, that were very positive for the Repsol Honda Team riders. Under those conditions and with a resurfaced track, the riders progressed quickly, with Casey Stoner and Andrea Dovizioso again among the fastest. They finished second and third, respectively, and just 40 and 101 thousands behind Marco Simoncelli, who set the fastest time of the day.
Conditions were ideal for Dani Pedrosa to get on his bike again after his collarbone fracture last May 15th in Le Mans. Visibly recovered and with the cautiousness that he always shows, the rider picked up his pace gradually and reduced his own times until finishing seventh, 1 second and 117 thousandths behind Simoncelli. A positive first contact for the Spanish rider of the Repsol Honda Team.
In the afternoon, the weather surprised again and very few riders were able to do a couple of laps. At 1pm, clouds gathered quickly and it started to rain intermittently, without the rain ever being intense enough to use wet tyres. When at ten past two the track was opened for the second MotoGP practice session, Andrea Dovizioso was one of the few that took the track, setting the fastest time after only six laps, while Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa, among others, did not even get out of the garage, waiting for the conditions to improve tomorrow. For Dani this was a good situation, as it allowed him to let his shoulder rest after the effort of the morning.
Dani Pedrosa – “It’s good to be back on the bike again and regain some feeling. I have pain, of course, especially in hard braking and in the right hand corners is where I suffer more, but it’s normal. Considering that it’s been one month and a half without touching the bike, I did not do so bad this morning. I know that the race is going to be very tough and it will hurt because there are 23 laps and this circuit is physically very demanding, with constant changes of direction, but we have the whole day tomorrow to work and I hope I can get a more or less good grid position in qualifying. The pain will increase with the effort, but I will try to prepare myself between practices with some treatment, have a good rest and make the most of the laps I can do tomorrow, I remain positive. I was lucky this afternoon with the drops of rain as it meant I could rest a little more. I know tomorrow will be tougher because everybody will improve their lap times and I will need to make a bigger effort”.
Andrea Dovizioso – “I was curious to ride at Mugello with the new asphalt and I have to say that the expectations have been met. It’s great fun to ride here and the track is beautiful. The new tarmac is really smooth and some of the reference points we used to have are now gone and some lines have changed, so this morning we studied the track with fresh eyes. The feeling with the base of the machine is good, but we need to work because here with my riding style the front gets too hot so we need more laps to improve this situation. In the afternoon, light rain spoilt the session, nevertheless I’m happy with how easy I achieved the lap time of 1’49.272 on used tyres, one tenth from this morning’s lap time. We have started the race weekend at my home GP fast and competitive, I’m happy”.
Casey Stoner – “This morning we had a pretty tough session, my injuries from Assen aren’t completely healed and it seems there is a slightly deeper problem with my neck. On the main straights the wind was knocking my head around quite a lot and we struggled with this and weren’t able to get enough time on track to find something decent with set up or complete as many laps as I would have liked to. That said, in general the bike worked very well straight out of the box so I’m very grateful for this and cannot complain too much. There are a few things we would like to improve with how the bike turns, but we didn’t get any time on track this afternoon to try anything. At the beginning of FP2 it wasn’t wet enough for wet tyres, we would have destroyed them, then when it finally was dry there wasn’t enough time out there to do a lap or to get any information so it’s better we wait until tomorrow and continue from there”.
– LCR Honda Report
Mixed weather conditions welcomed the MotoGP riders at Mugello GP opening day as the first free session was conducted in the dry with stifling temperature of 26 degrees whilst only 5 riders joined the 5.245 km race track in the 40-minute afternoon session.
The Tuscan circuit was marred by a light rain which was not good enough for wet tyres and too slippery for slick tyres. However LCR Honda MotoGP racer Toni Elias completed 10 laps setting the 2nd quickest lap time (1’51.937) behind Dovizioso.
Elias – 2nd: “Well… this is like a “fake session” because the track conditions were weird: not enough wet for wet tyres and too humid for slick tyres. At the end the majority of my colleagues have preferred to sit out the session because it was too risky. I made the same in the first part of the practice but then we have decided to go out for a couple of laps as the asphalt was drying up. Our lap time was pretty good but we could not proceed with our TO DO list in the dry. We’ll see what we can do tomorrow to increase our pace: it depends on the weather again”.
– Yamaha Report
The Grand Prix of Italy at Mugello began well for Yamaha Factory riders Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies this morning with a promising first free practice session. Both riders were quickly up to pace on what is a newly resurfaced track, swapping places within the top four. The session wrapped up with Lorenzo in fourth just 0.264 from provisional pole and team mate Spies just behind in fifth, 0.377 from the front.
The weather which has played such a big part in the 2011 season so far was back this afternoon, spoiling the Tuscan sunshine with a burst of rain which rendered the afternoon’s second session useless. Lorenzo did not ride at all, Spies ventured out in the last two minutes to practice starts.
Jorge Lorenzo / Position 4th – Time 1.49.251 – Laps 27 – “In the afternoon the track was not perfect so we decided to stay in the garage. I am feeling confident because I like Mugello; I feel very comfortable riding on the new asphalt and this morning everything was good; all of us in the team have done a fantastic job so far. In my opinion we are now the closest we have been this season to the competition. Even with that, to win here will be tough, but we can! It is still too soon to say, but we have improved.”
Ben Spies / Position 5th – Time 1.49.364 – Laps 28 – “This afternoon became one of those sessions we’ve had all year, rain came and so you don’t want to take any risks. With the conditions the way they were we didn’t want to risk the bike or me so we just went out on the last lap to do a couple of practice starts. The morning session was good; the bike is working really well. We tried some different tyre combinations and I think we can make the bike even better. I think we have the pace to battle for top five and contend for the podium so that’s our goal.”
Wilco Zeelenberg – Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager – “We didn’t go out this afternoon as track conditions were not useful for us. We wanted to test some things but we needed good conditions to do so. We saved a tyre and we saved engine mileage and it’s also safer for the rider not having to push in these conditions. This morning went well; Jorge was pleased with his position, feeling, turning and stopping. We tried two different set ups, one was clearly better which we had planned to progress this afternoon but will instead save for tomorrow morning.”
Massimo Meregalli – Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director – “We made a good start today; both riders are close to the front with just a little gap. We are quite confident as we are working to make the set up better to make them more comfortable on the bike. As a first day it is a promising beginning.”
Contrasting conditions halt Edwards and Crutchlow’s progress
Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team riders Colin Edwards and Cal Crutchlow battled the elements once again today to finish a rain disrupted opening day of practice at the spectacular Mugello circuit in sixth and 11th places respectively.
After rain dominated the recent Silverstone and Assen races, there was welcome respite when Edwards and Crutchlow took to the track this morning to begin their preparations for the Gran Premio D’Italia TIM in gloriously hot and sunny conditions.
But during the build-up to this afternoon’s second session, dark clouds had gathered ominously above the spectacular 5.245km track, and when the session commenced the track was being covered by light rainfall.
A new surface was too damp for slicks but not sufficiently wet enough to conduct any meaningful laps on Bridgestone’s rain tyre for the majority of the 45-minute session. And with light drizzle falling intermittently throughout, Edwards and Crutchlow only ventured outside of their garage in the final five minutes to complete four laps between them.
This morning, Edwards set a best lap of 1.49.810 in near perfect conditions that saw air temperatures hit 26 degrees to finish top non-factory rider in sixth position. The American praised significantly increased grip levels offered by the new tarmac and is confident with more dry track time tomorrow he’ll be able to compete for a second row position on the grid.
The rain disruption meant today was far from ideal preparations for Crutchlow as the British rider attempts to qu ickly learn the fast and flowing Mugello circuit, which is one of the most technically challenging on the 2011 MotoGP World Championship calendar.
He set a best time of 1.50.683 this morning and was looking to improve his feeling with the front-end of his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 YZR-M1 machine this afternoon before the rain halted his plans.
Colin Edwards / Position 6th – Time 1.49.810 – Laps 21
“This morning was great and the new surface here is phenomenal. They’ve done an unbelievable job because the grip is awesome and all the bumps that really upset the bike have all gone too. We know the spring rates on the suspension we normally need to use for this track but we’ve got to go harder for tomorrow because I’ve got so much traction the bike is set too soft and its sitting down in the middle of the corner. The only problem I had again today was my ribs that are still causing me a lot of pain after the crash in Catalunya. With the few days rest after Assen I was starting to think the muscle damage was on the mend and I could at least sneeze without bursting into tears with the pain. But this morning I felt back to square one and to be honest this afternoon wasn’t great for the TV or for the fans, but that rest will probably help me out for the rest of the weekend.”
Cal Crutchlow / Position 11th – Time 1.50.683 – Laps 21
“Without doubt, this is the most difficult track I’ve had to learn so far this year, but I think 11th position is still a good result and I think with a few more laps under my belt I’d have been into the top ten. The track is so technical and there is a lot of undulation, a lot of blind corner entries and you can’t see the exit of the fast chicanes. So it is a difficult track to go fast o n and it is also a very physically demanding track, though the left collarbone I broke at Silverstone isn’t too uncomfortable. I’m just upset because I’ve lost another session because of the rain and that is the last thing I need when I’m trying to learn the track and set some competitive times. When you miss a session it makes the rest of the weekend difficult, but I’ll do my best to get a good grid position in qualifying tomorrow. I’m also looking to improve the front-end feeling tomorrow. The front this morning was too vague and we had some ideas to improve it this afternoon but the weather was no good.”
– Suzuki Report
Rizla Suzuki’s Álvaro Bautista took full advantage of the favourable weather this morning to post a competitive time and put him in a position to make further advances at Mugello this weekend.
Bautista (P10, 1’50.658, 20 laps) was regularly in the top-10 during the morning free practice session that was held in bright sunshine and temperatures of 26ºC – stark contrast to the last two races at Silverstone and Assen. Unfortunately this afternoon’s practise was heavily influenced by a short, sharp downpour of rain that dampened the whole of the 5,245m Italian circuit just before the session began. The damp, but drying track made conditions very difficult and most riders chose not to venture out until very late in the session.
After the chilly conditions of the previous two races it a pleasure for all concerned to be greeted with much warmer weather here in Italy. The new surface on the Mugello track was praised by all riders as many of the bumps that hampered stability have now been removed, making the track much smoother. Marco Simoncelli on a Honda was the quickest rider today, with championship leader Casey Stoner second.
Rizla Suzuki has one more free practice session tomorrow morning followed by qualifying in the afternoon. Sunday’s 23-lap race is scheduled to get underway at 14.00hrs local time (12.00hrs GMT) on the 3rd of July.
Álvaro Bautista: “It was a bit like my first time at a MotoGP at Mugello here today because I could not ride like I wanted to last year as I was still recovering from the injury to my shoulder. This morning I felt quite good on the bike and I think the track is much better now as well! It is a lot flatter and most of the bumps have gone, the grip is still as good, but without the bumps it makes it more fun to ride. We tried to get a better feeling in the front this morning because I didn’t quite have the stability I wanted in the corners and for this afternoon we wanted to try something else, but that was impossible because of the rain. I did a couple of laps in the afternoon session, but it was very difficult out there, because the track was not completely dry. We will have to work hard tomorrow morning to get the best setting for Sunday’s race, but I’m sure we can do a decent job here.”
Paul Denning – Team Manager: “The newly resurfaced Mugello circuit has gained rave reviews from all riders and it looks like a real pleasure to ride a Grand Prix bike around this fantastic race-track. The GSV-R immediately worked reasonably well this morning and Álvaro’s a lot closer to the front group than we were at Assen last week. That said, there were still some issues this morning that were holding him back. We will hope to get those dialled out tomorrow and that – added hopefully to good conditions on-track after the wasted session this afternoon – will help us to keep chipping away and get closer to the front.”
– Bridgestone Report
Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Medium, Hard. Rear (asymmetric): Medium, Hard / Wet compounds available: Front: Soft. Rear: Soft
Marco Simoncelli was fastest overall today, setting the pace in the dry this morning at the newly resurfaced Mugello circuit. His last-lap effort saw him leapfrog Repsol Honda riders Casey Stoner and Andrea Dovizioso who were second and third respectively. Compound choices were mixed today with all specifications being used to good effect.
For free practice one the conditions were fine and some of the hottest of the season so far with an air temperature that reached 27 degrees Celsius and 47 degrees Celsius on track.
Riders started the first session assessing the level of grip of the new tarmac, and throughout the 45-minute session the times tumbled, clearly demonstrating that the track is now grippier as well as smoother. Using Bridgestone’s asymmetric rear slicks, which have been brought to Mugello for the first time this year, and on the improved track surface the top five riders all lapped under the existing circuit lap record, set by Dani Pedrosa last year. Simoncelli’s fastest lap was an impressive 0.6seconds faster than the previous best, and if conditions are fine for the rest of the weekend the times are bound to get faster still.
MotoGP seems cursed by rain this year however, and the afternoon’s session was affected by light rain that fell just before the start and continued for most of the second practice. A handful of riders ventured out in the early stages using Bridgestone’s soft compound wet tyres, but many opted to remain in their garages whilst the conditions meant that there was little useful data to be gained.
By the half way point, only three riders had completed flying laps, with only a few more completing a sighting lap to judge grip levels before returning to their pit garages. By the end of the session the track had dried and riders were lapping on the softer option slicks again with Dovizioso topping the pile, but the morning’s times were faster.
This weekend is the sixth to be affected by rain this season out of eight grands prix so far, counting this Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix, but the current forecast for the rest of the weekend is fine and dry.
Hirohide Hamashima – Assistant to Director, Motorsport Tyre Development Division
“This morning the conditions were very good and the laptimes were fast. I am happy with the performance of our asymmetric slicks here and combined with the new track surface, which seems very smooth and grippy, the top five riders are already under the lap record which is encouraging. Both options of front and rear slick have been used today and I am happy that performance of all specs seems good here. This afternoon the conditions were not great with many riders deciding there was nothing to be gained from venturing out in the light rain so much of the session was lost, so tomorrow it will be very important to check race-distance durability of each option.”
– Red Bull Rookies
Stefano Valtulini, the 14 year old Italian, sits on pole position at his home Grand Prix for Saturday’s Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup race. The weather once again played a role, cancelling the second qualifying session and leaving 18 year old Czech Tomas Vavrous and 13 year old Spaniard Aaron Espana to complete the front row.
Being first year Rookies, neither Espana or Valtulini know Mugello well though Valtulini had some idea where the track went after a single test day prior to this weekend. “I love the track, so fast and flowing,” he said. “For me I had no problems at all today, I was fastest on slicks in the free practice this morning and also with the wet tyres this afternoon, I was getting great feeling with them even though the track was dry. I am looking to do the same in the race if it is raining or not tomorrow.”
After sunshine for the morning free practice a rain shower wetted the track before the first qualifying so the riders all went out on rain tyres. It started to dry immediately for a repeat of the 2nd race at Assen. By the end of the sessions those doing quick times had shredded their tyres.
Then a thunderstorm swept across the track drenching the circuit. With no chance of it drying for the second session that was abandoned as there was no possibility to re-shod all the wheels with new rain tyres and practice time would not have been bettered anyway.
That didn’t worry Espana who had never ridden on the circuit before free practice began. “I just enjoyed the track from the start, it wasn’t difficult to learn, fast and a lot of fun. For me there is only one tricky section, that is the long right hander with the Ducati grandstand and the following left and right. I need to work on those, otherwise it is all great. For me I am hoping for a dry race though.”
Completing the front row Tomas Vavrous admitted that he had changed his mind about Mugello. “I wasn’t looking forward to the race here that much because I didn’t go that well last year but now I feel differently,” he grinned. “I wasn’t pushing that hard in qualifying, I wasn’t sure how dry it was but I was just feeling for the grip and going quicker. For the race I hope it is dry.”
Cup leader Arthur Sissis, the 16 year old Australian, like Vavrous has the advantage of having raced at Mugello previously in the Rookies Cup and sits comfortably on the 2nd row, 4th fastest. “I wasn’t pushing too hard because I wasn’t sure how dry it was, the new surface is all black and it wasn’t easy to see where it was wet.”
His arch rival, the 14 year old Italian Lorenzo Baldassarri is back on the 4th row, 11th fastest and taking his time as he, like Valtulini, has only tested once on the Mugello circuit. “I was a bit too cautious early on in qualifying, I should have pushed a bit more because by the time I really started pushing towards the end the tyres were destroyed and I couldn’t go faster. It should be OK for the race though… I hope,” concluded Baldassarri.
There is little doubt, going on previous races this year that Baldassarri will improve quickly during the race but he was 3.5 seconds slower than pole in qualifying and 2.7 seconds off the time of Sissis. He trails Sissis by 5 points but with 6 races still remaining in this year’s Cup there are plenty of points on offer.
The single race this weekend is on Saturday at 16.30 CET. Watch the races on TV around the world or on www.redbull.tv with the show beginning 10 minutes before race start.
Qualifying Classification
1. Stefano Valtulini (ITA) 2 minutes 12.887 seconds
2. Aaron Espana (ESP) +0.713
3. Tomas Vavrous (CZE) +0.758
4. Arthur Sissis (AUS) +0.806
5. Florian Alt (GER) +1.380
6. Kevin Argino (ITA) +1.574
7. Javier Orellana (GBR) +1.935
8. Hafiq Azmi (MAS) +2.552
9. Xavier Pinsach (ESP) +2.917
10. Ivo Lopes (POR) +2.973