Bautista scores Silverstone pole
The MotoGP™ championship was largely spared by the British weather during today’s qualifying practices at the Hertz British Grand Prix, where, in an incident-packed session, it was San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Álvaro Bautista who recorded his first ever premier-class pole position at Silverstone ahead of Ben Spies and Casey Stoner.
With rain starting to fall five minutes before the end, no one was able to trump Bautista’s time in the low 2.03’s, which displaced Yamaha Factory Racing’s Ben Spies onto second on the grid, who himself ran off track on a few occasions throughout. The front row is completed by this morning’s pace-setter Casey Stoner, who looked to be struggling with chatter on his bike once more in the afternoon session.
Spies’ teammate and championship leader Jorge Lorenzo heads the second row, after a mistake at turn 6 on his hot-lap meant he was unable to place any higher. Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa lines up next to him in fifth, after having found a little bit more confidence in the new Bridgestone front tyre. Completing the second row is Pramac Racing Team’s Héctor Barberá, who looked full of confidence as he qualified as highest placed Ducati.
Seventh place is occupied by Ducati Team’s Nicky Hayden, who managed to post his fast lap before crashing out at Vale corner in the latter stages. In eighth, Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Andrea Dovizioso was unusually low down the order, after having impressed in free practice this morning. The top ten is rounded out by LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl, riding with an injured finger after a crash this morning, as well as Ducati’s Valentino Rossi, who had a near carbon-copy crash to Hayden in the same corner at the start of the session. Both Ducati riders walked away unscathed. Best CRT finisher was Power Electronics Aspar’s Aleix Espargaró in 11th.
The Qualifying Practice did not include local rider Cal Crutchlow, as he crashed his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 machine in the morning practice, injuring his ankle. He underwent medial checks at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, which confirmed he did not incur any fractures, but that it was sprained. Crutchlow is undergoing treatment at the hospital, and will have a final assessment tomorrow morning to see if he is fit to race.
Bautista’s pole position is the first time since the Assen TT race last year that Lorenzo, Stoner or Pedrosa have not started from first. At that race, it was also the San Carlo squad that took top spot with the late Marco Simoncelli.
1 Alvaro Bautista 2’03.303 SPA HONDA San Carlo Honda Gresini
2 Ben Spies 2’03.409 USA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing Team
3 Casey Stoner 2’03.423 AUS HONDA Repsol Honda Team
4 Jorge Lorenzo 2’03.763 SPA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing Team
5 Dani Pedrosa 2’03.835 SPA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
6 Hector Barbera 2’03.876 SPA DUCATI Pramac Racing
7 Nicky Hayden 2’04.162 USA DUCATI Ducati Team
8 Andrea Dovizioso 2’04.304 ITA YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
9 Stefan Bradl 2’05.035 GER HONDA LCR Honda MotoGP
10 Valentino Rossi 2’05.416 ITA DUCATI Ducati Team
11 Aleix Espargaro 2’06.283 ESP ART Aspar Team MotoGP
12 Randy De Puniet 2’06.303 FRA ART Aspar Team MotoGP
13 Yonny Hernandez 2’06.814 COL BQR-FTR BQR
14 Michelle Pirro 2’07.016 ITA HONDA San Carlo Honda Gresini
15 Colin Edwards 2’07.376 USA SUTER NGM Mobile Forward Racing
16 Mattia Pasini 2’07.511 ITA ART Speed Master
17 James Ellison 2’08.228 GBR ART Paul Bird Racing
18 Danilo Petrucci 2’08.686 ITA IODA Ioda Racing Project
19 Ivan Silva 2’10.092 SPA BQR-FTR BQR
20 Karel Abraham DNS CZE DUCATI Cardion AB Motoracing
21 Cal Crutchlow DNS GBR YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
— Moto 2
Pons 40 HP Tuenti’s Pol Espargaró continued his strong weekend with his first ever Moto2™ pole position at the Hertz British Grand Prix at Silverstone ahead of Andrea Iannone and Scott Redding.
The rain held off for the Moto2 contingent in the last qualifying session of the afternoon, with Espargaró taking advantage of conditions to set a fastest time of 2.08’011 ahead of Speed Master’s Iannone. The British crowd had something to cheer about as Marc VDS Racing Team’s Redding completes the front row, despite having a big wobble in the session.
Tech 3 Racing’s local rider Bradley Smith, who has also looked on tremendous form all weekend, was not quite able to make the front row, yet will no doubt be pleased with his starting position in fourth. He heads Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol’s Marc Márquez, who recovered from a big crash this morning, as well as Italtrans Racing Team’s Claudio Corti, who was on pole here in 2010.
Seventh place is occupied by Interwetten-Paddock’s Tom Lüthi, who almost came off on his final fast-lap, while eighth place went to JiR Moto2’s Johann Zarco. NGM Mobile Forward Racing’s Alex de Angelis and Came IodaRacing Project’s Simone Corsi complete the top ten.
Qualifying was largely incident free, yet in the final ten minutes, Kiefer Racing’s Max Neukirchner, Espargaró’s teammate Esteve Rabat and Blusens Avintia’s Julián Simón all crashed out. No rider was seriously hurt.
— Moto 3
In a qualifying session where strong winds made it tough for the light Moto3™ bikes at the Hertz British Grand Prix, it was Blusens Avintia’s Maverick Viñales who snatched pole ahead of Efrén Vázquez and Alexis Masbou.
With dark clouds threatening from the start, most of the Moto3 grid was out on track early on, trying to set a fast time in case rain appeared. It was to however stay dry for all the session, during which Viñales set the fastest time of 2.16’187 to secure his third pole position this season. Behind him was JHK T-Shirt Laglisse’s Efrén Vázquez, who set his lap early on, ousting Caretta Technology’s Alexis Masbou into third.
Heading the second row is Red Bull KTM Ajo’s championship leader Sandro Cortese, who encountered a melee of traffic on his final laps, much to his displeasure. He finished ahead of his teammate Danny Kent and RW Racing GP’s Luis Salom. Salóm had initially been classified in fourth, yet his lap time was cancelled due to gaining an advantage in the last turn by running off track.
The third row is headed by Racing Team Germany’s Louis Rossi, who was another rider struggling for clear track, ahead of AirAsia-SIC-Ajo’s Zulfahmi Khairuddin and Team Italia FMI’s Romano Fenati. Rounding out the top ten is Estrella Galicia 0,0’s Alex Rins.
Strong and gusty winds throughout the session made riding tough for the field, particularly in some bends where the front end of the bike became very light. This caused numerous wobbles during qualifying, yet only caught out wildcard entry Frazer Rogers on board his Racing Steps Foundation KPR machine, as he lost the front in turn 5 eight minutes before the end. Rogers was unhurt in the incident.
— HRC Report
Alvaro Bautista (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC213V) scored a surprise pole position at Silverstone this afternoon, outpacing the rest of the pack before the session was effectively brought to an early close by a rain shower.
So far the weather has not been kind to the 2012 British Grand Prix, with strong winds, low temperatures and occasional downpours playing havoc with the plans of riders and teams. There have been several crashes, most significantly local hero Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha) who fell this morning and missed qualifying due to a foot injury.
Spanish star Bautista produced a brilliant qualifying performance in the tricky conditions, proving that he really is getting to grips with his RC213V after joining Fausto Gresini’s Honda team at the end of last year. This is the former 125 World Champion’s first pole in MotoGP. His previous best grid position with for Honda was sixth place at Estoril last month. Although the rain shower may have helped protect his lap time from attack, Bautista was confident that he too could have gone faster if the track had stayed dry.
Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda RC213V) ended the day third quickest to give him his fourth consecutive front-row start. The reigning World Champion, who started the recent Catalan GP from pole, was just 0.120s behind Bautista and 0.014s behind second-fastest Ben Spies (Yamaha). Like many riders, his plans to make a final ‘time attack’ in the closing minutes of the session were ruined by the rain. If the shower had not come just then the Australian is confident he would have had a good chance of scoring his third pole of the year.
Fifth-fastest Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC213V) was also prevented from showing his real speed by the ever-changing Silverstone weather. However, the Spaniard is satisfied with the progress he has made here and is confident he can eke a little more performance from his machine with some further changes during morning warm-up. This will be Pedrosa’s first race at Silverstone since 2010 – he missed last year’s British GP due to injury.
Reigning Moto2 World Champion Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda MotoGP RC213V) had a painful second day at Silverstone, crashing on his out-lap during this morning’s session. The tumble was blamed on the strong winds and cold track temperatures that make it very difficult to get heat into the tyres. Bradl hurt the fourth finger on his left hand in the fall, but was able to contest qualifying this afternoon and did well to take ninth place for a third-row start.
Michele Pirro (San Carlo Honda Gresini FTR-Honda) qualified 14th, in the midst of the CRT pack and is looking forward to an enjoyable battle with his fellow CRT riders. The Italian is using a new FTR frame and fairing here.
Pol Espargaro (Pons 40 HP Tuenti-Kalex) scored his first Moto2 pole position this afternoon, coming out on top after a typically frantic qualifying. The Spaniard, who scored his first
Moto2 race win at Jerez earlier this year, bettered Catalan GP winner Andrea Iannone (Speed Master – Speed Up) by a relatively comfortable 0.385s.
Following Crutchlow’s tumble in this morning’s practice session, Scott Redding (Marc VDS Racing Team-Kalex) is now the local fans’ best hope of a home-grown British GP winner tomorrow. The 19-year-old, who won the British 125 GP at Donington Park in 2008, was fast and consistent in qualifying, despite the unpredictable, gusting winds. He ended the day just 0.220s behind Iannone.
Bradley Smith (Tech 3 Racing – Tech 3) found inspiration at home to achieve his best grid position of the year. The Briton will head the second row tomorrow, just beating Marc Marquez (Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol-Suter) and Claudio Corti (Italtrans Racing Team – Kalex). To emphasise the close-quarters nature of this Honda-powered series, the three riders on row two are separated by just 0.039s.
World Championship leader Thomas Luthi (Interwetten-Paddock-Suter) qualified seventh, 1.109s off pole.
Maverick Vinales (Blusens Avintia – FTR Honda) scored his third consecutive Moto3 pole position this afternoon and was followed by two other Honda riders to make it an all-Honda front row.
The Spanish teenager ended the session 0.198s in front of Efren Vazquez (JHK T-Shirt Laglisse – FTR Honda) who was 0.658s ahead of Alexis Masbou (Caretta Technology – Honda).
Vinales, who is currently second in the points chase behind Sandro Cortese (KTM), will now be hoping to repeat his brilliant performance at the Catalan GP where he took pole and race victory.
Vazquez led much of the session and will be keener than ever to take a good points haul tomorrow after taking home zero points from the last two GPs.
French Grand Prix winner Louis Rossi (Racing Team Germany – FTR Honda) qualified seventh to lead the third row, with Romano Fenati (Team Italian FMI – FTR Honda) in ninth place at the other side of the same row.
Alvaro Bautista, San Carlo Honda Gresini: pole position, 2m 03.303s “I’m really happy for myself and also pleased for the team. This pole position hasn’t happened by coincidence – it is the fruit of a lot of hard work from all the guys who have all been giving 100% and sometimes a little more. The conditions today were strange and difficult but we managed to find a good setting, I was up front for the whole session and set my fastest lap on my own. It started to rain for the last few minutes and nobody was able to improve their time, but I still had a fresh tyre to use and made a couple of mistakes on my best lap so I could have gone faster too. Tomorrow I start on pole and have a good race pace so hopefully we can convert it into a good result.”
Casey Stoner, Repsol Honda: 3rd, 2m 03.423s “This afternoon was a little disappointing to be honest. We began the session and struggled with the bike, we couldn’t really get any edge grip and we seemed to make the chatter worse. We were trying to fix some problems we had in the morning, but ended up making them worse so we tried various things to improve them. Finally we found something that was working so we decided to scrap the lap and come in and put a new soft rear tyre on, but it didn’t work for us as we got out there and the rain started to come, just enough to upset the bike a little. I was waiting for the rain to disappear so I could put a lap in, but unfortunately we didn’t get an opportunity and missed our chance at pole. For tomorrow I hope the race is one way or another, not a 50/50 race, but we’ll deal with whatever we have and I feel confident with both situations”.”
Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 5th, 2m 03.835s “We managed to improve our lap times quite a lot and our position on the grid a little, although by the end of the practice some drops of rain prevented us to make any time attack with the last set of tyres we had ready. I’m satisfied because we’ve improved the set-up of the bike this afternoon and I think we can still do another step forward in the warm-up tomorrow. We had a better pace in qualifying, but my feeling didn’t change much compared to yesterday. We did many laps with the new front tyre, but only short runs, so the performance in the second half of the race is mystery. I keep thinking that the new front tyre is not safer; we’ve seen many crashes on the front. We have to make a good start tomorrow, but also be able to keep a good pace during the 20 laps. I don’t have a lot of experience in this track; I missed the race last year and in 2010 we chose the wrong tyre and we did a bad race, but we will do the maximum tomorrow to get a good result.”
Stefan Bradl, LCR Honda MotoGP: 9th, 2m 05.035s “Honestly, I am not thrilled about this second day. The weather was incomprehensible and the crash this morning was quite hard. I was not at 100% for qualifying because of the finger injury and also in the afternoon the weather was very strange. We could not make a proper run on soft tyres because it was raining here and there around the track. At the end I was not able to find real confidence in the bike and we were also struggling with the strong wind. So it’s not the perfect day for us, but I am still confident for tomorrow: we are not that far from the front group and I hope the weather can be less unsettled.”
Michel Pirro, San Carlo Honda Gresini: 14th, 2m 07.016s “That session could have been better, but it started to rain in the last few minutes and it would have been too risky to try and improve my lap time so we decided to back off. Anyway I am happy because our race pace is good and I think I can fight with the best CRT guys out there. We have taken another step forward here and I think we can make another improvement for tomorrow.”
Moto2 rider quotes
Pol Espargaro, Pons 40 HP Tuenti-Kalex: pole position, 2m 08.011s “After the disaster of Catalunya, this is a great feeling for us. It’s best not to think about what happened in the last race, so we are just looking forward. The conditions here can be a little dangerous because the wind keeps changing direction and you get it at different corners every lap. I hope for less wind and rain tomorrow!”
Andrea Iannone, Speed Master – Speed Up: 2nd, 2m 08.396s “Finally, things are starting to go well for us.
We won at Barcelona and now we are on the pace again here. It’s taken a while for us to find the feeling with our chassis, and it’s been a lot of work, because we make our chassis ourselves. The race will be fast and close – I just hope for good weather.”
Scott Redding, Marc VDS Racing Team – Kalex: 2m 08.616s “I’m feeling confident for the race, but the weather is making it difficult here – the wind is so unpredictable. I had a few big moments, one when Luthi had a moment in front of me, which lost me a good lap. The main thing is that we are consistently fast.”
Moto3 Rider Quotes
Maverick Vinales, Blusens Avintia – FTR Honda: pole position, 2m 16.187s “That was a very positive session, because I felt comfortable in difficult conditions. We were able to ride in the dry and we hope that things are the same tomorrow. With this wind and with the track being so long, we have more difficulties to face than normal. We got a fast lap in at the right moment. I am very happy to be back on pole at the circuit where I did so for the first time in my career last year. I feel good about tomorrow and I am focused. It will be a tough race contested in a group because here it is very difficult to escape from the other Moto3 riders. We will see what happens.”
Efren Vazquez, JHK T-Shirt Laglisse – FTR Honda: 2nd, 2m 16.385 “Well, we’re second again. We worked so hard throughout the weekend. The session was a little weird, it was more strategy than anything else. We knew it would rain, so we had to do a good lap time quickly. That’s why we decided to go out and push hard to get in a good position. The plan worked and I was on pole for quite a while, but then Maverick improved on my time. He did a fantastic lap and I congratulate him. Tomorrow we’ll see what the weather will do.”
Alexis Masbou, Caretta Technology – Honda: 3rd, 2m 17.043s “I’m glad. We worked well today and I am convinced that I could have done better because I found some traffic on some of my best laps and because near the end of the session I had to stop because of a problem with the exhaust. Tomorrow I will try to follow this up with a great result.”
— Yamaha Report
Yamaha Factory Racing rider Ben Spies claimed his first front row start of the season today at the Silverstone circuit in qualifying for tomorrow’s Grand Prix of Great Britain. The Texan timed his hot lap to perfection, and took provisional pole until topped by Alvaro Bautista by just 0.106 seconds. As a result Spies will start on the front row in second position for the race.
Team mate Jorge Lorenzo started qualifying as the early leader having improved on yesterday’s set up. As the session continued he gradually dropped and was in third with just under a quarter of the session remaining. Unfortunately the rain soon followed, negating any possibility of a faster lap. The Mallorcan stayed on track for several laps waiting for a break in the weather but was unable to find a dry lap. As a result he will start from the second row in fourth place for tomorrow’s race.
Ben Spies / Position 2nd – Time: 2’03.409 – Laps 19
“It was difficult conditions today again, like yesterday but it was the same for everybody. We tried our hardest, I’m happy for the team as they gave me a great bike and we set our best time with the hard rear tyre. When I put the soft one on we were a couple of tenths up then I made a mistake and hit the curb, I had a good lap going but messed it up. I’m just happy to be on the front row and working well with the team, let’s see what tomorrow brings.”
Jorge Lorenzo / Position 4th – Time: 2’03.763 – Laps 19
“That was a so-so session. I had hoped to be on the front row but it wasn’t possible because it started raining so I didn’t have a good fast lap to get up there. I stayed on the track for a while in case it stopped raining but it didn’t happen. Fourth position is not so bad and we have some options to try for tomorrow. It’s going to be a complicated race because it could rain and there will be a lot of wind. Let’s stay calm and see what happens.”
Wilco Zeelenberg – Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager
“That was actually quite a positive result for qualifying, maybe not the position but the bike set up was more stable than yesterday which is what we wanted. We still have space to improve as it’s not exactly how we want it. It was also a shame that it was wet at the end as I think it could have been a hot end to the session. I think it’ll be a close race tomorrow.”
Massimo Meregalli – Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director
“The front row is very important. I think it could have been possible to get pole but unfortunately Ben ran off so we lost the opportunity. It’s also a pity that it started to rain in the last five minutes which compromised the front row for Jorge. The pace of our bikes is very good and everything is working pretty well, including the weather forecast for tomorrow. We’ll wait and see how it is but we’re optimistic and looking forward to the race.”
Rain ends Dovizioso’s front row challenge
Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team rider Andrea Dovizioso’s bid to secure a second front row start in 2012 was ended by a late rain shower in the final stages of qualifying for the Hertz British Grand Prix today.
The Italian was just about to start his push for a fast lap time on Bridgestone’s soft tyres when a short but heavy rain shower started to fall on the super fast Silverstone circuit with just over eight minutes of the session remaining.
The rain intervention made it impossible for Dovizioso to improve on his best lap tim e of 2.04.304 and he will start in eighth place on the grid for tomorrow’s 20-lap race.
Although he will start from the middle of the third row, Dovizioso remains optimistic that he can extend his outstanding record in the British Grand Prix, despite not feeling 100% comfortable on his YZR-M1 in blustery conditions.
The former 125cc World Champion is the only rider starting tomorrow’s race to finish on the podium at Silverstone in 2010 and ’11 and his solitary MotoGP victory came in the 2009 British Grand Prix at Donington Park.
Andrea Dovizioso / Position 8th – Time 2’04.304 – Laps 21
“It is a big pity that the rain came at the end of the session because I am confident I could have been much higher up the grid. It will not be easy starting from eighth pos ition because it is a very short run to the first corner and you need to be close to the front to avoid any trouble and be in contention right from the start. It wasn’t a very good session and I think some of that is down to me. Like yesterday the wind was really strong and it is difficult to ride close to the limit in those conditions. I just didn’t feel comfortable and because of that I wasn’t relaxed like normal on the bike and I felt rigid. The wind was so strong in places that keeping control of the bike was very difficult. I am still confident that the times I was doing before the rain came will be competitive in the race. We need to wait and see what the weather will do but I have a good record in the British Grand Prix and hope it continues tomorrow. I also hope Cal will be able to start the race. I know his home race is very important to him and all of the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team hope his injuries won’t stop him from riding.”
Cal Crutchlow aims to start home race at Silverstone
Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team rider Cal Crutchlow aims to make his British Grand Prix debut at Silverstone tomorrow after escaping injury in a high-speed practice crash this morning.
The 26-year-old fell heavily at the Chapel Curve in the early stages of the final practice session and suffered a painful blow to his left foot and ankle.
After initial checks in the Silverstone Circuit Medical Centre, he was transferred to hospital in Oxford for scans to discover the extent of the damage.
Extensive analysis of the scans has revealed the former World Supersport Champion hasn’t suffered any fractures and he is already able to put weight on his left foot after doctors reduced the swelling around his heel and ankle.
Crutchlow will undergo a further detailed assessment with Silverstone medics tomorrow morning, but the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team is optimistic that he will be given clearance to start the 20-lap race.
Although Crutchlow was unable to take part in this afternoon’s qualifying session, if declared fit then he can start from the back of the grid having posted the eighth quickest time in practice yesterday.
Hervé Poncharal / Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team Manager
“We are very optimistic that Cal will be able to participate in the British Grand Prix tomorrow. The medical staff in Oxford said he should be fine to race and he has no broken bones in the foot or ankle. That is a big relief because Cal was in quite a lot of pain. He will now undertake the necessary checks with the Silverstone medics in the morning, but it looks very positive. We obviously hope he will be able to ride after the disappointment of last year when he was unable to start the race because he was injured. I know what it means for him to race in front of his home crowd, who have given Cal and the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team unbelievable support this weekend.”
— Ducati Report
Qualifying practice for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone was marked by cold temperatures, strong gusts of wind and, in the final minutes, a rain shower. The challenging session saw Nicky Hayden and Valentino Rossi finish in seventh and tenth places, respectively, after both riders fell in separate incidents at a spot that is made particularly treacherous by a slight depression in the track.
Valentino Rossi had just started his session when he fell, whereas Hayden was in the process of completing a lap that had him on pace for the provisional pole.
The rain that began falling ten minutes from the end prevented both riders from improving their times late in the session.
Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) 7th (2:04.162)
“Qualifying was going pretty well for a while, as I was closer to the front and the bike felt good. I put in a new soft tyre and went out for my first real qualifying run, and most of the lap felt really good. Then coming over that crest in the last section, I lost the front without much warning. I don’t really have an excuse. I was in there hot, but it felt good when I first got on the brakes. Crashing is part of motorcycle racing, but I just wish I could have finished that lap. It’s a bit strange that Valentino and I did the exact same crash, but maybe we can understand something from the data. Considering that I crashed out so early, seventh on the grid isn’t too bad, but I definitely feel we were capable of more today.”
Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) 10th (2:05.416)
“Today was pretty difficult. Shortly after qualifying started, I crashed when approaching the last chicane, a tricky part of the track where you brake hard and where there’s a small crest and a depression. The bike unweights there and you can lose the front. We struggle there because we don’t have much grip on the front, so tomorrow we’ll have to be particularly careful. Also, although I rode better today, I still don’t understand this track as I should, and in some parts I’m not as effective as I would like to be. Anyway, I did my best time with the hard tyre. I had two softs to use at the end, but of course it started raining right when it was time to put them on. We’ll see what conditions we’ll have tomorrow, and if it’s dry for the warm-up, we’ll try something to help us go a bit better.”
— Red Bull Rookies
Florian Alt overcame vicious blustery wind, shredding rain tyres and some very determined opposition to win the opening Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup race of the British Grand Prix weekend at Silverstone. The 16 year old German was chased home by 15 year old Briton Bradley Ray and fellow countryman, 14 year old Kyle Ryde.
Ryde had shot away from the initial start but a sudden rain shower dampened the final corner and he and more than half the field fell bringing the race to a halt before the end of lap 1. It was restarted with the bikes swapped to rain tyres even though the track was dry but with black clouds still threatening.
This time it was Alt who gained the early advantage but he wasn’t able to break clear and it soon became a 6 man battle for the lead that included pole man Karel Hanika, the 16 year old Czech, points leader Scott Deroue the 16 year old Dutchman, 13 year old Italian Stefano Manzi as well as Ryde and Ray.
Those six traded the advantage between them with Manzi adding shock value as he had never featured in the lead group in the earlier rounds of his 1st Rookies season. The rest of the field was left well behind apart from Philipp Oettl who managed to bridge the gap and join them for the second half of the race.
Alt had seen his early advantage disappear and was often shuffled to the back of the 7 man lead group but then made sure he pushed his way to the front before the start of the last lap. “The race was a lot of fun, of course the rain tyres were destroyed on the dry track but it was the same for everyone. I tried to get away early but it wasn’t possible and I just knew that I had to be in the right place going onto the last lap. We had had a great race and I am so happy to win it. I feel so good with the bike and the track here, I really think it is possible to do the same tomorrow, at least I’ll try.”
Terrible luck for Hanika because as the pack braked for at the 2nd to last corner Manzi fell and slid across in front of him, the Czech clipped the Italian and fell fortunately without injury to either of them. Hanika remounted to finish 10th while Manzi was a non finisher, hardly a just reward for a wonderful ride. “I never expected to be running at the front,” admitted Manzi frankly. “I just feel so good on the KTM with the Dunlop tyres that I was happy to go that speed, it didn’t seem to be too hard. Then at the last corners we were all braking together and I lost the front,” he explained after having made the same move cleanly and effectively on many previous laps.
Hanika certainly didn’t hold a grudge, “That’s racing, I’m just glad he’s OK. It was very different with the wet tyres in the dry, it was working out and I thought I would pick up some good points but then he fell, nothing I could do.”
Ray was of course thrilled with 2nd and admitted there was no plan. “I just rode as hard as I could and on the last lap tried to get to the front, there was no chance to plan anything, just brake as late as possible into the last corners and it worked out.”
Ryde agreed that it was not a tactical race. “At the first start I knew what I wanted to do, get ahead and get clear. After the restart that wasn’t possible, I could run with the others no problem but there was no chance to get away. Then on the last lap, coming into the last section we were all on the brakes, Scott was later than anyone but went wide, I got clipped by Manzi’s bike and just had to get round the corner. A great race though and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
With the race win Alt has taken the points lead from Deroue with 70 points to 67. Oettl is 3rd on 64 after crossing the line 4th ahead of Deroue.
