Lorenzo on Motegi Pole

— Motegi MotoGP Race Day Guide- Statistics by Dr. Martin Raines

• Jorge Lorenzo starts from pole for the fourth time in 2013. Lorenzo finished second at Motegi last year from pole position.

• Second on the grid is Marc Marquez, his 11th successive front row start. Marquez has won twice in the last three years at Motegi; the 125cc race in 2010 and the Moto2 race last year.

• Nicky Hayden takes the final place on the front row – his best qualifying result since he took third place on the grid at the Spanish GP at Jerez last year. This is the first front row start by a Ducati rider since Dovizioso qualified third at Mugello earlier this year.

• Heading the second row of the grid is Dani Pedrosa, who has won for the last two years at Motegi.

• Valentino Rossi starts from fifth place on the grid. Rossi has finished on the podium nine times at Motegi, including race wins in both 2001 and 2008.

• Andrea Dovizioso takes the final place on the second row, which is his best qualifying result since the Italian GP at Mugello.

• The highest-placed satellite rider on the grid is Alvaro Bautista, heading the third row. Bautista finished third last year at Motegi, which was the last time that he stood on the podium.

• Just two weeks after breaking his ankle at Sepang, Stefan Bradl has qualified in eighth place on the grid at a circuit where he won the 125cc GP in 2008.

• Aleix Espargaro is the top CRT rider in qualifying, in ninth place on the grid.

• Yonny Hernandez is in tenth place on the grid – his best-ever qualifying result in the MotoGP class.

• In 11th place on the grid is Cal Crutchlow, his worst qualifying result of the year.

• Taking the final place on the fourth row is wild-card rider Katsuyuki Nakasuga, who finished second at the final race of 2012 at Valencia in mixed weather conditions.

Moto2™

• Mika Kallio takes his first-ever pole in the Moto2 class. The last time he was on pole was for the 250cc GP at Valencia in 2007. Kallio has won three times at Motegi; the 125cc class in 2005 & 2006, and the 250cc race in 2007.

• Xavier Simeon is in second place on the grid – his best qualifying result since he was on pole at the German GP.

• Taking the final place on the front row is Johann Zarco, who took his only GP win so far in the 125cc race at Motegi in 2011.

• Simone Corsi heads the second row of the grid – his best qualifying result since he was on pole in Aragon last year.

• Rafid Topan Sucipto has qualified in fifth place on the grid, the best-ever qualifying result in grand prix racing by an Indonesian rider.

• Esteve Rabat is in sixth place on the grid – his worst qualifying result since the German Grand Prix.

• Championship leader Pol Espargaro heads the third row, which is his worst qualifying result since he was 10th on the grid at Mugello.

• Just one week after breaking his wrist at the Australian GP, Scott Redding has qualified in 15th place on the grid.

Moto3™

• Alex Rins starts from pole for the seventh time this year. Rins has won five of the last eight races.

• In second place on the grid is Maverick Viñales, who has finished on the podium 13 times from the first 15 races of the year, but who has not had a win since the fourth race of the year at Le Mans.

• Alex Marquez has qualified in third place on the grid; his fourth front row start of the year. Marquez has finished in the top-five at the last 12 successive races.

• Championship-leader Luis Salom heads the second row of the grid. Salom has scored points at all 18 races since he crashed out of the Japanese GP last year when battling for the lead on the final lap.

• Jack Miller is in fifth place on the grid, which is the ninth time this year that he has qualified on the second row.

• Isaac Viñales takes the final place on the second row, equalling his best-ever qualifying result from Australia seven days ago.
• Hiroki Ono is in eighth place on the grid – the best qualifying result by a wild-card rider in the lightweight class of GP racing since Miroslav Popov was sixth on the grid at Misano in 2011.

– MotoGP 2013 – Round 17 – Motegi
— Thundering Lorenzo on pole as Spies announces retirement

Jorge Lorenzo will start from the front in the AirAsia Grand Prix of Japan, having clinched his second pole position within the space of a week. At the end of a single 75-minute qualifying session, the Yamaha Factory Racing rider headed Marc Marquez and Nicky Hayden, who picks up a first front row start for over a year. On the same day, Ignite Pramac Racing’s Ben Spies, who has been plagued by injury, announced his retirement from racing.

On a weekend heavily disrupted by inclement weather, Qualifying on Saturday afternoon marked the first time the MotoGP™ riders had taken to the track at Twin Ring Motegi. In order to allow the field as much track time as possible, one single session of 75 minutes replaced the usual setup of 15-minute Q1 and Q2 periods.

Already quickest on a drying track, Lorenzo recorded blistering pace as conditions improved towards the end of the period, registering an effort of 1’53.471. Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) went second on his final flying lap, demoting Hayden to third; nevertheless, the Ducati Team rider still achieves his best qualifying result since the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez in 2012. He now aims to take advantage of his grid position with Ducati before switching to Power Electronics Aspar next season.

Lorenzo’s impressive pace was demonstrated by the fact that all riders from third place downwards were over a full second in arrears. Behind, Row 2 will be occupied by Dani Pedrosa and Valentino Rossi for Honda and Yamaha respectively, with the second Ducati of Andrea Dovizioso in sixth position. GO&FUN Honda Gresini’s Alvaro Bautista will line up seventh – despite a crash at Turn 7 – from LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl, with the German returning from a fractured right ankle. Aspar’s Aleix Espargaro was ninth, having already claimed the overall CRT honours for 2013.

Yonny Hernandez completed the top ten for Ignite Pramac Racing, while wildcard Katsuyuki Nakasuga enjoyed a strong session en route to 12th place for Yamaha YSP Racing Team. However, it was a difficult time for Monster Yamaha Tech3 as Cal Crutchlow and Bradley Smith could manage no more than 11th and 13th spots. Nakasuga’s compatriot Hiroshi Aoyama will begin his home race from 18th position on the grid with the Avintia Blusens FTR machine.

Should he be able to end the race with a points lead of 26 or more, 20-year-old Marquez will become the youngest ever MotoGP™ World Champion and first rookie title winner for 35 years. Taking place over the course of 24 laps and with dry conditions expected, Sunday’s 2013 AirAsia Grand Prix of Japan is set to begin at 2pm local time (GMT +9). Due to the lack of track time, Free Practice will start at 9.40am local time, and run for 50 minutes.

On the same day, American rider Ben Spies, who has taken part in only two races this season, has announced that he will retire from racing, and hence split from the Ducati family. Spies and Ducati sighted his injuries as being too much of a hindrance, feeling that he is not able to race at the highest standard next season. He had originally signed with Ducati until the end of the 2014 season.

MotoGP™ Qualifying Practice Classification
1 Jorge Lorenzo 1’53.471 SPA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing
2 Marc Marquez 1’54.129 SPA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
3 Nicky Hayden 1’54.539 USA DUCATI Ducati Team
4 Dani Pedrosa 1’54.542 SPA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
5 Valentino Rossi 1’54.732 ITA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing
6 Andrea Dovizioso 1’55.036 ITA DUCATI Ducati Team
7 Alvaro Bautista 1’55.135 SPA HONDA Go & Fun Honda Gresini
8 Stefan Bradl 1’55.610 GER HONDA LCR Honda MotoGP
9 Aleix Espargaro 1’55.719 SPA ART Power Electronics Aspar
10 Yonny Hernandez 1’55.998 COL DUCATI Ignite Pramac Racing Team
11 Cal Crutchlow 1’56.058 GBR YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
12 Katsayuki Nakasuga 1’56.125 JPN YAMAHA Yamaha YSP Racing Team
13 Bradley Smith 1’57.114 GBR YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
14 Colin Edwards 1’57.297 USA FTR-KAWASAKI NGM Mobile Forward Racing
15 Andrea Iannone 1’57.347 ITA DUCATI Energy T.I. Pramac Racing Team
16 Danilo Petrucci 1’57.540 ITA IODA-SUTER Came IodaRacing Project
17 Randy De Puniet 1’57.715 FRA SUZUKI Suzuki Test Team
18 Hiroshi Aoyama 1’57.994 JAP FTR Avintia Blusens
19 Michael Laverty 1’58.540 GBR PBM Paul Bird Motorsport
20 Luca Scassa 1’58.802 ITA ART Cardion AB Motoracing
21 Claudio Corti 1’59.617 ITA FTR-KAWASAKI NGM Mobile Forward Racing
22 Hector Barbera 1’59.646 SPA FTR Avintia Blusens
23 Damian Cudlin 2’00.982 AUS PBM Paul Bird Motorsport
24 Bryan Staring DNQ AUS FTR-HONDA Go & Fun Honda Gresini
25 Lukas Pesek DNQ CZE IODA-SUTER Came IodaRacing Project

— Moto2

Mika Kallio will start from pole position for the AirAsia Grand Prix of Japan, picking up the top spot in Moto2™ for the first time. The Marc VDS Racing Team rider will share the front row with Xavier Simeon and Johann Zarco, while title contenders Tito Rabat, Pol Espargaro and Scott Redding line up sixth, seventh and 15th.

Ahead of Qualifying, there had been no track action for any category through a lack of visibility and heavy rain at Twin Ring Motegi. Eventually, the intermediate class had one hour of running time in which to set up bikes as well as posting lap times for grid position. On a mostly dry circuit as the sun began to set in Japan, Kallio topped the timesheets with a 2’01.248, edging out Simeon by two tenths of a second; this marked Kallio’s first pole since the 250 season closer in Valencia six years ago.

Less than one tenth of a second covered the riders filling spots two to four, with Simeon (Maptaq SAG Zelos Team) second, as Zarco (Came IodaRacing Project) demoted Simone Corsi (NGM Mobile Racing) to fourth place in the last knockings of the session. There was a top-five effort from QMMF Racing Team’s Rafid Topan Sucipto of Indonesia, while Tuenti HP 40 pairing Rabat and Espargaro will line up sixth and seventh from Technomag carXpert’s Dominique Aegerter. The top ten was rounded out by Danny Kent (Tech3) and Mattia Pasini (NGM Mobile Racing).

It was a difficult day all-round for Redding. On Thursday, the erstwhile championship leader had been cleared to compete, having missed the last race in Australia after breaking his left wrist on the Saturday. In pain today, the Marc VDS rider rode to 15th position ahead of a day on which Espargaro could win the 2013 title; to claim the ultimate honour, he would need to finish inside the top seven, with Rabat not winning and Redding far enough behind to be left outside of touching distance. The current margin between Espargaro and Redding is 16 points, with a maximum of 50 remaining.

Sunday’s Moto2™ AirAsia Grand Prix of Japan is schedule to commence at 12:20pm local time (GMT +9), being decided over the course of 23 laps. Due to the lack of track time, Free Practice will start at 8:50am local time, and run for 40 minutes.

Moto2™ Qualifying Practice Classification
1- Mika Kallio FIN Kalex 2:01.248
2- Xavier Simeon BEL Kalex +0.204
3- Johann Zarco FRA Suter +0.236

— Moto3

Fresh from his victory in Australia last weekend, Moto3™ title contender Alex Rins has taken pole position for the AirAsia Grand Prix of Japan. The Estrella Galicia 0,0 rider sealed the top spot for the seventh time this season as the field was presented with an unprecedented challenge, having not taken to the track before Qualifying.

In a highly unusual situation, Moto3™ Qualifying signalled the first track action of the weekend at Motegi, with all Friday action plus Saturday morning practice having been called off due to poor visibility and wet weather. Qualifying began at the slightly delayed time of ten to one; with 55 minutes on offer, the riders were challenged with adapting to track conditions as well as attempting to post lap times for grid position.

With the circuit already wet when the green light illuminated, further late rain helped to cemented pole in the form of Rins’ best effort of a 2’09.387 – 11 seconds off record pace. On Sunday, the Spaniard will aim to overhaul compatriot Luis Salom in the championship table, having already moved to within five points of the leader. Rins will be joined on the front row by fellow title challenger Maverick Viñales (Team Calvo) and Estrella Galicia 0,0 teammate Alex Marquez.

Championship leader Salom (Red Bull KTM Ajo) will start fourth, joined on the second row by Caretta Technology – RTG’s Jack Miller and Ongetta-Centro Seta’s Isaac Viñales. Niccolo Antonelli and Jonas Folger will line up seventh and ninth for their respective GO&FUN Gresini Moto3 and Mapfre Aspar Team Moto3 outfits, while Japanese wildcards shone as Hiroki Ono (Honda Team Asia) and Sena Yamada (Team Plus One & Endurance) qualified eighth and tenth. Fellow countryman Hyuga Watanabe also enjoyed a strong day, managing 12th place for La Fonte Tascaracing.

Some qualified lower than expected, but could be ones to watch in Sunday’s race, which is forecast to take place in dry conditions. Mahindra Racing’s Miguel Oliveira and Efren Vazquez could muster no more than 18th and 21st positions, while Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Zulfahmi Khairuddin and Arthur Sissis will be looking to rise from their corresponding 13th and 19th places. Several riders were caught out by the wet surface, including Rins, who slid off-track at the end of the session but had already sealed pole.

Sunday’s Moto3™ AirAsia Grand Prix of Japan is scheduled to begin at 11am local time (GMT +9), taking place over the course of 20 laps. Salom could win the title this weekend, but would have to win the race with Rins finishing 11th or lower. Due to the lack of track time, Free Practice will start at 8am local time, and run for 40 minutes.

Moto3™ Qualifying Practice Classification
1- Alex Rins SPA KTM 2:09.387
2- Maverick Viñales SPA KTM +0.923
3- Alex Marquez SPA KTM +0.926

— Yamaha Report

Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo delivered a stunning performance in this afternoon’s extended MotoGP qualifying session to take pole position for tomorrow’s Grand Prix of Japan.

Following yesterday’s cancellation of practice sessions due to weather conditions, the premier class were today given a special 75-minute qualifying heat, allowing the drama of the Japanese round to finally move to the track.

Defending world champion Lorenzo made full use of the extended session, getting straight out onto the wet circuit to start working on his race set up. Having initially swapped the top spot with rival Marc Marquez early in the session he dropped down the timesheets. After some work on the set up he was back, rising quickly to 2nd after a third of the time had gone, 0.1seconds from Marquez in top. The top positions continued to change until with 15 minutes to go, when Lorenzo put the hammer down and delivered a perfect 1’53.965 to go over half a second clear at the top. Whilst his rivals were able to improve, so was he, dropping even further to a 1’53.471 in the final seconds to secure pole 0.65 ahead of Marquez.

Teammate Valentino Rossi was also looking comfortable around the Motegi circuit. The nine-time world champion was one of the few who climbed to the top of the timesheets early in the session with a 1’59.304. He continued to be a key protagonist, regularly swapping positions in the top four places with his rivals. With 30 minutes remaining Rossi had taken provisional second on the grid, just 0.12 seconds from Pedrosa on pole. The last minutes as usual saw a flurry of activity as his teammate took a stunning pole position. Rossi eventually took fifth on the second row at the end of the session with a 1’54.732 second lap.

Jorge Lorenzo – 1st / 1’53.471 / 25 laps – “I’m really happy, it was not so simple because my last memory of the rain was Assen. At the beginning I was a little bit scared and didn’t want to crash. We were lucky to have the extended qualifying time to get used to the track. Little by little I got confidence and finally I felt really good with the bike and the grip of the track, especially under braking. It doesn’t matter if it’s wet or dry tomorrow, it’s not my problem to think about it, I have to ride in whatever conditions we have. A wet race would be better for the championship though!”

Valentino Rossi – 5th / 1’54.732 / 29 laps – “The result is not so bad, I hoped to arrive on the front row, I’m not so far but I am behind. I was in a better shape when it was full wet and felt better with the bike. When there was less water on the track and some places were quite dry I was able to improve my time a little but not enough for the front row. Tomorrow will be a surprise because if it is dry we will have to make the best set up in the morning warm up and try to arrive competitively for the race!”

Yamaha Factory Racing Wilco Zeelenberg Team Manager – “A very special weekend so far with only one qualifying practice in two days, but pole position! Jorge has a very good feeling with the bike in the wet conditions after his dramatic wet crash in Assen, it was important for Jorge to recover his confidence in such conditions. Tomorrow’s race seems to be dry, looking at the weather forecast; last year we finished second behind Dani with a good pace but at that time we were leading the championship and we did not risk anything. Tomorrow we need to make the difference and there is just one option for us, which is to beat Marc. The team is ready if tomorrow’s practice are dry; we have found a good base set up during the last two races so we are greatly motivated and ready for all circumstances.”

Yamaha Factory Racing Massimo Meregalli – Team Director – “It was once again a difficult day but luckily we were able to make the most of the qualification session. We approached the heat in the best way. We knew we had to do a pole position, and we succeeded. It was important to do a few laps, even in wet conditions. Tomorrow probably the track will be dry but we gathered some good data and that’s what counts. Jorge’s attitude was the right one; he started slowly and eventually hit the target. Valentino also made quite an effort, even if in the end he missed the best finish. We did a great job and tomorrow we will try to do the same thing. We want a good result and we are ready to fight!”

— HRC Report

Repsol Honda RC213V rider Marc Marquez qualified second for tomorrow’s Japanese Grand Prix, further extending Honda’s record of front-row starts at every race this year, after two days of practice and qualifying when the riders only went out on track once, and all free practice was cancelled.

Team-mate Dani Pedrosa qualified fourth, to lead the second row; Alvaro Bautista (FUN&GO Honda Gresini RC213V Honda) heads the third row in seventh position, with Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda RC213V) alongside. Bryan Staring (FUN&GO Honda Gresini FTR Honda) placed 24th on his CRT-category machine.

Times were set in a single qualifying session extended to one hour and 15 minutes, after foul weather conditions on the periphery of Typhoon Francisco caused all Friday sessions to be cancelled, and also the scheduled final free practices on Saturday.

The track was streaming as heavy rain continued to fall, but the major cause of cancellation was indirect: the essential medevac helicopter was officially grounded under strict Japanese aviation regulations, because low cloud cover at the hilltop circuit cut visibility below safe limits. With the official hospital more than one hour away by road, Race Direction kept competitors grounded as well, because of the risk of being unable to provide quick treatment in the case of serious injury.

The delays and repeated rescheduling tested the patience of riders and fans alike. Finally the green light came after mid-day on Saturday, with all three classes having just one session – 75 minutes for MotoGP, 55 minutes for Moto2 and Moto3,

Marquez moved up to second on a drying track in the closing stages, to start alongside pole qualifier and title rival Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha).

This is a crucial race for the championship fight between the two Spaniards. Defender Lorenzo clawed back a significant 25 points one week ago in Australia, when Marquez scored zero points after he was disqualified for a technical infringement. With serious tyre-life issues, the race featured a compulsory pit stop and bike change for the first time in grand prix history. A misunderstanding of the instructions meant the championship leader missed the prescribed pit-stop window. The penalty was severe: a black flag and disqualification.

It was the first serious set-back to the 20-year-old class rookie’s stunning first season in the premier class. Marquez won the Moto2 championship last year having previously claimed the 125 crown; and adapted instantly to the much more powerful and specialised V4 Honda RC213V. The first of six wins came at only the second round, and before the Australian debacle Marquez has finished on the rostrum at every race but one.

He arrived in Australia with a points advantage of 43 and the possibility of becoming the youngest ever World Champion. But he left for Japan – third of three flyaway races on successive weekends – with his lead cut to 18 points, with a maximum of 50 still available.

Marquez will be youngest-ever champion if he extends that advantage to more than 25 points tomorrow … he needs to win, and for Lorenzo to finish no higher than third. Failing that, the fight will continue to the final round at Valencia in Spain in two weeks.

Pedrosa will also have his sights set on Lorenzo, in his own interests. The 28-year-old former 125 and double 250 champion is still in touch for second overall, only 16 points adrift. He has won at Motegi for the past two years, and a third win at the Honda-owned circuit would narrow the gap still further.

Pedrosa added a third win this season in Malaysia three weeks ago, following it up with second in Australia as his return to full strength maintains momentum. He missed the Motegi front row by three thousandths of a second

The older Repsol Honda RC213V rider led on points earlier in the season, but fractured his collarbone at round eight in Germany, missing that race, and hampered over the next rounds, though he did claim two more second places while still recovering. A further set-back came at round 14 at Aragon, when a minor collision with his team-mate freakishly disabled his crucial electronics, and he crashed out while challenging for the lead.

Pedrosa has been on the top-three podium at every race he has finished bar three.

It is an important race also for seventh-placed Bautista. The Spanish former 125cc World Champion has a special role: race-developing Showa suspension and Nissin brakes, made by Japanese companies with close ties to Honda. As the only rider using this equipment he has no reference points: his and the team’s good progress in this task has seen a series of strong rides in the latter part of the season. He has not finished lower than seventh in the last ten races, with a best of fourth, and fifth places at the last two rounds.

Motegi marks a comeback ride for final RC213V rider Bradl, who has missed the past two races after sustaining ankle fractures in practice in Malaysia. Immediate surgery gave hopes he might return the next weekend in Australia, but after a brave attempt in the first free practice, he was ruled out. Another week of intensive physiotherapy meant he was passed fit to ride in Japan. His two missed races allowed Bautista to move ahead, to sixth overall, but only 12 points ahead.

Bryan Staring is approaching the end of his first grand prix season, riding the Honda CBR1000RR-powered CRT bike. He has scored points as he adapts to the machine and learns new circuits, but today his time was outside the 107 percent-of-pole cut-off point for qualification. Due to the extraordinary circumstances, however, the team hoped he might be allowed to start.

Moto2’s single qualifying session was the last of the day, run on a drying track as sun broke through for the first time all weekend, reinforcing hopes of good race-day weather. Close and reliable racing is a given for the all-Honda powered class, with all riders using identical race-tuned Honda CBR600 engines supplied sealed by the organisers.

Although it was never dry enough for riders to use slick tyres, conditions improved throughout the session, yielding a somewhat different front row.

Mika Kallio (Marc VDS Racing Team Kalex) claimed a career-first pole position, only his second front-row start this season. The Finnish rider has taken one race win and two more podium finishes so far this year.

Belgian racer Xavier Simeon (Maptaq SAG Zelos Team Kalex) took second place, two-tenths slower than Kallio. This was his second front row start of the season having claimed pole position in round eight at The Sachsenring earlier this year. France’s Johann Zarco (Came Iodaracing Project Suter) sits alongside alongside, his third time this year on the front row.

Italian Simone Corsi (NGM Mobile Racing Speed Up) headed row two from Rafid Topan Sucipto (QMMF Racing Team Speed Up), a career best for the Indonesian racer.

With his team-mate Esteve Rabat sixth, new championship leader Pol Espargaro (Tuenti HP40 Pons Kalex) was pushed down to lead the third row in seventh.

Dominique Aegerter (Technomag carXpert Suter) came through in the closing stages for eighth. Danny Kent (Tech 3) was ninth; Mattia Pasini (NGM Mobile Racing Speed Up) completed the top ten.

All eyes were on English rider Scott Redding (Marc VDS Racing Team Kalex), making an heroic return one week after breaking his wrist in practice for the last round at Phillip Island. Missing the race meant he lost a long-standing World Championship lead to Espargaro, by 16 points. Redding underwent same-day surgery, with a plate and six screws to repair the fracture. Determined not to give away the title easily, he was passed fit to ride at Motegi, and qualified 15th.

The Moto3 class sees Honda-powered machines pitted against rival factories – and the single 55-minute practice session gave riders a chance to show the strength of the well-balanced design. Five Honda riders placed in the top ten, with the next-best 12th. The best of them only missed a front-row start by tenths of a second.

That was Australian Jack Miller (Caretta Technology-RTG FTR Honda), who was in the top three until the closing minutes, and was caught up in traffic in his final attempt to get back for his first front-row start of the year.

Miller ended up fifth, at the head of a phalanx of fast Hondas. Isaac Vinales (Bimbo Ongetta-Centro Seta FTR Honda) was sixth, alongside on row two. Seventh and eighth were Niccolo Antonelli (GO&FUN Gresini Moto3 FTR Honda) and Japanese wild card Hiroki Ono (Honda Team Asia Honda), heading row three. Second wild card Sena Yamada (Team Plus One & Endurance Honda) led the fourth, tenth-fastest, after showing the regulars the way in the early stages.

Hyuga Watanabe (La Fonte Tascaracing FTR Honda) was 12th, but usual front-runner Alexis Masbou (Ongetta-Rivacold FTR Honda) was 20th, with John McPhee (Caretta Technology-RTG FTR Honda) 22nd, Lorenzo Baldassarri (GO&FUN Gresini Moto3 FTR Honda) 24th, Romano Fenati (San Carlo Team Italia FTR Honda) 26th, Alan Techer (CIP Moto3 TSR Honda) 27th, Hafiq Azmi (La Fonte Tascaracing FTR Honda) 28th, Matteo Ferrari (Ongetta-Centro Seta FTR Honda) 30th, Juanfran Guevara (CIP Moto3 TSR Honda) 33rd and Francesco Bagnaia (San Carlo Team Italia FTR Honda) 34th.

Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda RC213V): 2nd – 1m 54.129
“Today was a different kind of qualifying session, like those from the past with a lot of track time, as we had an hour and 15 minutes. It is the first time that I’ve ridden here in MotoGP at Motegi and in addition it was wet and I didn’t have time to set the bike up, but nevertheless I think we had a good session. We achieved our aim of a spot on the front row. Tomorrow’s race is forecast to be dry, and it will be interesting as nobody has had time to find a good setup.”

Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda): 4th – 1m 54.542
“It was a long wait, but in the end we were finally able to put some laps in and I tried to get the best out of this wet session. We led the time-sheet for a long time, but in the final ten minutes we had some problems with the tyres I used. I wasn’t able to ride as well as I wanted and we eventually took fourth. Tomorrow we will try to get a good start and we will see if the warm-up is dry beforehand, in order to try out everything possible with the bike and tyres.”

Alvaro Bautista (Team GO&FUN Honda Gresini): 7th – 1m 55.535
“I had a really good feeling for the bike during the session this afternoon so it was a shame about crashing because for sure it has cost me a better starting position. We were on a good lap when I ran a little bit off line in one corner and onto a particularly damp patch. Anyway, these things happen and I am still confident that in dry conditions tomorrow we can have a good race.”

Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda RC213V): 8th – 1m 55.610
“It was a good qualifying for us and I am happy about the mobility of my ankle. The rehabilitation programme we had in the last week helped me a lot. We must be happy with our result today considering my physical condition. Obviously I had a painkiller injection before the session and I have tried to improve my pace lap by lap. In the last part of the qualifying the track started to dry up and I could not improve my lap time on a rain tyre. Until now it has been a weird weekend but now I am quite happy because I could test my ankle on tricky conditions. It looks like the weather is going to be sunny tomorrow so it will be important to adjust the bike in the warm up session.”

Bryan Staring (GO&FUN Honda Gresini FTR Honda): 22nd – 2m 02.712
“Unfortunately I didn’t have time in the one session we had to get comfortable on the bike around this track. It’s a completely new circuit for me but that’s not the only reason why we struggled. The rear was sliding around a lot in the corners, we couldn’t get any traction and now we just have to hope that they let us start the race tomorrow because we have lapped outside the 107 percent limit.”

Honda Moto2 Rider quotes
Mika Kallio (Marc VDS Racing Team): 1st – 2m 01.248
“The track was changing so rapidly at the end that for a few moments we considered whether to switch to slicks for the closing stages. So we waited a bit, had a look, than decided to go for wets again. I’m very happy for the pole, but conscious that the great day is tomorrow when, moreover, the race will be in a different condition – should be dry. I will do my race, and if I can help Scott, I will do. He was fine, today, but perhaps on dry and with slicks it will be tougher, for him.”

Xavier Simeon (Maptaq SAG Zelos Team): 2nd – 2m 01.452
“What a weekend … we have been waiting, and then waiting again, without knowing what would be. In practice, as the track was getting better (drying) I too felt better and better. We will do our best, and I am confident of a good race tomorrow.”

Johann Zarco (Came Iodaracing Project): 3rd – 2m 01.484
“Not easy at all, but when track dried up I’ve been able to be very fast. On the last lap I was on a pace that could lead me to the pole, and probably lost it because slower riders in front. But it does not matter: pole will come next race, or next season … I have a good pace, and my race can be good both on wet or dry. If I can stay at the beginning with the top three, I can play my cards.”

Honda Moto3 Rider quotes
Jack Miller (Caretta Racing Technology): 5th – 2m 10.671
“Today was good – we finally got to ride the bikes, going directly into qualifying with no pre-practice. It was good for us. We ended up on the second row. I’d like it to have been better, but under the circumstances we must be happy. I think the rest of the weekend will be good if the weather is okay … though it would be nice to have a long wet race. That would be okay!”

Isaac Vinales (Bimbo Ongetta-Centro-Seta): 6th – 2m 10.881
“A very strange week-end, with a weather condition that prevented us from riding free practices, and I’m very happy to see myself so high on the board just at the first attempt. The point is that I felt quite comfortable in the wet, and I’m sixth. I want to thank the team – great job. If tomorrow is dry, OK. If it is wet, I have a good rhythm in this condition, and it could be a chance to fight within the top group.”

Niccolo Antonelli (FUN&GO Gresini Moto3): 7th – 2m 11.011
“Concentrating has been quite difficult, with such an unusual schedule and conditions. In spite of a wet track, we had to push from the start. At the end rain was even stronger, and the asphalt very, very tricky. I’m happy with the result I got – maybe I could get even something better: not that much, but a few tenths anyway.”

— Ducati Report

After a day and a half of delays due to poor visibility and dreadful weather conditions, track action at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit finally got underway early this afternoon with a single, extended wet qualifying session for tomorrow’s Japanese Grand Prix, the penultimate round of the 2013 MotoGP Championship.

Both Ducati Team riders, Nicky Hayden and Andrea Dovizioso, made the best of the 75 minutes available for qualifying, the American in particular showing superb wet-weather prowess to head up the timesheets on two separate occasions during the session. He eventually ended up third, equalling Dovizioso’s best qualifying performances of the year at Le Mans and Mugello.

The Italian took a bit more time to find his rhythm on the drying track, but he gradually moved into sixth position near the end of the session. Afterward, Dovizioso expressed satisfaction with his performance, which put him on the second row for tomorrow’s GP.

With a relatively rain-free forecast for Sunday, the schedule now has a 50 minute free practice session in the morning and a race start at the normal 2 p.m. time slot.

Nicky Hayden – Ducati Team, 3rd (1:54.539)
“We know our GP13 works well in the wet, and it’s nice to be on the front row here in Japan. If I’m honest, I’m a bit disappointed because at times in the session I was very fast and really had good feeling; I thought even pole position was a possibility, but in the last part of the session, the other guys really stepped it up, and as the track dried out, I wasn’t able to improve. Maybe I should’ve put on a new front tyre for the last exit, but it’s nice to be able to smile, and the important thing is to try to take advantage of the front row in the race. We know it’s going to be much more difficult if it’s dry, but I’ll try to get a good start and put up a fight for as long as I can. Thanks to the team for being pros and continuing to give me their best.”

Andrea Dovizioso – Ducati Team, 9th (1:55.036)
“It was sort of a strange qualifying session. The grip was very good but I had no feeling in the beginning, partly because I wasn’t really focused after a day and a half with no action, and in part because the setup wasn’t right initially. Fortunately, we had an hour and a quarter, so we were able to make changes and the bike improved a lot. Then the track began to dry and everything got easier. I’m pleased with my last lap, even though I found my rhythm a bit too late. Still, I did my best lap by myself, which is always good. It’s great to start from the second row tomorrow, and I’m really happy.”

— Bridgestone Report

Bridgestone slick compounds: Front: Soft & Medium. Rear: Super-soft, Soft (Asymmetric) & Extra-soft (Symmetric)
Bridgestone wet tyre compounds: Soft (Main) & Hard (Alternative)
Weather: QP – Wet. Ambient 14-15°C; Track 16-17°C (Bridgestone measurement)

After yesterday’s and this morning’s Free Practice sessions at Motegi were cancelled due to poor weather, Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo adapted best to the revised qualifying format and the wet track, setting a time of 1’53.471 to claim the top spot on the grid for tomorrow’s Japanese Grand Prix.

Lorenzo’s best effort put him 0.658 of his closest challenger, Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez who was the second best qualifier with a time of 1’54.129. Ducati’s Nicky Hayden had his best qualifying result of the season, rounding out the front row in third place by clocking a time of 1’54.539 on his twenty-sixth lap of the session. The highest placed CRT rider on the grid tomorrow will be Power Electronics Aspar’s Aleix Espargaro, the newly-crowned CRT class champion was ninth quickest with a time of 1’55.719.

The track for today’s extended Qualifying Practice session was wet, although the rainfall stopped during the session resulting in parts of the track beginning to dry slightly towards the end of the session. In addition to the rain, ambient and track temperatures were low with a peak tarmac temperature of just 17°C recorded. All riders in the qualifying session used the main wet tyre specification for Motegi, the soft compound wet tyre to ensure maximum grip in the tricky conditions. Each rider this weekend can select up to two front and two rear wet tyres in the alternative, hard compound, should they wish to run this option if conditions are wet again tomorrow.

The next MotoGP™ session on the revised Japanese Grand Prix schedule is an extended Warm Up session from 0940-1030 local time (GMT +9) tomorrow, while the twenty-four lap race is set to start at 1400.

Hiroshi Yamada – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department
“After one and a half days of poor weather which prevented any activity on track, it was great to see the riders finally get out on their bikes this afternoon. Having to go out without any previous track time and learn the track conditions, work on setup and set a qualifying time in one session must have been a real challenge to the riders but they all handled the situation very well. There are many MotoGP fans here at Motegi and they’ve had to brave the extreme conditions, so I hope they are rewarded tomorrow with an exciting race in what are hopefully, dry conditions.”

Shinji Aoki – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department
“Conditions today were cold and wet which meant all riders preferred to run the soft compound wet tyre during qualifying, with no one trying out the alternative, hard compound wet tyre. The performance of our wet tyres today was very good, with very quick lap times and the riders were able to get up to speed quickly thanks to the warm-up performance of the soft option wets. This year at Motegi we’ve shifted our rear slick compounds one step softer, including adding a new super-soft rear slick just for the CRT riders, and I hope we have dry conditions tomorrow so the riders get to try out this new slick allocation for the Japanese Grand Prix.”

— MotoGP 2013 – Round 17 – Motegi – Contingencies plans revealed as first day in Motegi cancelled due to bad weather

Following bad weather disruption to the World Championship schedule at Motegi on Friday, which saw all practice sessions of the day cancelled, Race Direction has developed a series of contingency plans in order to ensure that all three classes are able to compete at the AirAsia Grand Prix of Japan.

On Friday, all practice sessions were called off as heavy cloud cover at Twin Ring Motegi meant the medical helicopters could not be operated. On the grounds of safety, the helicopters must be operable in order to cater for any medical emergencies that could arise. This was explained in a press conference on Friday afternoon.

“We are not prepared to run in these conditions when there is a risk that a seriously injured rider could not be given correct care,” commented MotoGP™ Race Director Mike Webb.

“The reason no helicopter is here is that, with the low cloud, there is a lack of visibility in which it is not safe to fly. The helicopter has been trying to get permission to fly to the circuit since Thursday and has even tried to take off and then been told to land again. As soon as permission was granted that it could be taken off, we would have given ten minutes’ notice to the teams, but the helicopter was never given permission to fly.”

For Saturday, heavy rain is expected to fall in the morning but Race Direction hopes that, by the afternoon, the cloud cover should have abated which would allow the medical helicopter to operate. Currently situated five minutes’ flying time from the circuit, should cloud cover in its current location remain too much, the helicopter will be dissembled, transported to the racetrack by road and then reassembled. Two medical helicopters must be available at the circuit at all times, and on Friday time has been spent analysing the best possible locations for their positioning around the circuit, in order to avoid the need of taking off or landing amidst any further heavy cloud cover at the circuit, which is situated on high ground.

In the meantime, Race Direction has developed a number of contingency plans in order to provide each of the three classes with as much track time as possible; this could be spread across Saturday and Sunday, half of Saturday and a full Sunday or a condensed routine of practice, qualifying and races all on Sunday should Saturday conditions remain too poor. The weather on Sunday is forecast to be a significant improvement in comparison with the conditions witnessed so far.

“The length of sessions depends on the weather,” Webb continues. “I have written up draft schedules for all possibilities tomorrow, including starting in the afternoon after rain in the morning which could ease at around two o’clock. It depends around what time the weather conditions will allow us to run. We will give as much track time as possible to all classes. Nothing is fixed because it depends on the weather, but I’m aiming at 75 minutes for MotoGP™ and perhaps a little shorter for other classes. Taking into account the shortage of daylight at the end of the day, we will just run for as long as possible. We also have a draft schedule for Sunday; we have prepared a possible plan, in case we don’t have any practice tomorrow, which would be 40 minutes for each qualifying session. Also, teams have proposed that perhaps they would like a single, longer practice session rather than two. We need to discuss this with the riders as well, to make sure they agree with these possibilities”.

“The original weather forecast when we arrived here on Tuesday and Wednesday was that the nearby typhoon would be quite close with very strong winds, so we made a plan that tents (housing several of the teams in the paddock) would be disassembled and those teams moved into solid accommodation. Every day those forecasts have got better, so we have been able to leave those teams in place. However, in place of those strong winds we have had low cloud cover, which has been a lot worse (disrupting track action). We are still expecting heavy rain tomorrow morning, but rain does not stop the helicopter from flying – that all depends on the visibility.”

Apart from the cancellation, official MotoGP™ tyre supplier Bridgestone called a press conference at mid-day to discuss the events of the Phillip Island race, which was run with mandatory pit stops, as tyre-life could not be guaranteed for more than 10 laps on the newly resurfaced surface. Hiroshi Yamada, Manager of the Bridgestone Motorsport Department, told the assembled press that despite the company having brought the extra-hard compound to deal with the new track surface, it was caught out in particular by the bikes having a higher average corner speed by 12km/h over last year due to the higher grip levels – something not anticipated in its calculations.

He went on to say that the company would be carrying out a test at Phillip Island next year, preferably with prototype machines and their riders, to ensure the safety and longevity of its tyres for the 2014 race. No date or approximate timing has been given for this event.

— Repsol HRC

It’s been a frustrating first day at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit as relentless light rain and fog prevented any bikes taking to the track.

The decision was taken by race control to cancel both sessions due to safety concerns as the circuit medical helicopter has been unable to fly and is therefore not available in the event of an emergency, with the nearest hospital an hour away by road.

Hopefully weather will improve tomorrow and sessions will resume as normal. If it’s still not possible in the morning, then the afternoon sessions will be extended. If no sessions can take place again tomorrow then race direction will look at a suitable solution, together with the teams, that will include free practice, qualifying and race all taking place on Sunday – again, weather permitting.

Marc Marquez – “There wasn’t much that we could do today due to the weather conditions and therefore we didn’t have a medical helicopter and weren’t able to ride. The forecast for tomorrow is similar, but let’s hope that things improve and we can go on track. If not then we will have to see the proposed schedule for Sunday and how it will work, sure it’s not the ideal situation but it’s the same for everybody!”

Dani Pedrosa – “There’s not much to say about today – we were unable to undertake any practice sessions, which meant we were a little bored. We hope to have better luck tomorrow and be able to go out on track!”

— Yamaha Report

The MotoGP paddock was quiet today at the Twin Ring circuit in Motegi, with all free practice sessions for this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix cancelled due to weather. Heavy fog around the circuit made it impossible for the air ambulance to land or take-off, meaning no sessions could be run in full safety.

Dorna, IRTA and Race Direction will hold further meetings over the next 24hrs to finalise a schedule for the weekend in case of further weather disruption.

Jorge Lorenzo – “It was a boring day for everyone but the things were like that. I think it is much better to stay calm and accept the circumstances. Safety is the most important thing in the sport and without the medical helicopter no one can be safe. We will see tomorrow because the forecast is not so positive and if once again the sessions are cancelled we have to wait on a decision from Dorna, IRTA and Race Direction. I hope the race will go ahead because two races is better than just one for us. I spent all the day stretching, relaxing, making some exercises and speaking with the team. I hope tomorrow the meteorological conditions improve and we can ride.”

Valentino Rossi – “A great pity about today because there was good conditions for riding on the track. It was wet but there was no wind and not too much water so it’s a pity that because of the helicopter we cannot ride. It’s an important day today because it looks like tomorrow the weather will be worse. Anyway we must wait and in the end it was the right decision for safety so I am in full agreement. It is a shame though that we cannot go on the track.”

Massimo Meregalli – Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director – “It was a pity that we couldn’t ride today but I think the decision they took was right, the safety of the riders is very important and also the rules state that the helicopter must be here. We respect the decision of the race commission. Hopefully tomorrow will be a different day and we can start a normal Saturday. In case it is not possible to ride in the morning they have already prepared a counter measure and we will follow this. We will try to do everything possible for tomorrow and Sunday.”

Practice cancelled at foggy and wet Twin Ring Motegi

Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team riders Cal Crutchlow and Bradley Smith experienced a frustrating start to the Japanese Grand Prix today, with both practice sessions cancelled because of adverse weather conditions.

Morning mist rolling in off the hills surrounding the Twin Ring Motegi resulted in low visibility that meant the essential medical helicopter was unable to land at the vast Japanese motorsport arena.

FP1 was cancelled after a lengthy delay and the foggy conditions remained throughout the day. With no sign of conditions improving by early afternoon, FP2 was also cancelled just as heavy rain started to hammer down on the Twin Ring Motegi.

Contingency plans have been put in place for a revised schedule for the remainder of the weekend, subject to weather conditions with further disruption anticipated tomorrow ahead of improved forecasts for race day on Sunday.

Cal Crutchlow – “Obviously it is disappointing for the Japanese fans not to see us ride today but the safety of everybody on track has to come first. Nobody could have predicted the circumstances preventing the medical helicopter from flying to the track but it was definitely the right decision to cancel both practice sessions and there’s no doubt Race Direction once again made the best call on safety grounds. Hopefully the weather will improve and we can ride and put on a good show on Sunday.”

Bradley Smith – “None of us want to be sitting in the box waiting around when there are people coming to watch us ride but it was definitely the right decision to cancel practice. Rider safety is paramount and Race Direction should be applauded once again for ensuring the safety of everybody on track comes before anything else. We need to see what the conditions are like tomorrow but hopefully we can ride. It seems the best conditions will be on Sunday for the race, so all we can do is wait and see how much time the weather will allow us to be on track to prepare in the best possible way.”

Katsuyuki Nakasuga – Yamaha YSP Racing Team – “This is my second time competing in the Japan GP following my entry last year, so I am accustomed to the overall atmosphere of it now. It is unfortunate that the free practice had to be cancelled on this first day due to the bad weather, but with regard to machine development testing, there is no problem there because we know everything we have to do in that process. Since the development test work is part of my job in this wildcard entry, I will be doing everything possible to prepare the machine for the race on Sunday, and then give my all from start to finish. At last year’s Japan GP, I ran a time of 1’46.780 in the official qualifying, so tomorrow I want to try to best that time.”

— Ducati Report

The first two free-practice sessions for the Japanese Grand Prix were cancelled today due to bad weather conditions, and like the rest of the MotoGP squads, the Ducati Team kept the Desmosedici GP13 race machines of Andrea Dovizioso and Nicky Hayden parked in the garage.

A steady drizzle fell on Twin Ring Motegi all day, but it was the layer of fog that limited visibility, thus preventing the medical helicopter from accessing the circuit, in accordance with Japanese law. Considering the circuit’s relatively remote location, and faced with the possibility of an excessive delay for emergency hospital transport in the case of a serious accident, Race Direction decided in the afternoon to cancel the entire day’s track activity.

Officials will monitor the situation tomorrow and make further adjustments to the remainder of the weekend schedule depending on the weather conditions.

Vittoriano Guareschi – Team Manager
“It was a long day for both the riders and us, but unfortunately, we weren’t able to ride. It’s a shame because we had some things to try, but it was the same for everyone. We’ll see what the weather is like tomorrow, and now we’ll have to review our whole work program. Only when we wake up tomorrow morning will we know what to do!”

— MotoGP 2013 – Round 17 – Motegi – Rain on horizon as MotoGP™ arrives in Land of Rising Sun

The AirAsia Grand Prix of Japan began on Thursday at the Twin Ring Motegi as Repsol Honda Team’s Marc Marquez was joined by Yamaha Factory Racing duo Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi, Avintia Blusens’ Hiroshi Aoyama, Tuenti HP 40’s Moto2™ title contender Pol Espargaro and Italtrans Racing Team’s Takaaki Nakagami in the Thursday pre-race press conference.

The day itself started with important news for the Moto2™ class, as championship contender Scott Redding was declared fit for opening free practice, after suffering a fractured left wrist in a crash at Phillip Island last weekend. At the same time, LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl will also make a return to action, following his fractured right ankle sustained in Malaysia.

Marquez, who could take the title this weekend should he beat Lorenzo by eight points or more, commented to those gathered in the Motegi press room:

“Motegi will be another race and I hope it will be much better than Phillip Island. Confidence is high. We’ll see the weather here because it doesn’t look so good, but I look forward to riding here with a MotoGP™ bike. I said at Phillip Island that the most important thing is to get the title, but it doesn’t matter when. Jorge is closer now and did a very good race in Australia, but now we’ll see how we can manage the situation. We have two important races so I hope to be there fighting for victory or the podium.”

Lorenzo, whose win last time out at Phillip Island was the 50th of his career, will be hoping for more success as he continues his fight for the title, but explained that his Yamaha M1 could struggle under heavy braking should conditions remain dry.

“Before the race, we almost had the championship lost,” the current title holder admitted of Phillip Island. “With one mistake from Marc and his team, we don’t have the championship in our hands – because it’s still very difficult – but we have another chance and we have to play our cards in the best way. The weather could play either in our favour or against us. It’s true that braking is not normally our strong point, but we have good corner speed and acceleration. We have won here at Motegi in the past and this year the weather could play in our favour.”

His teammate Valentino Rossi could prove vital in helping Lorenzo fight for the title, especially with the Italian looking on good form of late. However, with a typhoon in the vicinity, the multiple World Champion knows Motegi could provide another unusual set of circumstances in the 2013 season.

“We are now more or less at the end, with two races left, and this championship has gone very quickly for me,” Rossi began. “Last weekend everything happened and I was able to do a good result and work well in such a strange race. We arrive here and I like this track. It is very difficult and so demanding for the body and bikes, especially under braking. It could be an issue if it is dry, but the weather doesn’t look fantastic and everybody is expecting wet conditions. We will have the chance to run in the wet; I don’t think it has rained this year since Le Mans, so we’ve been lucky all season and now it looks like this weekend we’ll pay a bit for the weather.”

Aoyama, for whom this year has been plagued with injury, will look to put this behind him and aim for a strong race in front of his home fans: “I was injured earlier in the season and was a little bit down, but my confidence is coming back race by race and physically I’m getting better. This is one of my favourite race tracks and I have had good results here in the past. It is not so easy with a CRT to keep up with the MotoGP™ bikes, but who knows what could happen with the weather. We will see where we can finish on Sunday.”

Espargaro, who stands a chance of taking the Moto2™ title this weekend after celebrating victory at Phillip Island, laughed at the possible dramas rain could provide and stressed that dry conditions would be favourable. At the same time, he is pleased to see title rival Scott Redding (Marc VDS Racing Team) attempting to race at Motegi.

“I found Scott in the hotel and he said that he is okay,” Espargaro recalled. “He has pain in the arm but he will try; that is good for the championship, for him and for the people following him. I was not 100% happy in Australia because, although we got first position in the championship it was not perfect without him being there, but this sport is dangerous, you have to be very careful and one mistake can win or lose you the World Championship. It was bad luck for him in Australia but I’m happy to see him here in Japan and to know that he will try tomorrow.”

Other local boy Nakagami, who has narrowly missed out on the top step of the rostrum on numerous occasions this year, now hopes to take that extra leap with his home support: “Sure, this is a big chance. I have been waiting for Motegi since before the season started and now I’m here. After the summer break we had four second places in four races and I was very close to my first victory. Here, as always, I will push 200% and hope to be on the podium and maybe on the top of it on Sunday. We will see.”

he day before, there was a gathering at the Spanish Embassy in Tokyo as Marquez, Lorenzo, Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa, GO&FUN Honda Gresini’s Alvaro Bautista, Italtrans Racing Team’s Julian Simon and Hiroshi Aoyama, as well as Dorna Sports, were made Sporting Ambassadors of the Spain-Japan Dual Year, marking 400 years of exchanges between the two countries.

— MotoGP 2013 – Round 17 – Motegi – Marquez in with renewed title shot as Japanese Grand Prix awaits

In the final round of the triple-header at the AirAsia Grand Prix of Japan in Motegi, Repsol Honda Team’s Marc Marquez will get another shot at taking the title if he beats Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo by more than seven points.

Marquez, who in the previous round was disqualified due to a team error regarding the then-compulsory mid-way bike swap, will be looking to make amends at Honda’s home track. And with the stop-and-go nature of the Motegi circuit, both he and his teammate Dani Pedrosa will be two of the favourites for victory.Yet Lorenzo will be buoyed by the fact that the championship is once again in his reach, and will no doubt be a force to be reckoned with after his convincing victory in Phillip Island last time out. The Yamaha man knows that nothing but a win will do, making the race with the Repsol Hondas yet another exciting prospect. His teammate Valentino Rossi will be looking to make further strides towards the three at the front, and once again challenge for a podium.Monster Yamaha Tech3’s Cal Crutchlow, who only narrowly missed out on the podium in Australia to Rossi, will hope to overhaul the Italian this time out, whilst also keeping GO&FUN Honda Gresini’s Alvaro Bautista at bay. Bautista was a podium-sitter in Motegi last year after an entertaining battle with Crutchlow, and will be an outside favourite for yet more success at the track.

LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl, who fractured his right ankle in Malaysia and was unable to race in Australia, will be assessed by track doctors before the race weekend to check if he is fit enough to take part in FP1. Tech3’s Bradley Smith will aim to make further strides towards the front after an impressive outing in Phillip Island, whilst Ducati Team riders Nicky Hayden and Andrea Dovizioso will look to squeeze the most out of their Desmosedicis.

In the CRT class it will be Avintia Blusens’ Hiroshi Aoyama who will aim to put on a show for his home fans on his FTR-Kawasaki. He has been showing some good form recently, and will hope to make it into the top-CRT spot that so far has eluded him. He will however face the stiff challenge from the Power Electronics Aspar riders in the form of Aleix Espargaro and Randy de Puniet, as well as NGM Mobile Forward Racing’s Colin Edwards. There will be one wildcard taking part on a Yamaha M1 in the shape of Katsuyuki Nakasuga with the Yamaha YSP Racing Team.

Due to many riders suffering braking issues in last year’s race due to the hard-braking nature of the track, the technical rules for this weekend have been altered to allow the use of 340mm carbon brake discs – a 20mm increase from the regulation size. Some of the teams, including Ducati, have already carried out tests with the bigger brakes in the Misano test this year.

World Championship Standings MotoGP™
1 Marc Marquez 298 pts SPA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
2 Jorge Lorenzo 280 pts SPA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing
3 Dani Pedrosa 264 pts SPA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
4 Valentino Rossi 214 pts ITA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing
5 Cal Crutchlow 179 pts GBR YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
6 Alvaro Bautista 147 pts SPA HONDA Go & Fun Honda Gresini
7 Stefan Bradl 135 pts GER HONDA LCR Honda MotoGP
8 Andrea Dovizioso 127 pts ITA DUCATI Ducati Team
9 Nicky Hayden 111 pts USA DUCATI Ducati Team
10 Bradley Smith 99 pts GBR YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
11 Aleix Espargaro 88 pts SPA ART Power Electronics Aspar
12 Andrea Iannone 55 pts ITA DUCATI Energy T.I. Pramac Racing Team
13 Michele Pirro 50 pts ITA DUCATI Ignite Pramac Racing Team
14 Colin Edwards 36 pts USA FTR-KAWASAKI NGM Mobile Forward Racing
15 Randy De Puniet 33 pts FRA SUZUKI Suzuki Test Team

— Moto2

Tuenti HP40’s Pol Espargaro has the opportunity to win the Moto2™ World Championship this weekend at the AirAsia Grand Prix of Japan in Motegi, if he comes away with a 25-point lead over his closest challenger Scott Redding.

Marc VDS Racing Team’s Redding looks set to miss the race due to a fractured left wrist sustained in qualifying for the Australian GP, and unfortunately won’t be able to fight it out with Espargaro on track. The Spaniard’s teammate however, in the form of Esteve Rabat, may be able to challenge, despite not having a great race in Phillip Island last time out.

Interwetten-Paddock’s Tom Luthi and Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2’s Jordi Torres both made it onto the podium in the previous round and will be ones to watch, whilst Marc VDS’ Mika Kallio will have recovered further from his crash over the weekend to be a podium contender once more. Technomag carXpert’s Dominique Aegerter is proving a continual threat, whilst local boy Takaaki Nakagami, with the Italtrans Racing Team, will be hoping for a much-improved weekend over last.

Other local riders will include wildcard Kohta Nozane with the Webike Team Norick NTS outfit, and Tetsuta Nagashima as a substitute for Mike di Meglio in the JiR Moto2 team. There will be one other wildcard taking part in the form of Thailand’s Decha Kraisart with the Singha Eneos Yamaha Tech3 team.

World Championship Standings Moto2™
1- Pol Espargaro SPA Kalex 240
2- Scott Redding GBR Kalex 224
3- Tito Rabat SPA Kalex 204
4- Mika Kallio FIN Kalex 165
5- Dominique Aegerter SWI Suter 143

— Moto3

With the Moto3™ grid tightly poised at the top of the championship table, the AirAsia Grand Prix of Japan in Motegi this weekend is a mouth-watering prospect.

Red Bull KTM Ajo’s championship leader Luis Salom now only holds a five-point advantage over Estrella Galicia 0,0’s Alex Rins, with 50 still on offer in the final two rounds. Rins came out victorious on the last occasion in Phillip Island, and will be hoping for a repeat in Motegi to overtake his compatriot ahead of the final race of the season.

Yet Team Calvo’s Maverick Viñales is also still in contention, despite having a slightly tougher task at hand with a 22-point deficit to Salom. He has however shown that he can scrap it out with the top two, after coming second to Rins in Australia by a mere 0.003 seconds.

And with Mahindra Racing’s Efren Vazquez and Miguel Oliveira, GO&FUN Gresini’s Niccolo Antonelli, as well as Caretta Technology – RTG’s Jack Miller looking strong, the podium could go many ways. Two Japanese wildcards will join the field in the form of Team Plus One’s Sena Yamada and Team Honda Asia’s Hiroki Ono.World Championship Standings Moto3™
1- Luis Salom SPA KTM 300
2- Alex Rins SPA KTM 295
3- Maverick Viñales SPA KTM 278
4- Alex Marquez SPA KTM 175
5- Jonas Folger GER Kalex KTM 147– MotoGP 2013 – Round 16 – Phillip Island – Lorenzo wins P.I. as Marquez disqualified

Jorge Lorenzo has inflicted maximum damage on the day Marc Marquez could have clinched the MotoGP™ crown, as the current title-holder clinched his 50th career race victory in a Tissot Australian Grand Prix including mandatory bike changes. Failing to acknowledge the pre-determined pit window, Marquez was shown the black flag.

Prior to the race, it was announced that the duration would decrease from 27 to 19 laps on the grounds of safety, with tyre degradation throughout practice having been significantly higher than expected on the newly resurfaced Phillip Island circuit. Furthermore, all riders would be obliged to pit for bike changes on either the ninth or tenth lap of the race, while also running the harder available compound throughout.

A clean start saw no fallers, with Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) attacking Lorenzo at the Honda hairpin, but the Yamaha Factory Racing man immediately retaking the top spot on the run into Siberia. The sensation would come with the mandatory pit window, with Marquez’s teammate Pedrosa first to peel off from third place at the end of Lap 9 and followed by numerous other riders.

Lorenzo would pit at the end of the tenth tour but, having expected a pit lane duel with Marquez, saw the 20-year-old rookie continue for another circulation of the circuit. Marquez then came in at the end of Lap 11, outside the pre-determined window of pitting by Lap 10 at the latest. In a remarkable twist for the 2013 World Championship battle, Marquez was disqualified, as was Australian Bryan Staring (GO&FUN Honda Gresini) as the same error had been committed.

Having escaped a touch with Marquez as the latter re-joined from the pits, Lorenzo went on to claim win number six of the season; this also marked the first time since 2006 that a rider other than the now retired Casey Stoner had clinched victory at Phillip Island. Pedrosa finished second to maintain his own title aspirations, as Yamaha Factory Racing’s Valentino Rossi beat Monster Yamaha Tech3’s Cal Crutchlow and GO&FUN Honda Gresini’s Alvaro Bautista in a thrilling contest for third, while light rain began to fall as proceedings drew to a close.

Bradley Smith was sixth for Tech3, having run as high as fourth thanks to a rapid start, while the top ten was rounded out by Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team), Andrea Iannone (Energy T.I. Pramac Racing), Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) and Randy de Puniet (Power Electronics Aspar) who ended a race as lead CRT for the first time this year. Danilo Petrucci finished 15th for Came IodaRacing Project, denying a first point for Luca Scassa as the Cardion AB Motoracing rider finished less than one tenth of a second behind. On the same day, Aspar’s Aleix Espargaro collected honours of top CRT for the season.

After the race, the Repsol Honda Team put Marquez’s disqualification down to a misunderstanding in the team, saying that it thought he was able to run ten whole laps before pitting in, which is why he entered in the 11th.

The MotoGP™ fight now rages on to Motegi Twin Ring and the Grand Prix of Japan, with the championship lead having been decreased from 43 to 18 points. The season will then end at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia, Spain on 10th November.

— MotoGP™ Race Classification – Race Result – Round 16
1 Jorge Lorenzo 29’07.155 SPA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing
2 Dani Pedrosa +6.936 SPA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
3 Valentino Rossi +12.344 ITA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing
4 Cal Crutchlow +12.460 GBR YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
5 Alvaro Bautista +12.513 SPA HONDA Go & Fun Honda Gresini
6 Bradley Smith +28.263 GBR YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
7 Nicky Hayden +32.953 USA DUCATI Ducati Team
8 Andrea Iannone +35.062 ITA DUCATI Energy T.I. Pramac Racing Team
9 Andrea Dovizioso +35.104 ITA DUCATI Ducati Team
10 Randy De Puniet +37.426 FRA SUZUKI Suzuki Test Team
11 Aleix Espargaro +46.099 SPA ART Power Electronics Aspar
12 Colin Edwards +48.149 USA FTR-KAWASAKI NGM Mobile Forward Racing
13 Yonny Hernandez +49.911 COL DUCATI Ignite Pramac Racing Team
14 Hector Barbera +49.998 SPA FTR Avintia Blusens
15 Danilo Petrucci +58.718 ITA IODA-SUTER Came IodaRacing Project
16 Luca Scassa +58.791 ITA ART Cardion AB Motoracing
17 Claudio Corti +1’08.105 ITA FTR-KAWASAKI NGM Mobile Forward Racing
18 Michael Laverty +1’27.230 GBR PBM Paul Bird Motorsport
19 Lukas Pesek +1’31.093 CZE IODA-SUTER Came IodaRacing Project
20 Hiroshi Aoyama +1 lap JAP FTR Avintia Blusens
21 Damian Cudlin +2 laps AUS PBM Paul Bird Motorsport
22 Bryan Staring DNF AUS FTR-HONDA Go & Fun Honda Gresini
23 Marc Marquez DNF SPA HONDA Repsol Honda Team

— Championship standings
1 Marc Marquez 298 pts SPA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
2 Jorge Lorenzo 280 pts SPA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing
3 Dani Pedrosa 264 pts SPA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
4 Valentino Rossi 214 pts ITA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing
5 Cal Crutchlow 179 pts GBR YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
6 Alvaro Bautista 147 pts SPA HONDA Go & Fun Honda Gresini
7 Stefan Bradl 135 pts GER HONDA LCR Honda MotoGP
8 Andrea Dovizioso 127 pts ITA DUCATI Ducati Team
9 Nicky Hayden 111 pts USA DUCATI Ducati Team
10 Bradley Smith 99 pts GBR YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
11 Aleix Espargaro 88 pts SPA ART Power Electronics Aspar
12 Andrea Iannone 55 pts ITA DUCATI Energy T.I. Pramac Racing Team
13 Michele Pirro 50 pts ITA DUCATI Ignite Pramac Racing Team
14 Colin Edwards 36 pts USA FTR-KAWASAKI NGM Mobile Forward Racing
15 Randy De Puniet 33 pts FRA SUZUKI Suzuki Test Team
16 Hector Barbera 31 pts SPA FTR Avintia Blusens
17 Danilo Petrucci 24 pts ITA IODA-SUTER Came IodaRacing Project
18 Yonny Hernandez 20 pts COL DUCATI Ignite Pramac Racing Team
19 Hiroshi Aoyama 13 pts JAP FTR Avintia Blusens
20 Claudio Corti 11 pts ITA FTR-KAWASAKI NGM Mobile Forward Racing
21 Ben Spies 9 pts USA DUCATI Ignite Pramac Racing Team
22 Karel Abraham 5 pts CZE ART Cardion AB Motoracing
23 Alex De Angelis 5 pts RSM DUCATI Ignite Pramac Racing Team
24 Michael Laverty 3 pts GBR PBM Paul Bird Motorsport
25 Bryan Staring 2 pts AUS FTR-HONDA Go & Fun Honda Gresini
26 Javier Del Amor 1 pts SPA FTR Avintia Blusens
27 Martin Bauer 0 pts AUT S&B SUTER Remus Racing Team
28 Lukas Pesek 0 pts CZE IODA-SUTER Came IodaRacing Project
29 Luca Scassa 0 pts ITA ART Cardion AB Motoracing
30 Ivan Silva 0 pts SPA FTR Avintia Blusens
31 Damian Cudlin 0 pts AUS PBM Paul Bird Motorsport
32 Blake Young 0 pts USA APR CRT Attack Performance

— Moto2™

Pol Espargaro has retaken the Moto2™ World Championship lead, winning Sunday’s Tissot Australian Grand Prix in the absence of Scott Redding. Tom Luthi and Jordi Torres completed the podium, with Tito Rabat sinking to eighth place.

When looking back at the Phillip Island round of the 2013 season, the race is likely to be remembered as a key turning point in the campaign. Redding’s chances took a major blow on Saturday, with the Englishman and long-time championship leader being ruled out of action as he fractured his left wrist. Following an operation on Saturday night, the Marc VDS Racing Team rider was left helpless on the sidelines.

Espargaro (Tuenti HP 40) started from his fifth pole of the season, joined on the front row by teammate and last weekend’s Sepang winner Tito Rabat who has demonstrated rapidity since practice began on Friday. A reduced race distance saw the riders tackling only 13 laps of the southern Australian venue, with fears over tyres having seen changes to the duration following the qualifying session on Saturday.

It would prove to be a lights to flag victory for Espargaro, his fifth of the season, allowing the Catalan to win at Phillip Island for the second consecutive year; in the process, he snatches back the championship lead for the first time since after the season-opening race in Qatar. In a brilliant day for Espargaro’s championship situation, teammate Rabat finished only eighth after running off the circuit.

Tom Luthi (Interwetten Paddock Moto2 Racing) pushed Espargaro all the way, finishing only half a second behind Espargaro for a fifth rostrum of the season and his second within the space of a week. Jordi Torres was third for Aspar Team Moto2, collecting his first rostrum result since winning the German Grand Prix in July.

The top five was completed by NGM Mobile Racing’s Simone Corsi and former Phillip Island winner Alex de Angelis, who ran second for NGM Mobile Forward Racing in the early stages of the race. Redding’s teammate Mika Kallio was seventh from the aforementioned Rabat, Aspar’s Nico Terol and QMMF Racing’s Anthony West who successfully finished in the top ten in his home event. Reigning Moto3™ World Champion Sandro Cortese finished 11th for Dynavolt Intact GP from Forward’s Ricky Cardus and Tech3’s Danny Kent.

Five riders failed to finish: Julian Simon (Italtrans Racing Team), Johann Zarco (Came IodaRacing Project), Xavier Simeon (Maptaq SAG Zelos Team), Louis Rossi (Tech3) and Alex Mariñelarena (Blusens Avintia), while Tuenti HP 40’s Alex Pons finished 24th after an early-race off. Pons, Italtrans’ Takaaki Nakagami and Maptaq SAG Zelos Team’s Marcel Schrotter were all handed penalties for jumping the start.

With just the Japanese and Valencian rounds of the season remaining, Espargaro leads Redding in the championship by 16 points following a dramatic shaking up of the establishment. Rabat sits third, 36 points behind the leader with a maximum of 50 left on offer. The action will continue at Twin Ring Motegi next weekend.

Moto2™ Race Classification
1 / Pol ESPARGARO / SPA / Tuenti HP 40 / KALEX / 20’19.219 / 170.7 /
2 / Thomas LUTHI / SWI / Interwetten Paddock Moto2 / SUTER / 20’19.810 / 170.6 / 0.591
3 / Jordi TORRES / SPA / Aspar Team Moto2 / SUTER / 20’19.898 / 170.6 / 0.679
4 / Simone CORSI / ITA / NGM Mobile Racing / SPEED UP / 20’20.112 / 170.6 / 0.893
5 / Alex DE ANGELIS / RSM / NGM Mobile Forward Racing / SPEED UP / 20’20.330 / 170.5 / 1.111
6 / Dominique AEGERTER / SWI / Technomag carXpert / SUTER / 20’22.292 / 170.3 / 3.073
7 / Mika KALLIO / FIN / Marc VDS Racing Team / KALEX / 20’22.453 / 170.2 / 3.234
8 / Esteve RABAT / SPA / Tuenti HP 40 / KALEX / 20’22.874 / 170.2 / 3.655
9 / Nicolas TEROL / SPA / Aspar Team Moto2 / SUTER / 20’29.401 / 169.3 / 10.182
10 / Anthony WEST / AUS / QMMF Racing Team / SPEED UP / 20’37.302 / 168.2 / 18.083
11 / Sandro CORTESE / GER / Dynavolt Intact GP / KALEX / 20’37.536 / 168.2 / 18.317
12 / Ricard CARDUS / SPA / NGM Mobile Forward Racing / SPEED UP / 20’38.634 / 168 / 19.415
13 / Danny KENT / GBR / Tech 3 / TECH 3 / 20’51.413 / 166.3 / 32.194
14 / Gino REA / GBR / Argiñano & Gines Racing / SPEED UP / 20’52.054 / 166.2 / 32.835
15 / Doni Tata PRADITA / INA / Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 / SUTER / 20’54.807 / 165.8 / 35.588

CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS TILL DATE:
1 ESPARGARO 240, 2 REDDING 224, 3 RABAT 204, 4 KALLIO 165, 5 AEGERTER 143, 6 NAKAGAMI 138, 7 LUTHI 130, 8 ZARCO 123, 9 TEROL 115, 10 TORRES 106, 11 CORSI 92, 12 SIMEON 71, 13 SIMON 63, 14 DE ANGELIS 57, 15 WEST 48.

Moto3™

Alex Rins has won a thrilling Moto3™ Tissot Australian Grand Prix, coming out on top of a multiple-rider battle to beat Maverick Viñales by just three thousandths of a second. Both riders decreased the championship-leading advantage of pole-sitter Luis Salom, who completed the podium at Phillip Island.

Rins’ latest victory of 2013 was surely his most dramatic to date, ensuring he has now matched Salom on six race wins this season, as well as having won three of the last four Grand Prix. Remarkably, the top seven riders were covered by just over one second, with Niccolo Antonelli only a further 1.1 in arrears.

The majority of riders in the field found themselves in tight groups for the duration of the 23-lap race, affected by light rain on certain parts of the newly resurfaced circuit. Philipp Oettl (Interwetten Paddock Moto3) would fail to start due to engine problems and there were retirements for Francesco Bagnaia (San Carlo Team Italia) and Hyuga Watanabe (La Fonte Tascaracing), but no less than 30 riders managed the testing conditions to finish.

A titanic battle at the forefront saw a selection of riders enjoying time in the lead, whereas Salom ran as low as seventh but looked to be making his customary climb to the very sharp end in the closing minutes of the race. However it was Mapfre Aspar Team Moto3’s Jonas Folger who stole the limelight as the final lap began, shooting into the lead at Doohan curve, only to run wide and drop to sixth three corners later.

The run to line resulted in the closest finish so far this year in the World Championship, with Rins (Estrella Galicia 0,0) pipping Viñales (Team Calvo) after having both started on the second row of the grid. The winner now moves to within just five points of championship leader Salom (Red Bull KTM Ajo) with a pair of races remaining in Japan and Valencia, whereas Viñales is also in contention and 22 in arrears of the overall leader.

Rins’ teammate Alex Marquez finished fourth, with the first group completed by local favourite Jack Miller (Caretta Technology – RTG), Folger, front-row starter Efren Vazquez (Mahindra Racing) and Antonelli (GO&FUN Gresini Moto3). Avant Tecno’s Niklas Ajo was a further 12.8 seconds behind and headed the second group, with Alexis Masbou rounding out the top ten for Ongetta-Rivacold. Mahindra’s Miguel Oliveira recovered to 26th spot and was fortunate to avoid injury after flying over his handlebars at the MG hairpin on the opening lap.

Moto3™ Race Classification
1 / Alex RINS / SPA / Estrella Galicia 0,0 / KTM / 37’40.375 / 162.9 /
2 / Maverick VIÑALES / SPA / Team Calvo / KTM / 37’40.378 / 162.9 / 0.003
3 / Luis SALOM / SPA / Red Bull KTM Ajo / KTM / 37’40.553 / 162.9 / 0.178
4 / Alex MARQUEZ / SPA / Estrella Galicia 0,0 / KTM / 37’40.877 / 162.8 / 0.502
5 / Jack MILLER / AUS / Caretta Technology – RTG / FTR HONDA / 37’40.976 / 162.8 / 0.601
6 / Jonas FOLGER / GER / Mapfre Aspar Team Moto3 / KALEX KTM / 37’41.452 / 162.8 / 1.077
7 / Efren VAZQUEZ / SPA / Mahindra Racing / MAHINDRA / 37’41.479 / 162.8 / 1.104
8 / Niccolò ANTONELLI / ITA / GO&FUN Gresini Moto3 / FTR HONDA / 37’42.642 / 162.7 / 2.267
9 / Niklas AJO / FIN / Avant Tecno / KTM / 37’55.449 / 161.8 / 15.074
10 / Alexis MASBOU / FRA / Ongetta-Rivacold / FTR HONDA / 37’56.335 / 161.7 / 15.96
11 / Zulfahmi KHAIRUDDIN / MAL / Red Bull KTM Ajo / KTM / 37’56.349 / 161.7 / 15.974
12 / Jakub KORNFEIL / CZE / Redox RW Racing GP / KALEX KTM / 37’56.480 / 161.7 / 16.105
13 / Isaac VIÑALES / SPA / Ongetta-Centro Seta / FTR HONDA / 37’56.686 / 161.7 / 16.311
14 / Romano FENATI / ITA / San Carlo Team Italia / FTR HONDA / 37’56.907 / 161.7 / 16.532
15 / Brad BINDER / RSA / Ambrogio Racing / MAHINDRA / 37’57.004 / 161.7 / 16.629

CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS TILL DATE:
1 SALOM 300, 2 RINS 295, 3 VIÑALES 278, 4 MARQUEZ 175, 5 FOLGER 147, 6 OLIVEIRA 131, 7 MILLER 100, 8 MASBOU 84, 9 VAZQUEZ 71, 10 KHAIRUDDIN 65, 11 KORNFEIL 63, 12 SISSIS 59, 13 FENATI 57, 14 BINDER 56, 15 AJO 54.

— Yamaha Report

Defending world champion Jorge Lorenzo delivered a stunning ride today to win the Australian Grand Prix in a thrilling spectacle filled with drama. Teammate Valentino Rossi delivered another exciting performance, fighting to take third on the podium.

Following concerns over the safety of the Bridgestone tyres to last full race distance the race was changed to incorporate a bike change at the ten-lap mark, with the total laps reduced to 19.

The start saw Lorenzo take the hole-shot from his pole position with riders Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa in hot pursuit. The reigning champion gave no quarter but was unable to pull away, the rivals staying within 0.5 of a second as they counted down to the pit stop. This itself turned into a bizarre event with potential consequences for the championship. Pedrosa pitted a lap early, Lorenzo pitted at the ten-lap mark and Marquez pitted a lap too late. As a result Marquez was given a black flag and disqualified and Pedrosa was forced to drop a position after crossing the white line on his pit lane exit.

Further disaster was also narrowly avoided when Marquez exited the pits just as Lorenzo passed down the straight at high speed, the two making contact into turn one. Luckily both were able to stay upright and continue. Lorenzo kept the pressure on and held the top spot for the remaining nine laps to claim the race win.

Rossi enjoyed yet another intense race long battle with rivals Cal Crutchlow and Alvaro Bautista. The three swapping positions in the fight for the last podium spot throughout the first ten laps and again in the following nine. Rossi completed a super fast pit stop, beating both out to gain two positions. As one of the most successful MotoGP riders of the modern era in Phillip Island it was never going to be easy for them to beat him, and they couldn’t. The Italian claimed third at the line to make it another double Yamaha podium.

The result leaves Lorenzo now on 280 points, 18 behind Marquez as they head to Motegi for the final of the triple-headers. Rossi stays secure in fourth position on 214 points, 35 ahead of Crutchlow in fifth.

Jorge Lorenzo – 1st | 29’07.155 | 19 Laps – “I’m really happy with this win, we’ve also been lucky because Marc made this mistake. Without that he would have been second or first because he was really fast today. So we’ve been lucky but we were unlucky in the middle of the championship so today is a balance. When I was entering the first corner Marc was exiting the pit at exactly the same time, the situation was almost impossible to avoid. I was braking a little later to open the line and I don’t think he was looking so much entering the corner so it was both our fault. Now we have options, if Marc keeps constant on the podium then it is impossible to win the championship but there are a lot of laps to go so anything could happen.

“It’s unbelievable to have 50 Grand Prix victories at 26years old. It seems like only yesterday when I won in Brazil in 2003 but it’s been ten years. I’m very proud of it and hope to win some more in the future!”

Valentino Rossi – 3rd | +12.344 | 19 Laps – “At the end the result was good, I’m so happy to be on the podium here at Phillip Island because it’s always a great pleasure and a great atmosphere. I tried to give the maximum, the race was very thrilling and I enjoyed it very much, especially because with the team we were able to do a very good job in the pit and gain two positions. I had a great battle with Cal, when I understood it was for the podium I tried to give the maximum. In the last half of the lap it started to rain which was very scary but at the end it was ok and a good result. We still need to work and improve to be faster for the next race.”

Wilco Zeelenberg – Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager – “A perfect result, winning here is a dream for us after two tough races. With Marc making the mistake it opens the championship a little more as well. 18 points is a completely different story to nearly 40. We are very pleased with that.”

Massimo Meregalli – Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director – “It has been an incredible race, Jorge didn’t make any mistakes and led from the first to the last lap, always pushing hard. It was also nice to have the flag to flag in dry conditions and we got a lot of points to close the gap. There is only 18 points between them now so the championship is more open. We are looking to Motegi now to keep going and close it more. Vale did another great race, another double podium which is a great result for Yamaha. We had some doubts before the start of the race on grip but we got a great result.”

Double top six for Crutchlow and Smith in Phillip Island thriller

The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team celebrated a fantastic double top six finish for Cal Crutchlow and Bradley Smith in an action-packed and unique flag-to-flag MotoGP race at Phillip Island this afternoon.

Concerns about excessive tyre wear on a new track surface meant the race was reduced to 19-laps on safety grounds, which included a mandatory pit stop for fresh Bridgestone rubber at the end of lap nine or 10. There was incredible drama and tension from start to finish and Crutchlow put up a tremendous fight to score his fifth rostrum of the campaign and second in succession at the super-fast Phillip Island track. The 27-year-old pulled into the pits to switch bikes at the end of the 10th lap and in a tense tussle with Valentino Rossi and Alvaro Bautista, the British rider fought for the podium right down to the final corner. As rain spots started to fall on the Phillip Island track on the final lap, Crutchlow missed out on his first podium since his second place in Germany by just over 0.1s, with Rossi claiming the final podium spot in front of a crowd of 31,500 enthralled fans.

Teammate Bradley Smith stormed back into the top six for the first time since the German round after he made a sensational start to round 16. The 22-year-old got a stunning launch off the line and on the first lap he’d surged into fourth and was right on the back of leading Spanish trio Jorge Lorenzo, Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa. Smith gained precious experience after dicing it out with Rossi, Crutchlow and Bautista in the early stages and he employed a different strategy by opting to enter the pit lane at the end of lap nine. He was able to comfortably clinch a richly deserved top six finish and today’s performance gave a significant boost to his hopes of securing a top 10 World Championship finish, with his lead over Aleix Espargaro now 11-points with two races remaining.

Crutchlow and Smith’s excellent display also moved the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team a step closer to clinching third in the Team World Championship standings.

Cal Crutchlow – 4th – 179 points – “It was a bit of shame that I couldn’t finish on the podium today but to be honest I’d have only been there because of what happened to Marc. But I am happy because I rode really well. The problem once again was my start. I have got to work on that because once again today it wasn’t acceptable. The positive point is I had good consistency in the race and I was a lot faster than I expected to be given what had happened with the tyres over the weekend. It was good to race so close to Valentino on the factory Yamaha and I enjoyed it. It was a very hard but fair battle with him and Alvaro. I actually thought there was one more lap, but because I’d been so close to Valentino on the straight I’d not seen my pit board. I’d have liked to be on the podium but fourth is my best result for a few races and hopefully we can be strong in Japan next weekend.”

Bradley Smith – 6th – 99 points – “Sixth position is a very good result and I got another really fast start. It was great to be right up there on the first lap and I could learn a lot in the early stages from the guys with much more experience. The setting we ran wasn’t ready to fight for the top six but I gave it my best shot. We damaged the rear tyre in the first run, so I tried to take it a bit steady in the second one. It has not been an easy weekend with a lot of drama and confusion surrounding the tyres, but my Monster Yamaha Tech 3 crew remained calm and concentrated throughout and it was good to pay them back with my first top six for a while.”

— HRC Report

Repsol Honda RC213V rider Dani Pedrosa kept his head in an extraordinary Australian grand prix today to claim a valuable second place in a race that was shortened twice and run in a flurry of rule changes, black flags, penalties, and pit-lane mayhem in the first-ever grand prix with a compulsory mid-race change of motorcycle.

Unfortunately for second Repsol Honda RC213V rider Marc Marquez, he was one of three riders to suffer the black flag penalty, after missing the brief window for his compulsory pit stop.

Alvaro Bautista (GO&FUN Gresini Honda RC213V) was fifth, and with Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda) ruled out by injury and Bryan Staring (GO&FUN Honda Gresini FTR Honda) also black-flagged, he was the only other Honda finisher in the premier class.

The “flag-to-flag” race rule was designed to allow bike changes if weather conditions should change mid-race. After high-level meetings by the controlling Grand Prix Commission followed by drastic revisions to the rule book, it was invoked as a compulsory measure at this race in response to a crisis in tyre safety.

The 4.448-km track had been fully resurfaced, while conditions were unexpectedly warm. A combination of faster lap times and corner speeds, higher grip levels and higher temperatures than anticipated proved disastrous for the control tyres in both the MotoGP and Moto2 classes. Suppliers Bridgestone (MotoGP) and Dunlop (Moto2) both informed Race Direction that due to severe overheating issues they could not guarantee the safety of their tyres over full race distance. Surprisingly neither tyre provider had tested at the circuit in preparation for racing on the relaid surface.

While the Moto2 race was all but halved, from 25 laps to 13, MotoGP elected to apply flag-to-flag rules to MotoGP, along with other strictures including compulsory use of the hardest tyre option. Race distance cut from 27 laps to 22. Bridgestone had put their safety margin at 14 laps. Then after further issues in race-morning warm-up they cut it back still further to ten laps. Race distance was reduced once more, to 19 laps.

Pedrosa’s tactics were perfect. Running a very close third to Lorenzo and Marquez from the start, he decided to pit one lap earlier than the others, to take advantage of a clear pit lane. Unfortunately he too suffered a penalty, being later obliged to drop one position on track after he was judged to have run over the pit-lane limit. He served this without losing much time, dropping behind Marquez.

After the change, his clear hopes of a second successive race win faded when his second bike lacked the extreme handling finesse of his first, and he was unable to push as hard as before.

He gained another 20 points as he demonstrates his return to top form and full strength, and regained a mathematical chance of winning the title.

Marquez was well-placed in the race, but for leaving his pit stop one lap too late, and looked certain of his 15th rostrum finish of the year as he ran with the leading pair … until the penalty was applied. It was the result of a team misunderstanding of the hastily rewritten rules, altered on race eve then again on race morning, over the method of counting the laps.

Disqualification meant a zero points score at a race where the 20-year-old Spaniard had a mathematical chance of securing the World Championship at his first attempt, and cut his lead over race winner Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) from 43 to 18 points. With two rounds remaining, he will have to be sure of strong results in Motegi and Valencia if he is to succeed in what, before this misfortune, seemed almost a certainty – becoming the youngest premier-class World Champion in history.

Bautista had another strong race, jousting throughout with the Yamahas of Valentino Rossi and Cal Crutchlow. The three riders were changing places right up until the last lap, and the Spanish former 125cc World Champion’s fifth place missed a top-three rostrum by less than two tenths of a second, as they flashed across the line all but line abreast.

Bautista is the only rider to use Showa suspension and Nissin brakes, in his role as race-developer for the Japanese companies, closely associated with Honda. This position continues a strong run in the latter part of the season: this was his fourth time in fifth place in the last six races.

The all-Honda-powered Moto2 class, also run in dry conditions, was a frantic 13-lap sprint, with no room for tactics. This made for an even more hectic battle than usual, in a class where close and reliable racing is ensured, with all competitors furnished with identical race-tuned Honda CBR600 engines by the organisers, fitted into full-race prototype chassis.

Crucially for the championship, pre-race points leader Scott Redding was absent. The British Marc VDS Racing Team Kalex rider was eliminated after a heavy crash in qualifying yesterday. He broke his wrist and underwent immediate corrective surgery, but is a doubtful starter also for next weekend’s Japanese GP.

Spanish star Pol Espargaro (Tuenti HP 40 Pons Kalex) had closed to within nine points of Redding in the title charts, and now took over the championship lead with a determined start-to-finish victory. He now leads the championship with 240 points to Redding’s 224, with his Tuenti HP 40 Pons Kalex team-mate Esteve Rabat still in with a mathematical chance on 204.

Espargaro was obliged to fend off a strong early attack from Alex De Angelis (NGM Mobile Forward Racing Speed Up), who later set a new lap record. In the closing laps came another fierce attack from Thomas Luthi (Interwetten Paddock Moto2 Suter).

Luthi crossed the line just over half-a-second adrift for his best result of the year, himself fending off a last-lap attack from German GP winner Jordi Torres (Aspar Team Moto2 Suter), less than a tenth behind. Simone Corsi (NGM Mobile Racing Speed Up) was almost as close to him, with De Angelis on his back wheel, and the top five covered by 1.1 seconds.

Dominique Aegerter (Technomag carXpert Suter) lost touch in the final stages in sixth while battling with Mika Kallio (Marc VDS Racing Team Kalex), who finished less than two-tenths behind.

Rabat came back to eighth, after running off the track and dropping out of the leading group, while holding third place, putting two-race winner Nico Terol (Aspar Team Moto2 Suter) ninth.

Australian rider Anthony West (QMMF Racing Team Speed Up) fought through to tenth in a crowd-pleasing ride after finishing the first lap in 20th. Moto3 champion Sandro Cortese (Dynavolt Intact GP Kalex) Ricard Cardus (NGM Mobile Forward Racing Speed Up). Danny Kent (Tech 3), Gino Rea (Argiñano & Gines Racing Speed Up) and Doni Tata Pradita (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 Suter) claimed the remaining points.

The Moto3 race was the only one of the day to run to full scheduled distance, set at 23 laps. In a class where Honda-powered machines are up against rival factories in a variety of prototype chassis, the top Honda rider Jack Miller came heartbreakingly close to a first rostrum finish. The Australian finished fifth in a tight pack, but less than three-quarters of a second off third place, and only six tenths behind the winner. The top seven places were covered by just 1.1 seconds.

Miller (Caretta Technology-RTG FTR Honda) had played a popular role in a lead group that was eight-strong for much of the race, moving up to third in the closing stages. He was still pushing out of the last corner, but lost out in the run to the finish line.

The usual gang of Spanish KTM riders dominated the rostrum, with Alex Rins winning by inches from Maverick Vinales and Luis Salom. Rins closed to within five points of long-time title leader Salom, with Vinales another 17 behind, ensuring an exciting championship finale.

Niccolo Antonelli (GO&FUN Gresini Moto3 FTR Honda) narrowly lost touch with the leading group to finish eighth.

Honda riders played a strong role in a fearsome battle for the next title points, the gap from ninth to 18th place only just over two-and-a-quarter seconds, with places changing corner by corner. Alexis Masbou (Ongetta-Rivacold FTR Honda) was tenth; Isaac Vinales (Ongetta-Centro Seta FTR Honda) 13th, Romano Fenati (San Carlo Team Italia FTR Honda) 14th, and John McPhee (Caretta Technology-RTG FTR Honda) just out of the points in 17th.

The next race is the Japanese GP at the Honda-owned Twin Ring Motegi circuit, in one week, with the season finale a fortnight later at Valencia in Spain.

Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 2nd – “Today’s race was very stressful -above all before the start, as the rules were being changed every five minutes. Everything was turned on its head and it was very difficult to adapt first time, without making any mistakes. Marc made mistakes and I did too. Everything was going so fast and it was confusing for both the riders and the mechanics. We had to be clear about which lap to enter the pits, as it wasn’t obvious which was lap nine and which was lap ten. The two bikes needed to be prepared and the tyres as well, the pit lane was much longer than normal… it was all so strange today. The exit line from the pits wasn’t clear, and neither could you see the entry line very well, so it was all a bit improvised. In my case I was able to rectify my mistake on the track and, although the second bike wasn’t the same for me as the first, I managed to take second in the race and be very competitive.”

Alvaro Bautista, GO&FUN Honda Gresini, 5th – “We have managed to salvage a race that we knew was going to be difficult for us because of the enforced tyre choice. We knew it didn’t work with our bike but we fought hard and thanks to the exceptional work of the team we have come away with a result we didn’t expect. I gave my best, did everything I could on the bike and I have to be happy because I was fighting for a podium finish until the very end. Unfortunately on the last lap I just felt that I couldn’t push the tyre any harder and it’s a shame because I know that on the soft option we would have been able to get on the podium and achieve the objective we have set ourselves for before the end of the season.”

Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda, DNF – “Today was our first experience of a Flag-to-Flag race, and suffice to say it wasn’t a good one. My team and I had set out a strategy and we thought that we could come in after lap 10, but in reality this counts as an extra lap. We hadn’t had that in mind and this was a huge mistake. We had everything well planned and I followed the instructions on my pit board. You learn from these things though, so now we have to move on and focus on the race in Japan”

Bryan Staring, GO&FUN Honda Gresini, DNF – “Today couldn’t have gone worse. I was hoping for a good race in front of my home crowd and instead it has ended prematurely with a black flag.”

Honda Moto2 rider quotes

Pol Espargaro, Tuenti HP 40 Pons, 1st – “All my life I had a dream – to be World Champion, sooner or later. It is not done, yet, but it is close … I can’t believe where we are and what we did. I’m not 100 percent happy because while I have overtaken Redding in the championship points, he was not on track, and this is not good. But this is racing, where every lap and corner can be dangerous. Anyway, we are not still champion. For sure we are going to work hard as we did all season”

Thomas Luthi, Interwetten Paddock Moto2, 2nd – “With just 13 laps there was just one strategy: full throttle from the go. Such a short race… actually, too short for me, because I had quite a good set-up and was not scared at all by a full length. Due to safety reasons we had to do this short race, so I had to change the strategy. The target was to get a good start and push straight from the beginning. After one lap Pol opened a gap, then he made a small mistake, and I was there immediately, but afterwards I made a mistake, and at the end it was not possible to catch up and fight for a victory. I had to battle to keep the other guys behind me, not easy, but at the end second is great. I didn’t struggle at all with the tyres during all the weekend with lost rubber or anything like that.”

Jordi Torres, Aspar Moto2, 3rd – “We had a good weekend. In the race we tried to push hard to stay at the top, but midway through the race I lost the rear wheel of Luthi and had to fight with de Angelis. But my bike worked well with used tyres. I’m happy. We are going to do our best to replicate the result in the next two races, but it’s going to be pretty difficult, in a class where the difference between riders is so small.”

Honda Moto3 rider quotes

Jack Miller, Caretta Technology RTG, 5th – “Missed it by a whisker, but it was a good race even if I didn’t get on the podium. I had to fight back from the start. I could stay there in the group, and also make the passes to get to the front, so that was quite good. In the same point, the bike on the straight was not what we needed. We missed just a little bit of speed. I knew it was going to be difficult to make the podium.”

Niccolo Antonelli, GO&FUN Gresini Moto3, 8th – “A great week-end, except for what happened this morning, when I crashed in fifth gear at more or less 200 km/h. I am a bit bruised, but the bike is great, the team did a great job. We were able to fight with the top riders all the race. Maybe I could have risked something more, but I had problems with the tyres at the end and already crashed out at Sepang, so I told to myself: ‘Let’s bring home some points.’ Our results have been improving, and I hope to be able to continue like that.”

Alexis Masbou, Ongetta-Rivacold, 10th – “A tough race, at the end of a tough week-end. The first day we were far from the best riders, while in the race my fastest lap was not very distant from the fastest race lap. So, mixed feelings: from one side, I’m happy for the result, from the other I wonder what it could have been with a better qualifying, and a better place on grid.”

— Ducati Report

In a dramatic Australian Grand Prix that featured a “flag-to-flag” format in the dry, with obligatory pit stops, Nicky Hayden and Andrea Dovizioso maintained their cool in challenging circumstances, riding to seventh and ninth place finishes, respectively. The unusual format, which had riders switching bikes at the midway point of the shortened 19-lap race, was implemented by Race Direction in response to tyre wear being much higher than anticipated over the course of the weekend.

In the race’s first half, the two Ducati Team colleagues battled with one another and fellow Ducati rider Andrea Iannone. Hayden used good pit strategy to get away from the other two Ducati riders and make a run at sixth-place Bradley Smith that ultimately fell just short. Similarly, Dovizioso was unsuccessful in his late bid to overtake Iannone and ultimately had to accept ninth place.

With the first two legs of this overseas tripleheader now complete, the MotoGP teams now return to Asia for next weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi.

Nicky Hayden – Ducati Team, 7th – “If I’m honest, I hoped to be more competitive, but it went better than some of our recent races. My first tyre didn’t feel as grippy as I expected. I was racing with Iannone and Dovi, but I knew I was faster than those guys and didn’t want to tow them. I waited to do the opposite of them, so when I saw them go in the pits, I put my head down and did a good in-lap, then did a good lap leaving the pits and was able to put a couple of seconds onto them. I got to the back of Smith at the end, but I was struggling in the last corner, and there were some spots of rain. As for the pit stop, it was easy. I’ve been with my team for five years, and we practice it sometimes. Yes, this pit is tight, but we’re used to doing 340 Km/h, so if you use your head, I don’t think coming in at 60 is so dangerous.”

Andrea Dovizioso – Ducati Team, 9th – “The race was more enjoyable than usual because of the changes they made, as well as the strategies. I had a pretty tough battle with Nicky and Iannone but it was all a bit difficult for me, also because my two GP13s didn’t have the same feeling. The second bike wasn’t as good as the first. Anyway, I don’t have any excuses; I’m just not happy with the result. I had another battle with Iannone and came close to him at the very end, but I didn’t manage to beat him. Nicky did a good job and had a really fast in-lap; he caught Smith and managed to have a good pace from the start of the race.”

Paolo Ciabatti – Ducati MotoGP Project Director – “Today’s race was really strange, exciting with many twists. The ‘flag-to-flag’ format in the dry with a maximum of 10 laps per tyre and an obligatory pit stop put more pressure on our team. Still, I must say everything went smoothly, and I’d like to complement our boys, who didn’t make any mistakes. The final result of the race definitely isn’t very satisfying for us, but Nicky and Dovi tried their hardest, as always.”

— Bridgestone Report

Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Extra-soft & Soft. Rear: Medium & Hard (Asymmetric)
Bridgestone wet tyre compounds available: Soft (Main) & Hard (Alternative)
Weather: Dry. Ambient 26-27°C; Track 30-32°C (Bridgestone measurement)

Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo won a dramatic flag-to-flag Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island to breathe life back into his championship challenge.

With the race reduced to nineteen laps with a mandatory stop where riders were required to change bikes, Lorenzo led the opening stint before making a flawless pit stop on lap nine to put himself in a strong position for the second half of the race. Once on his second bike Lorenzo pulled away from the chasing pack to take the chequered flag by 6.936 seconds ahead of second-place getter, Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa. Rounding out the rostrum was Yamaha Factory Racing’s Valentino Rossi who claimed his sixth podium of the season in Australia. Having shown great pace throughout the race weekend, the top CRT rider in Australia was Power Electronics Aspar’s Randy de Puniet who placed tenth in Australia. Amid the excitement of today’s race, a new Circuit Record Lap of 1’28.108 was set on the thirteenth lap of the race by Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez.

Conditions today were dry but cooler than yesterday, with the peak track temperature of 32°C recorded at the start of the race. With the harder of the two rear slick options – the medium compound for CRT riders and the hard compound for works riders – being made mandatory for the race, the only variation in tyre choice came from the front slicks. Eleven of the twenty-three starters chose the softer front option, the extra-soft front slick, with the other twelve riders opting for the harder option, soft compound front.

With two rounds remaining, Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez still leads the championship standings by eighteen points – despite being black flagged for not pitting in the mandatory stop window in today’s race – over Lorenzo. Pedrosa remains in third place in the championship, sixteen points adrift of Lorenzo.

Shinji Aoki – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department
“Today was quite an exciting contest that passed without incident and I would like to congratulate all the teams and riders for working so hard to adapt what was a unique race situation. After warm-up, we analysed the tyres of the riders to see how they fared during the long runs they did this morning and it was evident that we had to reduce the maximum running time of the rear slicks to ten laps. Considering this new information, we had discussions with the FIM, Dorna and IRTA regarding the situation, after which race direction decided a flag-to-flag race with a nineteen lap duration was the best option. We have arranged for the used tyres from this weekend to be transported immediately to our technical centre in Japan for detailed analysis which will be the first step in developing new tyres for future MotoGP races at Phillip Island.”

Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha Factory Racing – Race Winner
“Today was a crazy race with us having to the change of bikes in the middle of the contest. We practiced a lot before the race to find the best way to swap between bikes and this helped me a lot in the race. Twenty-five points is the best result possible and is good for the championship and I hope we can still be challenging for the title at the last race in Valencia.”

— Lorenzo Flies to Record Breaking Phillip Island Pole
— Lorenzo on Phillip Island pole as mandatory pit-stops announced

Jorge Lorenzo has clinched pole position for the Tissot Australian Grand Prix, beating Marc Marquez and Valentino Rossi to the top spot in a highly dramatic shootout at Phillip Island.

With only three rounds remaining in the 2013 MotoGP™ season and Marquez able to clinch an historic premier class title win this weekend, the qualifying session at Phillip Island would prove to be one of the most incident-packed of the year. Ultimately, Lorenzo clinched his third pole of the campaign – his first since Jerez in May – courtesy of a best lap of 1’27.899, but this was only after the reigning World Champion’s Yamaha Factory Racing bike clipped a seagull. The margin at the front would be two tenths of a second, with Marquez able to secure the world crown on Sunday if he ends the race with a points-advantage of 51 or more.

In third place, Rossi – who on only three occasions in his career has failed to finish on the podium at Phillip Island – will start on the front row for the second consecutive race, ahead of GO&FUN Honda Gresini’s Alvaro Bautista who qualified fourth but went off-track at the end of qualifying. Fifth will be Sepang winner Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) – who is the only rider other than Marquez and Lorenzo who retains a mathematical possibility of winning the championship – from Monster Yamaha Tech3’s Cal Crutchlow, who will start sixth. Row 3 will be occupied by Tech3’s Bradley Smith plus Ducati Team pairing Nicky Hayden and Andrea Dovizioso.

Tenth on the grid will be Energy T.I. Pramac Racing’s Andrea Iannone, who entered the Q2 shootout from Q1, as was also the case with Dovizioso. It was towards the end of Q1 when Iannone was involved in an on-track disagreement with Power Electronics Aspar’s Aleix Espargaro, who failed to feature in Q2 for only the fourth time this in 2013. In the meantime, Colin Edwards set the CRT pace as he qualified 11th for NGM Mobile Forward Racing, one position in front of Randy de Puniet while the Frenchman’s teammate Espargaro will be 13th on the grid; both de Puniet and Edwards suffered incidents in the Q2 shootout.

LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl has taken no further part in the weekend since attempting to ride in opening practice, having fractured his right ankle at Sepang one week ago; the German hopes to return at Motegi next weekend. Australian Bryan Staring will start his home race 21st on the Gresini CRT bike, with fellow countryman Damian Cudlin having qualified 23rd for PBM on his 31st birthday.

In a separate twist, Bridgestone have announced that they are unable to guarantee safety of their rear slick tyres beyond 14 laps, and it has therefore been decided that every rider will be required to enter the pits and change to his second machine with fresh tyres at least once during the race. No rider is permitted to make more than 14 laps on any one slick rear tyre. This means that a bike/tyre change before lap 12 will require a second bike/tyre change to finish the race. Prototypes will have to use the hard-, and CRTs the medium spec tyre.

And to mark the occasion of the Australian race, it was fitting that Casey Stoner was inducted as a MotoGP™ Legend at Phillip Island on Saturday. The World Champion of 2007 and 2011 becomes the 20th MotoGP™ Legend, joining riders such as compatriots Wayne Gardner and Mick Doohan.

— Compulsory Pit Stops for MotoGP

Dorna has been notified by Bridgestone that they are unable to guarantee safety of their rear slick tyres beyond 14 laps. It has therefore been decided to make the following changes to the MotoGP class race in the interests of the safety of the riders.

1. The race distance will be 26 laps.

2. Every rider will be required to enter the pits and change to his second machine with fresh tyres at least once during the race.

3. No rider is permitted to make more than 14 laps on any one slick rear tyre.This means that a bike/tyre change before lap 12 will require a second bike/tyre change to finish the race.

4. Riders using “Factory” and “Satellite” machines will be required to use the “hard” option tyre (B51DR). Extra quantity will be allocated by Bridgestone.

5. Riders using CRT machines will be required to use CRT “hard” option tyre (B50DR). Extra quantity will be allocated by Bridgestone.

6. The pit lane speed limit zone will be extended both on entry and exit, and the exit route to rejoin the track will be marked by a white line in the runoff area. Crossing this line whilst rejoining the track from pit lane will result in a penalty.

— Bridgestone’s take on the tyre dramas

Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Extra-soft & Soft. Rear: Soft, Medium & Hard (Asymmetric)
Bridgestone wet tyre compounds available: Soft (Main) & Hard (Alternative)
Weather: FP3 – Dry. Ambient 21-22°C; Track 28-34°C (Bridgestone measurement)
FP4/QP – Dry. Ambient 24-25°C; Track 40-42°C (Bridgestone measurement)

Jorge Lorenzo continued to dominate proceedings at Phillip Island this weekend as the Yamaha Factory Racing star set a new outright lap record of 1’27.899 in qualifying today, smashing the existing record by 0.766 seconds to claim his third pole position of the year.

Lorenzo set his record time on his penultimate lap in Qualifying Practice 2, beating Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez to the top position on the grid for tomorrow’s race by 0.221 seconds. Joining his teammate on the front row is Yamaha Factory Racing’s Valentino Rossi was third quickest with a personal best time of 1’28.647. All riders on the front row lapped under the existing Circuit Best Lap record of 1’28.665 set by Casey Stoner in 2008. The best CRT rider in qualifying was NGM Mobile Forward Racing’s Colin Edwards, the American rider will start in eleventh place on the grid after setting a time of 1’30.264 in QP2.

Conditions were again warm and fine at Phillip Island, though slightly warmer than yesterday with a peak track temperature of 42°C recorded during QP1. For the qualifying sessions all riders selected softer rear slick options, while front tyre choice was more varied, with some riders preferring the superior edge grip of the softer, extra-soft compound front slick, over the slight advantage in cornering stability offered by the harder, soft compound front slick. The majority of riders assessed the hard compound rear slicks – which have been made mandatory for Sunday’s race – in the morning FP3 session and feedback indicates that these have slightly less edge grip, but better consistency than the softer rear slick options. With the new, grippier Phillip Island track surface causing an increase in tyre temperature, the works riders also assessed an extra-hard rear slick tyre Bridgestone brought as a contingency in Free Practice 4 to see if it was better suited to the revised track surface. The findings from this session reveal that the original, hard compound rear tyre that was allocated to the works riders performed better, and it will be this option offered to riders tomorrow.The next MotoGP™ session is morning Warm Up scheduled for 1140 local time (GMT +11) tomorrow and the Australian Grand Prix will start at 1600.Shinji Aoki – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department – “With the new, improved track surface at Phillip Island it was expected that we could see a new Circuit Best Lap record today, but to see it beaten by such a margin was a very pleasing result. We could see after FP3 that tyre temperatures were extremely high, so we offered an extra-hard specification rear slick tyre for the works riders to evaluate in FP4. However, this compound option didn’t work as well on the track surface, hence we will be offering our original hard specification rear slick to riders for the race. Both our extra-soft and soft compound front slicks were used today and the feedback from riders was that both options worked well and I expect both of the front slick choices to be utilised in tomorrow’s race. We anticipated tyre temperatures would be higher this year at Phillip Island, but not to the extreme levels we have seen this weekend. After analysing the used tyres after today`s sessions, we have decided that the maximum safe distance that our rear slick tyres can be run is fourteen laps. Following discussions between Bridgestone, Dorna and the FIM on how to best manage rider safety for the race, it was race direction`s decision to make tomorrow`s race a flag-to-flag contest.”

Qualifying Times

FRONT ROW
1. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Yamaha Factory Racing 1’27.899
2. Marc Marquez (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 1’28.120
3. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha Factory Racing 1’28.647

SECOND ROW
4. Alvaro Bautista (SPA) Go&Fun Honda Gresini 1’28.713
5. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 1’28.748
6. Cal Crutchlow (GBR) Monster Yamaha Tech3 1’28.809

THIRD ROW
7. Bradley Smith (GBR) Monster Yamaha Tech3 1’28.941
8. Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati Team 1’29.295
9. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Ducati Team 1’29.660

FOURTH ROW
10. Andrea Iannone (ITA) Pramac Racing Team 1’29.756
11. Colin Edwards (USA) NGM Mobile Forward Racing 1’30.264
12. Randy De Puniet (FRA) Power Electronics Aspar 1’30.735

FIFTH ROW
13. Aleix Espargaro (SPA) Power Electronics Aspar 1’30.081
14. Claudio Corti (ITA) NGM Mobile Forward Racing 1’30.530
15. Yonny Hernandez (COL) Ignite Pramac Racing Team 1’30.641

SIXTH ROW
16. Hiroshi Aoyama (JPN) Avintia Blusens 1’30.733
17. Danilo Petrucci (ITA) Came Iodaracing Project 1’30.894
18. Michael Laverty (GBR) Paul Bird Motorsport 1’30.979

SEVENTH ROW
19. Hector Barbera (SPA) Avintia Blusens 1’31.061
20. Luca Scassa (ITA) Cardion AB Motoracing 1’31.093
21. Bryan Staring (AUS) Go&Fun Honda Gresini 1’31.775

EIGHTH ROW
22. Lukas Pesek (CZE) Came IodaRacing Project 1’32.474
23. Damian Cudlin (AUS) Paul Bird Motorsport 1’33.007

— Moto2

Pol Espargaro will start from his fifth pole position of the Moto2™ season at the Tissot Australian Grand Prix, whilst championship leader Scott Redding has been ruled out of the race after fracturing his left wrist in a crash. The race will take place over the shortened distance of 13 laps.

A dramatic day of qualifying at Phillip Island drew to a close with the intermediate category, with the session being interrupted with red flags following a crash for Thai Honda PTT Gresini Moto2’s Thitipong Warokorn. As the Thai rider was transported away for medical check-ups and soon diagnosed with a fracture to his right scapula, ruling him out of action for the rest of the race event, whilst Esteve Rabat, who also crashed, was effectively given extra time for bike repairs as he made his way back to the Tuenti HP 40 garage.

No sooner had Rabat re-joined the session than the Spaniard crashed once again, having by this point lost provisional pole to teammate Espargaro who will start in front thanks to his leading lap time of 1’32.530. Rabat missed out by just one hundredth of a second, while there were identical times for Jordi Torres and Alex de Angelis; the former (Aspar Team Moto2) will start third by virtue of his quicker second best lap time, leaving the NGM Mobile Forward Racing rider fourth.

Tom Luthi rounds out the top five for Interwetten Paddock Moto2 Racing, while Mika Kallio will be the leading Marc VDS Racing Team rider in sixth; however, the Finn suffered a sizeable accident in the Hay Shed section. Just moments later, teammate Redding crashed at the end of the lap and was duly taken to the Medical Centre where the Englishman complained of pain with his left wrist. Having already posted his 1’32.962 lap time, Redding sank to tenth position in the results and soon headed towards Melbourne to operate on the left wrist fracture.

More drama came at the end of the session, with reigning Moto3™ World Champion Sandro Cortese being the last to suffer an incident. The Dynavolt Intact GP rider will start seventh on the grid behind Kallio, while Aspar’s Nico Terol and NGM Mobile Racing’s Mattia Pasini fill positions eight and nine ahead of the unfortunate Redding.

Moto2™ Qualifying Practice Classification
1- Pol Espargaro ITA Kalex 1:32.503
2- Tito Rabat SPA Kalex +0.010
3- Jordi Torres SPA Suter +0.239

— Moto3™

Moto3™ championship leader Luis Salom will start from pole position for the Tissot Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island. Joining the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider on the front row will be Jonas Folger and Efren Vazquez, with Salom’s championship rivals Maverick Viñales and Alex Rins fourth and fifth.

Pole for Salom is his fourth of the season and second in succession, ending of run of four different pole-sitters from the previous four events. It came in the form of 1’36.890, serving as a huge confidence boost as the Mallorcan already carries a 14-point lead over Rins and a 26-point margin over Viñales.

Despite being injured in a highside crash in the San Marino Grand Prix in mid-September, Folger continues to deliver solid performances and the Mapfre Aspar Team Moto3 rider will be lining up on the front row for the fourth time in 2013, whereas Mahindra Racing’s Vazquez went third on his final lap, just as teammate Miguel Oliveira crashed out of the session. On Row 2, Viñales (Team Calvo) and Rins (Estrella Galicia 0,0) may be required to work together should they hope to overhaul Salom at the forefront of the race.

In fact, Rins is sandwiched by the Viñales name on the second row, as Maverick’s elder cousin Isaac (Ongetta-Centro Seta) will line up sixth. Celebrating a career-best qualifying result, Team Calvo’s Ana Carrasco achieved seventh position to make it six Spaniards in the top seven places, joined on Row 3 by the crashed Oliveira and Ajo’s Zulfahmi Khairuddin, who escaped both a fall and a lurid off-track moment on the exit of the final corner. Leading Australian representative Jack Miller will start tenth for Caretta Technology – RTG, with compatriot Arthur Sissis 16th for Ajo.

Moto3™ Qualifying Practice Classification
1- Luis Salom SPA KTM 1:36.890
2- Jonas Folger GER Kalex KTM +0.378
3- Efren Vazquez SPA Mahindra +0.402

— Yamaha Report

Defending world champion Jorge Lorenzo became the fastest motorcycle rider ever around the Phillip Island circuit today, taking pole position for tomorrow’s Australian Grand Prix. The 15-minute qualifying heat began in normal fashion with Lorenzo the first man out on track. Drama immediately unfolded as he collided with a seagull coming over Lukey Heights.

The uninvited passenger did nothing to slow Lorenzo down as he stormed to a provisional pole time of 1’28.681, breaking the pole record set by Casey Stoner in 2008. Rival Marc Marquez was quick to take back the top spot, leaving Lorenzo in second position as he headed back in for the first tyre change with eight minutes remaining of the session.

After allowing most of the pack to enter the track, Lorenzo was back out with four minutes left on the clock. With no seagull to slow him down the Mallorcan was unflappable, dropping under the 1’28 mark with one minute to go and storming to an incredible 1’27.899 second lap for pole position. The time sets a new record as the fastest ever lap by a motorcycle on the Phillip Island circuit.

Valentino Rossi enjoyed another successful qualifying session, delivering his second consecutive front row start with third on the grid for tomorrow’s race. The Italian nine-time world champion was the last rider to leave the pits at the start of the session, waiting to find some clear track for his qualifying efforts. His first laps with the soft tyre were enough to put him in fourth position, 0.817 from provisional pole.

He then returned to the pits with eight minutes remaining for a quick tyre change and was quickly back out with over six minutes left on the clock. Rossi then put the hammer down and dramatically picked up his pace to put in a 1’28.647 to move up a position and take third on the grid for tomorrow’s race.

Jorge Lorenzo – 1st / 1’27.899 / 7 laps – “I had an impact with a bird on the first few laps on the bike, luckily we could take it off and I could make a second attempt without a passenger, maybe because of this I went a little bit faster and was able to make pole position. I’m very happy because I pushed to the limit to make the lap and I made a very good time. We have some problems with the tyre because the new asphalt makes a lot of graining; we’ll see if there are decisions from Dorna or Bridgestone tomorrow for the race. If we can make a good start we will try to get away at the beginning.”

Valentino Rossi – 3rd / 1’28.647 / 9 laps – “Coming back in Phillip Island with the new surface is fantastic, especially with this weather and this temperature to be back on the M1 is a great pleasure. To be able to push 100% on the soft front tyre is a fantastic feeling. I’m so happy with this position, it’s the second first row in a row. It looks like in the last races we have found a better solution for qualifying because at the beginning of the season I struggled a lot. I know the race is tomorrow and especially Marc and Jorge and Dani will be very hard to beat. I have to give the maximum, find a good setting and tyre and try to fight for the podium.”

Wilco Zeelenberg – Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager – “A fantastic qualifying and an unbelievable lap so we are very happy with that. Tomorrow of course is the race and it looks like we have different issues than just one fast lap, we are struggling to decide which tyre we are able to use and get approval to use. This is still in our mind and also in our rider’s. Set up wise we are very pleased and ready to go.”

Massimo Meregalli – Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director – “A really great qualifying result, having both riders on the front row is a great opportunity to start well for the race. We’ve done a great job, the bike has been competitive from the beginning and we have been able to make it even better for qualifying. We had an issue with the tyre so we are now waiting for a decision and we will see how move forward form there.”

Crutchlow sixth, Smith seventh in breathtaking Phillip Island qualifying

Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team riders Cal Crutchlow and Bradley Smith will start tomorrow’s Tissot Australian Grand Prix from sixth and seventh respectively after both mounted a strong challenge for the front row in a record-breaking qualifying session.

Crutchlow was less than 0.2s away from registering his eighth front row start in 2013, while teammate Smith was only 0.132s further behind in seventh position on a challenging day at the spectacular Phillip Island track.

Lap records might have been smashed across the board thanks to impressive grip levels from new asphalt at the coastal venue, but concerns have emerged over excessive rear tyre wear from the allocation made available by official tyre supplier Bridgestone. Crutchlow and Smith were both able to lap just a fraction outside of Casey Stoner’s 2008 pole position benchmark in a record-breaking session that saw factory Yamaha rider, Jorge Lorenzo, obliterate the outright record with a sensational lap of 1.27.899.

Crutchlow’s best lap of 1.28.809 was only 0.061s behind Sepang winner Dani Pedrosa and Smith set a 1.28.941, but unusually high temperatures for the Australian Grand Prix and high grip levels from the new Phillip Island track surface resulted in endurance issues being encountered with all tyre options.

Crutchlow and Smith will now consult with their Monster Yamaha Tech 3 crew and Bridgestone technicians over the best selection for tomorrow’s race, which is currently scheduled to run over 27-laps.

Tomorrow’s race is the 16th of this year’s World Championship and is the middle of a flyaway triple-header that started in Malaysia last weekend and concludes in Japan next Sunday.

Cal Crutchlow – 6th 1.28.809 – 9 laps
“I am pretty disappointed with today’s result because I expected to be higher up than sixth. I wasn’t far off the front row and was pretty close to Valentino in third but the gap to Jorge in pole position is really big and I thought I’d be much closer. I’ve not had enough rear grip and I was lacking confidence to push. I think we can clearly improve the bike and myself. In FP4 I did the whole session on the extra hard tyre on the recommendation of Bridgestone but we know there is a question mark for the race tomorrow. We need to listen to Bridgestone’s advice on what tyre will be raced but I am sure my pace is better than sixth.”

Bradley Smith – 7th 1.28.491 – 9 laps
“It has obviously been quite a confusing day with the soft tyre not being an option for the race tomorrow, but at least we could use it in practice and qualifying. I have been happy with the bike today. It has felt much better and I like how it was reacting. I really concentrated on making sure my first flying lap was a good one and at the end I am really happy to finish with a 28.9 because yesterday I wasn’t even sure if I could get into the 29s. I am not far off the front row at all and we have done a good job. Now we have got to wait and see what happens with the tyre situation for tomorrow’s race because it seems there is a lot of uncertainty around. I am looking forward to the race and my target will be to battle with Cal and Bautista.”

— HRC Report

Honda’s full house of front-row starts was extended at Phillip Island today, when championship leader Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda RC213V) bounced back unhurt from a low-speed morning tumble to qualify second fastest.

Team-mate Dani Pedrosa was fifth in the middle of the second row in a bunch riders with very close times. The winner of the Malaysian GP the week before missed the front row by a tenth of a second, and was only three-hundredths off the lap time set by on-form Alvaro Bautista (Team GO&FUN Honda Gresini RC213V), heading the second rank with fourth fastest time in qualifying.

Defending World Champion Jorge Lorenzo claimed pole, only the third this year for the Yamaha rider; while team-mate Valentino Rossi was third, to complete row one.

This is an important race for both Repsol Honda team-mates But there are many uncertainties, including the possibility of a change in the weather after two all-dry practice days. The climate at the scenic seaside circuit is notoriously fickle, and the race of the day takes place two hours later than usual, with the start at 4 pm.

There is also a question of tyre endurance on the grippy new surface of the 4.448-km circuit, where lap times have dropped considerably. In MotoGP, there has been an unprecedented change to the rules requiring that all riders must pit to change bikes at least once in a shortened race, cut from 27 laps to 22. No rider may do more than 14 consecutive laps, while all are required to use the hardest available compound option. The decision came after control tyre suppliers Bridgestone informed Race Direction they were “unable to guarantee safety of their rear slick tyres beyond 14 laps”, according to an official statement. “Flag-to-flag” races normally only take place in response to changing weather conditions.

Control tyre suppliers to Moto2, Dunlop, have similar problems, and race distance has been all but halved, from a planned 25 laps to just 13.

For Marquez, victory tomorrow would mean a historic maiden World Championship win in the most prestigious category of MotoGP racing, as long as his last remaining rival Lorenzo finishes lower than second. It would be the first by a premier-class rookie in more than 30 years. The fast-rising Spaniard would also become the youngest-ever world champion, still aged just 20.

The reigning Moto2 champion and former 125 champion has made a blistering start to his MotoGP career, showing an immediate affinity to his 1000cc V4 Repsol Honda RC213V. His first win came at only the second round of the series, and since then he has added five more, including a purple patch of four in a row while his major rivals suffered from injuries. On the rostrum at all but one other race (he crashed in Italy), he has amassed an almost unassailable point total of 298 points, with only Lorenzo on 255 mathematically able to catch him.

His spectacular style has won him an army of new fans, while his overtaking techniques have left established riders shaking their heads. He was second last weekend in Malaysia, behind team-mate Pedrosa.

Pedrosa’s target is also Lorenzo, for his own reasons. His clear victory in Malaysia last Sunday not only signalled his return to full strength and top form. It also brought him within 11 points of Lorenzo for second overall.

The 28-year-old Spaniard led on points earlier in the season, only losing that position with a disastrous crash in practice for the German GP, round eight. It ruled him out of that race, and left him nursing a fractured collarbone for the next rounds. A further issue with bike settings was solved at tests after the San Marino & Rimini GP, and he came back strong at the next round at Aragon … only to fall innocent victim to a freak misfortune. A light brush from his team-mate severed an electronic connection, disabling the vital traction-control system and triggering a crash as soon as he opened the throttle.

His clear win at the next round in Sepang was his first revenge against the fates, and he will be seeking more in tomorrow’s race, after setting fastest time in the final free practice session.

Qualified marginally ahead of Pedrosa, Bautista again underlined his improving form in the latter part of the season, as he and his team get to grips with his exclusive use of Showa suspension and Nissin brakes. The Spaniard is working alone to race-develop the Japanese components, made by companies with close associations with Honda. Strong progress in this task means that the former 125cc World Champion has finished out of the top six only once in the last eight races.

His team-mate Bryan Staring (GO&FUN Honda Gresini FTR Honda) was enjoying intimate circuit knowledge of one of the few tracks he has prior experience of as he contests his first grand prix season. The Australian is also making progress with getting the most out of his Honda CBR1000RR-powered CRT bike, and qualified 21st, but only one second off 16th.

Honda ranks were depleted by the withdrawal after the first practice session of German Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda RC213V). Bradl suffered a fractured right ankle in a freak crash in Malaysia the weekend before, underwent immediate surgery, and tried for a prompt return, but found the injury made it impossible to continue.

Drama in the all-Honda-powered Moto2 qualifying session came in a series of accidents, the first of which brought out the red flags as Thai rider Thitipong Warokom (Thai Honda PTT Gresini Moto2 Suter) was stretchered away, fortunate to escape major injury. Leading riders Esteve Rabat (Tuenti HP40 Pons Kalex), Mika Kallio and title leader Scott Redding (both Marc VDS Racing Team Kalex) all fell, with Redding also stretchered off the track for medical examination to a potentially costly wrist injury.

Redding was taken to Melbourne where a detailed examination of his left wrist revealed a fracture that has ruled him out of tomorrow’s race.

Redding was already in danger of losing the points lead he has held for most of the season, with rival Pol Espargaro (Tuenti HP40 Pons Kalex) closing to within nine points after finishing second to team-mate Rabat in Malaysia last weekend. No date has, or could be, set for Redding’s return to racing. However, should he miss just one race his hopes of taking the Moto2 title now depend upon Espargaro, and possibly Rabat, failing to score points in one of the three remaining races!

Competitive and reliable racing is guaranteed in Moto2, with the organisers supplying all riders with identical race-tuned Honda CBR600 engines; but tomorrow’s radically shortened race stands to be even more spectacular than usual. Concerns about tyre life prompted Race Direction to cut race distance by almost half, turning it into a 13-lap sprint and making qualifying positions all the more important.

Rabat’s crash cost him the chance to reclaim the fastest time as team-mate Espargaro took his fifth pole of the season by 0.018 of a second. The final front row position went to Jordi Torres (Aspar Team Moto2 Suter). His lap time was identical to the nearest thousandth of a second to that set by Alex de Angelis (NGM Mobile Forward Racing Speed Up), but he was awarded the position because his second-best lap time was better.

Thomas Luthi (Interwetten Paddock Moto2 Suter), Kallio, Sandro Cortese (Dynavolt Intact GP Kalex), Nico Terol (Aspar Team Moto2 Suter), Mattia Pasini (NGM Mobile Forward Racing Speed Up) and Redding completed the top ten.

In the Moto3 class, Honda-powered machines again showed strength in practice and qualifying, at a track of fast corners and high rhythm that plays to their strengths. Honda is up against rival factories in the smallest class, where 250cc four-stroke engines operate under strict technical restrictions.

Four Honda riders were in the top 12, with Isaac Vinales (Bimbo Ongetta-Centro-Seta FTR Honda) the best of them, claiming sixth place to start on the second row … the Spanish teenager’s best so far.

An all-Honda row four is led by Australian Jack Miller (Caretta Technology-RTG FTR Honda) from Alexis Masbou (Ongetta-Rivacold FTR Honda) and Niccolo Antonelli (GO&FUN Gresini Moto3 FTR Honda). Miller currently leads Masbou by 11 points in their battle to be top Honda overall in the championship.

San Carlo Team Italia FTR Honda rider Romano Fenati qualified 17th, one place ahead of Alan Techer (CIP Moto3 TSR Honda), with John McPhee (Caretta Technology-RTG FTR Honda) 19th.

Fenati’s team-mate Francesco Bagnaia was 22nd, Matteo Ferrari (Ongetta-Centro Seta FTR Honda) 24th, then Lorenzo Baldassarri (GO&FUN Gresini Moto3 FTR Honda) 28th. Hyuga Watanabe (La Fonte Tascaracing FTR Honda) was 32nd, replacement-team-mate Hafiq Azmi 33rd, and wild card Lachlan Kavney (Bullet Racing Honda) 34th, with fellow wild card Callum Barker (McVey Racing Honda) unqualified.

Honda MotoGP Rider quotes

Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda RC213V): 2nd – 1m 28.120
“The goal today was to get a front row start for tomorrow, and we achieved it. We knew that Jorge and Valentino would be very fast over a single lap with the new soft tyre compound, something that they showed today. Jorge, Dani and Valentino have a great pace, but I think I can stick with them. After the issues with tyres the race will now be a flag-to-flag, which for me is the first time so it will be interesting – even if I would have preferred a shorter race but this is the decision from Race Direction. We shall see if in the warm-up we can try out some last minute things and then we will give 100 percent, as always.”

Alvaro Bautista (Team GO&FUN Honda Gresini): 4th – 1m 28.713
“It was a good day on the one hand and on the other hand a difficult one. The good side was that we put in such a great time that placed us on the second row in fourth position, just a few thousandths of a second off the front row. The tough part was that we were forced to use the hard tyre this morning in order to verify some safety parameters that were far inferior to those of the soft tyre. Now there is this important decision about it being a flag-to-flag race. I hoped we could keep a free choice over the tyres, because with the soft rubber we have put in 22 laps and it is much safer for us. It is an important decision that I hope was taken with consideration, because I believe that the safety of the riders is fundamental and important, plus we don’t want a ‘false’ sense of competition.”

Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda): 3rd – 1m 28.748
“I’ll make no excuses: qualifying didn’t go well for us and I was not able to go fast. However, the practice sessions have been positive for us. Now we have been told that Race Direction have taken a decision to make the race 26 laps with a flag-to-flag. I don’t think this is the best option but this is the scenario so we will do our best to prepare for it.”

Bryan Staring (GO&FUN Honda Gresini FTR Honda): 22nd – 1m 31.775
“I could definitely have done better. I have improved, but not enough to gain positions. With the bike I had a lot of confidence, but I wasn’t decisive enough with my laps and did not take full advantage of the soft tyres. It’s too bad, but I’m sure I have a good pace and that tomorrow I should be able to gain the places I couldn’t today.”

Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda RC213V): withdrew
“There was a very small chance for me to ride here and we knew it would have been much better in Japan but I wanted to try anyway. Of course it was painful and even the mobility of the ankle is not perfect yet: this is the reason why I have been declared unfit and I agree with them. I had injections and painkillers on Friday morning but I was too slow on the track and this is too risky for me and also for the other riders. The Clinica Mobile staff made an excellent job and I could jump on the bike only five days after the surgery so I want to thank them because they are helping me to heal quickly. I am frustrated but I have done the impossible to be back here: now we will concentrate to be as close to 100 percent fit as we can for Japan.”

Honda Moto2 Rider quotes

Pol Espargaro (Tuenti HP40): 1st – 1m 32.530
“They say the race will be so short … you can imagine it will be difficult. Because usually in 13 laps you are just getting comfortable and confident with the race. It will be difficult to fight for victory, but we are good with all tyres at the moment, with no problems and I have a good pace, so try to be happy and enjoy the day, and try to win. I hope Scott will be able to ride, because if I beat him for the championship I want it to be on the track, and whoever wins races the best, not because of injury.”

Tito Rabat (Tuenti HP40): 2nd – 1m 32.540
“I’ve been very happy for all the weekend. Today I had a good rhythm and I was fastest, but then I crashed, but I was able to go again after the session was red flagged. But when I started to go fast I ran off the track, and could not improve. There were a lot of accidents, with people trying to push. We will see what happens tomorrow.”

Jordi Torres (Aspar Team Moto2) 3rd – 1m 32.540
“A good qualifying. This is a circuit that I love, because it has fast corners, and they suit well our bike. Qualifying has been very difficult, because with all riders nose-to-tail, taking advantage of any slipstream, it’s quite difficult to find a clear track. This morning I had a crash, but no consequences at all. The race, so short – too short, even if I understand the safety reason – will be very difficult.”

Honda Moto3 Rider quotes

Isaac Vinales (Bimbo Ongetta-Centro-Seta): 6th – 1m 37.543
“The setting and the chassis are good, on this track, but we have a little bit of a problem with the speed. It is possible that tomorrow we have a big group of riders nose to tail, as often happens, then that can offer a better chance, because all our lap times are very similar.”

Jack Miller (Caretta Racing Technology): 10th – 1m 37.747
“We have the speed, but we just couldn’t put a lap together – there was always some traffic so I had to pass some people. This makes it a little bit more difficult for the race, but the bike’s working good, and I feel strong. Tomorrow we just have to make up some positions.”

Alexis Masbou (Ongetta Rivacold): 11th – 1m 37.774
“It has been quite a hard week-end. Yesterday I was 21st and thought it difficult to be in this position today. We have worked flat out yesterday in the afternoon and night, and I’m happy because we have made a big step ahead. I know that it is going to be difficult to be on target tomorrow, but I would say we have found the right direction, and will do our best. It will be a long and difficult race, but we can do well if we improve the balance of the bike.”

— Ducati Report

Nicky Hayden and Andrea Dovizioso took advantage of nearly ideal weather conditions today at Phillip Island Circuit to both qualify their Desmosedici GP13 race machines on row three for tomorrow’s Australian Grand Prix.

The American in particular had a good pace throughout the day, and his best lap earned him the eighth spot on the grid. Dovizioso didn’t manage to post a great time in the free-practice sessions and thus had to participate in Q1, but his time in Q2 was good enough to put him one spot behind his teammate.

Due to unexpectedly high rates of tyre wear on the new track surface, tomorrow’s race has been shortened by one lap to twenty-six, and a mandatory pit stop will be implemented so that riders can change bikes. Use of the hard rear tyre is obligatory for MotoGP entrants, and riders may go a maximum of fourteen laps per tyre.

Nicky Hayden – Ducati Team, 8th (1:29.295)
“We’ve certainly been a lot closer than usual today, but I was definitely hoping to go faster than that in qualifying. I thought I might be able to get in the 28s, and I really should have, but I didn’t get in a great lap. I made a couple mistakes on my best lap, and Iannone stood me up in one corner and cost us both time. I think using the ‘flag-to-flag’ format is the right choice for tomorrow. Safety is of the utmost importance, but we’ve also got a responsibility to put on a show for the fans.”

Andrea Dovizioso – Ducati Team, 9th (1:29.660)
“The gap is large but considering that we had to do Q1, I’m happy with how we managed the situation. I was able to transfer using the only tyre I had left and then to improve my time in Q2. There was a bit less wind today and riding was easier. We have the same gap as usual, but I’m pleased to have done those times. I could’ve more or less matched Nicky’s time, but I lost the rear in the last corner and nearly high-sided. I had to close the gas and lost at least three tenths. Tomorrow will be an unusual race. It will be the first time we do a ‘flag-to-flag’ format in dry conditions, but it’s the same for everyone. It’s not a problem for me, and I think it will be fun. Let’s hope the weather conditions are good.”

— Marc VDS Report

Scott Redding has been forced to withdraw from tomorrow’s Australian Moto2 Grand Prix, after injuring his left wrist in a qualifying crash this afternoon at Phillip Island.

Redding, who leads the Moto2 World Championship by nine points from Pol Espargaro, crashed heavily at the high speed turn 12 in the final few minutes of qualifying. After an initial assessment in the circuit medical centre, the 20-year-old Briton was diagnosed with a fractured left wrist.

Redding will be transported to Epworth Hospital in Richmond where he’ll undergo surgery on the fractured wrist later this evening. The severity of the injury means Redding will not race in tomorrow’s Australian Moto2 Grand Prix at Phillip Island.

A decision on the likely date of Redding’s return to racing will be made together with the medical staff at Epworth Hospital after the operation this evening.

Mika Kallio also crashed in the final minutes of qualifying, shortly after the session recommenced following a red flag, but his time from earlier in the session was enough to secure him sixth position on the grid for tomorrow’s race.

The Australian Moto2 Grand Prix has been reduced from 25 to just 13 laps, following concerns about tyre degradation at the recently resurfaced Phillip Island circuit. Full championship points will still be awarded.

Livio Loi will start tomorrow’s Australian Moto3 Grand Prix from the eighth row of the grid, after problems with traffic on track saw him qualify only 23rd this afternoon. The 16-year-old Belgian struggled to find a clear space on track throughout the 40-minute timed session and was unable to match his lap time from this morning’s free practice, which was 0.5s quicker than his qualifying time. With a good start and a strong opening lap in tomorrow’s race, a points scoring finish is still a realistic possibility for Loi.

Mika Kallio #36 // 6th // 1’32.833
“Of course, a crash is not the best way to finish qualifying, but I was quite satisfied with my pace at the beginning, when I was running in the top three. We tried a different tyre and a small change to the rear suspension, which was in the plan, but for some reason I lost the rear grip in the fast turns. We’re not sure why I crashed at turn eight, but the bike was badly damaged and that was the end of qualifying for me. It’s frustrating, because there was definitely more to come in the final few minutes. It will be a different kind of race tomorrow, as it’s just 13 laps. We won’t have to conserve tyres, but we’ll need to be awake at the start, as everyone will be all-out as soon as the lights go out. With a good start, everything is possible. Scott had some bad luck today, but I hope he’ll heal quickly and be back very soon.”

Livio Loi #11 // 23rd // 1’38.637 // @LivioLoi
“I’m really disappointed with my qualifying performance today, as I was slower than I was in FP3 this morning. Every time I got my head down to go for a qualifying time there was a problem. On my first run I made a mistake at turn four and on every run after that I was blocked by groups of riders in front of me. I’m really angry, as I know I could have done a good lap time today, but always I was at a bad time and in the wrong place. I was hoping to be at least in the top 15 or 16 this afternoon, but starting from 23rd on the grid means I’ll have some work to do in the race tomorrow if I’m to finish in the points. I am so sorry for Scott, as he was looking good for a strong result here. Hopefully the surgery will go well and he’ll be back on the bike again soon.”

Michael Bartholemy // Team Principal
“Obviously I am absolutely gutted for Scott. He was pushing hard and the rear just got away from him. Normally he’d have dusted himself off and put it down to experience, even at the ultra-fast turn 12, but he was unfortunate in that he got caught up with the bike and ended up with a fractured wrist. The most important thing now is that he recovers properly before making his return to racing. Yes, there’s a championship to be fought over, but our priority now is Scott’s health. If that means we have to forfeit the championship then so be it. But we’re still in the race tomorrow with Mika, who qualified well today. The fact that the race is now only over 13 laps will make things difficult, but he knows what he needs to do and I’m confident he’ll be able to fight for a podium finish tomorrow. Livio lost out today because he wasn’t aggressive enough in qualifying. If other riders don’t want to give you room then you need to make your own space. With a good start tomorrow he can still finish in the points, which is exactly what we expect from him.”

— MotoGP 2013 – Round 16 – Phillip Island – Lorenzo laps up the sunshine as Phillip Island heats up

It was reigning MotoGP™ World Champion Jorge Lorenzo who locked out both Friday practice sessions at Phillip Island ahead of the Tissot Australian Grand Prix. The Yamaha Factory Racing rider led Marc Marquez and Alvaro Bautista, while championship leader Marquez escaped an afternoon crash at Lukey Heights.

Lap records were expected to tumble at Phillip Island this year, with a new surface having been laid since the 2012 race. Enjoying the bright conditions, Yamaha Factory Racing’s Lorenzo duly posted a 1’28.961, with Repsol Honda Team’s Marquez second while GO&FUN Honda Gresini’s Bautista went third overall but second in the afternoon session. This dropped Marquez’s teammate Dani Pedrosa to fourth position, having stopped his bike on the exit of the Southern Loop towards the end of the second period, as his rear engine-mounting bolt had come loose. Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi – off the podium at Phillip Island on only three occasions since he debuted in the World Championship – completed the top five.

Marquez was fortunate to avoid injury during second practice, as the 20-year-old – who could become World Champion this weekend – crashed at the top of Lukey Heights. Having escaped any injury, the Spaniard was back out on-track less than 20 minutes later. The same could not be said for LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl; having fractured an ankle at Sepang last Saturday, the German was allowed to take part in opening practice but finished almost four seconds off the pace and was later declared unfit. He hopes to return in Japan next weekend.

Monster Yamaha Tech3 occupied positions six and seven on the timesheets, with Cal Crutchlow half a second quicker than Bradley Smith as the latter made his first premier class appearance at Phillip Island. The top ten was rounded out by leading CRT runner Randy de Puniet for Power Electronics Aspar plus Ducati Team duo Nicky Hayden and Andrea Dovizioso, with the 2006 World Champion having now been confirmed as joining Aspar for the next two MotoGP™ campaigns.

Ignite Pramac Racing’s Yonny Hernandez suffered a fall in the morning, while Avintia Blusens’ Hector Barbera was last to encounter a slip-up as he crashed on the exit of Lukey Heights barely five minutes before the day’s MotoGP™ action came to a close. Australians Bryan Staring and Damian Cudlin ended proceedings in 21st and 24th places on their CRT bikes, run by Gresini and PBM respectively.

The majority of riders were using the softer option front and rear tyres for both of the day’s sessions, however Bridgestone has since stated that due to the abrasive nature of the new tarmac, riders should race with the harder compound. This does not rule out using the softer rear for qualifying tomorrow. Both front options remain open throughout.

Combined Free Practice Times
1. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Yamaha Factory Racing 1’28.961
2. Marc Marquez (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 1’29.255
3. Alvaro Bautista (SPA) Go&Fun Honda Gresini 1’29.438
4. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 1’29.478
5. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha Factory Racing 1’29.537
6. Cal Crutchlow (GBR) Monster Yamaha Tech3 1’29.667
7. Bradley Smith (GBR) Monster Yamaha Tech3 1’30.165
8. Randy De Puniet (FRA) Power Electronics Aspar 1’30.215
9. Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati Team 1’30.609
10. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Ducati Team 1’30.754
11. Andrea Iannone (ITA) Pramac Racing Team 1’30.792
12. Colin Edwards (USA) NGM Mobile Forward Racing 1’30.917
13. Aleix Espargaro (SPA) Power Electronics Aspar 1’31.091
14. Yonny Hernandez (COL) Ignite Pramac Racing Team 1’31.134
15. Hector Barbera (SPA) Avintia Blusens 1’31.286
16. Hiroshi Aoyama (JPN) Avintia Blusens 1’31.434
17. Claudio Corti (ITA) NGM Mobile Forward Racing 1’31.451
18. Danilo Petrucci (ITA) Came Iodaracing Project 1’31.803
19. Michael Laverty (GBR) Paul Bird Motorsport 1’32.066
20. Luca Scassa (ITA) Cardion AB Motoracing 1’32.261
21. Bryan Staring (AUS) Go&Fun Honda Gresini 1’32.290
22. Lukas Pesek (CZE) Came IodaRacing Project 1’32.943
23. Stefan Bradl (GER) LCR Honda MotoGP 1’33.165
24. Damian Cudlin (AUS) Paul Bird Motorsport 1’34.969
— Moto2

Fresh from his domination of the Sepang weekend, Tuenti HP 40’s Tito Rabat topped both Friday practice sessions as the Moto2™ action began for the Tissot Australian Grand Prix. He and teammate Pol Espargaro both finished inside the top three, with championship leader and rival Scott Redding between them and in second position.Throughout the field, there was a real mixture between those whose fastest lap times had come in the morning session and those who delivered their best efforts during the afternoon. In the case of Rabat, it was his morning lap time of 1’33.157 that could not be bettered later on, as the Spaniard once again found the sweet spot and continued to top every session of the on-going triple-header. Also making the most of Phillip Island’s new surface, Redding (Marc VDS Racing Team) and Espargaro were one tenth of a second down on Rabat, promising a tight qualifying session on Saturday.

Jordi Torres and Alex de Angelis were next up for the Aspar Team Moto2 and NGM Mobile Forward Racing outfits, with positions six to eight being occupied by Technomag carXpert’s Dominique Aegerter, Dynavolt Intact GP’s Sandro Cortese and Came IodaRacing Project’s Johann Zarco. Having also posted their personal bests in the first session, ninth and tenth-placed riders Tom Luthi (Interwetten Paddock Moto2 Racing) and Mika Kallio (Marc VDS) confirmed that six of the top ten had posted their personal best lap times in the first of the two Friday practice periods.It was a bruising day for Marcel Schrotter, who crashed his Maptaq SAG Zelos Team bike not once, but twice, although the first impact had been the heaviest as the German ran off at Siberia. Teammate Xavier Simeon also suffered an accident, while Espargaro parked his bike at the end of the morning session. In the afternoon, Danny Kent joined the list of fallers when he lost control of his Tech 3 machine.

Teams will be told to run a minimum rear tyre pressure of 1.3bar tomorrow after teams and riders voiced concerns about both the new, and old spec Dunlop tyres that were available for the sessions today. It was decided to carry on with the new spec, run in FP1, though with a minimum tyre pressure to ensure they last race distance.

— Moto3™

Maverick Viñales went quickest as Moto3™ practice continued at Phillip Island on Friday afternoon. The Team Calvo rider posted a new record for the resurfaced Australian circuit, joined inside the top three by Jonas Folger and Zulfahmi Khairuddin.

Enjoying the new asphalt at Phillip Island, Viñales – who sits third in the standings behind Luis Salom and Alex Rins – set the pace with a 1’38.198 lap. The times were extremely close, with Mapfre Aspar Team Moto3’s Folger second from Red Bull KTM Ajo pair Khairuddin and championship leader Salom, with the leading quartet covered by only 37 thousandths of a second over the distance of 4.4 kilometres.

Niccolo Antonelli ended the day fifth for GO&FUN Gresini Moto3, from Mahindra Racing’s Miguel Oliveira and Estrella Galicia 0,0’s aforementioned Rins, who was forced to take evasive action at the end of the session after Avant Tecno’s Niklas Ajo (tenth position) lost control and fell on the racing line. On the timesheets, filling the gaps between Rins and Ajo were Isaac Viñales and Brad Binder, respectively eighth and ninth for their individual Ongetta-Centro Seta and Ambrogio Racing squads.

A number of riders would hit trouble across the first two sessions, such as wildcard Lachlan Kavney who was twice seen pulling his stranded Bullet Racing machine to safety. RW Racing GP’s Jasper Iwema suffered a crash in the afternoon, going down at the MG hairpin, whereas following a sizeable accident Redox RW Racing GP’s Jakub Kornfeil was taken to the Medical Centre with hip pains. Fastest man Viñales did not escape trouble, either, as he crashed at Doohan Corner during the morning perio

— Yamaha Report – Lorenzo On Top Down Under

Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo has made a flying start to this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix, completing the first day of free practice as the fastest rider. The defending champion came out fighting in the first morning practice and led the session apart from a brief appearance by rival Marc Marquez at the top of the time sheets mid way through.

A new tarmac surface at the track has vastly improved grip, allowing Lorenzo to drop almost a second under the race record in the morning. The afternoon saw him pick up the pace even further, the only rider to drop into the 1’28s to finish the day on a 1’28.961, just three tenths from Casey Stoner’s 2008 pole record.

Teammate Valentino Rossi also enjoyed a positive start to the weekend today. The Italian nine time champion made a big step forward between the morning and afternoon sessions, shaving nearly half a second off his time and moving half a second closer to the front. He finished the day in fifth overall, 0.576 from Lorenzo in first and just 0.059 seconds from Dani Pedrosa in fourth.

Jorge Lorenzo – 1st / 1’28.961 / 32 laps
“I feel that here we are much more competitive than in Malaysia. There are some problems with the wind in some corners where we cannot keep the front wheel on the ground so we need to improve that for tomorrow. In general every step we make with the bike works so little by little we have improved and been faster. The tyre feels consistent also so let’s see if we can improve the little issue with the front. The new tarmac is much better, you can push with more confidence and there are less bumps. The exit of turn six has a little bump, but apart from this corner everything is much better.”

Valentino Rossi – 5th / 1’29.537 / 43 laps
“I’m happy about today, especially this afternoon as we were able to improve the settings of the bike a lot. I’m happy about my pace, I’m constant and also quite fast, I can stay on a 1’29 also with used tyres. We have to improve some areas, especially turn four to try to go faster and we need to exit the last corner in a better way. We also need to work for the edge of the tyre, especially on the left as it’s a big stress. The track is fantastic with good weather like today. The new surface is very good so it’s a great pleasure to ride the M1 here. We are all very close and we are quite fast. The track is easier to ride like this because the new tarmac has more grip and less bumps. It’s easier but we have to be faster! The lines are more or less the same.”

Yamaha Factory Racing Wilco Zeelenberg Team Manager
“It’s been a good first day despite the windy circumstances, which all riders complained about. The tarmac is a lot better than before so they are happy with the grip of the track. Jorge was very consistent and happy with the set up. It’s very positive to be fastest so let’s work towards some more possibilities for tomorrow because I don’t think today was the fastest lap of the weekend.”

Yamaha Factory Racing Massimo Meregalli Team Director
“Today definitely started very well and we were able to get a lot of data. The bikes look like they are both working well. As a result we were able to make improvements much more quickly than the previous two races. This track is very suitable for our bike. It’s really important to start like this at the beginning and make the setting of the bike as good as possible. We are satisfied with today but will keep pushing and working to make something even better for tomorrow.”

— Repsol HRC Report

It’s been a mixed day for the Repsol Honda riders, Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa, in preparation for Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix.

This morning’s FP1 session went according to plan with both riders putting in fast laps on the new asphalt in Phillip Island and finishing 2nd and 4th respectively. Then in FP2 this afternoon, Marc crashed at turn nine on his first run, resulting in the bike being unusable for the remainder of the session and Dani was forced to stop on track due to a mechanical problem caused by a small mistake by his team – the engine mounting bolt was not properly locked and came loose. However, Dani realised there was a problem immediately and pulled his bike safely off the track.

Marc, who after the crash went out on his second bike, was unable to improve from his morning time of 1’29.255, placing him 2nd for the day – 6th in FP2 , and Dani improved by half a second in the afternoon with a 1’29.478 leaving him 4th for this first day in Australia.

Marc Marquez 2nd 1’29.255 – “The day went well – especially in the morning. It’s a pity about the crash right at the start of the afternoon run but we went back out with the second bike, which had a totally different geometry and we had no time in which to change things. Thus, we used the initial setup for the entire session. We shall see if tomorrow we can regain the feeling that we had in the morning session, as I felt very good – something that is very important at Phillip Island. We shall continue working in order to improve for the race”

Dani Pedrosa 4th 1’29.478 – “Today was very positive, the new asphalt felt good and the tyres worked well for us. The only setback was that we were unable to make the most of all the time available, due to a problem with the bike at the end of the afternoon session. That meant that we had to end the day early. In general it was a good day, and we shall try to improve further tomorrow”

— Ducati Report

The day-one free-practice sessions for Round 16 of the MotoGP World Championship, the Australian Grand Prix, was marked by strong winds, but with blue skies and springtime temperatures, the riders were able to set fast times on the resurfaced track.

Despite the wind, Ducati Team riders Nicky Hayden and Andrea Dovizioso worked well over the course of the two sessions, lowering their times slightly in the afternoon, and they were relatively pleased with their progress. At day’s end, the American was in ninth place on the time sheets, with his teammate one tenth of a second behind in tenth.

Nicky Hayden – Ducati Team, 9th (1:30.609)
“I’ve got to say, the new surface is really good. The grip is good and there aren’t really any seams. Thanks to the organizers because it’s much more of a joy to ride with more grip and without the bumps. I could certainly do without the wind, which really made things tough, but that’s the same for everybody and we’ve just got to deal with the situation. Things didn’t start too badly this morning apart from losing a bit of time in the box due to a small problem with a sensor. We started this afternoon with the same set of tyres and got well into race distance, and the drop in performance wasn’t too bad. I need to get a bit faster in the fast corners. The GP13 isn’t too bad here, but truthfully, we expected to be a bit closer than we are.”

Andrea Dovizioso – Ducati Team, 10th (1:30.754)
“First of all, the weather today is much nicer than yesterday, and that’s not always the case here. It’s just that the wind is really strong, and that makes things very difficult on a MotoGP bike. In some corners, the side winds blow the front end out a bit. Otherwise, I’m not bad. The new asphalt is nice, with fewer bumps. The wind is the big problem for everyone—maybe a bit more difficult to manage for us—but my times aren’t bad. We worked hard to make the bike work in these conditions because I can’t open the gas when I’d like in some corners, so the problems are different than at other tracks. We made some unusual changes to the setup, things that we do here in Australia, but it’s not enough at the moment. We’ll try to improve tomorrow.”

— Bridgestone Report

Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Extra-soft & Soft. Rear: Soft, Medium & Hard (Asymmetric)
Bridgestone wet tyre compounds available: Soft (Main) & Hard (Alternative)
Weather: FP1 – Dry. Ambient 15-16°C; Track 25-29°C (Bridgestone measurement)
FP2 – Dry. Ambient 20-21°C; Track 37-37°C (Bridgestone measurement)

Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo set a formidable pace to top the timesheets in Friday practice for the Australian Grand Prix, the reigning champion getting within a few tenths of the outright lap record in an exciting opening day at Phillip Island.

Lorenzo took full advantage of the grip offered by the recently resurfaced circuit to set a time of 1’28.961 in Free Practice 2 to beat Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez – who set a time of 1’29.255 in the morning FP1 session – by 0.294 seconds as the fastest rider of the day. Third quickest was GO&FUN Gresini Honda’s Alvaro Bautista whose personal best time of 1’29.438 made him the only rider besides Marquez to get within half a second of Lorenzo. Randy de Puniet put in a phenomenal performance to clock the eighth quickest lap of the day to top the CRT crop, the Power Electronics Aspar rider ending the day just 1.254 seconds off Lorenzo’s benchmark time.

Today saw dry yet typically blustery conditions at Phillip Island with a peak track temperature of 37°C recorded during the afternoon FP2 session. For FP1 all riders selected softer slick options front and rear for maximum warm-up performance and edge grip while assessing the new Phillip Island track surface for the first time. With warmer track temperatures present for FP2, some riders switched to the harder of the two front tyre options, the soft compound slick, although the majority of riders continued using the extra-soft compound front. Rear tyre choice followed suit with most riders preferring to use the softer slick options available to them, with only one rider choosing to try the harder rear slick option in the afternoon session.

Tomorrow’s weather forecast indicates slightly warmer conditions with a negligible chance of rain. The MotoGP™ riders will be out on track again at 1055 local time (GMT +11) tomorrow for FP3 before qualifying gets underway from 1510.

Shinji Aoki – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department
“This morning’s FP1 session was the first chance for us to assess what effect the new Phillip Island surface would have on tyre performance and straight away it was apparent that the new surface offers more grip which resulted in very quick lap times. It was great to see times getting close to the Circuit Best Lap time on the opening day! In the morning session softer slick options front and rear were used and the feedback from the riders was that these options were working very well. In FP2, six riders assessed the harder front slick which also received positive comments, and although only one rider assessed the harder rear slicks, the feedback received indicate that it gives good, consistent performance.

“We anticipated that the new tarmac at this circuit had the potential to make this circuit even more severe on tyres, so we analysed the tyres used by the riders today to see if this was the case. Our analysis shows that the tarmac has made this track tougher on tyres, so we have decided that although riders can still use the softer rear slicks for the remaining practice sessions and qualifying, for the race we have specified that all riders use the harder rear slick options available to them.”– MotoGP 2013 – Round 16 – Phillip Island – Possible history in the making for Marquez as Australian GP gets underway

The Tissot Australian Grand Prix got underway today with the regular pre-race conference, where this weekend’s possible title contender, Repsol Honda Team’s Marc Marquez, was joined by his main rival, Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo, Repsol teammate Dani Pedrosa, Monster Yamaha Tech3’s Cal Crutchlow, Tuenti HP 40’s Pol Espargaro and Caretta Technology – RTG’s Jack Miller.

Marquez, who could take the title if he outscores Lorenzo by eight points this weekend, is trying not to think of the title too much: “That is true, it will be the first chance, but I think it will be so, so difficult, because Jorge was so fast last year. He finished second but we know how Casey was here. It will just be another race for me. The most important is to try and get it – it doesn’t matter when. I look forward to riding a MotoGP bike here. It will be so exciting and the fast corners will be interesting. I saw some videos from last year, and Casey especially did some incredible lines, so we will see how Phillip Island is on a MotoGP bike.”

Lorenzo however, has vowed to make it difficult for Marquez: “The last two results were not the best. We wanted to win and finish in front of Marc, but we tried everything in Aragon and then finished worse than expected at Sepang. But that is done. We cannot think about the past. We are at Phillip Island with different circumstances and a different track. We will try to be as good as possible and win this race. Braking is our weakest point at the moment and it should be much colder, so in theory, yes, it is going to be a better track for us, but sometimes theory doesn’t work, so let’s see how it goes this weekend.”

Pedrosa, who last year did not finish the race, is hoping the new asphalt will work in his favour: “Last year wasn’t so successful, I crashed early with the cold tyre, but it’s key to get a good practice here and take the time well, especially in qualifying. Let’s see if we can do a good weekend overall. It’s hard to judge now, but obviously the previous one [asphalt] was quite old and there were many bumps. I think we will feel a big different with the new asphalt. We don’t know how the tyres will be, but for sure with these cold conditions it’s a better feeling when the track is new.”

Crutchlow, a podium sitter here previously, is aiming for the same once more: “It’s definitely going to be hard to repeat the performance of last year, when we got a bit fortunate with Dani crashing out. I’ve had a few bad results recently, but as Jorge said it should suit our bike better here. Podium last year and I don’t see any reason why we can’t do it again.”

News was also confirmed that Nicky Hayden will be on an Aspar Honda production racer in season 2014.

Espargaro, second in the Moto2™ class at the moment by nine points, believes both he and championship leader Scott Redding will be feeling the heat: “The pressure is on both of us because we’re almost at the finale in Valencia, with just three races to go. For sure we have a pressure, but it’s just about doing the races, but the strategy will be important and it’s just about doing the three races. I will just go for it, but for sure this year has been so different to last, and we also have the new asphalt.”Local Moto3™ talent Miller joked about the cold weather at the track in reference to it being his “home” circuit: “Home! Sort of. I don’t claim Phillip Island to be part of Australia – we don’t get this weather where I am from! It’s good to be home…‘homeish’ anyway, before we go to Japan! It’s definitely been a difficult year on the Honda. Handling-wise the bike is awesome but we struggle in straight lines. It’s been a good year but we seem to fall off because of tyre wear in the second halves of races.”To mark the occasion of a possible World Champion being crowned at the race this weekend’s race in the form of Marquez, the 10 contenders across all groups lined up for photos before the press conference. Moto3™ saw Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Luis Salom joined by Estrella Galicia 0,0’s Alex Rins and Team Calvo’s Maverick Viñales, whilst in Moto2™ there was the Marc VDS Racing duo of Scott Redding and Mika Kallio along side Tuenti HP 40 riders Pol Espargaro and Esteve Rabat. In MotoGP™ it was the Spanish trio of Marquez, Lorenzo and Pedrosa.

In separate news, LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl, who fractured his right ankle in a crash in Sepang, has been declared fit to ride in FP1 tomorrow morning. He will however will be reassessed after the session.

Yesterday, a group of riders including Tech3’s Bradley Smith, GO&FUN Honda Gresini’s Bryan Staring, PBM’s Damian Cudlin and Michael Laverty, Pol Espargaro, QMMF Racing Team’s Anthony West, as well as Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Arthur Sissis, met some of the stars of Melbourne Heart FC at the AAMI Park in the city for a quick training session. Players Patrick Kisnorbo and Iain Ramsay shared some of their on-field wisdom with the riders clad in Heart FC shirts, before being handed a chequered flag of their own to mark the occasion.

— MotoGP 2013 – Round 15 – Sepang
— Pedrosa victorious as Lorenzo and Marquez battle in hot Malaysia

Dani Pedrosa has won the Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle GP, collecting his third victory of the 2013 MotoGP™ season. Marc Marquez completed a Repsol Honda Team one-two after a nail-biting battle with Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo, as the reigning World Champion rounded out the podium.

With four races to go in 2013, Sepang marked the first event of a triple-header which next weekend takes the MotoGP™ fraternity to Australia, before racing in Japan on the final weekend of the month. Saturday saw Marquez storm to a fourth consecutive pole position as the newcomer attempted to edge ever closer to an historic title win.

Pedrosa’s victory came as his first for almost five months, having not stood atop the podium since Le Mans in mid-May. He narrowly missed out on taking the lead as Lorenzo swept through at the start, but overhauled the Mallorcan at the end of the first lap. As Lorenzo became involved in an intense battle with Marquez, who finally made the move stick at Turn 14 with just over 11 laps to go, Pedrosa extended his advantage to pick up a second successive victory on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur.

The result means all three of the rostrum finishers retain mathematical possibilities of clinching the World Championship, although Marquez is the only rider who could claim the title at Phillip Island next weekend. Should he do so, the 20-year-old Catalan would become the first rookie premier class title winner for 35 years.

Outside of the top three at Sepang, multiple winner Valentino Rossi (Yamaha Factory Racing) experienced a somewhat lonely ride to fourth spot as Alvaro Bautista (GO&FUN Honda Gresini) came out on top in a battle with Cal Crutchlow (Monster Yamaha Tech3); the Spaniard now moves up to sixth place in the Riders’ Championship, ahead of LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl who was forced to miss the race because of a broken ankle. Tech3’s Bradl Smith and Ducati Team’s Andrea Dovizioso were seventh and eighth, ahead of lead CRT runner Aleix Espargaro (Power Electronics Aspar) and Yonny Hernandez (Ignite Pramac Racing).

In 15th spot, NGM Mobile Forward Racing’s Colin Edwards clinched the final point after he, Avintia Blusens’ Hector Barbera and PBM’s Michael Laverty were handed ride-through penalties for jumping the start. A total of five riders failed to finish, including 2006 World Champion Nicky Hayden who parked his Ducati Team machine on the start/finish straight after suffering technical problems.

Round 16 of 18, the Tissot Australian Grand Prix, will take place next weekend as Marc Marquez attempts to become the youngest ever MotoGP™ World Champion.

— MotoGP™ Race Classification – Round 15
1 Dani Pedrosa 40’45.191 SPA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
2 Marc Marquez +2.757 SPA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
3 Jorge Lorenzo +6.669 SPA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing
4 Valentino Rossi +10.351 ITA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing
5 Alvaro Bautista +22.149 SPA HONDA Go & Fun Honda Gresini
6 Cal Crutchlow +22.301 GBR YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
7 Bradley Smith +30.864 GBR YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
8 Andrea Dovizioso +45.111 ITA DUCATI Ducati Team
9 Aleix Espargaro +59.264 SPA ART Power Electronics Aspar
10 Yonny Hernandez +1’01.417 COL DUCATI Ignite Pramac Racing Team
11 Hiroshi Aoyama +1’03.665 JAP FTR Avintia Blusens
12 Randy De Puniet +1’14.256 FRA SUZUKI Suzuki Test Team
13 Claudio Corti +1’21.603 ITA FTR-KAWASAKI NGM Mobile Forward Racing
14 Hector Barbera +1’27.976 SPA FTR Avintia Blusens
15 Colin Edwards +1’29.442 USA FTR-KAWASAKI NGM Mobile Forward Racing
16 Danilo Petrucci +1’29.551 ITA IODA-SUTER Came IodaRacing Project
17 Luca Scassa +1’47.930 ITA ART Cardion AB Motoracing
18 Bryan Staring +1’52.927 AUS FTR-HONDA Go & Fun Honda Gresini
19 Michael Laverty DNF GBR PBM Paul Bird Motorsport
20 Lukas Pesek DNF CZE IODA-SUTER Came IodaRacing Project
21 Nicky Hayden DNF USA DUCATI Ducati Team
22 Damian Cudlin DNF AUS PBM Paul Bird Motorsport
23 Andrea Iannone DNF ITA DUCATI Energy T.I. Pramac Racing Team

— Championship standings
1 Marc Marquez 298 pts SPA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
2 Jorge Lorenzo 255 pts SPA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing
3 Dani Pedrosa 244 pts SPA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
4 Valentino Rossi 198 pts ITA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing
5 Cal Crutchlow 166 pts GBR YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
6 Alvaro Bautista 136 pts SPA HONDA Go & Fun Honda Gresini
7 Stefan Bradl 135 pts GER HONDA LCR Honda MotoGP
8 Andrea Dovizioso 120 pts ITA DUCATI Ducati Team
9 Nicky Hayden 102 pts USA DUCATI Ducati Team
10 Bradley Smith 89 pts GBR YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
11 Aleix Espargaro 83 pts SPA ART Power Electronics Aspar
12 Michele Pirro 50 pts ITA DUCATI Ignite Pramac Racing Team
13 Andrea Iannone 47 pts ITA DUCATI Energy T.I. Pramac Racing Team
14 Colin Edwards 32 pts USA FTR-KAWASAKI NGM Mobile Forward Racing
15 Hector Barbera 29 pts SPA FTR Avintia Blusens
16 Randy De Puniet 27 pts FRA SUZUKI Suzuki Test Team
17 Danilo Petrucci 23 pts ITA IODA-SUTER Came IodaRacing Project
18 Yonny Hernandez 17 pts COL DUCATI Ignite Pramac Racing Team
19 Hiroshi Aoyama 13 pts JAP FTR Avintia Blusens
20 Claudio Corti 11 pts ITA FTR-KAWASAKI NGM Mobile Forward Racing
21 Ben Spies 9 pts USA DUCATI Ignite Pramac Racing Team
22 Karel Abraham 5 pts CZE ART Cardion AB Motoracing
23 Alex De Angelis 5 pts RSM DUCATI Ignite Pramac Racing Team
24 Michael Laverty 3 pts GBR PBM Paul Bird Motorsport
25 Bryan Staring 2 pts AUS FTR-HONDA Go & Fun Honda Gresini
26 Javier Del Amor 1 pts SPA FTR Avintia Blusens
27 Martin Bauer 0 pts AUT S&B SUTER Remus Racing Team
28 Lukas Pesek 0 pts CZE IODA-SUTER Came IodaRacing Project
29 Luca Scassa 0 pts ITA ART Cardion AB Motoracing
30 Ivan Silva 0 pts SPA FTR Avintia Blusens
31 Blake Young 0 pts USA APR CRT Attack Performance

— Marquez in contention for title as Philip Island beckons

Despite missing out on the win last time out in Malaysia, Repsol Honda Team rookie Marc Marquez has a mathematical chance of winning the World Championship at this weekend’s Tissot Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island if he beats Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo by sufficient points to go into the last two races with a 50-point margin.

Marquez now holds a 43-point lead heading into the race, meaning that a win could get him the title should Lorenzo not finish second – which would be the first time a rookie has taken the championship in 35 years since Kenny Roberts in 1978. However this might be tricky with the form Marquez’s teammate Dani Pedrosa is in, following his dominant win in Sepang last time out. Pedrosa is not out of the title chase yet, but knows that only wins will suffice to keep his chances alive.

Yamaha duo Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi will hope that the notoriously colder conditions at the track will suit their M1s better, with both not quite competitive enough in Sepang. Monster Yamaha Tech3’s Cal Crutchlow will aim to take the fight to the front-runners once more, as a set-up error in Sepang left him with too much power in the early stages, spinning the rear tyre up too much in the bends and loosing traction.

GO&FUN Honda Gresini’s Alvaro Bautista, who beat Crutchlow last time out, will aim for a repeat or better, whilst many will be awaiting whether LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl will be declared fit after fracturing his right ankle on the Saturday in Sepang. Tech3’s Bradley Smith had one of his best races to date in Malaysia, and will be aiming to take that rhythm to Australia, whilst the Ducati Team of Andrea Dovizioso and Nicky Hayden will look to close the gap to the Japanese manufacturers.Yonny Hernandez will continue to substitute for Ben Spies on the Ignite Pramac Ducati, with Damian Cudlin also maintaining the spot in the PBM team. Luca Scassa remains the replacement for the inured Karel Abraham. All three will be once again looking to get past Power Electronics Aspar’s Aleix Espargaro, who remains the dominant force in the CRT category.World Championship Standings MotoGP™
1 Marc Marquez 298 pts SPA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
2 Jorge Lorenzo 255 pts SPA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing
3 Dani Pedrosa 244 pts SPA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
4 Valentino Rossi 198 pts ITA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing
5 Cal Crutchlow 166 pts GBR YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
6 Alvaro Bautista 136 pts SPA HONDA Go & Fun Honda Gresini
7 Stefan Bradl 135 pts GER HONDA LCR Honda MotoGP
8 Andrea Dovizioso 120 pts ITA DUCATI Ducati Team
9 Nicky Hayden 102 pts USA DUCATI Ducati Team
10 Bradley Smith 89 pts GBR YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
11 Aleix Espargaro 83 pts SPA ART Power Electronics Aspar
12 Michele Pirro 50 pts ITA DUCATI Ignite Pramac Racing Team
13 Andrea Iannone 47 pts ITA DUCATI Energy T.I. Pramac Racing Team
14 Colin Edwards 32 pts USA FTR-KAWASAKI NGM Mobile Forward Racing
15 Hector Barbera 29 pts SPA FTR Avintia Blusens
16 Randy De Puniet 27 pts FRA SUZUKI Suzuki Test Team
17 Danilo Petrucci 23 pts ITA IODA-SUTER Came IodaRacing Project
18 Yonny Hernandez 17 pts COL DUCATI Ignite Pramac Racing Team
19 Hiroshi Aoyama 13 pts JAP FTR Avintia Blusens
20 Claudio Corti 11 pts ITA FTR-KAWASAKI NGM Mobile Forward Racing
21 Ben Spies 9 pts USA DUCATI Ignite Pramac Racing Team
22 Karel Abraham 5 pts CZE ART Cardion AB Motoracing
23 Alex De Angelis 5 pts RSM DUCATI Ignite Pramac Racing Team
24 Michael Laverty 3 pts GBR PBM Paul Bird Motorsport
25 Bryan Staring 2 pts AUS FTR-HONDA Go & Fun Honda Gresini
26 Javier Del Amor 1 pts SPA FTR Avintia Blusens
27 Martin Bauer 0 pts AUT S&B SUTER Remus Racing Team
28 Lukas Pesek 0 pts CZE IODA-SUTER Came IodaRacing Project
29 Luca Scassa 0 pts ITA ART Cardion AB Motoracing
30 Ivan Silva 0 pts SPA FTR Avintia Blusens
31 Blake Young 0 pts USA APR CRT Attack Performance

— Moto2

The Moto2™ class looks set to provide a thriller of a race as the grid heads to the second of the triple-header in Phillip Island for the Tissot Australian Grand Prix with the front-runners separated by only nine points.

Marc VDS Racing Team’s Scott Redding had a race to forget last time out in Sepang, with his lead cut significantly by Tuenti HP 40’s Pol Espargaro, who now lies a strong second with 75 points still to collect. The race however, does not appear to be between only two any more, as Espargaro’s teammate Esteve Rabat lies only 28 points off Redding, and took a dominant win in Sepang.

The entire field looks strong, with the likes of Interwetten Paddock Moto2 Racing’s Tom Luthi, Came IodaRacing Project’s Johann Zarco, and Technomag carXpert’s Dominique Aegerter putting in great showings in Malaysia. However, there will be many eyes peeled on whether local talent Anthony West on his QMMF Racing Team machine will be able to repeat his podium from last year.

Alex Mariñelarena continues to substitute for Dani Rivas in the Blusens Avintia team, whilst Mike di Meglio’s replacement in the JiR Moto2 team will be Japanese rider Kohta Nozane.

World Championship Standings Moto2™
1- Scott Redding GBR Kalex 224
2- Pol Espargaro SPA Kalex
3- Tito Rabat SPA Kalex 196
4- Mika Kallio FIN Kalex 156
5- Takaaki Nakagami JPN Kalex 138

— Moto3

Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Luis Salom is the man to catch once again as the Moto3™ contingent heads south to contest the Tissot Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island, with the Mallorcan having extended his lead at the top of the championship with a hard-fought win last time out in Malaysia.

He now holds a 14-point lead from nearest rival, Estrella Galicia 0,0’s Alex Rins, whom he narrowly beat in Sepang. Yet Rins is right on his heels and looking to claw back points to improve his championship aspirations. One rider looking for an increase in performance is Team Calvo’s Maverick Viñales, who struggled somewhat in the Malaysian heat, despite not being far off the leading pace.

Caretta Technology – RTG’s Jack Miller and Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Arthur Sissis will be doing their upmost to impress their home crowd, with Sissis getting a podium at the circuit last year. However this year it is Miller who is the rider on form, and will no doubt be aiming to stop the Spanish dominance. They will be joined by two local wildcards in the form of Lachlan Kevney with the Bullet Racing team, as well as Callum Barker from Barker – McVey Racing.

World Championship Standings Moto3™
1- Luis Salom SPA KTM 284
2- Alex Rins SPA KTM 270
3- Maverick Viñales SPA KTM 258
4- Alex Marquez SPA KTM 162
5- Jonas Folger GER Kalex KTM 137– MotoGP – Round 16 – Phillip Island
— Aussie watch: quick quintet under the microscope

Across the three classes at this weekend’s Tissot Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix there will be almost 100 starters – and five of the full-time World Championship riders will be racing on home soil. King Casey may not be racing, but there are still Aussies looking for home support in each of the three categories on view, Moto3, Moto2 and MotoGP itself.

The numbers home fans are looking for are 50 – 67 – 95 – 8 – 61. The first two belong to our two representatives in the elite MotoGP field, Damian Cudlin and Bryan Staring.

Both are Johnny-come-Latelies in this high-class company: West Australian Staring got the call just before this season started to sign up with Fausto Gresini’s squad, while Taree man Cudlin arrived even later: the race in Aragon, Spain, two weeks ago was his first of the year as he replaced Yonny Hernandez at Paul Bird Motorsport.

It’s Cudlin who rides the #50 bike, a home-grown machine from the British-based Paul Bird Motorsport team. It’s a minor miracle that he is there at all: he crashed at Eastern Creek when he was 18 and was told he might never walk again.

Runner-up in the World Endurance Championship last year, Cudlin spent a long apprenticeship in that category and further honed his skills in his adopted homeland of Germany.

He was German Supersport champion in 2010, made his Moto2 debut in that year’s German Grand Prix, finishing seventh, and earned a MotoGP debut in Japan in 2011 as stand-in for the great Loris Capirossi on a Pramac Ducati.

Now the 30-year-old has been released from IDM Superbike duties with RAC (Racing Against Cancer) BMW in order to accept the PBM offer to ride in all three long-haul races at season’s end.

It hasn’t gone exactly to plan: early retirement in Aragon with gearbox trouble on debut for PBM was followed by a bizarre mishap in Malaysia last weekend when a ruptured exhaust left Cudlin with “a seat like a frying pan” and forced him out after seven laps.

Staring, who rides the #67 bike, proudly has Australian national titles in 125cc, Supersport and Superbike racing on his CV, but the MotoGP learning-curve has proved unusually steep for the 26-year-old from Perth.

“I’ll be going in wide-eyed,” he admitted when the news of his move to the Italian squad broke. Soon after, Staring’s debut turned sour when he retired after just one lap of the Qatar Grand Prix.

“Gutted with my race last night. I still can’t believe it,” he said. “More tricks to MotoGP than what’s in the handbook.”

Staring rides the CRT (Claiming Rules Teams) bike in the Gresini squad as opposed to the faster satellite Honda raced by teammate Alvaro Bautista. Development work and his own apprenticeship are tough.

“If ever we have something new to try I guess that’s where things are slowed down,” says Staring, “as it’s only me doing the laps and I can only do so many laps in a 45-minute session to learn not only the best outcome in terms of that new part while all the time still trying to learn the circuit.

“It’s just an absolutely enormous amount of information to take in over the four sessions before you race. I’ve only got two arms and two legs!”

He’s only got two World Championship points as well, picked up when he made it to the end of a Catalunya race that eight other riders failed to finish. Will he be around the MotoGP scene in 2014? Already we have learned that Moto2 front-runner Scott Redding is moving to the Gresini squad: where that leaves the likeable Staring remains to be seen.

The man on the #95 machine in the Moto2 class will be the most familiar of all to Phillip Island fans. It’s 15 years since Anthony West made his debut there as a 125cc wild card; his last race in Malaysia last weekend was the 200th of his Grand Prix career.

That is a remarkable statistic for two reasons: West has struggled year in, year out to find the machinery and the financial backing to prolong his career. And he is only the second Australian to pass the 200-race milestone, the other being the great Jack Findlay, winner of three premier-class Grands Prix in a 20-year career through the 1960’s and 1970’s.

Just once has Queenslander West stood on the top step of a World Championship podium, and that was at a wet Assen in the Netherlands a whole decade ago. That success cemented West’s enduring ‘Rain Man’ nickname. “I’ve always liked big bikes because you can slide them around and use the rear wheel like in dirt track racing,” he said. “That’s my style, and that’s why I can go fast in the rain.”Rescued from relative oblivion by the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation last year, West surprised everyone, himself included, with second place at Phillip Island. A repeat might be too much to hope for – he hasn’t finished higher than seventh this year – but with Ant West it won’t be for want of trying. He has just scored points for the seventh time this year with 13th in that 200th milestone Grand Prix in Malaysia.

Australia’s last two hopefuls race in the Moto3 class. The #8 Caretta Technology – Racing Team Germany FTR Honda belongs to another Queenslander, Jack Miller. He likes to call himself ‘Aussie Jack’ and is in his second full season in the class.

Miller has exceeded expectations this season with no fewer than 11 points-scoring finishes, putting him seventh overall in the Moto3 standings. Malaysia last weekend saw him storm through to the top six in the closing stages and he now stands seventh overall on 89 points.

Whatever else happens this year, Miller’s future is secure: he has already been signed by the top squad in the category, Aki Ajo’s Red Bull KTM team.

“We are very happy to have signed Jack Miller to ride for us next season,” said the man who has guided names like Mike di Meglio, Sandro Cortese and current MotoGP sensation Marc Marquez to world titles. “I think that everyone has seen that he is one of the biggest talents for the future in the World Championship.”

Where does Miller’s arrival leave current Red Bull KTM Ajo rider Arthur Sissis? The Adelaide youngster rides the #61 bike for that squad this season and must hope for a string of strong results between now and the last race in Valencia to cement his own place. Malaysia didn’t provide one: Sissis qualified poorly and finished 19th.

He too produced a surprise podium finish at the Island last year in third place but Indianapolis brought his only top-six result of 2013 so far and he is four places below his compatriot in the overall standings on 59 points.

All to play for, then, among the Aussie quintet: Staring and Cudlin seeking to secure a place at the elite level, West keen to build on his 200-race foundation, and teenagers Miller and Sissis desperate to make their own way to the top.

Come on Aussie!

— Moto2™

Tito Rabat has completed a dominant weekend in the Moto2™ Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle GP, topping every session before winning a shortened race. Pol Espargaro finished second with championship leader Scott Redding seventh, meaning the Englishman’s points advantage decreases from twenty points to nine.

Originally scheduled to be a 19-lap encounter, the race distance was shortened to 12 tours following a delay after a multiple collision on the opening lap. After the initial incident for Axel Pons (Tuenti HP 40), Fadli Immammuddin (JIR Moto2) collected the stranded bike before Ezequiel Iturrioz (Blusens Avintia), Zaqhwan Zaidi (Technomag carXpert) and Decha Kraisart (Singha Eneos Yamaha Tech 3) also became involved. Thankfully, all riders escaped major injury.

At the restart, Espargaro took advantage by clinching the lead, only for Rabat to slide back ahead and remain in front for the rest of the race. His third victory of the season moves him to within 28 points of the championship leader with a maximum of 75 still on offer across the final trio of Grand Prix. After overhauling Interwetten Paddock Moto2 Racing’s Luthi at the start of the penultimate tour, Espargaro clinched second place to reduce Redding’s championship lead yet further.

Redding (Marc VDS Racing Team) lost another point when Johann Zarco (Came IodaRacing Project) slipstreamed his way into sixth place on the finish line, while fourth and fifth positions were filled by Redding’s teammate Mika Kallio and Technomag carXpert’s Dominique Aegerter, who at the restart appeared to have triggered an incident which took both Alex de Angelis (NGM Mobile Forward Racing) and Xavier Simeon (Maptaq SAG Zelos Team) out of the race.

Reigning Moto3™ World Champion Sandro Cortese (Dynavolt Intact GP) fell at the final corner following a battle with Danny Kent (Tech3) who finished 12th, while Anthony West was 13th for QMMF Racing Team to pick up points in his 200th World Championship start. Three races remain in the 2013 season, starting with the Tissot Australian Grand Prix from Phillip Island next weekend.Moto2™ Race Classification
1 / Esteve RABAT / SPA / Tuenti HP 40 / KALEX / 25’45.411 / 155 /
2 / Pol ESPARGARO / SPA / Tuenti HP 40 / KALEX / 25’46.974 / 154.9 / 1.563
3 / Thomas LUTHI / SWI / Interwetten Paddock Moto2 Rac / SUTER / 25’48.321 / 154.7 / 2.91
4 / Mika KALLIO / FIN / Marc VDS Racing Team / KALEX / 25’50.225 / 154.6 / 4.814
5 / Dominique AEGERTER / SWI / Technomag carXpert / SUTER / 25’52.763 / 154.3 / 7.352
6 / Johann ZARCO / FRA / Came Iodaracing Project / SUTER / 25’55.201 / 154.1 / 9.79
7 / Scott REDDING / GBR / Marc VDS Racing Team / KALEX / 25’55.251 / 154.1 / 9.84
8 / Takaaki NAKAGAMI / JPN / Italtrans Racing Team / KALEX / 25’57.305 / 153.9 / 11.894
9 / Jordi TORRES / SPA / Aspar Team Moto2 / SUTER / 25’57.713 / 153.8 / 12.302
10 / Julian SIMON / SPA / Italtrans Racing Team / KALEX / 26’00.935 / 153.5 / 15.524
11 / Simone CORSI / ITA / NGM Mobile Racing / SPEED UP / 26’01.601 / 153.4 / 16.19
12 / Danny KENT / GBR / Tech 3 / TECH 3 / 26’10.602 / 152.5 / 25.191
13 / Anthony WEST / AUS / QMMF Racing Team / SPEED UP / 26’11.393 / 152.5 / 25.982
14 / Ricard CARDUS / SPA / NGM Mobile Forward Racing / SPEED UP / 26’11.451 / 152.5 / 26.04
15 / Marcel SCHROTTER / GER / Maptaq SAG Zelos Team / KALEX / 26’11.791 / 152.4 / 26.38

CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS: 1 REDDING 224, 2 ESPARGARO 215, 3 RABAT 196, 4 KALLIO 156, 5 NAKAGAMI 138, 6 AEGERTER 133, 7 ZARCO 123, 8 LUTHI 110, 9 TEROL 108, 10 TORRES 90, 11 CORSI 79, 12 SIMEON 71, 13 SIMON 63, 14 DE ANGELIS 46, 15 PASINI 42.

— Moto3™

Luis Salom has extended his Moto3™ championship lead by coming out on top of a multiple-rider battle in Malaysia. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider beat Alex Rins by just 69 thousands of a second, with Miguel Oliveira completing the podium.

After 18 circulations of the Sepang International Circuit, the lead had changed almost by the lap, with a dramatic race always a prospect after a shaking up of the usual order in Saturday’s qualifying session. Salom started from pole position, with Ongetta-Rivacold’s Alexis Masbou and GO&FUN Gresini Moto3’s Niccolo Antonelli sharing the front row. Masbou would take the lead as the race began, but by the time the final lap arrived the Frenchman had fallen to seventh while a six-rider group battled for the positions at the sharp end of the race.

Leading into the final lap, Salom would lose his advantage to Estrella Galicia 0,0’s Rins but had critically retaken the advantage as the pack headed down the back straight for the final time. Rins attacked at the final corner, but was narrowly deprived of a hat-trick of consecutive victories. In third place, Miguel Oliveira and Mahindra Racing collected their first podium finish of the 2013 campaign, while the top five was completed by Rins’ teammate Alex Marquez and Team Calvo’s Maverick Viñales (both of whom had taken turns in the lead), with Jack Miller sixth for Caretta Technology – RTG, but only one second behind the winner.

The aforementioned Masbou ended his day in seventh spot, ahead of Mapfre Aspar Team Moto3’s Jonas Folger who had topped the Warm-Up session, while Team Calvo’s Ana Carrasco was delighted to score her first World Championship point courtesy of 15th position. However, there was immense disappointment for Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Zulfahmi Khairuddin, unable to race in his home Grand Prix and in which he finished a close second last year, as he suffered pain from the wrist injury he sustained last time out in Aragón. Eight riders failed to finish, including front row starter Antonelli and CIP Moto3’s Alan Techer who was taken to the Medical Centre after suffering a fracture to his left kneecap.

Salom’s victory raises his points total to 284 with three races remaining, leading Rins by 14 points with a maximum of 75 still on off. Viñales sites third on 258 points, 26 in arrears of Salom ahead of next weekend’s Tissot Australian Grand Prix.

Moto3™ Race Classification
1 / Luis SALOM / SPA / Red Bull KTM Ajo / KTM / 40’42.441 / 147.1 /
2 / Alex RINS / SPA / Estrella Galicia 0,0 / KTM / 40’42.510 / 147.1 / 0.069
3 / Miguel OLIVEIRA / POR / Mahindra Racing / MAHINDRA / 40’42.849 / 147.1 / 0.408
4 / Alex MARQUEZ / SPA / Estrella Galicia 0,0 / KTM / 40’43.223 / 147.1 / 0.782
5 / Maverick VIÑALES / SPA / Team Calvo / KTM / 40’43.496 / 147.1 / 1.055
6 / Jack MILLER / AUS / Caretta Technology – RTG / FTR HONDA / 40’43.518 / 147.1 / 1.077
7 / Alexis MASBOU / FRA / Ongetta-Rivacold / FTR HONDA / 40’47.457 / 146.8 / 5.016
8 / Jonas FOLGER / GER / Mapfre Aspar Team Moto3 / KALEX KTM / 40’48.718 / 146.8 / 6.277
9 / Romano FENATI / ITA / San Carlo Team Italia / FTR HONDA / 40’49.393 / 146.7 / 6.952
10 / Philipp OETTL / GER / Tec Interwetten Moto3 Racing / KALEX KTM / 40’53.403 / 146.5 / 10.962
11 / Brad BINDER / RSA / Ambrogio Racing / MAHINDRA / 40’53.537 / 146.5 / 11.096
12 / Niklas AJO / FIN / Avant Tecno / KTM / 41’03.453 / 145.9 / 21.012
13 / Jakub KORNFEIL / CZE / Redox RW Racing GP / KALEX KTM / 41’11.884 / 145.4 / 29.443
14 / Isaac VIÑALES / SPA / Ongetta-Centro Seta / FTR HONDA / 41’13.982 / 145.3 / 31.541
15 / Ana CARRASCO / SPA / Team Calvo / KTM / 41’14.020 / 145.3 / 31.579

CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS: 1 SALOM 284, 2 RINS 270, 3 VIÑALES 258, 4 MARQUEZ 162, 5 FOLGER 137, 6 OLIVEIRA 131, 7 MILLER 89, 8 MASBOU 78, 9 VAZQUEZ 62, 10 KHAIRUDDIN 60, 11 KORNFEIL 59, 12 SISSIS 59, 13 BINDER 55, 14 FENATI 55, 15 AJO 47.

— HRC Report

Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC213V) shrugged off lingering pain from his recent Aragon crash to score a convincing victory in today’s Malaysian GP, run in gruelling tropical heat. The former 250 and 125 World Champion was followed home by team-mate Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda RC213V), who once again increased his World Championship lead over Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) who finished third today.

Pedrosa – who also won here last year – finished the race 2.7 seconds ahead of Marquez to record his third victory of the season. The result gave the Repsol Honda team its fifth one-two finish of the season, following similarly impressive performances at Austin, Jerez, Indianapolis and Brno. The result increases Honda’s lead in the constructors’ title race and Repsol Honda’s lead in the team championship.

Starting from the second row of the grid, Pedrosa grabbed the lead from Lorenzo on lap five and was soon clear of the entertaining battle that raged behind him, with Lorenzo and pole-sitter Marquez swapping positions time and again before half distance. At one point the Yamaha rider made contact with the reigning Moto2 World Champion – who had set a new lap record on lap two – but their fight continued unabated until Marquez went inside his rival at Turn 14 on the ninth lap. From that moment on, Marquez had only the brilliant Pedrosa ahead, but he had lost too much time fighting back and forth with Lorenzo and soon realised that chasing his team-mate would entail taking too many risks. He knew full well that all he really needed to do was increase his points advantage over the reigning champ, which he duly did.

With 15 rounds gone and three to go, the remarkable 20-year-old rookie leads Lorenzo by 43 points. If he does go on to win the title, he will be the youngest crowned king of the elite class in the 65 year history of the sport.

After his third win of the season, Pedrosa sits just 11 points behind Lorenzo. Without the Aragon crash – which wasn’t his fault – he would still be very much in contention for the World Championship.

Alvaro Bautista (Team GO&FUN Honda Gresini RC213V) enjoyed a thrilling duel for fifth place with Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha), which went his way in the final few laps. In the early stages he had run with the lead group, but after running wide he lost touch and that allowed Crutchlow to catch and pass him. However, Bautista had the speed when it mattered most.

Australian rookie Bryan Staring (GO&FUN Honda Gresini FTR Honda) finished 18th, three places out of the points, and is looking forward to going to Phillip Island, a track he knows well.

Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda RC213V) missed today’s race after what should have been an uncomplicated low-side crash during yesterday’s final practice session. The German lost the front into Turn One and caught his right foot on some trackside carpet, which fractured the ankle. He underwent surgery in Kuala Lumpur last night and has yet to decide whether he will be able to race at Phillip Island next weekend.

Esteve Rabat (Tuenti HP 40 Pons Kalex) stormed to a brilliant win in the Honda-powered Moto2 race to strengthen his outside challenge for the World Championship. The Spaniard started from pole position and quickly made the shortened race – which had been stopped and restarted after a lap one pile-up – all his own. During the 12 laps no one got close to Rabat – who last won a race at Indy in August – and he took the chequered flag 1.5 seconds ahead of team-mate Pol Espargaro (Tuenti HP40 Pons Kalex) who won a tense duel for second place with Thomas Luthi (Interwetten Paddock Suter).

Mika Kallio (Marc VDS Racing Team Kalex) came through to fourth at the finish after getting the better of Dominique Aegerter (Technomag carXpert Suter) in the closing stages. The Finn was just 0.6 seconds off the podium.

World Championship leader Scott Redding (Marc VDS Racing Team Kalex) had another difficult weekend, qualifying on the fourth row and finishing in seventh place after Johann Zarco (Came Ioda Racing Project Suter) had passed him at the final corner.

It might have been a different story without the first-lap accident. Redding had made a stunning start from row four to take fourth place at only the second corner, only for the red flags to come out moments later. He was unable to repeat the feat in the restart. With three races remaining, the Briton leads Espargaro by nine points.

None of the five riders involved in the pile-up was seriously hurt.

Jack Miller (Caretta Technology – RTG FTR Honda) rode a heroic Moto3 race, fighting his way into the lead pack to cross the line just one second behind race winner and series leader Luis Salom (KTM). Miller spent the last few laps in the thick of the lead group of six riders and passed two of them on the final lap, but he didn’t quite have the speed to hold them off and so finished the race in sixth spot. It was another impressive display from the Australian teenager who now travels to Phillip Island for his home race.

Alexis Masbou (Ongetta-Rivacold FTR Honda) also ran with the leaders in the early stages. After qualifying brilliantly to put himself on the front row, he led the charge away from the grid, then used his impressive late braking and corner speed to stay with the frontrunners. However, from mid-race he was troubled by vision problems – possibly the result of an old injury – and although he tried to keep pushing he had to ease his pace slightly and dropped back to lead the second group over the finish line in seventh place.

Romano Fenati (San Carlo Team Italia FTR Honda) enjoyed a stirring ride through the pack, from 19th at the end of the first lap all the way to ninth, just over a second behind Masbou. Isaac Vinales (Bimbo Ongetta-Centro Seta FTR Honda) was the final Honda rider in the points, the Spaniard finishing 14th.

Niccolo Antonelli (GO&FUN Gresini FTR Honda) was running in the top ten after qualifying on the front row of the grid, only to tumble shortly before half-distance.

The MotoGP paddock now continues its eastern tour, immediately heading south to Phillip Island for next Sunday’s Australian GP. The quick-fire action continues with the Japanese GP on October 27, before the circus returns to Europe for the Valencia GP season finale in Spain on November 10.

Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: race winner – “I am very happy with this win, as it is very special. My level of riding today was very good and the victory comes after a difficult week in which I was laid up in bed and could hardly move. To come here and win is fantastic, so thanks to all my team! It is a pity about what happened in Aragón, because we had the pace and the same chance of the win as we did here. However, we can’t keep looking back; we need to continue on and try to carry our form into the final races.”

Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda: 2nd – “These twenty points are very important and I’m really happy with how the race went today. I had a nice, fun battle with Lorenzo, but at the same time I could see that Dani was opening up a gap. When I finally managed to overtake Jorge and make the pass stick, I tried to reduce the distance that Dani had put between us. However, I saw that it was too risky to do so. From that moment on, I decided to focus on keeping Lorenzo at bay, because the goal here was to finish the race ahead of him. We did what we came here to do, so we are very happy!”

Alvaro Bautista, Team GO&FUN Honda Gresini: 5th – “I made a good start and that allowed me to get away with the front group for a few laps but then I had a moment when I couldn’t get the front brake lever fully on and I ran wide. It took me a couple of laps to get confident with the brakes again and I lost touch. Maybe in the battle with Valentino I overheated the brakes. It was a shame but I fought my way back to Crutchlow and then gritted my teeth to beat him in a fight to the end. Another important top-five finish for me, the team, who have done a great job again, and the sponsors.”

Bryan Staring, GO&FUN Honda Gresini: 18th – “The race went pretty much the same as the rest of the weekend here and unfortunately we just haven’t been competitive enough. We have struggled to get confident here and the only real consolation is that next week we go to my home race at Phillip Island, a circuit where I have won many races in the past.”

Moto2 rider quotes

Esteve Rabat, Tuenti HP 40 Pons: race winner – “It was a very difficult race – so hot! I got a good start and pushed from the beginning, then came the crash and the red flags. In the restart my tyres felt good so I could push immediately. But I made a mistake – for 12 laps I thought a water bottle wasn’t necessary – but it was! Also, I had some front and rear chatter, especially at turns five and six, where I lost time compared to yesterday. But I kept my head. I’m very happy with this result, so my congratulations to the team. Now we go to Australia and try to do the same. The title is not impossible – I have nothing to lose and everything to gain.”

Pol Espargaro, Tuenti HP40 Pons: 2nd – “I’m happy, especially because the weekend didn’t start so well for us. I had a very bad FP1, then FP2 was even worse – I didn’t have a good feeling with the bike. Yesterday we tried something completely different and tried a very different setting to give me more grip. We think this setting may also help us at other tracks. I was so fast in qualifying, which helped me relax more for the race, but I wasn’t so good with a full tank and new tyre. I think the restart helped me a lot. I pushed at the end but it was impossible to catch Tito [Rabat].”

Thomas Luthi, Interwetten Paddock: 3rd – “I had some rear-grip problems at the end, so I think the shorter race helped me. Tito had such a good pace, so I overtook Pol as quickly as I could and tried to stay close to Tito, but it was impossible. Then my rear tyre went down and I lost a lot of traction out of the corners, which is why I was put back into third place. Overall, a good weekend though, and I had a lot of fun here.”

Honda Moto3 Rider quotes

Jack Miller, Caretta Technology – RTG: 6th – “It was good, but a shame about the end, after I’d passed a couple of them on that last lap. It’s been good this weekend. We had the suspension dialled in great – after 18 laps in this heat the bike was still working well, so the team have done a fantastic job. We were sixth but we should be proud because we were only one second off the win – that’s our best-ever gap to the winner. And it’s great to get this result leading into Australia.”

Alexis Masbou, Ongetta-Rivacold: 7th – “It was good – hard work! This time the bike was very good – in the first laps it was so easy to stay with the KTMs and the lead group. We geared the bike shorter for the race, so it was a little difficult at the end of the straight, but in braking and through the corners I could stay with them easy. Then mid-race I started to have problems – I couldn’t see very well – maybe something to do with an old injury. That made it difficult to stay with the group. I tried again, but I was destroyed, so after that it was just trying to finish.”

Romano Fenati, San Carlo Team Italia: 9th – “After warm-up the bike was very good. During the race I had to fight through traffic which lost me a bit of time, so I couldn’t quite catch [Jonas] Folger. Now I go to Australia with high morale because with the team has improved the base set-up which is important. Improving our pace in qualifying remains the priority.”

— Yamaha Report

Defending world champion Jorge Lorenzo battled hard during the early stages of today’s Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix to take third on the podium.

Starting from fourth on the grid, the Yamaha Factory Racing rider was yet again off the start line like a bullet and the first rider through turn one in the lead. With both Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez snapping at his heels he put his head down and tried to break away. With 16 laps to go, Pedrosa made his move at the end of the back straight, taking the lead. Marquez then moved up into third and began an epic battle with Lorenzo, the two swapping positions multiple times and passing within millimetres of each other at speeds of over 190km per hour. With 11 laps to go Marquez was able to make his final pass tick on the inside of turn 14, leaving Lorenzo to hold third to the line and claim third on the podium.

Teammate Valentino Rossi dropped initially to fourth off the line from his second place grid position, tucked in behind Marquez on the first lap. The nine-time world champion made a move on Marquez at turn 10 but was unable to pass and settled back into fourth. Rossi spent several laps holding off the advances of Alvaro Bautista, narrowly escaping an incident when the Spanish rider overshot turn one, just missing Rossi as he ran wide. The rest of the race proved to be a lonely one as he held his position in fourth, crossing the line just over ten seconds behind the leader.

The results from the first of the overseas triple header sees Lorenzo hold second in the championship, now on 255 points, Rossi holds fourth on 198 points.

The team now moves directly to Australia for the next round at the Phillip Island circuit next weekend.

Jorge Lorenzo – 3rd / +6.669 / 20 laps
“We were much slower than the others today, especially after three or four laps. I tried to open a gap at the beginning like always but there was +0 on the board after a couple of laps. When Dani passed I tried to stay with him and also then again when Marc passed me. I tried to pass him some more times to make him nervous but it was impossible, he was much stronger today so we couldn’t do much more. To win the championship is almost impossible but I would like to finish second in the championship and win as many races as possible.”

Valentino Rossi – 4th / +10.351 / 20 laps
“Today was half and half for me, for sure we improved and made another step, improving the setting of the bike and I was able to be very close to Jorge. It looks like today our competitors had an advantage here; they were able to keep a better rhythm than us. Starting from second I hoped to arrive on the podium but I knew the top three guys were very strong. At the beginning of the race I lost some time as I had a problem with the front brakes. We continue to work and push and fight to be in with the top three.”

Yamaha Factory Racing Wilco Zeelenberg – Team Manager – “Well, it was a very hot race, especially at the beginning, Jorge made an amazing start again. I think he gave everything he had to fight with Marc but finally it was not enough and he had to let them go for third place. Podiums are always good and sometimes there are races you cannot win, this was one of those.”

Yamaha Factory Racing Massimo Meregalli – Team Director – “The weekend didn’t go as we expected. We suffered a drop off in tyre life and we couldn’t ride the bikes as we needed to. We tried hard to make the best setting to be fast and consistent but unfortunately we still needed something more. We won’t give up until the end and fortunately there is one race in a week’s time. We would like to have our revenge so we are really looking forward to Phillip Island.”

Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team riders Cal Crutchlow and Bradley Smith battled hard in baking hot conditions to claim sixth and seventh respectively in front of a record crowd of over 84,000 fans packed into the Sepang International Circuit.

Temperatures still hit over 30 degrees, despite heavy cloud cover and a strong wind blowing around the vast Malaysian motorsport arena, when Crutchlow and Smith engaged in an early battle at the start of the physically challenging 20-lap encounter. A brilliant start from rookie Smith moved him ahead of his compatriot on the opening lap before Crutchlow moved back into the top six. From that early juncture, former World Supersport Champion Crutchlow was caught in a long and tough battle with Spaniard Alvaro Bautista, which went right down to the chequered flag. Crutchlow and Bautista exchanged several overtakes in an exciting battle but the 27-year-old missed out on his first top five finish since the Indianapolis round in August by just 0.152s. Today’s result though consolidated Crutchlow’s position as the leading non-factory rider in the World Championship rankings on 166-points, which keeps him 30 points clear of Bautista with just three races remaining.

Smith strengthened his quest for a top 10 overall finish in the Championship standings after he rode to a lonely but very valuable seventh position. The platform for his 10th top 10 finish of the campaign was a terrific launch off the line that put him right on the back of the leading group in the opening exchanges. Unable to keep himself in the hunt for a third top six finish, Smith kept razor sharp concentration in the extreme heat to streak away from those behind with relative ease and his fastest lap of the race was only just over 0.7s behind Crutchlow’s. The nine-points collected this afternoon could prove vital in the chase for 10th in the final standings, with the 22-year-old now six points clear of main challenger Aleix Espargaro.

The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team has little time to catch its breath now, with the squad heading off to Australia for the second of a gruelling flyaway triple-header that concludes in Japan on October 27.

Cal Crutchlow – 6th – 166 points – “It was a difficult race and I am very pleased to be in the top six, though it would have been better to have won that fight with Alvaro. That’s about my level at the moment and we knew this is not an easy track for Yamaha. I lost quite a bit of time fighting with Alvaro because I was looking to push on and maybe chase Valentino. But at the start I couldn’t stop the bike with the soft front tyre and I had a few moments. And I was also struggling with a lack of rear grip and that made it quite a difficult race. It was a good battle with Alvaro and it was a pity he just beat me but at the of end of the day he is on a package very close to the one that won the race today. I’m still satisfied with sixth but I am not so happy with the gap to Dani at the front. I am confident though we will be stronger at Phillip Island.”

Bradley Smith – 7th – 89 points – “To be honest today was a good way to end a very positive weekend. During the last three days we improved in every single session, we made progress with the setting of the bike and me finishing in 7th position is obviously a pleasant fact for my Championship standing. Today the track conditions were very tricky and with the higher temperatures the behavior of the bike was very different to what I experienced during the whole weekend and it took me awhile to adjust my riding style. But my second half of the race was quite strong and I am pleased with this. Furthermore we improved my feeling on full fuel load where I normally struggled a lot and also finishing the race still seeing Cal and Alvaro was a very positive feeling. So altogether I’m truly satisfied with this event and I will fly to Australia full of confidence and looking forward to the race next week.”

— Ducati Report

The Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle GP, round fifteen of the MotoGP World Championship, was short on satisfaction for the Ducati Team.

Andrea Dovizioso started from eighth place on the grid and at the end of the 20-lap race, he was in the same position. Following a good start, the Italian went wide in Turn 14 on the third lap, forcing him to mount a difficult charge to make up lost positions. With teammate Nicky Hayden and fellow Ducati rider Andrea Iannone both dropping out, Dovizioso was able to take the chequered flag in eighth place.

Despite starting from the fourth row, Hayden did well in the early going and had climbed to eighth place by the third lap. Unfortunately, his bike suffered an engine problem at the end of lap eight, forcing him to retire. The engine will be sent back to the factory in Bologna to be analysed by the Corse technicians.

The MotoGP teams now head straight to Phillip Island in Australia, where the second leg of this overseas tripleheader will take place in one week’s time.

Andrea Dovizioso – Ducati Team, 8th – “I had a good start and was trying to stay with Smith, but I was very close to the limit and made a small mistake in Turn 14, where I closed the front. I went off-track and lost nearly ten seconds. Then it took at least seven corners for the normal grip on the right side of the tyre to come back, and I’m not sure why. We can’t be happy because our lap times were pretty disappointing. At the moment, it’s very hard for us; the other bikes have different characteristics and we aren’t able to close on them.”

Nicky Hayden – Ducati Team, DNF – “It’s a real shame because yesterday before FP4, the team made a good step with the bike. I didn’t ride well in qualifying, but this morning I was able to go faster than I had all weekend and had a pretty decent pace. In the race, I started eleventh but was able to move up a few spots and was having the best race I’ve had in a while. I was pulling away from Dovi pretty well and had just closed onto the back of Bradley. He was a little faster than I was in a few places, but I was better in some other spots. Just as I tipped it into the last corner, I heard a strange noise. I was hoping it was something on his bike, but when I opened the gas it was clear it was me. We need to let the engineers check out the engine to see what the problem was. It’s just a shame for me and the team to start the three-week trip this way.”

Paolo Ciabatti – Ducati MotoGP Project Director – “We’ve already sent Nicky’s engine to Bologna to be checked by the racing department, so we should soon know the real cause of the problem that occurred in the race. It’s a shame because Hayden had done a good warm-up session and was also having a good race, fighting with Smith. As for Andrea, he made a small mistake in the early laps and unfortunately, he immediately lost touch with Hayden, Iannone and Smith, forcing him to work his way back up. Once again, we don’t get much satisfaction from this race in Malaysia.”

— PBM Report

For the second Grand Prix in succession, it was a case of what might have been for the Penrith-based PBM MotoGP Team as both Michael Laverty and Damian Cudlin left round 15 of the MotoGP World Championship at Sepang empty handed.

In a virtual repeat scenario of two weeks ago at Aragon, Ulsterman Laverty crashed out aboard the CRT-specification Aprilia ART and Australian Cudlin retired the PBM-chassised Aprilia with a technical problem on his second ride for the team.

Laverty, from Toome in County Antrim, on the Rapid Solicitors and Minxflix.com-sponsored Aprilia ART for the second meeting, was continuing his progress aboard the machine and inside the top 20 for most of Free Practice at the Malaysian track, eventually qualifying on row seven in 19th place.

Meanwhile German-based Cudlin spent more time getting used to the unique Rapid Solicitors and Minxflix.com-sponsored PBM machine and qualified in 24th place on row eight.

In the race, both Laverty and Cudlin got good starts and ran strongly for the opening laps but for Michael, he was deemed to have been one of three riders who jumped the start and was penalised with a ride through penalty. What made it worse for the former British Supersport champion was that he was up to 15th place when he had to enter the pits for the penalty.

Cudlin was inside the top 20 when he retired on lap seven with a technical problem and the team’s day was compounded when Laverty crashed out at the final hairpin on unlucky lap 13 when pushing to make up the time lost in the pits.

Despite not scoring points since round three at Jerez, Laverty remains in 24th overall in the MotoGP World Championship standings in his debut season. In the Claiming Rules Teams (CRT) class, Laverty is in tenth whereas PBM occupy eighth in the Constructors Championship and 12th in the Teams Championship in their debut season with their brand new British-built machine.

Michael Laverty: “Things didn’t quite go my way on race day here at Sepang. Hector Barbera jumped the start in front of me, and I instinctively dropped the clutch and jerked forward. Unfortunately any movement before the lights is deemed a jump start. I was up to 15th position but the ride through penalty ruined any chance of scoring points which we had the pace to do today. I then had a small crash pushing hard trying to catch the guys in front. Hopefully a bit of luck comes our way next weekend in Phillip Island.”

Damian Cudlin: “Bad luck struck again which was a real pity. Before the exhaust ruptured I’d moved forward in the race and was enjoying a scrap with Staring and Scassa, but eventually the seat unit turned into a frying pan and I couldn’t sit on it any longer, I think I’ll need some Aloe Vera lotion for my butt tonight! Despite another setback, I feel we made progress here this weekend and I’m really enjoying riding for the PBM Team. Hopefully luck will finally swing our way at Phillip Island next week.”

Phil Borley, Technical Director: “After a double DNF at the last race, I didn’t think things could get any worse, but in Sepang it certainly didn’t get any better either! Michael got caught out with another rider’s jump start and after serving a ride through penalty he suffered a crash later in the race, so not a good afternoon. Damian was having a strong race but suffered a failure of a new performance upgrade component, which resulted in excessive heat being transferred to the seat unit, making it impossible to continue. Although we were aware of the fragility of this component, we deemed the performance gain was worth the risk but have learned the hard way to be more cautious in the future. On the positive side, both the bike setting and Damian’s feeling with the bike and tyres is improving and as he has previous race experience at the next two circuits we are hopeful of achieving some good results.”

— Bridgestone Report

Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Medium & Hard. Rear: Soft, Medium (Symmetric) & Hard (Asymmetric)
Bridgestone wet tyre compounds available: Hard (Main) & Soft (Alternative)
Weather: Dry. Ambient 32-33°C; Track 43-46°C (Bridgestone measurement)

Dani Pedrosa overcame his heartbreak from the last round at Aragon as the Repsol Honda rider dominated today’s race at Sepang International Circuit to win his second successive Malaysian Grand Prix.

Pedrosa made a fantastic start from fifth on the grid to and to slot into second place behind Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo at the first corner. On the fifth lap, Pedrosa squeezed past Lorenzo and then led all the way to the chequered flag. In second place was Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez, the championship leader also getting past Lorenzo who rounded out the podium in third position. Power Electronics Aspar’s Aleix Espargaro was once again the best of the CRT riders, taking ninth place in Malaysia.

Conditions for on race day were dry and the warmest of the entire race weekend with a peak track temperature of 46°C recorded at the start of the race. The warmer conditions didn’t have an effect on tyre choice, with riders choosing the same tyre combinations used during practice and qualifying. All but two riders on the grid selected the harder rear slick option, while only five of the twenty-three starters chose the harder front slick. Despite the hot conditions, the performance of all the slick compounds used in the race was consistent, with Marquez setting a new Circuit Record Lap of 2’01.415, and the overall race time was eighteen seconds quicker than the existing record.

With three rounds remaining, Marquez extends his points lead over Jorge Lorenzo to forty-three points, while Pedrosa’s third victory of the season sees him remain third overall, though he reduces the gap to Lorenzo to eleven points.

Hiroshi Yamada – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department – “Today we saw a wonderful performance from Dani to score his second straight Malaysian Grand Prix, so congratulations to him and the Repsol Honda team. There was great racing throughout the field today, particularly in the early stages of the contest and I am sure the sell-out crowd of 84,250 enjoyed the show put on by the riders today. The crowds for the Malaysian Grand Prix keep growing and after today’s spectacle, I have no doubt interest in this series will continue to grow in this region. We now head straight to Phillip Island for the second of the three back-to-back fly away rounds as the championship heads towards an exciting conclusion.”

Masao Azuma – Chief Engineer, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department – “Tyre performance today in the warmer conditions was very good with a new race lap and overall race time record being set and feedback from the riders indicates that tyre degradation over the race distance was predictable. Although track temperatures were warmer today, they weren’t at a level where it resulted in riders deviating from the tyre choices they made yesterday in practice and qualifying, with most riders preferring softer slick options front and rear. We had typically unsettled conditions here at Sepang, but our tyre allocation for the weekend was up to the task, and we now look forward to Phillip Island which is the most demanding race on our tyres.“

Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda – Race Winner – “It was a great feeling to come back and win this race, especially as it is quite hard physically. I didn’t have the best weekend early on, but I managed to come back strong today and get the win. At the last race I also felt I had the pace to win but unfortunately I crashed, but after today’s performance I’d like to thank my team, my fans and my family for their support.”

— Qualifying – Marquez takes Sepang Pole Position ahead of Valentino Rossi and Cal Crutchlow

Marc Marquez will start from a fourth consecutive MotoGP™ pole position for the Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix. Multiple Sepang winner Valentino Rossi lines up second from Britain’s Cal Crutchlow, with title contenders Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa on the second row of the grid.

Having crashed out in dramatic fashion at MotorLand Aragón, it was Pedrosa who topped the first three practice sessions at the Sepang International Circuit. However, when it came to qualifying, the 2012 race winner was unable to muster anything other than fifth place, six tenths of a second down on Marquez’s 2’00.011 pole which breaks Casey Stoner’s record of six years ago. This marks Marquez’s eighth pole of 2013, his fourth in succession and fifth from the latest six race events.

Rain had hit just before Qualifying 2, yet had dried out in most places of the track for slicks to be a viable option. However, riders were initially cautious, with many avoiding near crashes at Turn 6, which was still damp. Only in their second runs were riders able to push closer to their true potential.

In a repeat of the German GP front row, albeit with the second and third-placed riders reversed, Rossi and Crutchlow will start second and third for their respective Yamaha Factory Racing and Monster Yamaha Tech3 outfits. In the case of the nine-time World Champion, he provisionally held pole position after enjoying a slipstream from Ducati Team’s Andrea Dovizioso down the back straight, whereas Crutchlow celebrates a first front row start since his home race at Silverstone last month.

Lorenzo (Yamaha Factory Racing), who won his first MotoGP™ title at Sepang in 2010, will start fourth after missing out on pole by half a second. Behind the reigning World Champion, Marquez’s teammate Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) misses the front row despite his rapid pace throughout practice, while the championship contenders will be accompanied on Row 2 by Alvaro Bautista; incidentally, the GO&FUN Honda Gresini rider will rise to sixth in the riders’ standings if he finishes fifth or higher in the race, as LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl was put out of action after suffering a right ankle fracture through a crash in final practice.

Row 3 will consist of Tech3’s Bradley Smith, equalling his second best MotoGP™ qualifying position of seventh from the aforementioned Dovizioso and leading CRT runner Aleix Espargaro (Power Electronics Aspar), who passed through to the final shootout from Q1. Andrea Iannone rounds out the top ten for Energy T.I. Pramac Racing from Ducati Team’s Nicky Hayden, whereas the absent Bradl qualified 12th but is now set to return to Barcelona for surgery. This promotes NGM Mobile Forward Racing’s Colin Edwards to a fourth row position, with the grid completed by Damian Cudlin who contrary to initial plans races again with PBM this weekend.

Heading into Sunday’s race, which begins at 4pm local time (GMT +8) and with rain expected by many, Marquez heads Lorenzo in the standings by 39 points. Pedrosa is third overall and 59 points off the lead, meaning he could be mathematically ruled out of title contention depending on the results of Sunday’s 15th round of the season.

— MotoGP™ Qualifying Practice Classification
1 Marc Marquez 2’00.011 SPA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
2 Valentino Rossi 2’00.336 ITA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing
3 Cal Crutchlow 2’00.359 GBR YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
4 Jorge Lorenzo 2’00.578 SPA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing
5 Dani Pedrosa 2’00.692 SPA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
6 Alvaro Bautista 2’00.974 SPA HONDA Go & Fun Honda Gresini
7 Bradley Smith 2’01.306 GBR YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
8 Andrea Dovizioso 2’01.635 ITA DUCATI Ducati Team
9 Aleix Espargaro 2’02.151 SPA ART Power Electronics Aspar
10 Andrea Iannone 2’02.536 ITA DUCATI Energy T.I. Pramac Racing Team
11 Nicky Hayden 2’02.900 USA DUCATI Ducati Team
12 Stefan Bradl 2’01.083 GER HONDA LCR Honda MotoGP
13 Colin Edwards 2’02.858 USA FTR-KAWASAKI NGM Mobile Forward Racing
14 Claudio Corti 2’03.175 ITA FTR-KAWASAKI NGM Mobile Forward Racing
15 Hector Barbera 2’03.212 SPA FTR Avintia Blusens
16 Hiroshi Aoyama 2’03.418 JAP FTR Avintia Blusens
17 Yonny Hernandez 2’03.651 COL DUCATI Ignite Pramac Racing Team
18 Randy De Puniet 2’03.805 FRA SUZUKI Suzuki Test Team
19 Michael Laverty 2’04.198 GBR PBM Paul Bird Motorsport
20 Danilo Petrucci 2’04.310 ITA IODA-SUTER Came IodaRacing Project
21 Luca Scassa 2’05.199 ITA ART Cardion AB Motoracing
22 Bryan Staring 2’06.038 AUS FTR-HONDA Go & Fun Honda Gresini
23 Lukas Pesek 2’06.203 CZE IODA-SUTER Came IodaRacing Project
24 Damian Cudlin 2’06.273 AUS PBM Paul Bird Motorsport

— Moto2

Tito Rabat continued his domination of the Sepang weekend by clinching pole position for the Moto2™ Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix. Having locked out every session so far, the Spaniard retained the top spot, but both Tom Luthi and Pol Espargaro were less than one tenth of a second slower. Championship leader Scott Redding will start the race from tenth on the grid.

Sublime all weekend, Rabat sealed his second pole (his first having come in Jerez) with a 2’07.063 lap time. As he and Tuenti HP 40 teammate Espargaro sandwich Interwetten Paddock Moto2 Racing’s Luthi into second place, Espargaro is seven positions in front of championship rival Redding, who once again struggle with traffic; however, Redding started 13th last time out in Aragón but was able to finish one position behind Espargaro. At present, the Englishman heads Espargaro by 20 points, with Rabat 44 behind the leader.

Row 2 will be filled by Came Iodaracing Project’s Johann Zarco, Marc VDS Racing Team’s Mika Kallio and Italtrans Racing Team’s Takaaki Nakagami, who re-joined the session after a crash at the final corner. Alex de Angelis will line up seventh for NGM Mobile Forward Racing from Xavier Simeon (Maptaq SAG Zelos Team) and Jordi Torres (Aspar Team Moto2). Joining Redding on Row 4 will be Dominique Aegerter (Technomag carXpert) and Marcel Schrotter (Maptaq SAG Zelos Team).

Moto2™ Qualifying Practice Classification
1- Tito Rabat ITA Kalex 2:07.063
2- Thomas Luthi SWI Suter+0.018
3- Pol Espargaro SPA Kalex +0.098

— Moto3™

Moto3™ championship leader Luis Salom has clinched pole position for the Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix, his third of the season. Alexis Masbou and Niccolo Antonelli shone for front row places, while title contenders Alex Rins and Maverick Viñales qualified sixth and ninth, respectively.

Having been seemingly off the pace at Sepang on Friday, Salom (Red Bull KTM Ajo) sent out a warning to rivals by topping the final practice session on Saturday morning. He went on to clinch his first pole for almost four months courtesy of a leading lap time of 2’13.867. The Mallorcan now targets a first victory since Silverstone.

The standout performers were arguably France’s Masbou and Italy’s Antonelli, riding FTR Hondas for their respective Ongetta-Rivacold and GO&FUN Gresini Moto3 outfits. Second place marks Masbou’s best ever World Championship qualifying result, while Antonelli’s first front row slot of the season equals a career best.

Miguel Oliveira will start fourth for Mahindra Racing, ahead of Estrella Galicia 0,0 duo Alex Marquez and Alex Rins, with Rins having won the last two races and heading into this event only nine points behind championship leader and pole-sitter Salom. Caretta Technology – RTG’s Jack Miller and Mahindra’s Efren Vazquez will head Row 3 from Team Calvo’s Viñales.

Viñales – who has demonstrated tremendous consistency so far this year – is currently third in the standings and only 12 points in arrears of Salom, but finds himself ninth on the grid after qualifying seven tenths of a second slower. The top ten was completed by Mapfre Aspar Team Moto3’s Jonas Folger, while local favourite Zulfahmi Khairuddin managed 14th for Red Bull KTM Ajo despite having undergone surgery only last week in order to assist a fractured right wrist.

Also suffering a fractured right wrist, due to separate incidents in this morning’s respective final practice and qualifying sessions, were Kiefer Racing’s Florian Alt and La Fonte Tascaracing’s Alessandro Tonucci; as a result, neither will take any further part in the event. At the end of Qualifying, there was a crash for Ambrogio Racing’s Brad Binder who will start 23rd on the grid.

Moto3™ Qualifying Practice Classification
1- Luis Salom SPA KTM 2:13.867
2- Alexis Masbou FRA FTR Honda +0.118
3- Niccolo Antonelli ITA FTR Honda +0.139

— HRC Report

World Championship leader Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda RC213V) scorched to his eighth pole position of the season at sweltering Sepang this afternoon. Qualifying was made somewhat treacherous when a rain shower dampened part of the circuit, causing many riders a frightening moment or two. However, the track was dry enough by the end of the 15 minute session for Marquez to increase his pace and establish a new qualifying record. This pole was his fourth in a row, following on from Silverstone, Misano and Aragon.

The remarkable 20-year-old carries a 39 point advantage into tomorrow’s race which is arguably the toughest of the year due to the heat and high humidity that push riders, bikes and tyres to the limit.

Team-mate Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC213V) ended the outing in fifth place to start tomorrow’s race from the middle of the second row. The Spaniard, who is still experiencing pain from his highside crash at Aragon two weeks ago, topped free practice but when the rain came down before qualifying, he decided to take fewer risks than usual, rather than chance aggravating his injuries with another tumble. Winner here last year, the former 250 and 125 World Champion is taking painkilling pills to tackle the discomfort he has from his bruised right hip and left buttock.

Alvaro Bautista (Team GO&FUN Honda Gresini RC213V) will start the race next to Pedrosa after qualifying sixth fastest. The Spaniard had been confident of a good qualifying session but he wasn’t able to fully evaluate a settings change during the final free practice session. That and the tricky conditions prevented him from reaching his own limit.

Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda RC213V) was ruled out of tomorrow’s race when he slid off at Turn One during FP4, shortly before qualifying got underway. The German lost the front in what shouldn’t have been an injurious crash, then caught his right foot as he slid of the track and fractured the ankle. The former Moto2 World Champion will have the break fixed by specialists as soon as possible with the hope of riding in next weekend’s Australian GP. The injury is a real blow for the German who has been gathering momentum at recent races. He had ended free practice here a close fourth fastest.

Bryan Staring (GO&FUN Honda Gresini FTR Honda) put his CRT machine 22nd on the grid. The Australian isn’t happy with his pace and hopes he can find something extra for the race.

Outside contender for the Moto2 World Championship Esteve Rabat (Tuenti HP 40 Pons Kalex) took pole position in the hard-fought Honda-powered category, his first since May’s Spanish GP, which he won. The Spaniard ended the session a slender 0.018 seconds ahead of Thomas Luthi (Interwetten Paddock Suter). Pol Espargaro (Tuenti HP40 Pons Kalex), who currently lies second in the title battle, took the final spot on the front row, 0.080 seconds behind Luthi, which means that the front row is covered by less than one tenth of a second.

Johann Zarco (Came Ioda Racing Project Suter) was three tenths further back to lead row two in fourth place, just ahead of Mika Kallio (Marc VDS Racing Team Kalex) and Takaaki Nakagami (Italtrans Racing Team Kalex).

The third row consists of Alex De Angelis ((NGM Mobile Forward Racing Speed Up), Xavier Simeon (Desguaces La Torre Maptaq Kalex) and Jordi Torres (Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2 Suter). World Championship leader Scott Redding (Marc VDS Racing Team Kalex) could do no better than tenth, 0.917 seconds off pole, due to rear-grip issues.

Moto3 qualifying started on a damp track, which gave Alexis Masbou, (Ongetta-Rivacold FTR Honda), Romano Fenati (San Carlo Team Italia FTR Honda) and Jack Miller (Caretta Technology – RTG FTR Honda) the chance to show their talent. At one point the Frenchman, Italian and Australian were first, second and third.

Masbou kept up his impressive pace to end the session in second place, just over a tenth of a second behind World Championship leader Luis Salom (KTM). It was the Frenchman’s best grid position of the year and he thinks he can run at the front tomorrow, so long as he gets away with the lead group.

Just as impressive was Italian teenager Niccolo Antonelli (GO&FUN Gresini FTR Honda) in third place, making it two Hondas on the front row.

Miller ended the session in seventh place to lead the third row. The next Honda men were Fenati in 13th and Isaac Vinales (Bimbo Ongetta-Centro Seta FTR Honda) in 18th.

Tomorrow’s Malaysian GP is the first of three consecutive races, with the Australian and Japanese GPs following over the next two Sundays.

Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda: pole position, 2m 00.011s
“I’m really happy with this pole position, particularly as earning it was a little different to my previous poles. At the start of qualifying there were two completely wet corners, which made it hard to put in a hot lap as we had to calculate the amount of risk, whilst still maintaining our speed. I knew that the final lap of the session would be definitive, because the surface was drying out and conditions were getting better by the minute. Things worked out for us and I set a time that I really wasn’t expecting. Tomorrow will be a different story, because Lorenzo and Dani both have a great pace, so we shall see if we have a bit of good fortune and the conditions remain dry.”

Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 5th, 2m 00.692s
“Qualifying today was difficult to tackle, due to the rainfall, but in the end we all opted to go out on slicks. I was not able to clock the best time but I am happy with the pace that we have had during practice. Let’s see if tomorrow we can get a good start in the race.”

Alvaro Bautista, Team GO&FUN Honda Gresini: 6th, 2m 00.974s
“The second row is not bad considering what a tough day we have had today. We worked hard this morning to improve our pace and made a little progress but not enough. We worked on a different setting in the final free practice this afternoon, based on what we used in preseason testing, and it felt good but it only lasted for a lap because we had a little problem. So we went out in qualifying not feeling entirely confident with the setting and with the track conditions being less than perfect in a few places because of the rain. Overall if things had worked out better for us I could have gone much faster but the second row is still important. We have a few things to check with the setting in morning warm-up and then hopefully we can have a strong race.”

Stefan Bradl, LCR Honda MotoGP: DNS
“I was quite confident in the final practice and we were on a new tyre to get ready for QP2. So I started to push but for some reasons I felt a bit strange with the rear tyre because I could not get the proper grip quickly. Thus I tried to push on braking a bit too much for the first corner so I lost the front. Honestly it was not a heavy crash but I was unlucky. The handle bar of my bike hit the plastic grass and it comes up (not flat anymore) and my right leg got stuck in there. I immediately felt the pain and the x-ray exam reveals the fracture of the right malleolus.”

Bryan Staring, GO&FUN Honda Gresini: 2m 06.038s
“I am pretty disappointed to be honest because we have not made much progress on the lap times we set here during preseason testing. I can’t honestly explain exactly why this is but clearly we’re not fast enough. Hopefully we will have a turnaround overnight.”

Moto2 rider quotes

Esteve Rabat, Tuenti HP 40 Pons: pole position, 2m 07.063s
“I’m very happy with this pole position and even more so with my rhythm for the race because it’s very good. We have found a very good bike set-up for tomorrow which makes me feel quite confident. As always, I will give my 100 per cent, try and get a good start and see what’s the best result we can achieve at the end of the race.”

Thomas Luthi, Interwetten Paddock: 2nd, 2m 07.081s
“I hope I can go with Tito [Rabat]. He has been very strong all weekend, and yesterday I didn’t think it would be possible to catch him but now we are very close. We have been getting better all weekend, so I hope that the race will be dry. I felt confident in qualifying and we have a good pace. In the race I hope Tito cannot make the early break like he did at Aragon.”

Pol Espargaro, Tuenti HP40 Pons: 3rd, 2m 07.161s
“The race will be hard because the heat here is amazing. I’m surprised because I didn’t expect to be on the front row. We made an amazing improvement in FP3 – we tried a different tyre and a completely different setting from yesterday. The weekend is going very well. We have a good rhythm and tomorrow we will see what happens in the race.”

Honda Moto3 Rider quotes

Alexis Masbou, Ongetta-Rivacold: 2nd, 2m 13.985s
“That was good! The track was still damp in a few places, so the conditions weren’t perfect, which helped us because I don’t think second place would’ve been possible in normal conditions. But I was very nearly fastest in FP1, so we are going pretty well here, especially since I lost a little time on my best lap when someone got in my way. I had a crash this morning – I made a mistake when I was trying a different tyre. Tomorrow I will try and go with the first group – we have the rhythm – but it will depend on the start and the first few laps. It won’t be easy because we have two long straights here.”

Niccolo Antonelli, GO&FUN Gresini: 3rd, 2m 14.006s
“I am delighted to have qualified on the front row and to finally get my hands on a new cap! The team have done a great job and I have been able to repay them with a performance that gives us all a great boost. We have been making good progress for the last few races and this result confirms our good form. It won’t be an easy race tomorrow but starting from the front row will be important and I want to make the most of the opportunity ahead of me.”

Jack Miller, Caretta Technology – RTG: 7th, 2m 14.436s
“That could’ve been better but nevertheless it was all right. The track was still damp at the last corner and in the change of direction between five and six – a couple of times the bike lit up. Things are going pretty good – the bike is pretty strong and I think the KTMs are struggling a bit with the humidity. It could’ve been a different story if the track had been fully dry, but seventh is good enough, we can deal with it.”

— Yamaha Report

Yamaha Factory Racing rider Valentino Rossi enjoyed his best qualifying heat of the season today scoring second on the grid for tomorrow’s Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix. The 15-minute qualifying heat was one of the most complicated of the season with uncertain track conditions after a pre-session rain shower tested the rider skills to the limit. Having saved a big moment at turn six on his first lap, Rossi put his head down and set a 2’03.499 to take provisional pole position. A flurry of activity at the top followed and the nine-time champion came in to change to a fresh rear tyre in third position. As the last minutes counted down Rossi became a key protagonist in the battle for pole, delivering a scorching 2’00.336 lap to take provisional pole, a position he held for a few seconds before a final hot lap from rival Marc Marquez moved him to second, 0.325 seconds from pole.

Defending world champion Jorge Lorenzo shared a similar experience to his teammate Rossi, having a big moment at turn six on his first lap. Like Rossi he was also able to save it and then returned to the pits to watch the session unfold and decide on a strategy. As the lap times began to tumble he came back out with six minutes remaining and immediately took provisional pole with a 2’00.792 second lap. He kept the pressure on, immediately dropping further with 2’00,578. A lack of trust in the treacherous track conditions held him back from attempting a perfect lap, his time good enough to take fourth on the grid on the second row, 0.567 seconds from pole.

Valentino Rossi – 2nd / 2’00.336 / 7 laps – “I’m very happy about today, from this morning we really improved the bike. We worked hard with the team this weekend and I like the set up a lot, I can really push and have a good pace. Just before qualifying it started to rain and everything became more difficult. I expected it to be full dry but two or three corners were not, I had a big moment on the first lap and I was very happy to not crash, I have to say thank you to my Yamaha! After that I tried to push and I made a very good lap time, especially considering the conditions. Now we wait for tomorrow and I hope it will be dry because I think in the dry we are very competitive.”

Jorge Lorenzo – 4th / 2’00.578 / 7 laps – “Today we improved the bike a lot and I feel much more comfortable than yesterday. I did a long run in free practice which went quite well. Then before qualifying we changed the bike a little and we were able to improve it further. The problem was in some corners, especially in turn six and turn seven as it was wet. On my second lap I almost crashed there so I didn’t trust the corners to be able to make a perfect lap.”

Yamaha Factory Racing Wilco Zeelenberg – “It was an exciting qualifying, the rain before the practice was of course not ideal and Jorge found out directly on his first lap that it was wet in places. Luckily he didn’t crash and then he decided to come in. I think in the second stint he didn’t want to do that again so he tried to put the bike in the best possible position with a little bit of safety. Second row is a little disadvantage but with our starts I think we should be fine tomorrow, we’re feeling quite confident.”

Yamaha Factory Racing Massimo Meregalli – “An unusual qualifying session, the rain came just five minutes before starting so the conditions were very tricky. Both Jorge and Vale almost crashed on their first tyres but were lucky. Starting from first and second row here is very important as always. We improved the bike a lot over today and now we are ready to start the race tomorrow. We have to see the weather forecast as unfortunately it looks like it’s going to be wet. We haven’t had any possibility to do any practice in the wet conditions so it’s going to be interesting tomorrow.”

Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team rider Cal Crutchlow made a welcome return to the front row of the grid in Malaysia this afternoon, the British rider dodging rain showers throughout the second day at Sepang to finish third fastest in a dramatic conclusion to qualifying. Rain showers had fallen on and off throughout today’s proceedings and when a downpour fell just minutes before the start of QP2, it looked like the 15-minute session would be disrupted by rain. Fortunately it was only a very short cloudburst but the session commenced with some corners still damp. Crutchlow though superbly calculated where he could push hard to battle for a third pole position throughout a tense and exciting QP2. A lap of 2.01.801 put Crutchlow on top of the rankings by just 0.006s over Dani Pedrosa shortly after the halfway stage. And in a frantic last lap sprint in improving conditions, the 27-year-old improved his pace to a 2.00.359 to clinch a deserved spot on the front row of the grid for the seventh time in 2013.

Today’s QP2 session was also a positive experience for rookie Bradley Smith, who too mastered the unpredictable track conditions with supreme confidence to score his best qualifying result since the Czech Republic round in August. The 22-year-old got a massive confidence in the earlier FP4 session when he set the seventh best time and he took that impressive form into QP2. A best lap of 2.01.306 was just over 0.3s away from clinching a second row start and he will start the physically demanding 20-lap race from seventh position.

Cal Crutchlow – 3rd 2.00.359 – 7 laps
“I am really happy to be back on the front row because it was not an easy session at all. It was hard with a dark visor to see where the track was wet and in some corners it was pretty tricky. It was a bit of a lottery with the damp sections and I think it came down to who was willing to take the most risks right at the end when the track was improving. Today’s result is a great reward for my Monster Yamaha Tech 3 crew because they have done a brilliant job giving me a very competitive package this weekend. It has been tough for me physically because of the pain coming from my right arm. I first damaged it at Silverstone but the pain has been pretty bad this weekend and I’m a bit surprised because I felt nothing in Misano and Aragon. The swelling is pretty big but I am really motivated for tomorrow’s race. It is going to be a very tough race in the heat and humidity but hopefully I can put up a good fight. It will be hard for the tyres as well because 20-laps is a long race and the tyres have been going off quite quickly.”

Bradley Smith – 7th 2.01.306 – 7 laps
“Today was the first opportunity to see how much I have improved compared to the tests I did here in February. Qualifying was the first time all weekend when I ran low fuel and new tyres like we did in testing and I am happy with the performance to finish seventh. The conditions were not ideal at all and it was a bit sketchy at Turn 6 and 7 after the rain showers. The team though did a great job and I’ve done some longer runs to check tyre life and I’m happy in that area. We have also improved my feeling with a full fuel load, so hopefully I can have a strong race. It will be hard to fight for the top six but my aim will be to get a good start and go with the leading group in the early stages to try and learn as much as possible. A big plus this weekend has been that we have improved in every session and made good progress with the bike set-up, so I’ve got more confidence for the race than normal.”

— Ducati Report

Today’s MotoGP Q2 session took place in extremely challenging conditions at Sepang International Circuit. Following a lunchtime rain shower, the track surface was spotted with damp patches when the session kicked off, and with the possibility that the weather could worsen again, riders were forced to ride very close to the limit. Instead, the situation improved toward the end of the session, making it possible for riders to drop their times in the final laps.

Andrea Dovizioso managed the situation well and set his best time of 2:01.635 on his very last lap, putting him eighth best at 1.6 seconds from pole-man Marc Marquez. Nicky Hayden, meanwhile, wasn’t satisfied with his performance in the damp Turn 6, which contributed to his eleventh-place finish. The Ducati Team riders will start tomorrow’s Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix from the third and fourth rows, respectively.

Andrea Dovizioso – Ducati Team, 8th (2:01.635)
“The session was a bit more challenging than usual, and very dangerous because the colour of the asphalt here is strange—quite light—and it’s difficult to see where it’s wet. In fact, many of us risked crashing on our out-laps, in Turn 6. It was damp and I didn’t see if there were any flags, and slicks don’t work very well in those conditions! It was very difficult to manage, because the track dried quickly in the heat, but we could only push at 100% on the last lap; in those circumstances, it depends how much you want to risk. I kept a bit of margin in those two corners, but I pushed hard on the rest—I hadn’t done a 2:01.6 the entire weekend, so it’s not bad considering I didn’t push hard in that section. We’ll see how things go in the race tomorrow, but at least we start from the third row.”

Nicky Hayden – Ducati Team, 11th (2:02.900)
“It’s a real shame about how my qualifying session went, and it was my fault. In FP4 I went the quickest I’ve been all weekend and had the best feeling, and I thought I could maybe do something better in qualifying. Unfortunately, a rain shower came through at lunchtime, and when I went out I had a bad feeling with my GP13, especially in the wet part at Turn 6. It was really hard to see where the track was wet and where it was dry and to understand how much grip it had. That’s no excuse, as everybody improved their lap times and I didn’t. I just couldn’t get hooked up through the wet part. It was my problem and I apologize to the team. We’ll see if we can recover something tomorrow.”

— Bridgestone Report

Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Medium & Hard. Rear: Soft, Medium (Symmetric) & Hard (Asymmetric)
Bridgestone wet tyre compounds available: Hard (Main) & Soft (Alternative)
Weather: FP3 – Dry. Ambient 28-28°C; Track 34-35°C (Bridgestone measurement)
FP4/QP – Dry. Ambient 29-30°C; Track 36-41°C (Bridgestone measurement)

Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez set yet another qualifying lap record at Sepang, the current MotoGP™ championship leader clocking a time of 2’00.011 to shave three-tenths of a second off the existing mark.

Marquez claimed his eighth pole position of the season on his last timed lap and will line up on the front now next to a pair of Yamaha riders. Yamaha Factory Racing’s Valentino Rossi’s time of 2’00.336 slots the nine-time World Champion in at second on the grid for tomorrow’s race, while Monster Yamaha Tech3’s Cal Crutchlow was third quickest and a mere 0.023 seconds behind Rossi. Power Electronics Aspar’s Aleix Espargaro topped Qualifying Practice 1 and showed strong pace in QP2 by qualifying in ninth place with a time of 2’02.151.

Conditions were predominantly dry today, the exception being a rain shower at the end of QP1 which caused a premature ending to the session, and caused created greasy track conditions for the start of QP2. Track conditions improved throughout the second qualifying session, with the pace being the quickest of the weekend and most riders using the combination of the softer front and rear slicks. Some riders assessed the hard compound front slick tyre in practice, although the softer front and rear slicks are still preferred by most riders and will be the most widely used options should the race be dry.

The final session before tomorrow’s race is the Warm Up session at 1140 local time (GMT +8), with the twenty lap Malaysian MotoGP™ race set to start at 1600.

Masao Azuma – Chief Engineer, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department
“We had the same kind of weather conditions and track temperatures as yesterday, and this was reflected in the tyre choices by the riders today being quite similar to what was used in Friday practice. The softer slick options were again preferred by the majority of riders, although feedback from some of the CRT riders indicates that some of them could choose the harder options for the race, particularly for the front tyre. Given the rain we had at the end of QP1, the pace in QP2 was extremely quick which shows how the improved feel offered by our latest generation of tyres gives riders the confidence to attack in less than ideal conditions. It was also pleasing to see another qualifying lap record broken and overall it was a positive day for Bridgestone here at Sepang.”

— MotoGP 2013 – Round 15 – Sepang
— Pedrosa lays down the law as Malaysian GP gets underway

Dani Pedrosa was just two tenths of a second off Jorge Lorenzo’s fastest ever lap of Sepang as the Repsol Honda Team rider upped the pace on Friday afternoon at the Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix. The 2012 winner topped the second practice session from teammate Marc Marquez and Monster Yamaha Tech3’s Cal Crutchlow, with Lorenzo fifth quickest for Yamaha Factory Racing.

As the premier class escaped the rain that did fall at the Sepang International Circuit on Friday, Pedrosa – already fastest in the morning – raised the bar to 2’00.554, half a second quicker than teammate Marquez. Crutchlow made the top three, despite suffering from pain in his right forearm from the big crash at Silverstone – he has stated that it will need an operation, though could not confirm when. Yamaha Factory Racing’s Valentino Rossi was marginally behind in fourth after finding a significantly better set-up in the afternoon session, though feels he can improve tomorrow.

GO&FUN Honda Gresini’s Alvaro Bautista set a good pace before crashing at Turn 4, fortunately walking away unscathed. He had been testing a new Showa rear shock, which he has given positive feedback so far. Lorenzo, who was sixth in the afternoon, was in fact fifth fastest when taking into account the combined timesheet, though suffered what he described as one of his most difficult days this year, as both engine braking and rear grip issues hindered his progress.

All riders bar five improved on their best times for the day during the afternoon session; one who did not was Colin Edwards, whose NGM Mobile Forward Racing machine had been quickest of the CRTs in the morning. By the time the day met its end, Aleix Espargaro (Power Electronics Aspar) had moved ahead and was 11th quickest. Damian Cudlin rounded out the field as the Australian made his second appearance for PBM.

— Practice Results
1 Dani Pedrosa 2’00.554 SPA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
2 Marc Marquez 2’01.087 SPA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
3 Cal Crutchlow 2’01.423 GBR YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
4 Valentino Rossi 2’01.538 ITA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing
5 Alvaro Bautista 2’01.659 SPA HONDA Go & Fun Honda Gresini
6 Jorge Lorenzo 2’01.710 SPA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing
7 Stefan Bradl 2’01.727 GER HONDA LCR Honda MotoGP
8 Nicky Hayden 2’02.373 USA DUCATI Ducati Team
9 Andrea Dovizioso 2’02.487 ITA DUCATI Ducati Team
10 Bradley Smith 2’02.551 GBR YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
11 Aleix Espargaro 2’02.610 SPA ART Power Electronics Aspar
12 Andrea Iannone 2’02.819 ITA DUCATI Energy T.I. Pramac Racing Team
13 Hector Barbera 2’03.225 SPA FTR Avintia Blusens
14 Colin Edwards 2’03.707 USA FTR-KAWASAKI NGM Mobile Forward Racing
15 Yonny Hernandez 2’03.780 COL DUCATI Ignite Pramac Racing Team
16 Randy De Puniet 2’03.922 FRA SUZUKI Suzuki Test Team
17 Hiroshi Aoyama 2’04.414 JAP FTR Avintia Blusens
18 Claudio Corti 2’04.807 ITA FTR-KAWASAKI NGM Mobile Forward Racing
19 Danilo Petrucci 2’04.965 ITA IODA-SUTER Came IodaRacing Project
20 Michael Laverty 2’05.551 GBR PBM Paul Bird Motorsport
21 Luca Scassa 2’05.598 ITA ART Cardion AB Motoracing
22 Bryan Staring 2’06.538 AUS FTR-HONDA Go & Fun Honda Gresini
23 Lukas Pesek 2’07.024 CZE IODA-SUTER Came IodaRacing Project
24 Damian Cudlin 2’07.122 AUS PBM Paul Bird Motorsport— Moto2™

Tito Rabat was comfortably quickest as Moto2™ practice began on Friday ahead of the Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix. The Tuenti HP 40 rider led Interwetten Paddock Moto2 Racing’s Tom Luthi, as Scott Redding moved ahead of championship rival Pol Espargaro after beginning the day in 12th place.

Already quickest in the morning when rain had affected the opening session, Rabat proceeded to register a 2’07.321 lap time during the dry afternoon. There was a significant gap of seven tenths of a second back to Luthi, as Marc VDS Racing Team’s Redding made huge strides to crack the top three. This left the Englishman almost two tenths up on Rabat’s teammate and closest title rival Espargaro, as Italtrans Racing Team’s Takaaki Nakagami finished fifth despite a crash.

Numerous riders were caught out by a lack of grip, particularly off the racing line following the rain of earlier in the day. As well as Nakagami, there were slip-ups for Azlan Shah (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia), wildcard Decha Kraisart (Singha Eneos Yamaha Tech3) and Thitipong Warokorn (Thai Honda PTT Gresini Moto2). These in-turn followed incidents in the morning for Johann Zarco of Came IodaRacing Project and Rafid Topan Sucipto, whose QMMF Racing Team outfit suffered a garage fire during the afternoon which caused damage to bikes and equipment.

Alex de Angelis was sixth for NGM Mobile Forward Racing, ahead of Technomag carXpert’s Dominique Aegerter, Aspar Team Moto2’s Nico Terol, who won last time out in Aragón, Redding’s teammate Mika Kallio and the aforementioned Zarco.

— Moto3™

Conditions were very much mixed across the second Moto3™ practice session at Sepang on Friday for the Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix, with Jack Miler eventually going fastest for Caretta Technology – RTG. The Australian completed a reshuffled top three from Mahindra Racing’s Efren Vazquez and Ongetta-Rivacold’s Alexis Masbou, but it was Team Calvo’s Maverick Viñales whose morning time was quickest of the day.

After title contender Viñales posted a best effort of 2’14.961 in the morning, rain before the second session left riders with no option but to fit wet weather tyres. As the circuit eventually dried and slicks were used towards the end of the afternoon period, there were changes aplenty atop the leader board, but it was Miller’s FTR Honda going top with a leading afternoon lap time of 2’15.598. On the overall timesheets for the day, he would finish third behind the aforementioned Viñales and Masbou.

Alex Rins (Estrella Galicia 0,0 and also a championship contender) was fourth overall from Mahindra Racing’s Efren Vazquez and championship leader Luis Salom (Red Bull KTM Ajo), while Ongetta-Centro Seta’s Isaac Viñales was seventh, but led the way in the closing stages of the afternoon. The overall top ten was completed by Ambrogio Racing’s Brad Binder (continuing to adapt to the Mahindra machine) Miguel Oliveira on a factory Mahindra and Tec Interwetten Moto3 Racing’s Philipp Oettl, fresh from his career-best result of sixth in the Aragón Grand Prix.

With damp patches around the track, Eric Granado found himself caught out when entering Turn 7. The Mapfre Aspar Team Moto3 rider, who ended proceedings 19th from Malaysia’s Zulfahmi Khairuddin (Red Bull KTM Ajo), suffered a fall but no injuries.

— Yamaha Report

The first of the three overseas triple-header weekend’s kicked off today in Sepang with the first two free practice sessions for the Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix. Nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi made solid improvements over the two practice sessions to wrap up the day in fourth in the combined times. The Italian made a 0.5 second improvement over the two sessions and finished 0.115 seconds behind Cal Crutchlow in third.

Defending world champion Jorge Lorenzo had a tougher first day in Sepang. The Mallorcan struggled to find an optimum set up for the Malaysian circuit with mid-corner grip issues affecting his final times. He completed the first day in fifth overall, 0.085 seconds behind his teammate Rossi.

Valentino Rossi -4th / 2’01.538 / 18 laps
“For me personally, especially this afternoon, it was a good practice because we improved the setting of the bike a lot. We improved with the new tyre and with the old tyre I can stay with a good pace so I feel better on the bike. For sure we have to improve, but this afternoon I feel good. It seems our competitors are a little faster than us but I will try 100% because in the last races Jorge is always there fighting at the front. It will be hard but we have to concentrate on the bike. We are not very far but we have a small gap to recover.”

Jorge Lorenzo – 5th / 2’01.623 / 14 laps
“We are investigating what happened today because I didn’t have confidence in the middle of the corners and also with acceleration. I had a lot of spinning and the bike is very aggressive so we have to see what we can change for tomorrow to try to get back a good feeling with the bike again.”

Wilco Zeelenberg – Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager
“A difficult first practice for us here in Sepang, we struggled a bit to find grip. We need to find out what is going on through the data; we don’t have an answer yet. We need to try to get it on the table before tomorrow morning so we can make the next step in the third practice.”

Massimo Meregalli – Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director
“Today didn’t go as we wanted and as we expected. Anyway, we got a lot of data that we can study and for sure we will use it to improve a set up that is now not perfect. We are pretty confident that with the data and the rider comments we can analyse the issues and put together a different set up that will enable Jorge and Vale to get a better consistent pace and speed.”

Crutchlow makes flying start to flyaway triple-header in Sepang

Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team rider Cal Crutchlow made a fantastic start to the Malaysian MotoGP weekend today, the British rider setting the third fastest time on the opening day of practice at the physically demanding Sepang International Circuit.

Sixth fastest in typically hot and humid conditions in this morning’s opening 45-minute session, Crutchlow was almost a second faster in FP2 to surge up the rankings into the top three behind Spanish duo Dani Pedrosa and World Championship leader Marc Marquez. Crutchlow had struggled this morning with pain in the swollen right arm he first damaged at Silverstone recently, but happily he was able to ride in much less discomfort in FP2 and the improvement in his physical condition was reflected in his pace. The 27-year-old posted a personal best time of 2.01.423 that secured him a top three slot by 0.115s ahead of factory Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi on a track offering excellent grip levels, despite heavy rain falling in between sessions.

Teammate Bradley Smith was also able to enjoy a positive start to arguably the toughest spell of the World Championship campaign, with this weekend’s Sepang race closely followed by back-to-back trips to Australia and Japan.

The rookie finished inside the top 10 in both 45-minute practice sessions and a best lap of 2.02.551 placed him 10th on the combined timesheets. Smith dedicated much of his time on track today to further adapting to a new smoother braking technique he first began experimenting with at the previous round at the Motorland Aragon track in Spain. He also concentrated on his consistency on worn tyres and was satisfied with progress made ahead of planned significant set-up tweaks to evaluate tomorrow in advance of Sunday’s 20-lap race.

Cal Crutchlow 2.01.423 – 35 laps: “It was very difficult this morning to ride at my maximum level because I had some problems with the right arm I first injured during the recent British Grand Prix. I already know I need surgery at the end of the season but until now the big impact my arm took at Silverstone has only given me bad swelling but no pain. This morning instead it hurt me a lot and couldn’t use the arm that well. Fortunately the afternoon session was much better and on my final run of the day we made a positive step and I am pleased to finish inside the top three. I was immediately faster the first time I put in a new tyre because for most of FP2 we worked on the set-up of the bike with worn tyres I’d also used this morning.”

Bradley Smith 10th 2.02.551 – 36 laps: “After testing twice at Sepang in the winter I was looking forward to coming back here to understand how much progress I have made in my rookie season. It is nice to be riding on a track where I’ve got previous experience of riding the YZR-M1 and although I wasn’t able to lap as fast as I did in February, my consistency has improved a lot and that is a positive point. I did a lot of 2.02 laps and I am happy with my pace, but we will look at making some more drastic changes tomorrow to take another step into the 2.01s. I did some good times on old tyres and that gives me confidence that I will be strong in the race on Sunday.”

— Repsol HRC Report

The Malaysian Grand Prix got underway in mixed conditions today, as Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa laid down the marker with a blisteringly fast time in this afternoon’s FP2 session. Teammate, and Championship leader, Marc Marquez finished the day in second place.

2012 race winner Dani was already fastest in the morning, but in the afternoon he improved his time by 0.675s with a lap time of 2’00.554 (just 0.22 off Lorenzo’s record pole time in 2012) on lap 12 of 17. This was all the more impressive considering there was a torrential downpour in-between the sessions, washing away the rubber from the track. Teammate Marc, also second in FP1 this morning, shaved half a second off his morning lap time with 2.01.087 on lap 8 of 17.

Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Marco Simoncelli this weekend, as it marks the second anniversary of the HRC rider’s premature passing during the Malaysian Grand Prix in 2011, he will be forever missed.

Dani Pedrosa 1st 2’00.554
“Today went well; we had two good practice sessions and were able to ride in dry conditions in both the morning and afternoon. In the second session it looked like the track was going to be wet after a brief rain shower in-between FP1 and FP2, but it dried out quickly and we were able to continue working on our setups. When sitting on the bike I have quite a lot of pain, as the seat is very hard, so we shall see if a few more anti-inflammatories can help to alleviate the issue. We might also add a small cushion underneath my leathers, in order to absorb the bumps that we get when riding”

Marc Marquez 2nd 2’01.087
“We came here before in pre-season, when I had barely ridden a MotoGP bike so it was interesting to compare things again so many laps and miles later! I felt comfortable and this is important when trying to be more consistent every lap. On the single lap we are half a second off Dani who was very fast, as he always is at Sepang, but our pace in general isn’t too far off. We have to push hard because if he can do it, that means that the Honda is capable of those times. I was hoping to be more consistent but I had some problems with braking, which we were able to solve in the opening practice session. We still need to improve a few things, but I have realised that we are already fast, straight out of the box.”

— Ducati Report

As expected, the first day of the Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Sepang International Circuit was marked by unpredictable weather, but the first two free-practice sessions saw the MotoGP riders lapping in dry conditions.

Nicky Hayden and Andrea Dovizioso were both pleased to finish the day in the top ten in the combined times, as they know that should rain strike tomorrow morning’s session, today’s times could well determine who transfers directly into Q2. Nonetheless, both Ducati Team riders hope to reduce their gaps to the leaders.

Nicky Hayden – Ducati Team, 8th (2:02.373)
“Things went pretty well this morning, but we fell further behind as the day went on. The biggest problem is that I have a lot of chatter, especially from the front and in the fast corners, which makes it very difficult to carry corner speed. That’s a normal problem we had here during testing, so it’s not something we didn’t expect, but we need to try to do something to improve it.”

Andrea Dovizioso – Ducati Team, 9th (2:02.487)
“It was important to make it into the top ten, and it’s good that I managed it while doing an entire session with one tyre, unlike most of the others. The gap to the front is bigger, but that’s normal; there isn’t much grip here and the tyre wears a lot, which hurts us a bit more. The Sepang track is very particular. When it dries, even if there are some wet patches, you can set good times, like Pedrosa did. Sure, the tyres don’t work so well and they wear a bit more, but you can still go fast.”

— Bridgestone Report

Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Medium & Hard. Rear: Soft, Medium (Symmetric) & Hard (Asymmetric)
Bridgestone wet tyre compounds available: Hard (Main) & Soft (Alternative)
Weather: FP1 – Dry. Ambient 29-30°C; Track 37-41°C (Bridgestone measurement)
FP2 – Dry. Ambient 30-30°C; Track 41-44°C (Bridgestone measurement)

Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa set a sizzling time of 2’00.554 in this afternoon’s Free Practice 2 session to finish half a second clear of his closest rival in the first day of practice at the Malaysian Grand Prix in Sepang.

Pedrosa’s time was just two-tenths of a second off the qualifying lap record, the Spaniard topping the opening day ahead of teammate Marc Marquez who was second quickest with a personal best time of 2’01.087. Monster Yamaha Tech3’s Cal Crutchlow was the closest rider to the Honda duo, his lap time of 2’01.423 slotting him in at third in the overall classification. Power Electronics Aspar’s Aleix Espargaro was the quickest of the CRT today, setting a time 2.056 seconds off Pedrosa’s benchmark to finish eleventh on the timesheets.

Dry track conditions greeted riders in both sessions today despite a heavy downpour around midday, with a peak track temperature of 44°C recorded during FP2. At the start of Free Practice One all riders headed out on soft slick options front and rear to gauge the track condition, with two riders assessing the hard compound front slick later on in the morning session. In the second session of the day tyre choice was more varied, with five riders trying the harder rear slick options, while both the soft and hard front slicks were also used. The softer front and rear slick options were preferred by riders today, with almost every rider setting their quickest time on this tyre combination.

Similar weather conditions to today with the chance of rain are forecast for tomorrow. The final ranked practice session, FP3, starts at 0955 local time (GMT +8) before qualifying gets underway from 1410.

Masao Azuma – Chief Engineer, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department
“Today was a good start to the race weekend and thankfully the heavy rain earlier didn’t disrupt the afternoon session. Softer slick options were preferred by the riders today, though the reasons for this preference were different for the front and rear tyres. The moderate track temperatures meant few riders felt the need to evaluate the harder rear slick options, while for the front, most riders felt that the softer front slick offered better bump absorption in the braking zones, which at this circuit feature quite heavy undulations. Considering we are already near record qualifying pace on the opening day here at Sepang, I expect we will see some more lap records set over the weekend.”

— MotoGP 2013 – Round 15 – Sepang
— Marquez and Pedrosa to meet Race Direction as Malaysia kicks off triple-header

Marc Marquez’s rivals have a mountain to climb at the Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix in Sepang this weekend to chase down the Repsol Honda Team rider’s 39-point lead in the MotoGP™ World Championship with only four races to go.

Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo is his closest challenger, and will be giving his all to try and haul back points on the Repsol rookie, who last time out in Aragon made the headlines for not only his latest win. His contact with teammate Dani Pedrosa, which led to the rear wheel sensor of the latter failing – resulting in a big highside – will be discussed by Race Direction and the riders on the Thursday before the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Pedrosa, who now sits 59 points behind Marquez after his crash, is well aware that his title chances rely on him winning the remaining races, whilst needing some worse results from Lorenzo and Marquez. This is perhaps where Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi could come in, as the Italian is desperate for another win, and showed true glimpses of such pace in Aragon practice and qualifying. He will aim to take the next step at Malaysia to challenge the top three.

Monster Yamaha Tech3’s Cal Crutchlow will hope that his lack of top-end speed from his new engine is solved before the race on the fast Malaysian circuit, whilst rookie teammate Bradley Smith is pleased to not have to learn a new track on a MotoGP™ bike, as he has spent a good amount of time testing there like the others on the grid. The satellite Hondas in the form of GO&FUN Honda Gresini’s Alvaro Bautista and LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl had a great battle in Aragon, which is something they will no doubt want to repeat – albeit with a podium finish as the result.

For the Ducati Team it will once again be a weekend of trying to get the bike closer to the Japanese manufacturers, as Andrea Dovizioso and Nicky Hayden battle it out for best teammate honours. The satellite Pramac Racing team will be hoping for a positive weekend like in Aragon, where Ben Spies’ replacement due to injury, Yonny Hernandez, continued to get to grips with the Ignite Pramac machine. Alongside teammate Andrea Iannone on the Energy T.I. bike, Hernandez hopes that his riding style can reap good results on the Desmosedici.

In the CRT class, it has now been confirmed that Italian Luca Scassa will be in for Karel Abraham in the Cardion AB Motoracing team until the end of the season, while Australian Damian Cudlin will continue to stand in for Hernandez in the PBM team. Both made great progress in Aragon, and will hope to get their bikes as close as possible to CRT front-runner Aleix Espargaro on his Power Electronics Aspar ART.

World Championship Standings MotoGP™

1- Marc Marquez SPA Honda 278
2- Jorge Lorenzo SPA Yamaha 239
3- Dani Pedrosa SPA Honda 219
4- Valentino Rossi ITA Yamaha 185
5- Cal Crutchlow GBR Yamaha 156

— Moto2

The Moto2™ title hunt intensifies this weekend at the Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix in Sepang as Tuenti HP 40’s Pol Espargaro tries to overhaul championship leader, Marc VDS Racing Team’s Scott Redding.

With only 20 points separating the two, and Espargaro getting the better of the Brit last time out in Aragon, Redding will be hoping to strike back in Sepang, as he once again tries to strengthen his grip on the lead.

The pair will face stiff competition however, as the rest of the grid is getting stronger race by race, with Aspar Team Moto2’s Nico Terol a prime example by taking a dominant win last time out. And Pons’ Esteve Rabat, who is still in with a good shout at the title, will no doubt be another big podium favourite.

Alex Mariñelarena will once again substitute for Dani Rivas in the Blusens Avintia team, with the latter still suspended for the crash he caused in Silverstone Warm-up. And there will also be two wild cards on the grid in the form of Malaysia’s Hafizh Syahrin, who only narrowly missed out on a podium last year with the Petronas Raceline Malaysia team, as well as Thai rider Decha Kraisart with the Singha Eneos Yamaha Tech3 outfit.

World Championship Standings Moto2™
1- Scott Redding GBR Kalex 215
2- Pol Espargaro SPA Kalex 195
3- Tito Rabat SPA Kalex 171
4- Mika Kallio FIN Kalex 143
5- Takaaki Nakagami JPN Kalex 130

— Moto3

The Moto3™ championship is finely poised as it heads out east to the Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix with Estrella Galicia 0,0’s Alex Rins only nine points off championship leader Luis Salom.

Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Salom is also only 12 points ahead of Team Calvo’s Maverick Viñales, truly making the battle at the front a three-horse race with still 100 points up for grabs. Salom was not on his usual form last time out in Aragon, and will be hoping to re-discover some of the magic, with Rins and Viñales looking particularly strong at the moment.

Red Bull KTM’s local rider Zulfahmi Khairuddin will be able to line up at his home race despite undergoing surgery on his fractured right wrist after a crash in Aragon. Last year he was only just pipped to a win by Sandro Cortese (current Moto3™ World Champion now in Moto2™), meaning that this year he will be aiming for one better.

There will however be greater Malaysian representation on the grid this year with two other local riders lining up in the form of wild cards. Touchline-SIC-Ajo KTM will field Aizat Malik and Hafiq Azmi, who will both look to impress the home crowd.

World Championship Standings Moto3™
1- Luis Salom SPA KTM 259
2- Alex Rins SPA KTM 250
3- Maverick Viñales SPA KTM 247
4- Alex Marquez SPA KTM 149
5- Jonas Folger GER Kalex KTM 129

— MotoGP 2013 – Round 14 – Aragon – Marquez wins from Lorenzo and Pedrosa goes down

Marc Marquez has increased his possibilities of becoming a rookie MotoGP™ World Champion by claiming his sixth victory of 2013 in the Gran Premio Iveco de Aragón. Current title holder Jorge Lorenzo was overtaken by the newcomer en route to second place, as Dani Pedrosa crashed out of the race on the sixth lap.

Starting from his seventh pole position of the season, Marquez had beaten Lorenzo by one hundredth of a second on Saturday whereas last year’s Aragón winner Pedrosa was starting on the front row for the first time since Indianapolis. Yamaha Factory Racing’s Lorenzo grabbed the lead at the start, as the Repsol Honda Team riders immediately went to battle at the second corner.

The critical moment of the afternoon, and perhaps of the 2013 World Championship, would come on Lap 6. As both Hondas closed in on Lorenzo for the lead, Marquez ran third but appeared to out-brake himself at Turn 12. Moments later, Pedrosa dramatically highsided out of the race and it was later confirmed that the two teammates had made contact. The moment allowed Lorenzo to extend his lead to 1.7 seconds, although he was caught by Marquez and overhauled at the same corner eight laps later. The championship lead now increases to 39 points with 100 left on offer.

Lorenzo’s teammate Valentino Rossi finished on the podium for the first time since Laguna Seca, fending off GO&FUN Honda Gresini’s Alvaro Bautista, LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl and Monster Yamaha Tech3’s Cal Crutchlow in a highly entertaining four-rider contest. Tech3’s Bradley Smith, Ducati Team duo Andrea Dovizioso and Nicky Hayden and Energy T.I. Pramac Racing’s Andrea Iannone completed the top ten, while Power Electronics Aspar’s Aleix Espargaro was once again the leading CRT runner in 11th spot. In 17th place, Italian Luca Scassa ended his debut with Cardion AB Motoracing ahead of two other CRT machines, covering for Karel Abraham who has been ruled out of action for the rest of the campaign.

A total of five riders failed to finish. Pedrosa retired for the first time this year on his 28th birthday, while PBM’s Michael Laverty and Came IodaRacing Project’s Danilo Petrucci were put out of action on the opening lap in an incident also involving Scassa. On his return to MotoGP™, Australia’s Damian Cudlin suffered gearbox issues while Avintia Blusens’ Hector Barbera pulled into the pits, having already changed bikes after encountering pre-race problems with his original.

With four races remaining in the 2013 season, the drama will continue at the Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix in two weekends’ time.

— Race Result – Round 14
1 Marc Marquez 42’03.459 SPA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
2 Jorge Lorenzo +1.356 SPA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing
3 Valentino Rossi +12.927 ITA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing
4 Alvaro Bautista +13.787 SPA HONDA Go & Fun Honda Gresini
5 Stefan Bradl +13.973 GER HONDA LCR Honda MotoGP
6 Cal Crutchlow +14.662 GBR YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
7 Bradley Smith +31.220 GBR YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
8 Andrea Dovizioso +40.671 ITA DUCATI Ducati Team
9 Nicky Hayden +53.413 USA DUCATI Ducati Team
10 Andrea Iannone +55.067 ITA DUCATI Energy T.I. Pramac Racing Team
11 Aleix Espargaro +58.001 SPA ART Power Electronics Aspar
12 Yonny Hernandez +1’05.513 COL DUCATI Ignite Pramac Racing Team
13 Randy De Puniet +1’06.589 FRA SUZUKI Suzuki Test Team
14 Hiroshi Aoyama +1’08.674 JAP FTR Avintia Blusens
15 Claudio Corti +1’09.130 ITA FTR-KAWASAKI NGM Mobile Forward Racing
16 Colin Edwards +1’12.041 USA FTR-KAWASAKI NGM Mobile Forward Racing
17 Luca Scassa +1’45.152 ITA ART Cardion AB Motoracing
18 Bryan Staring +1’45.228 AUS FTR-HONDA Go & Fun Honda Gresini
19 Lukas Pesek +1’45.583 CZE IODA-SUTER Came IodaRacing Project
20 Hector Barbera DNF SPA FTR Avintia Blusens
21 Dani Pedrosa DNF SPA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
22 Damian Cudlin DNF AUS PBM Paul Bird Motorsport
23 Danilo Petrucci DNF ITA IODA-SUTER Came IodaRacing Project
24 Michael Laverty DNF GBR PBM Paul Bird Motorsport

— Championship standings
1 Marc Marquez 278 pts SPA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
2 Jorge Lorenzo 239 pts SPA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing
3 Dani Pedrosa 219 pts SPA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
4 Valentino Rossi 185 pts ITA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing
5 Cal Crutchlow 156 pts GBR YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
6 Stefan Bradl 135 pts GER HONDA LCR Honda MotoGP
7 Alvaro Bautista 125 pts SPA HONDA Go & Fun Honda Gresini
8 Andrea Dovizioso 112 pts ITA DUCATI Ducati Team
9 Nicky Hayden 102 pts USA DUCATI Ducati Team
10 Bradley Smith 80 pts GBR YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
11 Aleix Espargaro 76 pts SPA ART Power Electronics Aspar
12 Michele Pirro 50 pts ITA DUCATI Ignite Pramac Racing Team
13 Andrea Iannone 47 pts ITA DUCATI Energy T.I. Pramac Racing Team
14 Colin Edwards 31 pts USA FTR-KAWASAKI NGM Mobile Forward Racing
15 Hector Barbera 27 pts SPA FTR Avintia Blusens
16 Randy De Puniet 23 pts FRA SUZUKI Suzuki Test Team
17 Danilo Petrucci 23 pts ITA IODA-SUTER Came IodaRacing Project
18 Yonny Hernandez 11 pts COL DUCATI Ignite Pramac Racing Team
19 Ben Spies 9 pts USA DUCATI Ignite Pramac Racing Team
20 Hiroshi Aoyama 8 pts JAP FTR Avintia Blusens
21 Claudio Corti 8 pts ITA FTR-KAWASAKI NGM Mobile Forward Racing
22 Karel Abraham 5 pts CZE ART Cardion AB Motoracing
23 Alex De Angelis 5 pts RSM DUCATI Ignite Pramac Racing Team
24 Michael Laverty 3 pts GBR PBM Paul Bird Motorsport
25 Bryan Staring 2 pts AUS FTR-HONDA Go & Fun Honda Gresini
26 Javier Del Amor 1 pts SPA FTR Avintia Blusens
27 Martin Bauer 0 pts AUT S&B SUTER Remus Racing Team
28 Lukas Pesek 0 pts CZE IODA-SUTER Came IodaRacing Project
29 Luca Scassa 0 pts ITA ART Cardion AB Motoracing
30 Ivan Silva 0 pts SPA FTR Avintia Blusens
31 Blake Young 0 pts USA APR CRT Attack Performance

— Moto2

Nico Terol has completed a dominant performance of the Moto2™ Gran Premio Iveco de Aragón, celebrating a lights-to-flag victory on Sunday afternoon. Tito Rabat finished second while Pol Espargaro came out on top after a superb battle with title rival Scott Redding, who finished fourth from 13th on the grid.

Having turned 25 on Friday, Terol (Aspar Team Moto2) would sail to his first ever intermediate class pole position and was joined on the front row by Tuenti HP 40 pairing Rabat and Espargaro. Delayed by traffic throughout qualifying, Marc VDS Racing Team’s Redding was left 13th – his joint worst grid position of 2013.

As Terol enjoyed a clean start, arguably the best getaway came from Redding who just minutes into the race was already inside the top five. Italtrans Racing Team’s Takaaki Nakagami was also lightning quick off the line, rising to second at Turn 2 before dropping down the field due to a mistake on the fourth lap; the Japanese rider, who had finished second at the previous four races, would fight back up to 11th spot.

At the front, Terol was untouchable and would enjoy career victory number 15 after taking the chequered flag 1.7 seconds in front of Rabat. Espargaro finally came out on top in the duel for the final podium slot, but only after a mesmerising, fairing-to-fairing contest with Redding as the Spaniard and Englishman continued to swap positions over the second half of the race – at one point making contact as the championship leader overtook in a daring maneuverer at the final corner. The final exchanging of places came on the penultimate tour, with Espargaro defending the line into Turn 16 while Redding’s teammate Mika Kallio kept a watching brief from fifth place, having performed a climb of ten places since the start of the race.

As Redding’s championship lead over Espargaro reduces to 20 points with four rounds remaining, Terol’s teammate Jordi Torres ensured Aspar bikes bookended the top six while reigning Moto3™ World Champion Sandro Cortese finished tenth. However, the Dynavolt Intact GP rider was involved in a last-lap incident on the exit of Turn 14 which caused the demise from proceedings of NGM Mobile Forward Racing’s Alex de Angelis, with Technomag carXpert rider Dominique Aegerter also becoming involved but continuing to finish 13th. In 15th, Alex Mariñelarena (Blusens Avintia) scored his maiden World Championship point in only his fifth Moto2™ race, achieving the feat at the same track on which he made his debut last year.

Other incidents included a second corner retirement for Interwetten Paddock Moto2 Racing’s Tom Luthi, who bounced across the gravel trap, while there was a similar scenario for Xavier Simeon whose race finished at the end of his first run down the back straight; thankfully, the Maptaq SAG Zelos Team rider was not collected by Argiñano & Gines Racing’s Steven Odendaal, who crashed in the same place.

1 / Nicolas TEROL / SPA / Aspar Team Moto2 / SUTER / 40’15.232 / 158.9 /
2 / Esteve RABAT / SPA / Tuenti HP 40 / KALEX / 40’16.968 / 158.8 / 1.736
3 / Pol ESPARGARO / SPA / Tuenti HP 40 / KALEX / 40’18.762 / 158.7 / 3.53
4 / Scott REDDING / GBR / Marc VDS Racing Team / KALEX / 40’19.015 / 158.6 / 3.783
5 / Mika KALLIO / FIN / Marc VDS Racing Team / KALEX / 40’19.281 / 158.6 / 4.049
6 / Jordi TORRES / SPA / Aspar Team Moto2 / SUTER / 40’26.834 / 158.1 / 11.602
7 / Johann ZARCO / FRA / Came Iodaracing Project / SUTER / 40’31.530 / 157.8 / 16.298
8 / Julian SIMON / SPA / Italtrans Racing Team / KALEX / 40’33.997 / 157.7 / 18.765
9 / Mattia PASINI / ITA / NGM Mobile Racing / SPEED UP / 40’37.498 / 157.4 / 22.266
10 / Sandro CORTESE / GER / Dynavolt Intact GP / KALEX / 40’38.989 / 157.3 / 23.757
11 / Takaaki NAKAGAMI / JPN / Italtrans Racing Team / KALEX / 40’39.156 / 157.3 / 23.924
12 / Marcel SCHROTTER / GER / Maptaq SAG Zelos Team / KALEX / 40’39.719 / 157.3 / 24.487
13 / Dominique AEGERTER / SWI / Technomag carXpert / SUTER / 40’43.243 / 157.1 / 28.011
14 / Alex MARIÑELARENA / SPA / Blusens Avintia / KALEX / 40’48.352 / 156.7 / 33.12
15 / Danny KENT / GBR / Tech 3 / TECH 3 / 40’59.141 / 156.1 / 43.909

Pole Position: Nicolas TEROL 1’53.812 160.6 Km/h
Fastest Lap: Esteve RABAT 1’54.288 159.9 Km/h Lap 13
Circuit Record Lap: Marc MARQUEZ 1’53.956 160.4 Km/h 2011
Circuit Best Lap: Marc MARQUEZ 1’53.296 161.3 Km/h 2011

CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS TILL DATE:
1 REDDING 215, 2 ESPARGARO 195, 3 RABAT 171, 4 KALLIO 143, 5 NAKAGAMI 130, 6 AEGERTER 122, 7 ZARCO 113, 8 TEROL 108, 9 LUTHI 94, 10 TORRES 83, 11 CORSI 74, 12 SIMEON 71, 13 SIMON 57, 14 DE ANGELIS 46, 15 PASINI 42.

— Moto3

Alex Rins has won the Moto3™ Gran Premio Iveco de Aragón, beating Maverick Viñales after a race-long battle. Alex Marquez made the podium, while championship leader Luis Salom fought up to fourth place but saw his points advantage decrease.

Having grown up just minutes from the MotorLand Aragón circuit which first became part of the World Championship in 2010, Rins claimed his sixth pole position of the season on Saturday afternoon. He would never drop out of the fight for the lead on Sunday, which was first between himself, Team Calvo’s Viñales and Estrella Galicia 0,0 teammate Marquez before becoming a two-horse race. The leaders – who in the points table both close in on championship leader Salom – would take the battle down to the wire, but a well-judged piece of riding from Rins saw him head onto the kilometre-long back straight in front on the final lap, then extending the gap.

Marquez experienced a somewhat quiet race en route to the final podium slot, while Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Salom made the most of his damage limitation exercise to rise from eighth on the grid to fourth. An error from the otherwise impressive Philipp Oettl (Tec Interwetten Moto3 Racing) left him sixth, having run as high as fourth while setting a new lap record in the process, while Salom successfully finished in front of Mahindra Racing’s Miguel Oliveira as they completed the top five. This leaves Salom with a nine-point advantage over Rins, who now jumps three points ahead of Viñales with four races remaining in the season.

Elsewhere in the race, Jonas Folger’s seventh place for Mapfre Aspar Team Moto3 was to be noted as the German had undergone surgery for a fractured ankle after the last race at Misano. Belgian rookie Livio Loi (Marc VDS Racing Team) scored a point for 15th position, while Mahindra’s Efren Vazquez rounded out the top ten after escaping unscathed from an incident at Turn 1 on the 16th lap; the same could not be said for Ajo’s Zulfahmi Khairuddin, who flew off his bike but was able to walk away. The Malaysian was then taken to the Medical Centre for treatment, where it was confirmed that he had suffered a fracture to his right wrist; in his current state, Khairuddin would be unable to take part in his upcoming home Grand Prix at Sepang.

A total of six riders failed to finish, as the field was completed by wildcard Maria Herrera (Junior Team Estrella Galicia 0,0); having raised eyebrows on Friday by unexpectedly finishing inside the top ten in opening practice, the CEV race winner fell on the first lap of today’s race and was forced to rejoin at the back of the pack.

Aragón marked the last event ahead of the upcoming triple-header in Malaysia, Australia and Japan. The action continues with the Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix in two weeks’ time.

1 / Alex RINS / SPA / Estrella Galicia 0,0 / KTM / 40’04.214 / 152 /
2 / Maverick VIÑALES / SPA / Team Calvo / KTM / 40’04.640 / 152 / 0.426
3 / Alex MARQUEZ / SPA / Estrella Galicia 0,0 / KTM / 40’16.591 / 151.2 / 12.377
4 / Luis SALOM / SPA / Red Bull KTM Ajo / KTM / 40’20.630 / 151 / 16.416
5 / Miguel OLIVEIRA / POR / Mahindra Racing / MAHINDRA / 40’20.710 / 151 / 16.496
6 / Philipp OETTL / GER / Tec Interwetten Moto3 Racing / KALEX KTM / 40’25.753 / 150.7 / 21.539
7 / Jonas FOLGER / GER / Mapfre Aspar Team Moto3 / KALEX KTM / 40’29.469 / 150.4 / 25.255
8 / Romano FENATI / ITA / San Carlo Team Italia / FTR HONDA / 40’31.925 / 150.3 / 27.711
9 / Arthur SISSIS / AUS / Red Bull KTM Ajo / KTM / 40’32.102 / 150.3 / 27.888
10 / Efren VAZQUEZ / SPA / Mahindra Racing / MAHINDRA / 40’33.191 / 150.2 / 28.977
11 / Alexis MASBOU / FRA / Ongetta-Rivacold / FTR HONDA / 40’33.815 / 150.2 / 29.601
12 / Brad BINDER / RSA / Ambrogio Racing / MAHINDRA / 40’33.962 / 150.2 / 29.748
13 / Jack MILLER / AUS / Caretta Technology – RTG / FTR HONDA / 40’38.047 / 149.9 / 33.833
14 / Niccolò ANTONELLI / ITA / GO&FUN Gresini Moto3 / FTR HONDA / 40’38.064 / 149.9 / 33.85
15 / Livio LOI / BEL / Marc VDS Racing Team / KALEX KTM / 40’52.192 / 149 / 47.978

Pole Position: Alex RINS 1’58.571 154.1 Km/h
Fastest Lap (New record): Philipp OETTL 1’59.681 152.7 Km/h Lap 3
Old Circuit Record Lap: Danny KENT 2’01.351 150.6 Km/h 2012
Circuit Best Lap: Alex RINS 1’58.571 154.1 Km/h 2013

CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS TILL DATE:
1 SALOM 259, 2 RINS 250, 3 VIÑALES 247, 4 MARQUEZ 149, 5 FOLGER 129, 6 OLIVEIRA 115, 7 MILLER 79, 8 MASBOU 69, 9 VAZQUEZ 62, 10 KHAIRUDDIN 60, 11 SISSIS 59, 12 KORNFEIL 56, 13 BINDER 50, 14 FENATI 48, 15 AJO 43.

— HRC Report

Repsol Honda RC213V rider Marc Marquez fought back after almost running off the track to take his sixth win of the year at Aragon, stretching his title lead to almost 40 points with four races remaining. It was Honda’s eighth win this year, and the RC213V’s third in a row at the scenic Motorland Aragon circuit in the Spanish hinterland.

The team’s joy was tempered by misfortune to second Repsol Honda RC213V rider Dani Pedrosa, who crashed out heavily in a freak incident on the sixth of 23 laps. He had taken second place from pole starter Marquez, and was mounting a strong challenge on early leader Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) at the time.

Split seconds before Marquez ran wide, he clipped the rear of Pedrosa’s machine, and the team discovered that one of the electronic sensors of the traction-control system had been damaged, causing the system to become inoperative. This triggered the crash, which happened a few yards further on as Pedrosa opened the throttle. The rear wheel spun, the bike slewed sideways, and the Spaniard – who turned 28 on race day – was tossed over the high side.

Lorenzo had led away with yet another of his trade-mark lightning starts, and led by a second after the first lap, with Marquez second and Pedrosa third. The Honda pair gradually closed the gap over the next four laps; then on the fifth Pedrosa pounced on his team-mate, and was soon on the Yamaha’s back wheel and challenging strongly.

It seemed only a matter of time before he took the lead, but he hadn’t completed another lap when instead he was sent flying.

While Pedrosa was taken to the medical centre for checks (he escaped serious injury), Marquez regrouped and set about closing a gap of almost two seconds on Lorenzo. It took him nine laps to catch up and get ahead with a clean but forceful pass. Lorenzo stayed close until the closing stages, but was powerless to prevent Marquez taking the win by better than one second.

A crowd of 61,300 enjoying warm but overcast conditions were rewarded with exciting racing down the field, with a four-bike battle for the last rostrum place. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) hung on to the spot under race-long pressure from Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda RC213V), Alvaro Bautista (FUN&GO Gresini Honda RC213V) and Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha).

It came to a climax in the last six laps. First Bautista got ahead of Rossi, then Bradl joined the action, with Crutchlow a close spectator. The trio changed places again with two laps to go, Rossi regaining the upper hand to lead Bautista over the line by less than a second. The Spaniard had his hands full with Bradl, less than two tenths behind. Crutchlow was just over half a second away. Less than two seconds covered the quartet.

Bautista has a special role with Honda, race-developing Showa suspension and Nissin brakes, the only rider to use the Japanese components made by companies associated with Honda

His team-mate Bryan Staring (GO&FUN Honda Gresini FTR Honda) finished 18th, in the middle of a three-rider battle. The Australian, in his first grand prix season, rides a CBR1000RR-powered machine in the CRT category.

Marquez has now amassed a total of 278 points, with Lorenzo second on 239, and Pedrosa dropped to third on 219.

Nico Terol (Aspar Team Moto2 Suter) took a resounding victory in the Moto2 class, stamping his authority on a category where all riders use identical race-tuned Honda CBR600 engines supplied by the organisers, to ensure close and reliable racing. It was the former 125cc champion’s second win of the season, achieved after starting from pole position for the first time in the class. Terol led from the first lap to the last, and was able to slow towards the end and still win by 1.7 seconds. Earlier he had been more than four seconds clear.

There was a strong battle behind him, as championship leader Scott Redding (Marc VDS Racing Team Kalex) strove to keep ahead of challenging rival Pol Espargaro (Tuenti HP 40 Pons Kalex). Espargaro’s team-mate Esteve Rabat had finally escaped ahead of the pair on the 14th of 21 laps. Soon afterwards second Marc VDS Racing Team Kalex rider Mika Kallio caught from behind, and the three closed up as the laps counted down.

Redding resisted fiercely as Espargaro’s attack redoubled, and left tyre marks on his rival’s leathers as they made contact. But in the end the Spaniard prevailed, taking the last rostrum spot by three tenths, and whittling another three points out of Redding’s title lead. He is now 20 points ahead, with four races remaining.

Kallio was a close fifth. More than seven seconds away Jordi Torres (Aspar Team Moto2 Suter) was a lonely sixth, with Johann Zarco (Came Iodaracing Project Suter) and then Julian Simon (Italtrans Racing Team Kalex) equally alone behind.

Mattia Pasini (NGM Mobile Racing Speed Up) prevailed in a big battle for ninth, from Moto3 champion Sandro Cortese (Dynavolt Intact GP Kalex), Takaaki Nakagami (Italtrans Racing Team Kalex) and Marcel Schrotter (Maptaq SAG Zelos Team Kalex), with Dominique Aegerter (Technomag carXpert Suter) losing touch at the end to finish 13th. Nakagami had been with the leaders in the early stages, but dropped back after running off the track.

In the smallest class, Moto3, Honda-powered machines are up against rival factories, and the top runners among the Honda hordes found themselves engaged in a fierce battle for the points behind the three runaway leaders. A pack of nine, and sometimes ten, 250cc four-strokes were locked in combat for an eventual eighth place.

Best of them was rising Italian Romano Fenati (San Carlo Team Italia FTR Honda), who conquered the group and came within a little over two seconds of catching seventh-placed Jonas Folger (Kalex KTM). He was two tenths ahead of KTM’s Arthur Sissis. Barely one second behind, experienced French rider Alexis Masbou (Ongetta-Rivacold FTR Honda) secured 11th, with Australian star Jack Miller (Caretta Technology-RTG FTR Honda) 13th.

Miller had ridden through from 20th on the grid, after a tyre issue in qualifying kept him from his more usual position challenging for the front two rows.

Niccolo Antonelli (GO&FUN Gresini Moto3 FTR Honda) was right on his back wheel for 14th, with another clutch of Hondas – Francesco Bagnaia (San Carlo Team Italia FTR Honda), Isaac Vinales (Ongetta-Centro Seta FTR Honda) and wild card Bryan Schouten (Dutch Racing Team FTR Honda) – filling from 17th to 19th places, in another big group battling for the final point. Fifteenth to 22nd places crossed the line within less than 1.4 seconds.

The race was won by Spanish KTM rider Alex Rins (Estrella Galicia KTM) ahead of fellow countrymen Maverick Vinales (Team Calvo KTM) and his team mate Alex Marquez. Luis Salom (Red Bull KTM Ajo) finished fourth and retained his lead in the championship.

The next race is the Malaysian GP in two weeks’ time, followed week by week by two more long-distance races, in Australia and Japan, before the season finale in Valencia.

Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda: 1st
“Today was a very gruelling race, because I had to make two comebacks; the first was to catch Jorge after he broke free at the start, then I needed to make another after Dani passed me and I wanted to overtake him after two laps. I felt comfortable but I went a little wide under braking, lifted the bike up and made light contact with him. I’m not sure he even noticed it, but it was a bit of bad luck because the team told me I caused his traction control cable to snap and I’m sorry for that – it’s something very unusual to see. The important thing is that Dani is OK. I was eventually able to overtake Jorge and take the victory, which is important in terms of both the 25 points and for my morale.”

Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: DNF
“Fortunately I’m fine physically. I took a heavy knock to my hip and my groin area, but I was able to escape relatively unhurt from what was a big crash. Marc went in too wide on the corner entry, clipped me from the outside and I went flying when I got on the gas. My mechanics told me later that the traction control cable had been cut by the contact.”

Alvaro Bautista, GO&FUN Honda Gresini, 4th
“It was a great race and I had a lot of fun fighting with Crutchlow, Bradl and Rossi. It’s just a shame that I missed out on the podium again but I am happy because I fought for it until the end. Unfortunately I ended up getting into a fight with Bradl on the final lap and lost touch with Valentino but I have no complaints and we have to be happy with a result like this at a circuit where we have had so many difficulties in the past. Thanks to all the guys for the incredible job they are doing. It is nice that we were back to our best today, proving that Misano was not our fault.”

Stefan Bradl, LCR Honda MotoGP: 5th
“Probably it was an exciting race to watch and it was fun also for me. Overall we had a good weekend and a good race although I lost the last-lap battle with Rossi and Bautista, but I am happy anyway. Of course I was dreaming about the podium, as we were fast and consistent over the three days, but Alvaro was very strong in the last lap. After Silverstone and Brno tough weekends, our performance is getting stronger and stronger and I gained more confidence on the bike. I only need some more experience to manage the last laps and the drop of the tyres, but we took the right direction.”

Bryan Staring, GO&FUN Honda Gresini, 18th
“I am not really happy because I thought the race would be different, but after a good start I made a mistake and lost focus. It’s a shame, but we have to stay positive because we have some important races coming up, including my home Grand Prix, and I am determined to finish the season off in a positive way.”

Honda Moto2 rider quotes
Nico Terol, Aspar Team Moto2, 1st
“It was a perfect weekend for me. Yesterday was better, but today was more difficult because there was more wind, and it was more difficult to keep the concentration and consistency. In this class you can struggle at once race and do well at the next one. Thanks to my team for all the work.”

Esteve Rabat, Tuenti HP 40 Pons, 2nd
“I am very happy for the weekend. I made not such a good start to the race, and there were a lot of other riders around – Nakagami, Pol, Scott Redding. I was stuck behind Scott’s bike for a while, but when I passed them I tried to go. I could concentrate well and I could get a good gap quite quickly, but it was too late to catch Nico. But I am still very happy.”

Pol Espargaro, Tuenti HP 40 Pons, 3rd
“I’m happy because we are a little bit closer to Scott than before. It was a difficult day for us. I don’t know why, but these races are all difficult. Like Nico said, sometimes you can win, another time you have to fight very hard for fifth or sixth position. We tried our best and finally the position was okay because we were in front of Scott. It was a very hard fight, but we gained some points back.”

Honda Moto3 rider quotes
Romano Fenati, San Carlo Team Italia, 8th
“It was a fantastic race. I was fighting a lot with Vazquez, Sissis and other riders. The start was not good, and in the second or third lap I started to move up, passing people one by one. Then the fight with Vazquez, and I could get away a bit when I passed him. The KTM is a higher level on speed, so it is impossible to pass them on the straight. You have to do everything in the corner.”

Alexis Masbou, Ongetta-Rivacold, 11th
“I made a good start, and I was with a good group in the first part of the race. To start with Oettl and Salom was too difficult, but still I was okay. Vazquez pushed everyone in the group and we lost a lot of time in the middle of the race – one or 1.5 seconds slower than our rhythm. Fenati got ahead and was able to make a little gap, but I found it impossible to pass Vazquez and finished just behind him. But I think we did a good job.”

Jack Miller, Caretta Technology RTG, 13th
“We struggled all weekend. Qualifying was a disaster – I had the wrong tyre, and we ended up losing out so today we had to start from the back. We had a good pace … even yesterday I should have been seventh on the grid, which would have been a bit nicer. So I had to work my way through and into that big group. It was going good, then Vazquez hit Khairuddin and he went down and we all had to chop the gas, and broke up the group. We lost the slipstream and that was pretty much the end of it. But we took some points, that’s the main thing.”

— Yamaha Report

afternoon to take second and third respectively in the Gran Premio Iveco de Aragon.

Defending world champion Lorenzo made a flying start from second on the grid to lead the MotoGP field into turn one with rivals Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa in pursuit. The Mallorcan’s stunning first lap pace saw a one second gap created as they headed into the second lap. Pedrosa and Marquez remained hot on the heels of Lorenzo until with 18 laps to go the two chasing riders made contact, Marquez running wide and Pedrosa crashing out. With ten laps to go Marquez caught and passed Lorenzo, but was unable to pull away as the reigning champion tucked in behind to give chase. Lorenzo eventually crossed the line in second, just 1.3 seconds back from Marquez.

Teammate Rossi held his fourth grid position off the line and into turn one, closely followed by Alvaro Bautista and Stefan Bradl. The nine-time world champion, promoted to third by Pedrosa’s crash, was able to hold the provisional podium spot until a late attack by Bautista with six laps remaining. The fight for third ran until the penultimate lap, Rossi making the decisive move through the uphill section of the track to retake the final podium spot and hold it to the line.

The race result keeps Lorenzo in second in the standings, 20 points ahead of Pedrosa and 39 behind Marquez in the lead. Rossi remains in fourth place after his podium finish, now on 185 points, 29 clear of Cal Crutchlow in fifth.

Jorge Lorenzo – 2nd / +1.356 / 23 laps
“My tactic was to start well and open a gap like I did in the last races. I could make one second at the beginning but then simply Marc was faster. When he caught me I closed the throttle to try to save some energy until the end; then he passed me and tried to go away. I tried my best to catch him but it was impossible. Today he was faster than me; there are no excuses. We have to congratulate him and now we think about the next races. The championship is more difficult now than before the race but we are going to fight for it until the end. We will try to win as many races as possible.”

Valentino Rossi – 3rd / +12.927 / 23 laps
“Third position is positive, to be on the podium is good. I expected to go a little bit faster after the practice this morning where I was very strong. I decided for the hard front tyre whilst Marc and Jorge went for the soft and I think it was a better choice for this afternoon as I was a little bit slower. In the end the third position is very positive.”

Wilco Zeelenberg – Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager

“Again second in Aragon, same result as last year. We have been much faster than last year anyway, 12 seconds faster. We have improved a lot but not enough to win. It shows our potential at what is not one of our favourite tracks. Hopefully at the next four rounds we will have a little bit more so we can battle for victory.”

Massimo Meregalli – Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director

“Even though it didn’t go as we planned we were still able to put together good results and have both riders on the podium. For us in a circuit where we always suffer this is a great result. As usual we took a lot of information to use. The championship is still open so we will prepare as much as we can and be ready for another exciting round in a couple of weeks.”

Crutchlow and Smith take valuable points at Motorland Aragon

The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team celebrated one of its best double finishes of the season at the Motorland Aragon track this afternoon, with Cal Crutchlow racing to sixth spot and teammate Bradley Smith finishing in a fantastic seventh position.

Crutchlow was one of the main protagonists in the most enthralling battle of a dramatic 23-lap race, as the British rider fought superbly for third position with Valentino Rossi, Alvaro Bautista and Stefan Bradl throughout.

The 27-year-old displayed typical fighting spirit to keep himself locked in the battle right down to the last lap, though he was just unable to force his way into contention to claim a fifth podium of the campaign.

Crutchlow’s sixth position saw him pick up 10 more precious World Championship points that keep him firmly in control of fifth place in the rankings and on course to end 2013 as the leading non-factory rider.

Today’s race, which took place in the coolest conditions of the weekend, saw rookie Smith deliver one of his most impressive performances of the season.

Taking full advantage of improved braking performance after tweaking his riding style earlier this weekend, Smith finished in a terrific seventh position. The highlight of his race was his excellent charge away from experienced rival Andrea Dovizioso after passing the Italian on lap three.

The 22-year-old maintained a consistent pace throughout the race and one pleasing aspect of his performance today was he managed to finish just over 30 seconds behind eventual winner Marc Marquez. That improvement on recent races bodes well for the final races of the campaign, which includes three back-to-back flyaway races in Malaysia, Australia and Japan.

Cal Crutchlow – 6th – 156 points
“I am not unsatisfied with a top 6 result this weekend, I just think we are far from where we should be and that is clearly because we are lacking speed. We lose more than 10km/h every single lap on the straight and in acceleration and that is not good for us, we honestly don’t know why also because we used a new engine since this morning and I really don’t need to find excuses because you could clearly see it on TV how much I was struggling. In any case we can still take quite a few positives out of this weekend, we had two days of track time less than the others and we don’t have the seamless gearbox but we were still able to finish just 1,5 seconds behind Valentino, so we have not done a bad job. Now I am looking forward to the overseas and I am confident we can still fight for the podium this season.”

Bradley Smith – 7th – 80 points
“The positive point of today is that we scored our best result since Sachsenring and altogether it was good to stay in front of the Ducatis and especially to pull away from them at the end of the race was a nice feeling. I still believe that we have some more potential to improve our race setting . This will surely be our main aim for the flyaway races and I have no doubt that we will progress is this area. But all in all I can’t be unsatisfied with this weekend, especially considering how tough Friday was, when things did not really go according to plan, so to travel to Malaysia with a 7th position in my luggage is not too bad.”

— Ducati Report

The results of the Aragón Grand Prix, the fourteenth round of the MotoGP World Championship, were less than satisfying for the Ducati Team. Both Andrea Dovizioso and Nicky Hayden were able to improve slightly on their grid positions (on the third and fourth row, thanks to ninth and eleventh place finishes in qualifying), but at the finish line, they had to settle for eighth and ninth place, respectively, the same results they posted at the previous round.

After a difficult start, Dovizioso found himself in eighth place on the sixth lap, followed by his teammate. The Italian then tried in vain to stay with Bradley Smith, while Hayden ceded a position to Andrea Iannone when he went off the track four laps from the end. The American was able to take ninth place back, and he and Dovizioso held their positions to the end.

The MotoGP teams and riders will now get a weekend off before embarking on a trip to Asia and Australia that will include three races in three weeks.

Andrea Dovizioso – Ducati Team, 8th
“I knew that the best I could hope for was to stay with Smith, but unfortunately, I couldn’t do it. The first three-quarters of the race were good, as I gritted my teeth and tried to stick with him, but with nine laps left, the rear tyre began to lose grip and I couldn’t stay with him to the end. I’m disappointed, but like I said Friday, this track doesn’t suit us very well. The fact that we have trouble in fast corners is a big disadvantage here, and when the tyres are worn, this problem becomes worse.”

Nicky Hayden – Ducati Team, 9th
“It’s been a tough weekend. We’ve tried so many things to find grip and get the bike to stop, but we didn’t make much progress. On the start, I got a good jump off the line but bogged and lost some positions. I made up a couple and then ran wide in the last corner two different times. Toward the end I went straight at turn twelve, where I’d been having trouble stopping all weekend, and went into the gravel trap. I lost twelve seconds and one spot, which I had to fight to get back. It was a very tough race, and the feeling with my Desmosedici GP13 wasn’t great for the whole weekend, but I also made too many mistakes. I’m not very happy at all, so I look forward to getting to Malaysia to put this behind us.”

Paolo Ciabatti – Ducati MotoGP Project Director
“After the practice sessions, we knew that it would be difficult for our riders to do better than eighth place today. Unfortunately, this seems to be our potential at the moment. Andrea battled with Smith until his rear tyre began losing grip, whereas Nicky’s race was more difficult, as he never found a good feeling with his bike. Obviously, we’re not satisfied, and there’s not much else to say.”

— Bridgestone Report

Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Soft & Hard. Rear: Soft, Medium & Hard (Asymmetric)
Bridgestone wet tyre compounds available: Soft (Main) & Hard (Alternative)
Weather: Dry. Ambient 24-25°C; Track 31-34°C (Bridgestone measurement)

Marc Marquez returned to winning form at Motorland Aragon, his sixth victory of the season helping the Repsol Honda to take a stranglehold on the MotoGP™ championship with four rounds remaining.

Starting from pole position, Marquez lost out to Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo as the lights went out and found himself in third place after his teammate Dani Pedrosa passed him on lap five. Marquez regained second place after Pedrosa crashed out on the exit of turn sixteen on lap six, after which Marquez reeled in and passed Lorenzo for the lead on lap thirteen. Although he was pressured over the remainder of the race by Lorenzo, Marquez held on to take the chequered flag by 1.356 seconds ahead of his compatriot, while Valentino Rossi took third place on the other Yamaha Factory Racing M1 after an entertaining battle for the final podium position. Power Electronics Aspar’s Aleix Espargaro was the top CRT finisher at Aragon, finishing in eleventh place.

Ambient and track temperatures were cooler today, with a reading of 31°C recorded at the start of the race. The lower temperatures resulted in all riders selecting softer rear slick options, while four riders – including Marquez and Lorenzo – opted for the soft compound front slick. The pace of this year’s Aragon Grand Prix was the fastest ever recorded at this circuit, with the overall race time bettering the old mark by seven seconds and Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa setting a new race record lap of 1’48.565 on lap two.

Marquez’s sixth win of the year stretches his lead in the championship over Lorenzo to thirty-nine points, while Pedrosa remains third in the standings and a further twenty points behind after his second DNF of the season.

Hiroshi Yamada – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department
“Congratulations to Repsol Honda and Marc on their victory today, both he and Jorge gave everything they had and it was fantastic watching them push each other to the limit. It was a great shame that Dani suffered from a technical issue today as he was looking so strong in the race, but I am sure we will see him back challenging for the win at Sepang. I think the prospect of watching an exciting battle between the championship contenders was a key factor in the large crowds at Aragon this year compared to last, and I hope that we will see big crowds at the remaining races as the championship heads towards a thrilling conclusion.”

Masao Azuma – Chief Engineer, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department
“Today’s temperatures were the coolest of the race weekend but they didn’t drop to a level that resulted in many riders opting for the soft compound front slick, with ultimately only four riders selecting this option. The cool weather also meant that no riders selected harder rear slick options for the race. Both the soft and hard compound front slick performed well in the race, as the teams and riders were able to take advantage of the different characteristics these two compound options offer. The overall race time was the quickest ever here and new qualifying and race lap records were set, so on the whole this was a positive weekend for Bridgestone.

Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda – Race Winner
“The start of the race was not so good but I was able to be aggressive on the opening few corners and only lost around a second to Lorenzo on the first lap, after which I was able to recover step by step. After Dani passed me I started to feel better with the bike though I did lose some time after I touched him at the end of the back. I was on the limit for many laps after that point, but I could catch and pass Jorge quite quickly and getting twenty-five points here was very important.”

— Qualifying – Marquez on pole at Aragon

Championship leader Marc Marquez has achieved his seventh pole position of the MotoGP™ season, edging out Jorge Lorenzo by one hundredth of a second at MotorLand Aragon. Last year’s winner Dani Pedrosa will start third, with Valentino Rossi and Stefan Bradl completing the top five.

Marquez’s seventh pole and third in succession came following a tight battle in north-eastern Spain, with MotorLand Aragón being one of seven anti-clockwise circuits on the current calendar. Lorenzo had topped the timesheets on Friday morning before Marquez moved ahead, although – following a damp third session – it was Pedrosa who led the way in final practice ahead of qualifying.

The record pole time was delivered by Marquez in the form of 1’47.804, with Yamaha Factory Racing’s Lorenzo preventing a Repsol Honda Team qualifying one-two. This means the top three on the grid will start in championship order, with Marquez holding a 34-point advantage over both of his rivals. Lorenzo’s teammate Valentino Rossi also saw his grid place match his position in the championship, being demoted from second to fourth in the final moments, ahead of Honda satellite riders Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda MotoGP) and Alvaro Bautista (GO&FUN Honda Gresini).

Struggling for top speed on Aragón’s kilometre-long back straight, Cal Crutchlow could muster no more than seventh place while Monster Yamaha Tech3 teammate Bradley Smith qualified eighth and only two tenths of a second slower, having progressed from Q1 after being denied the chance of a direct Q2 position due chiefly to track conditions in third practice. Ducati Team’s Andrea Dovizioso and Power Electronics Aspar’s Aleix Espargaro (the leading CRT runner) completed the top ten, while Ducati’s Nicky Hayden (11th) was unable to meet his second row target and Energy T.I. Pramac’s Andrea Iannone (12th) rounded out the first half of the grid.

Yonny Hernandez enjoyed a strong debut for Ignite Pramac Racing and almost a spot in Q2 en route to 13th place, while Aspar’s Randy de Puniet settled for 16th following problems. Italian debutant Luca Scassa (Cardion AB Motoracing) will head up the back row from 22nd, covering for Karel Abraham who is out for the rest of the season, while Australia’s Damian Cudlin – replacing Hernandez at PBM for both Aragón and Phillip Island – experienced a crash from which he suffered minor injuries to his right hand and arm. This weekend’s race marks Round 14 of 2013 and the fourth at MotorLand Aragón, which first appeared on the MotoGP™ calendar in 2010.

— Qualifying Results
1 Marc Marquez 1’47.804 SPA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
2 Jorge Lorenzo 1’47.814 SPA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing
3 Dani Pedrosa 1’47.957 SPA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
4 Valentino Rossi 1’47.962 ITA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing
5 Stefan Bradl 1’48.128 GER HONDA LCR Honda MotoGP
6 Alvaro Bautista 1’48.302 SPA HONDA Go & Fun Honda Gresini
7 Cal Crutchlow 1’48.653 GBR YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
8 Bradley Smith 1’48.854 GBR YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
9 Andrea Dovizioso 1’49.219 ITA DUCATI Ducati Team
10 Aleix Espargaro 1’49.348 SPA ART Power Electronics Aspar
11 Nicky Hayden 1’49.428 USA DUCATI Ducati Team
12 Andrea Iannone 1’50.094 ITA DUCATI Energy T.I. Pramac Racing Team
13 Yonny Hernandez 1’50.685 COL DUCATI Ignite Pramac Racing Team
14 Hiroshi Aoyama 1’50.995 JAP FTR Avintia Blusens
15 Danilo Petrucci 1’51.030 ITA IODA-SUTER Came IodaRacing Project
16 Randy De Puniet 1’51.297 FRA SUZUKI Suzuki Test Team
17 Colin Edwards 1’51.327 USA FTR-KAWASAKI NGM Mobile Forward Racing
18 Claudio Corti 1’51.519 ITA FTR-KAWASAKI NGM Mobile Forward Racing
19 Hector Barbera 1’51.552 SPA FTR Avintia Blusens
20 Michael Laverty 1’51.639 GBR PBM Paul Bird Motorsport
21 Bryan Staring 1’52.102 AUS FTR-HONDA Go & Fun Honda Gresini
22 Luca Scassa 1’52.305 ITA ART Cardion AB Motoracing
23 Lukas Pesek 1’52.989 CZE IODA-SUTER Came IodaRacing Project
24 Damian Cudlin 1’53.521 AUS PBM Paul Bird Motorsport

— Moto2

Nico Terol was fastest in the Moto2™ qualifying session for the Gran Premio Iveco de Aragón, picking up his first pole position in the class. The Aspar Team Moto2 rider will start alongside Tuenti HP 40’s Tito Rabat and Pol Espargaro, with championship leader Scott Redding having managed only 13th place.

At the end of Day 1, Italtrans Racing Team’s Takaaki Nakagami (second place finisher at the last four races) had topped the timesheets from Rabat, with championship contenders Espargaro and Redding both struggling. On this occasion, it was Terol – one day after his 25th birthday – atop the pile with his best effort of 1’53.812, with Rabat less than two tenths behind. Critically for third-placed Espargaro, he lines up ten places ahead of Redding and would be capable of snatching the championship lead should he win with the Englishman hitting trouble on Sunday.

The aforementioned Nakagami will head Row 2 from Terol’s Aspar teammate Jordi Torres and NGM Mobile Racing’s Simone Corsi, while reigning Moto3™ World Champion Sandro Cortese will line up ninth to equal his second-best qualifying performance of the campaign to date. Perhaps the biggest story of the day was that of championship leader Redding who, in pain with his right arm and recovering from surgery for arm pump, lingered in 13th position while Marc VDS Racing Team colleague Mika Kallio faired even worse and qualified 15th.

Terol’s pole position is the ninth of his career and first since qualifying quickest for the Malaysian Grand Prix towards the end of his title-winning 125 campaign in 2011. He now targets his second Moto2™ victory, having already triumphed in the inaugural Grand Prix of the Americas.

— Moto3

Estrella Galicia 0,0’s Alex Rins will begin the Gran Premio Iveco de Aragón from pole position, starting alongside Maverick Viñales and teammate Alex Marquez. Philipp Oettl put in a standout performance for fourth place, with championship leader Luis Salom managing no more than eighth on the grid.

Following heavy rain in the early hours of Saturday morning, final practice had been held in mixed conditions before the sun came out over MotorLand Aragón in the afternoon. Courtesy of his truly impressive effort, Rins grabbed the top spot by no less than seven tenths of a second thanks to a leading lap time of 1’58.571. With Salom back on Row 3, Rins and second-placed Viñales (Team Calvo) are well aware that they are presented with an opportunity to reduce the championship lead of the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider who heads Viñales by 19 points, with Rins 21 off the lead.

A superb performance by Philipp Oettl, son of former Grand Prix racer Peter and currently in his maiden full World Championship season, saw the Tec Interwetten Moto3 Racing rider achieve a front row position before being demoted by Marquez; nevertheless, his second row placing is by far his best to date and continues a strong run of form this weekend. Efren Vazquez will line up fifth for Mahindra Racing, while Jonas Folger delivered an inspiring and unexpected performance to qualify sixth for Mapfre Aspar Team Moto3 despite having undergone surgery only last week after fracturing his left ankle in a crash last time out at Misano.

With Salom eighth, he is sandwiched into the middle of the third row by Mahindra’s Miguel Oliveira and Red Bull KTM Ajo teammate Arthur Sissis, while second teammate Zulfahmi Khairuddin ended proceedings in 11th place following a small incident at Turn 12. Wildcard entrants and CEV rivals Maria Herrera and Bryan Schouten will start together on the grid, 31st and 32nd for Junior Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 and Dutch Racing Team, respectively.

— HRC Report

Honda riders qualified first and third for tomorrow’s Aragon GP, bracketing the front row of the grid. Championship leader Marc Marquez was on pole position, and his Repsol Honda RC213V team-mate Dani Pedrosa a close third fastest. In between them was defending World Champion Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha).

There were two Hondas also on the second row, at a track where Honda’s V4 MotoGP prototype has a strong record, having won for the past two years. LCR Honda RC213V rider Stefan Bradl was less than two tenths ahead of Team GO&FUN Honda Gresini RC213V rider Alvaro Bautista, in fifth and sixth positions. Second Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi was fourth.

Marquez’s seventh pole of his first MotoGP season was yet another landmark in the rookie in a million’s sensational maiden season in the premier class. The Spanish rising star claimed it with a stunning lap time – not only 1.2 seconds inside the lap record, set in race conditions, but better than 0.65 seconds faster than the best ever lap at the challenging and scenic Motorland Aragon circuit. Both of those times were set last year by Repsol Honda RC213V rider Casey Stoner.

Marquez (20) has so far won five races, taking his first victory in only the second round. He followed up with four in a row mid-season, setting yet another “youngest-ever” record in a year of many such achievements. During that spell he regained his early championship lead, which now stands at a significant 34 points, ahead of Lorenzo and Pedrosa, who are equal on points.

Although he now need finish only second at the remaining five rounds, the former 125cc and reigning Moto2 champion has pledged to continue fighting for victories in his quest to become the youngest-ever premier-class World Champion.

Team-mate Pedrosa is battling to regain ground lost after missing one race and struggling through the following rounds when he broke his collarbone in practice at round eight in Germany. Until then he had been leading on points.

Pedrosa chose natural healing rather than the surgery espoused by rival Lorenzo, with a similar injury. Now back to full strength, he is determined and focused, and hoping to repeat his victory at the Aragon circuit last year.

Both Repsol Honda riders are fresh from post-race tests after the race at Misano a fortnight ago, where Pedrosa concentrated on improving the settings of his machine to tackle issues with rear grip that has been troubling him. The Spanish star celebrates his 28th birthday on race day tomorrow, and hopes to do so with his own third win of the season, after a run of four podium finishes at the previous races.

Stefan Bradl’s second-row start reflects a return to strong form that peaked with a first pole position and second place at the US GP, before the summer break. The German rider showed his pace on the first day of practice, running second fastest, and was confident for the race after his own tests at Misano helped him find better machine settings.

Bautista has shown improving form throughout the season, as he and his team get to grips with his exclusive use of Showa suspension and Nissin brakes … the Spaniard is race-developing the Japanese components, made by companies with close associations with Honda. Working alone means no reference points or data, but the Italy-based team has made strong progress during the season, and his results and race performances have steadily improved.

His team-mate Bryan Staring (GO&FUN Honda Gresini FTR Honda) qualified 21st on his Honda CBR1000RR-powered CRT bike. The Australian is in his first grand prix season, learning new tracks while also getting to grips with a new type of machine.

Former 125cc champion Nico Terol (Aspar Team Moto2 Suter) claimed a career first Moto2 pole, only his second time on the front row of the grid this year. The first time was at round two in Austin, Texas, where he went on to claim his first race win in the class. Since then, however, he has been only once on the podium in the volatile class.

All Moto2 riders use identical race-tuned Honda CBR600 engines, supplied by the organisers. This ensures not only close but also reliable racing, with riders striving to make the difference on a variety of prototype chassis.

Two-time race winner Esteve Rabat (Tuenti HP 40 Pons Kalex) and his team-mate Pol Espargaro complete the front row of the grid, but the major focus of the race is the championship battle between Spanish star Espargaro and English championship leader Scott Redding (Marc VDS Racing Team Kalex).

Redding still has a points lead of 23, but Espargaro has been closing the gap over the latter half of the season. Redding, fresh from arm surgery, qualified a disappointing 13th at Aragon, on the fifth row of the grid, putting him in the thick of heavy race traffic. The difference on time is not so great, however – the top 13 all qualified within one second of pole time.

Japanese racer Takaaki Nakagami (Italtrans Racing Team Kalex), who has finished second in the last four races, heads the second row. Alongside him, single race winner Jordi Torres (Aspar Team Moto2 Suter) was narrowly ahead of Simone Corsi (NGM Mobile Racing Speed Up).

Julian Simon (Italtrans Racing Team Kalex), Alex de Angelis (NGM Mobile Forward Racing Speed Up), reigning Moto3 champion Sandro Cortese (Dynavolt Intact GP Kalex) and Johann Zarco (Came Iodaracing Project Suter) complete the top ten.

In the Moto3 class, up against rival factories, two Honda riders were in close contention with each other. In the end Ongetta-Rivacold FTR Honda rider Alexis Masbou took the fourth-row starting position from San Carlo Team Italia FTR Honda rider Romano Fenati in the closing stages.

The experienced 26-year-old Frenchman was happy to be top Honda, but anticipated a tough race at a track where a long straight does not favour his machine’s superior cornering ability. Fenati (17) had been higher in free practice, in a generally strong weekend for the young Italian, in his second year in the class.

Less than half-a-second slower, Niccolo Antonelli (GO&FUN Gresini Moto3 FTR Honda) was 15th out of the 35 qualifiers.

Second San Carlo Team Italia FTR Honda rider Francesco Bagnaia was 17th, Jack Miller (top Honda in the points standings) a disappointed 20th on the Caretta Technology-RTG FTR Honda, one place ahead of France’s Alan Techer (CIP Moto3 TSR Honda).

Isaac Vinales (Bimbo Ongetta-Centro-Seta FTR Honda) was 23rd, Alessandro Tonucci (La Fonte Tascaracing FTR Honda) 24th, and John McPhee (Caretta Technology-RTG FTR Honda 27th; with Lorenzo Baldassarri (GO&FUN Gresini Moto3 FTR Honda), wild card Bryan Schouten (Dutch Racing Team FTR Honda), Hyuga Watanabe (La Fonte Tascaracing FTR Honda), Matteo Ferrari (Ongetta-Centro Seta FTR Honda) and Juanfran Guevara (CIP Moto3 TSR Honda) filling the grid.

The 5.078-km Motorland Aragon circuit, the central part of a major motorsport and technology centre, is fast and scenic, running up and down a dry and stony hillside and including a long straight just a few metres short of a kilometre. The weather was dry for the two practice days, although overnight rain made a cool and damp start to Saturday. There is a small chance of rain tomorrow, bringing the possibility of a flag-to-flag race in which riders pit to change bikes to match changing conditions.

Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda RC213V): 1st – 1m 47.804
“It was a very closely fought qualifying session. We were able to get maximum performance from the tyres, which was the key to this pole position. Small details decided things this afternoon. I am happy, because we were able to achieve our aim of a front row start and to have the pole is a bonus. Tomorrow it will be important to get a good start and keep calm in the early laps, with the intention of taking the race to Jorge and Dani.”

Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda): 3rd – 1m 47.957
“Even though the position on the grid maybe doesn’t reflect it, we had a good qualifying session. We did a good job today and a lap time that I’m pleased with. For tomorrow the key will be to have a good start as the first corner is very close. I want to have a strong first few laps and maintain a good pace for the whole race. The tyre wear will be crucial so it’s also important to manage them for the race distance.”

Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda RC213V): 5th – 1m 48.128
“Obviously I wanted to catch the fourth place, but at the end Rossi was a bit faster. But I am pretty satisfied anyway. We had a good start to the weekend and we continued with a good base set-up and consistent pace. This makes us quite optimistic for the race tomorrow, although we have a big question mark about the tyres: actually we have a good pace in the first laps but the tyres drop down quickly. The key element will be to save the tyres as much as possible until the end of the race. At this stage I am happy because the rider and the team are working well together, and I like this combination.”

Alvaro Bautista (Team GO&FUN Honda Gresini): 6th – 1m 48.302
“We didn’t go out this morning because the track conditions after the rain were such that we couldn’t get any useful feedback from either the wet or dry tyres so it meant we had to do all our work in the afternoon. Final free practice didn’t go well so we went out in qualifying with the setting from yesterday and set a good time. The pace from the other guys was very fast though and we have had to settle for sixth place and a second row start tomorrow. I am still happy with the lap time and my feeling on the bike. It was important to qualify well here because the first turn is very tight and even though it won’t be easy I think we can be fighting for fourth or fifth place.”

Bryan Staring (GO&FUN Honda Gresini FTR Honda): 21st – 1m 52.102
“I am pretty happy because in comparison to yesterday I have a better feeling with the bike and I am sure we can improve even more for the race. The goal is to make up as many positions as we can and close in on the points.”

Honda Moto2 Rider quotes
Nico Terol (Aspar Team Moto2): 1st – 1m 53.812
“I am really happy about my first pole position in Moto2. This whole weekend my pace has been very consistent, and I made a big effort to be on the front row … so pole is perfect for me. Moto2 is very close and many riders are very fast – but here at this track my pace is good. I won here in 125, and my feeling for the track is always very good.”

Tito Rabat (Tuenti HP40): 2nd – 1m 53.985
“I will be going for another win tomorrow. We have a very consistent pace and a good rhythm, and our tyres are not going down too much. I have a little trouble in the last sector, and I’ll be checking with my mechanics to see if we can do something about this. For tomorrow – just make a good start and enjoy the race.”

Pol Espargaro (Tuenti HP40): 3rd – 1m 54.294
“Third today is like a pole for me … yesterday I was quite slow, and was 11th, a second from the fastest. But we worked hard over the night to improve the bike for my style, and then today we could improve little by little. So now we have a better chance, but the first laps will be very hard … I am not the best with a full tank of fuel, and we also need to save the tyres for the end.”

Honda Moto3 Rider quotes
Alexis Masbou (Ongetta Rivacold): 12th – 2m 00.498
“I’m feeling quite good on the bike, and good to be top Honda, but the position is not what I expected. This is a difficult track for us because the layout favours top speed more than handling. I tried a different rear suspension link today, but it didn’t feel too good, so tomorrow I may return to the old one. I’m sure I can improve acceleration a bit if I can find better rear grip, and race for some good points.”

Romano Fenati (San Carlo Team Italia): 13th – 2m 00.818
“All weekend I have been going well. I enjoy this track, so it is a little disappointing not to be top Honda. I hoped for better in qualifying, but I never could get a good clear lap because there seemed to be so much traffic … but the race is tomorrow, and we will see what happens.”

Niccolo Antonelli (Team GO&FUN Gresini): 15th – 2m 00.858
“We could have done better today but I am quite satisfied. Unfortunately Aragon is not a good track for our bike and I needed a good tow in order to do the lap time, but I didn’t get one. Things can change in the race though and if we get a good start then a top ten finish is not unthinkable.”

— Yamaha Report

Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo has taken second on the grid for tomorrow’s Gran Premio Iveco de Aragon after an intense 15 minute battle at the Motorland circuit this afternoon. The defending world champion was the first rider to set a time this afternoon, putting down a 1’48.241 to set the early pace at the front. He went on to improve with a 1’48.201 before relinquishing the top spot to Stefan Bradl with nine minutes remaining and returning to the pits for a fresh rear qualifying tyre. He was back out on track with just over five minutes remaining and became one of the key protagonists in an incredible fight for pole that saw multiple riders firing into the red as the lap times dropped into the 1’47s. Provisional pole was taken again then lost in the last seconds by just 0.010 seconds to rival Marc Marquez.

Teammate Valentino Rossi enjoyed his best qualifying experience of the year this afternoon, taking fourth on the grid for tomorrow’s race, just 0.158 seconds from pole position. The nine-time world champion waited in the pits for a minute at the start of the session, allowing the traffic of riders to leave before entering a relatively empty track space to focus on a lap time. He immediately fired off a 1’48.415 before improving again with a 1’48.366. Rossi then returned to the pits for fresh rubber and was back out again with five minutes remaining. The improvements continued as he began to threaten for provisional pole with red splits, dropping to a final time of 1’47.962 to take fourth on the grid, just 0.005 seconds behind Dani Pedrosa in third.

Jorge Lorenzo – 2nd | 1’47.814 | 8 Laps
“I knew I made a really good lap and I hoped to be in first position but I knew the other riders would be very close or in front of me. Finally for ten tenths of a second I lost it. I tried my best but I made a mistake in the first corner and lost one or two tenths so lost pole position. One thing is to make one fast lap, another is to make fast laps for the whole race. In the last practice before qualifying we found something extra for pace so we are stronger in one lap and also for the pace for the race. If the race remains in dry conditions it will be a good race.”

Valentino Rossi – 4th | 1’47.962 | 8 Laps
“I have a good feeling and I’ve improved my pace a lot and braking ability also. We have also improved the rear grip over long distance. I’m so happy because it was a great qualifying for me and I enjoyed it a lot. The level was very high and we were just one tenth from pole position, so we are all together. We have to see what the conditions are tomorrow; for sure today they helped us. With a few less degrees we are more competitive with the Yamaha. My pace is very similar to Jorge and Marquez and Pedrosa but we know that they are very fast so to try and stay with them I have to improve again tomorrow.”

Wilco Zeelenberg – Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager
“Qualifying again in P2. It was much tighter than the last two races which is important. Normally this is not our favourite track, but it looks like we found something here today. The race pace will be slower than today but we’ve improved a lot this afternoon. We are thinking about tomorrow now because the race distance is long.”

Massimo Meregalli – Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director
“Today went pretty well even if we lost an important session this morning due to the track conditions. We have been able to make a big improvement so we are very close. We can start tomorrow with Jorge in front row and Valentino in second which is important. We still have a couple of things to adjust but we are positive. Looking at what we have done from yesterday to today, I think we are able to make something better for tomorrow morning and we will be ready for the race.”

Crutchlow and Smith confident for Motorland Aragon race
Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team riders Cal Crutchlow and Bradley Smith head into tomorrow’s Gran Premio IVECO de Aragon confident they can secure a double top 10 finish in what promises to be an exciting 23-lap MotoGP battle.

A fastest lap of 1.48.653 in QP2 this afternoon will see Crutchlow start from seventh position on the grid, the British rider unfortunately unable to continue an excellent qualifying record in 2013 that had seen him qualify inside the top five in 13 previous attempts this season.

The 27-year-old’s quickest lap still ensured he was the fastest rider that didn’t attend a test session at the Motorland Aragon track back in June and he remains optimistic that a 10th top six finish of an outstanding season is well within his grasp.

Teammate Bradley Smith enjoyed a superb second day at the 14th round of the World Championship campaign. Overnight rain left the track littered with damp patches this morning and prevented Smith from trying to climb into the top 10 at the end of FP3 to move immediately into QP2.

The 22-year-old dominated QP1 with a best time of 1.49.724 and he then shaved off almost a second in the second 15-minute session to secure a grid position just one place behind Crutchlow in eighth.

His personal best time of 1.48.854 was just over a second off pole position and a fraction outside of 0.2s of the more experienced Crutchlow, with Smith emphatically proving his 13th position yesterday did not accurately show his true potential.

With tweaks to his riding style paying off immediately today, Smith is now full of confidence that he can battle for a ninth top 10 finish of an impressive rookie premier class campaign.

Cal Crutchlow – 7th 1.48.653 – 8 laps : “I can’t be happy to have missed out on a top six grid position for the first time this season. Qualifying just didn’t go according to plan and I feel we picked the wrong bike. We had a choice of two different settings and unfortunately we chose the wrong one. And on the three laps where I was really pushing for a time I didn’t nail any of them. I made a small mistake on each lap and that is the reason why I am only seventh on the grid, which is a bit disappointing because I was proud of the fact that I’d qualified in the top five in every race before this weekend. A good start is going to be crucial to try and go with the leading group but coming from seventh means I am expecting a very difficult race.”

Bradley Smith – 8th 1.48.854 – 8 laps : “The last two races have been pretty dismal, so it is great for me to be able to turn it around this weekend. I said yesterday that I didn’t feel 13th was a true reflection of my potential and thankfully I was able to show that was the case today. The bike felt great and I have to say a massive thanks to my Monster Yamaha Tech 3 crew. We had a long meeting last night and there were a lot of positive things that came out of it. I was able to change my riding style like they suggested and I got more feeling from the bike and the lap time was a big step from yesterday. Eighth is the position where I expect to be given the competitiveness of the package I am on. Today I got the good feeling back with the bike that I had in Brno and now I am really excited for the race. Tyre life will be the key tomorrow but hopefully I can race in front of the bikes of Dovizioso and Hayden and not behind them.”

— Ducati Report

Following a third free-practice session that was rendered largely useless by a damp track caused by last night’s rains, the Ducati Team found itself unable to come up with an ideal setup for qualifying this afternoon. At day’s end, Andrea Dovizioso and Nicky Hayden were ninth and eleventh, respectively, putting them on the third and fourth rows for tomorrow’s Aragón Grand Prix.

Although both riders had hoped for higher starting positions, they’re relatively pleased with their qualifying times.

Andrea Dovizioso – Ducati Team, 9th (1:49.219)
“Unfortunately, this is our position at the moment. We’re all going quite fast, but I’m satisfied with my qualifying time since I managed to improve by a second compared to the previous sessions. After following Bradl, I was able to drop some hundredths while riding by myself on the last lap, so I’m happy about that. Maybe we can battle with Smith in the race, although he’s a couple of tenths faster than I am. The riders ahead of him are quite far off.”

Nicky Hayden – Ducati Team, 11th (1:49.428)
“At the end of the morning session, we went out on the damp track to get a feel for it, but it wasn’t very useful. We were able to improve something in the afternoon and were a lot faster than I went here last year, but everybody’s going a lot faster. Honestly, I’m quite disappointed to be so far back, but that’s the situation we’re in. We’re getting a lot of tyre wear because there are long corners where we’re on the edge of the tyre for a long time, but we have a couple of ideas for the morning that might help that. For the race, we need to get through turn one clean, see what happens with tyre wear and try and do our best.”

— Bridgestone Report

Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Soft & Hard. Rear: Soft, Medium & Hard (Asymmetric)
Bridgestone wet tyre compounds available: Soft (Main) & Hard (Alternative)
Weather: FP3 – Dry. Ambient 20-22°C; Track 20-23°C (Bridgestone measurement)
FP4/QP – Dry. Ambient 27-27°C; Track 32-35°C (Bridgestone measurement)

Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez reigned supreme in a captivating qualifying session at Motorland Aragon in which the top six qualifiers posted times under the existing lap record.

Marquez’s time of 1’47.804 smashed the old Circuit Best Lap record by six-tenths of a second and saw the rookie pip Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo to the top grid slot by a mere 0.010 seconds. The reigning MotoGP™ champion split the Repsol Honda’s on the front row, as Dani Pedrosa claimed third in qualifying with a best lap time of 1’47.957. Power Electronics Aspar’s Aleix Espargaro continued where he left off yesterday to qualify highest out of the CRT riders, his best time of 1’49.348 good enough for tenth place on tomorrow’s grid.

Overnight rain created damp track conditions for the Free Practice Three, limiting the number of riders who took to the track in the first session of the day. The track was completely dry for FP4, offering the teams an opportunity to work on a dry setup for the qualifying sessions and the race. A peak track temperature of 35°C was recorded today, 7°C lower than yesterday’s top reading. The combination of the soft rear and hard front slick was again the popular choice among the riders in FP4 and Qualifying, however some riders were able to utilise the greater edge grip of the soft compound front tyre to good effect. Rider feedback from today’s sessions suggests that the hard front slick will be the more widely used choice in a dry race tomorrow, though should weather conditions be cooler again, some riders may switch to the soft compound front slick.

Sunday’s morning Warm Up session is scheduled for 0940 local time tomorrow morning (GMT +2) and the twenty-three lap Aragon Grand Prix is set to start at 1400.

Masao Azuma – Chief Engineer, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department
“Conditions were cooler today but the overnight rain didn’t seem to negatively affect the grip level of the circuit and the pace today was very quick, with the top six riders in qualifying lapping under the existing lap record. The cooler track temperatures meant that almost no riders tried the harder rear slick options today, and also resulted in some riders reverting to using the softer front slick. The tyre combination that was most popular yesterday, the soft rear matched with the hard front was used by the majority of riders today and if we have a dry race, I expect this to be the preferred tyre choice. That said, the performance of the soft front slick in today’s cooler conditions was very good with three of the top ten riders in qualifying using this option, so both front slicks are performing well here. I anticipate an interesting race tomorrow as the pace among the first two rows of the grid is very close.”

— Friday Reports – Honda men lead the way at Aragon

Repsol Honda sensation Marquez was just over 0.5s off record pace for the MotorLand Aragon track with a 1’48.987 best time, which was 0.132s better than LCR Honda man Bradl and 0.267s faster than teammate Pedrosa’s best effort.

World Champion Jorge Lorenzo had stamped his mark on the FP1 timesheet with the best lap of the morning and improved his time in the afternoon, although his best FP2 time only gave him fourth. Alvaro Bautista had a spill at turn 8 which complicated the end of his session, but he still registered a top five lap time.

Monster Yamaha Tech3’s Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Factory Racing’s Valentino Rossi and Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso were all in the top ten, which was completed by Power Electronics Aspar’s Aleix Espargaro and Dovizioso’s colleague Nicky Hayden.

Yonny Hernandez ran off track on Ignite Pramac Racing Ducati on one occasion as he became more accustomed to the bike, but improved to 14th in FP2 from 18th in FP1.

Luca Scassa has come into the Cardion AB Motoracing team this weekend to substitute for the injured Karel Abraham who is out for the remainder of 2013. He ended the day 21st overall.

Damian Cudlin furthered his Paul Bird Motorsport MotoGP experience by rounding out the timesheet in 24th position.

— Practice Results
1 Marc Marquez 1’48.987 SPA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
2 Stefan Bradl 1’49.119 GER HONDA LCR Honda MotoGP
3 Dani Pedrosa 1’49.254 SPA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
4 Jorge Lorenzo 1’49.405 SPA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing
5 Alvaro Bautista 1’49.763 SPA HONDA Go & Fun Honda Gresini
6 Cal Crutchlow 1’49.840 GBR YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
7 Valentino Rossi 1’49.909 ITA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing
8 Andrea Dovizioso 1’50.034 ITA DUCATI Ducati Team
9 Aleix Espargaro 1’50.055 SPA ART Power Electronics Aspar
10 Nicky Hayden 1’50.446 USA DUCATI Ducati Team
11 Andrea Iannone 1’50.727 ITA DUCATI Energy T.I. Pramac Racing Team
12 Hector Barbera 1’50.913 SPA FTR Avintia Blusens
13 Bradley Smith 1’50.944 GBR YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
14 Yonny Hernandez 1’51.345 COL DUCATI Ignite Pramac Racing Team
15 Claudio Corti 1’51.461 ITA FTR-KAWASAKI NGM Mobile Forward Racing
16 Randy De Puniet 1’51.699 FRA SUZUKI Suzuki Test Team
17 Colin Edwards 1’52.020 USA FTR-KAWASAKI NGM Mobile Forward Racing
18 Danilo Petrucci 1’52.121 ITA IODA-SUTER Came IodaRacing Project
19 Hiroshi Aoyama 1’52.227 JAP FTR Avintia Blusens
20 Michael Laverty 1’53.220 GBR PBM Paul Bird Motorsport
21 Luca Scassa 1’53.338 ITA ART Cardion AB Motoracing
22 Bryan Staring 1’53.557 AUS FTR-HONDA Go & Fun Honda Gresini
23 Lukas Pesek 1’54.793 CZE IODA-SUTER Came IodaRacing Project
24 Damian Cudlin 1’55.343 AUS PBM Paul Bird Motorsport

— Moto2

Nakagami produced a best effort of 1’54.325 to lead Rabat by just 0.032s, with Terol’s best lap placing him 0.239s behind the man from the Far East.

Johann Zarco of the Came Iodaracing Project was fourth in the session and Marc VDS Racing Team’s standings leader Scott Redding was fifth, but the combined FP1 & FP2 times saw them end the day fifth and eighth respectively.

Redding’s teammate Mika Kallio was fourth overall thanks to his best time from FP1, whilst afternoon crasher Jordi Torres (Aspar Team Moto2), Simone Corsi (NGM Mobile Racing) and Thomas Luthi (Interwetten Paddock Moto2 Racing) all featured in the combined top ten.

Tenth best overall was Tuenti HP 40 man Pol Espargaro whose 1’55.244 time from FP1 saw him conclude the day 0.919s behind pace setter Nakagami.

— Moto3

As the pace quickened towards the end of the session Rins and Viñales both set record laps of the MotorLand Aragon circuit for the Moto3 class, with Rins eventually taking P1 with a 1’59.801 lap, 0.16s better than Viñales’ fastest time. Salom, meanwhile, was 0.4s off the pace.

Also in the top five were Mahindra Racing’s Miguel Oliveira and Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Zulfahmi Khairuddin, respectively 0.676s and 1.123s down on Rins’ P1 lap.

The top ten was completed by Rins’ teammate Alex Marquez, Tec Interwetten Moto3 Racing’s Philipp Oettl, San Carlo Team Italia’s Romano Fenati, Ongetta-Rivacold’s Alexis Masbou and the brave German Jonas Folger – who is riding with an ankle injury for the Mapfre Aspar Team.

Those results cover the FP2 times only with most riders going faster in the afternoon, though Efren Vazquez finished the day ninth fastest overall having posted his best time of 2’01.173 in FP1.

— Repsol HRC

Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez, who currently leads the World Championship, has come flying out of the gates at a hot Motorland Aragón circuit. With an ambient temperature of 29ºC and a track temperature of 39ºC, Marc set the fastest time of the day with 1’48.987 on lap 4 of 17 in this afternoon’s FP2 session, beating the circuit lap record of 1’49.046 (set by Casey Stoner in 2011). Teammate Dani Pedrosa was third fastest for the day with his lap time of 1’49.254 on lap 7 of 19.

Stefan Bradl, riding the Satellite LCR Honda split the two factory riders with an impressive lap of 1’49.119 placing him second fastest for the day and with Alvaro Bautista aboard the Satellite Honda Gresini in fifth, Honda occupied four out of the top five positions on day one at the Spanish track.

Marc Marquez 1st 1’48.987
“Today, I didn’t feel as good as I did in the test that we did here after the Barcelona GP, as there was less grip in these two practice sessions. Anyway, it’s the same for everyone. In general the feeling that we have is pretty good and I worked on various things with the bike today. However, we can still improve our setup. We hope to take that step forward tomorrow and we shall see if the grip level improves, as that would make things so much easier for everyone”

Dani Pedrosa 3rd 1’49.254
“I’m happy, because today I felt comfortable on track, we put in some good laps and improved our feeling a lot. We were only lacking a test run with the hard rear tyre, so tomorrow we will work on that to see which compound we go with in the end. We hope to get a bit further along with our preparations for the race”

— Yamaha Racing

Yamaha Factory Racing riders Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi got down to business again today in the first two free practice sessions for this weekend’s Gran Premio Iveco de Aragon.

Fresh from his two consecutive race victories, reigning world champion Jorge Lorenzo was quick to make his intentions clear in the morning session – challenging championship rival Marc Marquez for the top spot on the timesheets – and eventually emerging the faster at the end of the 45 minute session with a 1’49.753. The afternoon saw the competition catch up as the times dropped into the 1’48s, Lorenzo eventually wrapping up day one in fourth place overall, 0.418 from the top.

Rossi was quickly up to a competitive pace in the first session, the nine-time world champion completing the morning practice in fifth position, 0.746 seconds from the front. The Italian then struggled with a number of different issues in the afternoon, including a brake problem and a lack of grip which prevented both him and teammate Lorenzo from realising their full potential. Rossi finished the day in seventh, 0.922 seconds from the top.

Jorge Lorenzo – 4th / 1’49.405 / 17 laps
“We hoped to improve the bike from the morning but we couldn’t do it. I have a worse feeling than when we were here for the test. We have to keep working to improve the bike and the pace. The other riders are improving their pace a lot but we are optimistic. We can improve the bike and make another step. We need to be competitive whether it is hot or not.”

Valentino Rossi – 7th / 1.49.909 / 16 laps
“We struggled more than we expected. In the test the track had different conditions and more grip, the temperature was lower and it was better. Today we suffered quite a lot, especially this afternoon I had quite a lot of issues, especially one with the brakes and I lost nearly half the practice. At the end I used the second bike and made some laps to find the rhythm. We have to improve and go faster but at this moment after some laps the rear tyre starts to slide a lot and the bike becomes difficult to control.”

Wilco Zeelenberg – Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager
“The first day of Aragon and sunny conditions but we are not completely satisfied. The rider has complained that the grip drops really quickly. We need to try and improve tyre life; that is high on his wish list. The lap times are quite close but we can do better.”

Massimo Meregalli – Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director
“We didn’t expect a start like today. Unfortunately the bike didn’t work as it did during the test. The track conditions were completely different. We have a lot of work to do to improve the bike, the grip levels on the track are not good, one more day will make it much better. We will analyse the data, compare it with the riders’ feedback and come back tomorrow to make another step forward.”

Crutchlow makes promising start at Motorland Aragon

The penultimate round of the European phase of the 2013 MotoGP World Championship campaign got off to a promising start for Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider Cal Crutchlow at the state-of-the-art Motorland Aragon track today.

In pleasantly warm conditions throughout today, Crutchlow ended the opening day of practice at the technically challenging and undulating Spanish venue in sixth position on the combined timesheets.

That was an impressive outcome for the 27-year-old considering six of the top seven riders on the final leaderboard tested at the Motorland Aragon in June.

A lap of 1.50.575 in this morning’s FP1 put Crutchlow in seventh position, but a big improvement to a 1.49.840 this afternoon elevated the British rider into the top six ahead of Factory Yamaha rider and nine-times World Champion Valentino Rossi.

Teammate Bradley Smith has happy memories of the Motorland Aragon track after taking a podium finish in the 2010 125cc encounter and the British rider enjoyed a positive start to proceedings this morning when a lap of 1.51.263 placed him 10th in the rankings.

The 22-year-old, who is looking to consolidate his top 10 World Championship position in Sunday’s 23-lap race, was able to improve his pace to a 1.50.944 this afternoon but his progress unfortunately wasn’t reflected on the timesheets as he slipped down the order to 13th.

Experimenting with a new riding position to improve rear grip that he first tried during a test session after the previous round at Misano, Smith was less than 0.5s away from the top 10.

Cal Crutchlow 6th 1.49.840 – 36 laps : “Today was a pretty positive start to the weekend and I am happy to be in the top six. This morning proved it wasn’t going to be easy because I was seventh and the top six had all tested here back in June, so they have an advantage in terms of set-up and information. I feel I am riding quite well but for tomorrow we definitely need to try and get some more speed out of the bike. I am quite slow compared to the rest in the speed traps and also quite a way off the fastest Yamaha, so that is one area we need to look at tonight and work on improving for the rest of the weekend.”

Bradley Smith 13th 1.50.944 – 36 laps : “I’m reasonably happy with how the weekend has started but obviously the final position doesn’t look so good. I don’t think the position truly reflects our potential because a few guys not so far in front of me used a soft tyre to make their best time and they could only make one fast lap. I feel my pace is consistent but I am certainly looking to improve by at least 0.5s tomorrow. Track conditions between FP1 and FP2 changed quite a lot, so it is not clear which direction to go with on the set-up. But the first goal for tomorrow will be to make sure I am back in the top 10 at the end of FP3 to advance straight into QP2.”

— Ducati Report

Riding in the dry, hot conditions that are common to the area around MotorLand Aragón, the MotoGP riders kicked off the season’s fourteenth round and its third Grand Prix on Spanish soil by completing the first two free-practice sessions of the race weekend.

By day’s end, Andrea Dovizioso and Nicky Hayden had turned the eighth and tenth fastest laps, respectively, in the combined times, the Italian 1.047 seconds off of leader Marc Marquez and his Ducati Team cohort a further .412 seconds back. For tomorrow, Dovizioso expects to focus on his Desmosedici GP13’s setup for the soft tyre, whereas Hayden will work on improving corner entry.

Andrea Dovizioso – Ducati Team, 8th (1:50.034)
“We wanted to try the hard tyre, but as there’s a one-second difference, it’s not worth considering at the moment. Tomorrow morning we’ll continue working because although the time isn’t bad, it’s still a second off the leaders. The others used the soft tyre the whole session, whereas I only put it on at the end and only had one good lap with it. I think the gap here at Aragón is in line with the other tracks.”

Nicky Hayden – Ducati Team, 10th (1:50.446)
“In the morning, we weren’t quite as far back as we’ve been at other tracks, which is good considering that we didn’t test here when the other manufacturers did. Since then, we haven’t made a lot of progress, as I’m not very comfortable on corner entry. I can’t get enough feel from the front to really find my limit, and I ran wide a couple of times, including once this afternoon on a good lap. That’s where our main focus is, so we’ll concentrate on that tonight and see what we can do tomorrow.”

— Bridgestone Report

Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Soft & Hard. Rear: Soft, Medium & Hard (Asymmetric)
Bridgestone wet tyre compounds available: Soft (Main) & Hard (Alternative)
Weather: FP1 – Dry. Ambient 22-23°C; Track 24-26°C (Bridgestone measurement)
FP2 – Dry. Ambient 29-31°C; Track 42-42°C (Bridgestone measurement)

Marc Marquez took control in the opening day of practice at the Aragon Grand Prix, the Repsol Honda rookie setting a best lap time of 1’48.987 in Free Practice Two as the Spaniard vies for his sixth victory of the season.

Marquez’s benchmark lap was within half a second of the Circuit Best Lap record and placed the current championship leader at the front of a trio of Honda riders at the top of the timesheets. LCR Honda’s Stefan Bradl was second quickest today, his best time of 1’49.119 barely one-tenth behind Marquez, while on the other Repsol Honda RC213V, Dani Pedrosa was third overall and 0.267 seconds off the pace of his teammate. Aleix Espargaro continued his domination of the CRT class as he rode his Power Electronics Aspar ART machine to ninth overall with a personal best lap time just 1.068 seconds off the lead.

Weather conditions for both of today’s sessions were fine and warm, with a peak track temperature of 42°C recorded in FP2. As is typical for the first session of the race weekend, in Free Practice 1 all riders headed out on softer slick options front and rear to evaluate the track conditions. As track conditions improved and temperatures increased in the afternoon, most riders migrated to the hard compound front tyre, while some riders also took the opportunity to evaluate the harder rear slick options. Rider feedback from today shows that the preferred tyre combination is the harder front paired with the softer rear slick which offers the best drive out of the corners with good braking and cornering stability.

Cooler weather is forecast for tomorrow with the next MotoGP™ session, FP3, at 0955 local time (GMT +2).

Masao Azuma – Chief Engineer, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department
“It was a good start to the race weekend today with consistent dry weather in both sessions. After the riders assessed the track conditions with softer slick options in FP1, most riders switched to the harder front for FP2 as this option offers better stability in fast corners and hard braking, both of which feature prominently at this circuit. For the rear tyre, some riders tried the harder rear slick options but as track temperatures weren’t overly hot, these didn’t offer any advantage over the soft. With cool weather expected tomorrow, I expect the combination of the soft rear and hard front to be widely used. The pace on the first day of action here is already is very fast, so if we have dry weather tomorrow I expect we will see another record-breaking qualifying session.”