2012 Sachsenring Moto2 and Moto3 Saturday Post-Qualifying Press Releases

Submitted by Press Release on Sat, 2012-07-07 19:27
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Press releases from the Moto2 and Moto3 teams after qualifying at the Sachsenring:

RW Racing GP on second and third row of the grid

The most smiling faces this time were on Brad Binders side of the garage. The young South African managed to set the sixth time in the final lap of the qualifying session for the German Grand Prix at the Sachsenring.

Binder already had the tenth fastest time under his belt when he got a tow from his team mate Luis Salom. The Spaniard will start the race as ninth, from the third row.

The rain interupted qualifying session saw some unusual results, w ith Sandro Cortese pushing Danny Kent from pole position at the last minute and Adrian Martin, who has not scored any World Championship point yet, completing the front row.

With more rain pouring down it became more and more difficult to set a faster time. But Brad Binder had a good feeling about his chances and was one of the only few riders able to improve.

Brad Binder (6th): "Even though the conditions were bad and got worse every minute, I had a feeling I could go for it. Especially the last sector was very fast, certainly under these circumstances. I saw Luis and managed to follow him which helped me a lot in setting a fast lap time.''

Luis Salom (9th): "I could not find a clean line to do a fast lap. Every time I tried I found others in my way waiting for a slipstream. This time I'd rather be in Brads place off course, but third row is not too bad. I know what I can do in the race. At least four or five of the riders that are in front of me on the grid, should end up behind me within a lap or so.''

Team manager Johan Stigefelt: "Both riders had some problems with the rear grip. There was a lot of water and the weather will be an issue for the race as well. But to start from second and third row is perfect. I'm happy for Brad. He and his crew really deserved a result like this.''

Raceday comeback required

Intense rain derails plans for Repsol riders. Disparity in feeling in dry and wet conditions leaves Viñales, Rins and Oliveira low down on the grid.

What had looked like being a positive day for the Repsol Moto3 riders was turned on its head this Saturday afternoon with the arrival of rainfall at the Sachsenring. The trio of Maverick Viñales, Álex Rins and Miguel Oliveira had been looking strong in the morning session —undertaken in dry conditions— but found the wet track in qualifying for the German Grand Prix excessively difficult and placed 24th, 27th and 30th. Thus, a comeback is needed on raceday for the three Moto3 stars.

A downpour at the end of the final Moto2 free practice session was little help for Viñales, Rins and Oliveira, who finished far down the order in qualifying. The trio had been especially competitive in the dry morning session, with Viñales first, Rins third and Oliveira eighth.

Under heavy rain, the three riders began qualifying in prudent fashion, gradually upping their pace. However, it was obvious that Viñales, Rins and Oliveira were not feeling comfortable with the amount of water on track. They ended the session in 24th, 27th and 30th, leaving them low down on the grid for tomorrow’s race at 14:30 local time —following the Moto2 and MotoGP contests.

Maverick Viñales

FP3 - 1:28.159, 16 laps, 59 km.

QP - 1:46.602, 18 laps, 66 km.

"We don’t know what happened and even I can’t understand it. In qualifying I couldn’t enter the corners well —especially the left handers— and was sliding all over the place. It only got worse as the laps went by. We shall see what the weather is like tomorrow, but we will be focusing on riding our own race; the conditions will dictate whether we attack early or wait. In any case, we need a good start. If the race is dry then it will be a little easier, because we have a good pace and setting. If it is wet, then we will need to push a little harder."

Miguel Oliveira

FP3 - 1:29.146, 16 laps, 59 km.

QP - 1:47.565, 18 laps, 66 km.

"We normally go well in the wet, but at times we have a good feel and other days it just doesn't come for us. Unfortunately, today was one of those days in which we never felt comfortable, so I was riding for the whole session without the necessary confidence to be at the front. We were losing time on corner entry and corner exit, as I couldn't open the throttle comfortably. Despite this, in the dry we rode well and hope that we can have those conditions again for the race. I hope to get a good start and make up places if that happens, in order to get to the end of the race in a strong position. If it rains, the aim will just be to stay upright until the finish."

Álex Rins

FP3 - 1:28.984, 17 laps, 62 km.

QP - 1:46.988, 21 laps, 77 km.

"It's been a difficult day for everyone. It is very difficult to get the right feel with the bike in these conditions, as Sachsenring is a slow circuit with all over it. We have to improve in the wet, as the lack of feel is present with both the front and rear. We have the pace to be up with the front group if the race is dry. Should it rain, we will have to use the warmup to improve on all fronts."

MAPFRE ASPAR PAIR CAUGHT OUT BY THE RAIN IN GERMANY

Fourth and fifth row starts for Faubel and Moncayo after soaking wet Sachsenring session

The rain showers that fell yesterday during the Moto3 free practice proved to be a mere warning shot of the onslaught that hit the Sachsenring circuit today, leaving standing water all over the track for qualifying practice. The conditions gave the opportunity for some new names to challenge at the top as the likes of Miller, Kornfeil, Martin and Kent all mounted a challenge for pole position but in the end it was the experience of home favourite Cortese that shone through, the German pulling out an incredible 1.4 seconds over the rest of the field on his final lap to send the local crowd into raptures.

It was a disappointing session for the MAPFRE Aspar Team following an otherwise positive weekend here, with both Héctor Faubel and Alberto Moncayo missing out in the lottery for grid positions. Faubel started the day strongly, lapping consistently inside the top ten this morning but an engine problem contributed to a difficult afternoon session that saw him slip to twelfth place. Moncayo on the other hand made gradual improvements to join his team-mate on the fourth row, battling the effects of a virus as well as those of the rainstorms to qualify thirteenth.

12th Héctor Faubel 1.45.372 (20 laps): "We have been up front in every dry session so far this weekend and we were hoping for the same thing in the wet but it didn't happen. I felt comfortable at the start of the session but had to come in because the engine temperature was too low. Then when I went back out it started to rain even harder until luckily it started to ease off towards the end. I pushed really hard in the last five minutes and on a couple of laps I was within the pole time over the first two sectors but we didn't managed to put a full good lap together, partly because of the traffic and partly the conditions. I was hoping for better than a fourth row start but our pace is good and if we can get a decent start we can be fighting at the front."

13th Alberto Moncayo 1.45.373 (17 laps): "I have been struggling with a virus all weekend and I felt it out on track today. I want to take qualifying step by step because there was so much water on track. We changed the rear suspension setting halfway through the session and it didn't work as we'd hoped so tomorrow we start from the fifth row alongside Héctor and it promises to be a tough race. Hopefully we can help each other out. I will get a good rest tonight and hopefully tomorrow we can be back fighting for the positions where we belong."

CARETTA TECHNOLOGY - Sachsenring GP - Qualifying

The today qualifying practice are very difficult for the weather conditions with rain that has never stopped falling. Jack Miller escapes the front row and will start from fourth position. Masbou is able to obtain the 10th time.

Giorgio Bertelli (Team Manager): "We are very pleased with today's session: we hope until the end for Jack in the front row but Cortese has put them all behind. That's okay".

Alexis Masbou: "In these conditions I could not do more. I'm happy but we have to work tomorrow".

Jack Miller: "I could do more but the last part of my last lap I found traffic. The bike feel better but we have to work hard. I hope to do well tomorrow".

Simeon and Smith battle for pole position at Sachsenring

Tech 3 Racing Team riders Xavier Simeon and Bradley Smith will start tomorrow's Sachsenring Moto2 race from fourth and ninth respectively after both challenged for pole position in a rain-affected qualifying session.

Simeon and Smith demonstrated the high potential of the French-built Mistral 610 machine in tricky conditions to occupy the top two places on the timesheets in an exciting qualifying session.

The Moto2 field ma naged to avoid the torrential rain that played a key role in the earlier Moto3 and MotoGP sessions but the surface was still treacherously wet and posed a difficult challenge for Simeon and Smith.

A maiden front row start looked to be within the grasp of Belgian rider Simeon when he began pushing in improving conditions in the closing stages of the session. He was on course to better his time of 1.34.908 but ran off track at the fast Turn 8 and after wrestling to keep control of his Mistral 610 machine, he suffered a low speed tumble in the gravel trap.

Simeon still equalled his best ever qualifying performance with fourth and he was only 0.047s away from Mika Kallio in third.

British rider Smith also saw an opportunity to score his first front row start of 2012 slip f rom his grasp when he succumbed to the tricky conditions while aiming to improve his best pace of 1.35.238.

A small crash cost him precious track time and Smith slipped down to the third row. Having finished third quickest in practice though the 21-year-old is optimistic that he will be competing for a second successive top six finish in tomorrow's 29-lap race.

Xavier Simeon 4th 1.34.686 – 23 laps:

“That was a very difficult qualifying session because the track was changing all the time and it was making it hard to understand where the limit was. Nevertheless I was very fast right from the start and I had a very good feeling with the Mistral 610 machine. At the end of the session I put in a new rear tyre but didn't feel comfortable with it, so I came back in for an old tyre with five minutes remaining and I felt I could push again with the same confidence as before. There was a dry line on the track and it looked like I might have been able to get pole position but I lost the rear at Turn 8. It was unfortunate to make that mistake because I am sure I would have been at least on the front row for the first time in my career. Fourth still equals my best ever grid position and with this track being so tight and hard to pass on, I have given myself a great chance of getting a positive result tomorrow.”

Bradley Smith 9th 1.35.238 – 16 laps:

“I've got mixed emotions because I missed a lot of track time at the end because of the crash but I am still on the third row and that means I have a chance of a good result tomorrow. Overtaking on this tight track is very dif ficult and any further back makes it very difficult to go with the leading group in the early laps. But I'm also disappointed because today was a great opportunity to be on pole position. I am sorry to my Tech 3 Racing crew because it was my mistake and we missed a great chance to be the fastest rider today. It can happen when you are pushing hard in tricky conditions like that and I am confident that in the wet or dry tomorrow I am going to be very competitive. Making a good start will be crucial to stay out of trouble at the tight first corner and hopefully we can be battling close to the podium again like in Assen last weekend.”

QP AT SACHSENRING: TENTH POSITION FOR IANNONE, TWENTY-FIFTH FOR ANDREOZZI

The third free practice and the qualifying session for the Moto2 class for the Germany Grand Prix were held today, at the circuit of Sachsenring.

In the morning, Andrea Iannone grabbed the fourth best lap time, working with the crew on the pace in view of the race and making some minor improvements to the Speed Up machine set-up. In the qualifying practice, which was held on wet track, the Italian and his crew worked on the setting for rain conditions. Andrea ended the session with the tenth best time, which puts him in fourth row on the starting grid for tomorrow’s race.

Andreozzi was more than one second faster than yesterday, improving his laptime in the free practice n. 3 and, despite a small crash without consequences, he put together some important data that were immediately analyzed with the team, in order to try and make some further progress. Also in the qualifying session the Italian had the chance to make some steps forwards, ensuring the twenty-fifth best time in QP.

Andrea Iannone #29 - 10th with 1'35.320

“This was a difficult day. The weather was never really favourable to allow us to work in a efficient way. In the morning we were fast, but we still have some problems pending for the race. At the end of the qualifying practice, when the track was starting to dry up, I didn’t manage to improve. For sure the race of tomorrow will be a tough one, but we’ll do anything possible to be competitive.”

Alessandro Andreozzi #22 - 25th with 1'37.072

“We had to face the qualifying session on wet track and, after all, I had a good feeling on top of my Speed Up. I managed to be more competitive than in the other sessions. In the end I didn’t manage to improve my grid position, the track was drying up but it was tough to find the limit and avoid a crash. We’ll see what the weather is like tomorrow, it’ll be an interesting race.”

Six out of eight for Márquez

Repsol rider once again fastest in qualifying, taking sixth pole position of a possible eight this season.

Moto2 World Championship leader Marc Márquez will start from pole for the German Grand Prix at Sachsenring after showing his best form in qualifying. The Repsol rider took his sixth pole position of the season from a possible eight, this time in a tricky session on a drying track.

Despite a big crash yesterday, Márquez once again showed that he is in sync with the Sachsenring. Using a bike that had to be rebuilt from zero after a high speed journey across asphalt and gravel on Friday, the Repsol rider was once again one of the fastest riders in the class. Márquez clocked continuous fast times on the first half of the circuit, although he took a more cautious approach to the part of the track where he lost the front of his bike yesterday. He was even up into first at the midway point of the session, but made no further improvement as rain began to fall. With two minutes remaining, the spots of moisture became a downpour, concluding the session and leaving Márquez as the third fastest rider —0.432 slower than Pol Espargaró.

The rain did not cease until the end of the MotoGP session and, although there were no showers in qualifying, the session began with a completely wet track. Márquez was up into the top five early, but once the surface had begun to dry, he went into second. Despite a small run-off, the Repsol rider was at his best in the final minutes of the session, consistently beating the traffic and upping his pace. He eventually stopped the clock at 1’34.503, a time that went unbeaten and put him on pole for the German Grand Prix.

Marc Márquez

FP3 - 1:25.653, 22 laps, 81 km.

QP - 1:34.503, 23 laps, 84 km.

"We knew that it would be important not to drop our pace in the first minutes of the session, but in the end we had a little time to spare. We were expecting there to be less water on the track late on in order to clock the best times. We improved with every session and improved our confidence little-by-little, and on the final stint I gave it my all. I felt fairly safe, although you never can be completely confident in the rain. My aim was to get onto the front row —or as close to it as possible— because with all these close times you can find yourself really far back. I achieved my goal and we have a good setup for tomorrow —both in the dry and in the wet."

MotoGP Moto3 - Team Italia struggles in the rain in Sachsenring

The weather complicates qualifiers in Germany for Team Italia FMI riders, who face a uphill race tomorrow.

In the last free practice session in the dry Fenati was fifth, while Tonucci had found a good setup. The rain, however, feel heavily during QP, mixing things up.

The damp track nullified the work done during the week-end by the "azzurri", who had shown a good pace and interesting lap times until then. Tonucci stopped the clock on a 1'46"951 and will start in 26th position tomorrow, 3"962 behind poleman Sandro Cortese (1'42"989). Fenati is further back, in the last spot on the grid.

The forecast expects rain for tomorrow, facing the riders with an uphill race.

Alessandro Tonucci (Team Italia FMI FTR Honda#19) 26th, 19 laps with a 1'46"951

"I couldn't be fast on the dry this morning, but we found a lead to follow during qualifiers. The rain made things more difficult, and the outcome wasn't good for us. I'll keep trying to improve our package with the crew, but I'm hoping for a dry race."

Romano Fenati (Team Italia FMI FTR Honda#5) 35th, 17 laps with a 1'51"012

"I just couldn't find a good feeling on the bike in these conditions, and I couldn't match the pace of my opponents. I'll talk with the team to brainstorm ways to improve. It'll be hard, starting from way back, but I won't give up."

Roberto Locatelli (FMI Technical Coordinator)

"The weather was our enemy today. But a day like this can do a lot for the growth of our young riders. The difficulties help us to identify and face our limits. We are all working calmly to find a better way. Tomorrow our riders have a chance to show their character and redeem themselves."

Front row for Mika Kallio at the Sachsenring

Sachsenring, Germany - 7 July 2012: Mika Kallio will start tomorrow's German Moto2 Grand Prix from the front row of the grid, after securing third position on the timesheet with his final lap in this afternoon's qualifying session at the Sachsenring. Scott Redding will start tomorrow from the ninth row of the grid, having struggled to find a workable set-up during practice and qualifying.

Kallio has been strong from the start this weekend, at a track he counts as one of his favourites. The 29-year-old Finn made steady progress throughout the three practice sessions at Sachsenring, working with his crew to refine the set-up of his Kalex Moto2 machine for the changeable conditions that proved problematical for many riders this weekend.

The Marc VDS rider was quick to make his mark in qualifying, which was held in wet but drying conditions, and was comfortably inside the top five on the timesheet on a used rear tyre. Kallio switched to a new rear tyre to try and improve his lap time, but reverted to the used tyre after just two laps as it offered a better feeling and more grip. Despite a drying track, which caused the left hand side of the rear tyre to overheat, the Finn set his fastest time on his very last lap to secure third place on the grid and his first front row start of the season.

Redding arrived at the Sachsenring confident of continuing the run of form that has seen him finish on the podium three times in the last four races. Unfortunately for the 19-year-old Briton the changeable weather conditions during free practice meant he never found a set-up with which he was comfortable. The problem was most apparent during this afternoon's qualifying session, with Redding missing the confidence needed to push for a fast lap time.

The Marc VDS rider eventually finished the 45-minute timed session 26th fastest, but is determined to find a solution to his problems overnight and to finish tomorrow's race in a points scoring position.

Mika Kallio #36: 3rd - 1'34.639

"I'm happy to be on the front row, especially here at Sachsenring with such a tight first turn, but also a little disappointed to miss out on pole by such a narrow margin. In qualifying I started on a used tyre and straight away I was inside the top five on the timesheet. We switched to a new rear tyre looking for a faster lap, but it just didn't feel right; the rear was sliding around a lot more than I was expecting. I switched back to the used tyre and that's what I set my fastest lap on. It was a bit risky right at the end because a dry line had started to appear in places and the left side of the tyre was overheating so much it was like riding on slicks in the wet! I'm pretty confident for the race, as we've got a good set-up whatever the weather decides to do tomorrow, now I just need a good start."

Scott Redding #45: 26th - 1'37.588

"So far the weekend has been a bit of a disaster. We struggled to find a good set-up in the dry on Friday, and then we had exactly the same problem in the wet today. It meant I went into qualifying lacking confidence in the front end, which isn't ideal in the conditions we had this afternoon. I still tried to push as hard as I could, but the rear was coming round on me all the time, forcing me to back off. The worst thing is that the problems seem to be on the faster sections of the track where normally we'd be strong. We will sit down tonight and come up with a solution, because I need to be in the points tomorrow to keep my championship on track."

Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal

"Mika did a great job in very difficult conditions today. He set his fastest time on a drying track with a rear tyre that was almost completely destroyed, which just shows how confident he is around this circuit in all conditions. With such a tight first turn, and a short run up from the start line, starting from the front of the grid at Sachsenring is a bigger advantage than at many other tracks. I'm confident we will see Mika fighting for this first podium finish of the season tomorrow. Scott has had a tough weekend so far. He's struggled to find a set-up he's comfortable with and the changeable conditions meant he ran out of time ahead of qualifying. I'm sure we can find at least some improvement tonight, and I know Scott will be pushing to salvage as many points as possible in the race tomorrow."

NICCOLO AIMING HIGH FOR RACE DAY AT SACHSENRING

Niccolo Antonelli's warrior spirit means that he will never be happy with 18th place but the Team San Carlo Honda Gresini youngster provided plenty of evidence that he can hope for much more in tomorrow's German Grand Prix. Niccolò found a good feeling with his wet setting in the soaking conditions at Sachsenring this afternoon but was unable to time a qualifying run that propelled him any higher up the starting grid, meaning he will have to go on the attack from the start in what promises to be an entertaining race.

Niccolo’ Antonelli (18th 1’ 45” 705) “We could have qualified better but I am happy with our pace, especially in the first part of the session. Maybe we timed our pit stop badly because it might have been better to stay out and build my confidence in the wet conditions and step my pace up gradually with the bike as it was. Anyway, that just makes me think I can have a good race tomorrow and I am sure the engineers will give me a package that will allow it.”

Fausto Gresini “The position in the wet could definitely have been much higher than 18th and the decision to come in and made changes to the bike cost Niccolò some positions. It is another case of his lack of experience showing through but I have a lot of belief in his potential and in his ability to produce a good performance tomorrow. Niccolò is growing and making progress and I am sure he will be one of the stars of the race tomorrow.”

MAPFRE ASPAR HOPE FOR WARM-UP IMPROVEMENTS

Elías and Terol caught short by the weather and qualify 18th and 24th position

Qualifying practice for the Moto2 race at Sachsenring started out on a soaking circuit, giving the likes of Simeon, West and Rea the opportunity to stamp their authority over the rest of the field for the first half of the session. However, as the rain ceased and the track began to dry slightly a more manageable line began to form and the familiar shape of Marc Márquez emerged to seal pole position ahead of Simón and Kallio.

MAPFRE Aspar rider Toni Elías has struggled to find a set-up for his machine so far this weekend and another wet session certainly didn't help the experienced Spaniard. Elías starts from eighteenth on the grid but is hopeful of a much higher finish in tomorrow's race after producing a similar feat in the last two rounds. His team-mate Nico Terol was also caught out by the weather, the Moto2 rookie finding a good set-up for the dry this morning but struggling for feeling in the wet and qualifying back in 24th.

18th Toni Elías 1.36.041 (23 laps): "It has been a bit of a strange weekend. For one reason or another we haven't had a full session in good conditions and this afternoon we were unable to fix the things on the bike that need fixing because of the rain. We still have the warm-up to put into practice some of the ideas we have in mind. Whatever the conditions tomorrow I will give everything I have. We have spent the last two races fighting through the pack and we know how tough it is but we'll apply the same work ethic and fighting spirit tomorrow and see what happens."

24th Nico Terol 1.36.707 (24 laps): "At the start of the session the track was flooded but luckily it stopped raining and dried out a little. I'm happy with the work we did this morning, establishing a good feeling in the dry conditions. It's a shame it rained this afternoon because I really struggled for a feeling with the rear, the suspension setting was too soft and it was sliding around a lot. We haven't qualified where we would like to be but I am ready to race. If the conditions are dry we will have some good data to base our setting on but whatever happens I will just be looking to get a good start and mix it up with the guys in front of me."

Finsterbusch makes progress – setback for Reiterberger

Qualifying for the German Grand Prix on the Sachsenring ended with mixed emotions and different results for the MZ factory riders. Toni Finsterbusch battled his way to 15th place on the Moto2 grid and celebrated his best Moto3 qualifying so far, whereas team-mate and Grand Prix rookie Markus Reiterberger struggled with the ever-changing conditions in the Moto2 category and had to settle for 30th position.

Finsterbusch took the experience of the wet free practice session on Saturday morning into the wet qualifying early in the afternoon and climbed up to tenth place quite easily. But after a change to the gearing of his bike, he couldn’t improve as much as the others in the end and had to settle for 15th position on the starting grid. “Toni’s gearing was all right, but we had a few problems with the chassis set-up that made it difficult to take advantage of this gearing. If we can solve these problems, he should be all right for the race”, said MZ CEO Martin Wimmer who was still happy with Finsterbusch’s best qualifying in the Moto3 class so far.

Markus Reiterberger rode the last free Moto2 practice session on a dry track but then faced heavy rain at the beginning of qualifying. Since his team knew that the downpour would ease towards the end of the 40-minutes session, the chassis set-up was a bit of a compromise for different track conditions. With a new set of tyres after 17 laps, Reiterberg managed to improve consistently even though he was only rewarded with 30th place in the end.

Toni Finsterbusch (Moto3) – 15th position in 1.45,497 min:

“This is my best qualifying result of this season so far and I think it’s an achievement we can build on in the race. I think in dry conditions it would have been more difficult to get 15th place. When it started to rain during qualifying, I dropped back a few places, but when the rain eased again, I tried to give it all and managed to get a better lap time. As far as the races goes, I don’t really care about the weather – whatever will be, will be.“

Markus Reiterberger (Moto2) – 30th position in 1.38,697:

“After our good first day of practice, I expected more from qualifying today. But in the wet, the change from my 1000 cc BMW to the 600 cc Moto2 prototype turned out to be quite difficult. In the free practice session this morning, we modified the linkage for the rear suspension but the bike got worse, so for qualifying, we returned to what we had previously. When the conditions improved towards the end, I managed to put in a few faster laps, but it wasn’t enough to get a much better position on the grid. Luckily I don’t have much to lose this weekend.“

SIXTEENTH FOR 'FEEM' AT SACHSENRIN

Ratthapark Wilairot has shown he has the pace to be in the points at the German Grand Prix regardless of the conditions in tomorrow's race. The Thai rider built his confidence throughout a wet qualifying session this afternoon and with some improvements to his bike in the morning he is well placed to do battle whatever the inclement weather throws at the Moto2 pack.

Ratthapark Wilairot (16th 1’ 35” 819) “The bike was slipping around a lot at the start of the session and I was struggling for confidence and speed. I came into the pit and we changed the setting, which improved my confidence a lot. Sixteenth is not bad but I want more. It looks like it will be dry in the morning so I'll have to make a good start in the race and try to make up positions."

Fausto Gresini “Feem has confirmed his progress and improving confidence with the Suter. He doesn't particularly like the Sachsenring but he has been able to qualify sixteenth and put himself in a position to have a good race tomorrow. I am happy to see that we are finally making progress. ”

REA HITS FORM IN SACHSENRING STORM

Gino Rea was finally able to show his true potential on the Grand Prix stage today, picking his way through treacherously wet conditions at Sachsenring to qualify on the second row for the Moto2 Grand Prix of Germany. A season-best fifth place provides proof of his growing confidence on board the Suter machine and the British youngster is hoping to confirm his progress with a similarly positive result in tomorrow's race.

Gino Rea. (5th 1’ 34” 908) “It is great to be so close to the front and a second row start is great for tomorrow. Obviously the rain helped us out a little bit and my pace was good when there was a lot of water on the track. As it started to dry we made a little change to the bike but I couldn't go any faster so that's a shame because we had the potential to be on the front row. Not to worry, the team have done a great job to give me a competitive bike. Hopefully it rains again tomorrow but whatever happens we'll aim to get a good start and run with the front pack.”

Fausto Gresini “Gino was fantastic today! He rode really well on the wet track and was consistently at the top end of the time sheets. It gives me great pleasure to see him enjoy such a positive day, riding with the calmness and confidence to be competitive. His pace is good so our hopes are high for the race tomorrow. Now we are starting to see some real progress so congratulations to Gino.”

Double success in qualifying: Márquez first, Simón second

In qualifying for the German Grand Prix, Suter Racing Technology celebrated a fantastic double success: Suter MMX2 rider Marc Márquez took his sixth pole position of the season in the Moto2 category, fellow Spaniard and Suter rider Julian Simón followed with a gap of only 45 thousandths of a second in second place. Briton Gino Rea in fifth position and Swiss hero Tom Luthi in sixth place made the success of Suter Racing Technolgy on the twisty Sachsenring complete.

But more than anything else, it was the unexpectedly strong comeback of Julian Simón that impressed the motorcycle paddock. After a year of injuries and setbacks, the former 125 cc champion had started the 2012 season on another brand, but then changed for a Suter MMX2. Now, after another change of personnel within his Blusens Avintia team, he found back to his old speed and confidence. “In the wet, my feeling for the bike was perfect. But I don’t know if I could have matched this result in dry conditions”, smiled Simón after the 40-minutes qualifying session with heavy rain at the beginning and conditions that improved slightly towards the end.

“Once again, our team effort was sensational. Marc’s riding was superb. His speed in the fastest sections of the track, including the corner where he crashed yesterday, made all the difference”, said Reto Karrer, Moto2 project leader at Suter Racing Technology. “But I am also very happy for Julian who managed to work his way out of his long string of problems. To see him match Marc’s speed here in qualifying on the Sachsenring gives us hope that he will battle within the top group of riders in the race. His performance is another confirmation of how well our motorcycle works on this relatively slow and very twisty circuit!”

In the MotoGP category, BMW Suter rider Colin Edwards was second-best CRT rider and conquered 13th place in the rain. The “Texas Tornado” was delighted with the performance of his bike. “On day one, it was difficult for us. But for today, my team found new settings for the electronics that made the bike easy to control both in wet and in dry conditions”, he said.

Only in the wet Moto3 qualifying, luck was not on the side of the Suter riders: Italian Simone Grotzkyj was fastest Suter Honda rider in 23rd position.

FOLGER OBTAINS THE THIRD ROW, PETRUCCI WILL START FROM THE 15th PLACE

It rains on the Sachsenring Circuit for the qualifying practice of the German Grand prix. The wet tipical up-and-down of the german track created many problems to all the riders with many crashes.

Danilo Petrucci has got the 16th time with 1’35.590 at 3.794 from Stoner’s pole position, but tomorrow he will start from the 15th place for the Bautista’s penality after the Assen crash with Lorenzo, his best position on the grid in MotoGP class. The Came Iodaracing Team rider was the protagonist of the practice, fighting with the MotoGPs bikes and getting the 10th position untill twenty minute to the end when he crashed. He went back to the pit and rejoined the practice with the second TR003 finishing in 16th place.

In Moto2 class Simone Corsi tomorrow will start the race from the 13th position with the time of 1’35.702 at 1.199 from Marquez’s pole position. The Roman rider began the practice not very well, but lap by lap he improved his feeling with his FTR reducing his gap from the top riders.

Jonas Folger has got a very good 8th place, best TR002 result in qualifying practice, with the time of 1’44.893 at 1.904 from Cortese’s pole position. The German rider was in 4th position untill the last minutes of the practice, confirming that he is very competitive on the wet, his gap from the second position is less than 0.5 seconds, and on the dry, he finished the morning free practice in 13th position. Luigi Morciano has finished in 33rd position at 4.994 from the pole.

"We did a quite good practice – Petrucci said – on the wet we have a good set up and we are quite competitive. Unfortunately when I rejoined the practice after the crash, I tested a different tyre with which I have a better feeling but I waited too long for pushing and I have lost some position on the grid”.

"It was an hard day – Corsi declared – the track lap by lap was faster and faster and it wasn’t easy to find a good feeling with the bike. In the second part of the practice I found a good pace and now the gap from the first is not very big”.

"The feeling with my TR002 is very good – Folger said – I did a good pace from the first laps and I was fighting for a long time for the first row. I want to say thank you to my team because they did a great job in these days, tomorrow I’ll give my best in the race for them and for my fans”.

"In the last part of the practice my bike was very hard to ride – Morciano declared – now we are checking what happend to be ok tomorrow for the race”.

The rain can´t stop the progress of de Angelis and Takahashi

It could have been a complicated qualifying session for the NGM Mobile Forward Racing Team during their very first wet session with the new FTR. Luckily it wasn’t, as their eighth and eleventh position have confirmed at the German GP.

Probably the qualifying session would have been even better if it had taken place in dry conditions given that De Angelis was able to make the second best time during the morning session. During qualifying he found himself at just only seven tenths from Pole man Marquez, knowing that he can be performing in both conditions.

Best qualifying session of the season for Yuki Takahashi than even with this morning’s crash, will be fighting for his first points of the season during tomorrow’s race.

Alex de Angelis – 8th (1´35.110)

“I am happy with today’s qualifying session results given the complicated weather conditions. We are on the third row and the race result wide open. In the dry we have been fast, this morning we made the second best time and many fast laps. Today we have had the first real session in the rain and I preferred to remain on track and adapt to the FTR in under these conditions. For tomorrow I hope we have a dry race, if we end up having a wet race I also think we could do well, with only 7 tenths to recuperate from the first lap in the rain. We are more than competitive.”

Yuki Takahashi – 11th (1´35.358)

“This morning I made a big mistake and crashed because I went over a wet patch, the bike started moving and I went into the corner and lost the front, I did it too early. After that we lost the morning session and in the afternoon we had completely different weather conditions (rain), I concentrated on riding. We didn’t change the setting from one session to the other, I just really got more time on the bike and get laps on the bike and got to improve my times. The only thing we changed from Assen to here the front fork, which made a huge difference for me. I am very happy to be riding with this bike; I would like to thank the team for all their efforts. I can say that I am happy and confident for tomorrow’s race.”

Pietro Caprara – Moto2 Technical Director

“We are very happy with Yuki´s results, already yesterday he made a big step. At Assen we saw an evolution but still needed some time to adapt to the new chassis, he is now starting to show the potential that he always had. We are very happy with the constant evolution he is showing. His starting position for tomorrow’s race is the best one so far this season and we hope for a good race tomorrow.

We are also very happy with Alex’s results now that he started having more confidence with his new bike. He struggled a little bit with the conditions of the track yesterday and this afternoon he was able to manage the situation and stayed out almost all session in order to get the sense of the bike’s behavior in case of having a wet race. We know that we still have things to work on but we are confident for tomorrow’s race.”

Year: 
2012

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