2012 Sepang Moto2 And Moto3 Saturday Post-Qualifying Press Releases

Submitted by Press Release on Sat, 2012-10-20 12:13
in

Press releases from the Moto2 and Moto3 teams after qualifying at Sepang:

Second row for Oliveira

Repsol rider will start Malaysian GP from fifth, one row ahead of eighth placed Álex Rins. Álex Márquez takes twenty-fourth after a light crash when pushing for top ten.

The second day of practice for the Malaysian Grand Prix defined the starting grid for the smallest of the three World Championship categories. Improving their times, Álex Rins and Miguel Oliveira finished sixth and ninth, respectively, in a qualifying session dominated by local rider Zulfhami Khairuddin. The punishment given to Luis Salom for his maneuver in the recent Japanese Grand Prix allows Rins and Oliveira to move up a place on the grid. Álex Márquez will take off from twenty-fourth place after suffering a minor crash when on a hot lap, having being affected by a slower rider.

Already in the third practice session the excellent level of Rins and Oliveira had been demonstrated, as they were second and third fastest respectively, only surpassed by Jonas Folger. The Spaniard stopped the clock at 2’14.629, six tenths down on the German. Álex Márquez has also dropped nearly a second from his time from yesterday and finished fifteenth.

When it came to deciding places on the grid for tomorrow's race, local hero Zulfhami Khairuddin managed to further intensify the pace, with a lap of 2’13.885. However, neither Oliveira nor Rins could match their morning times. The Portuguese will start from a positive fifth place on the second row of the grid, just ahead of teammate Rins, who set the ninth fastest time and will start eighth, after the penalty applied to Luis Salom. Álex Márquez again must make a comeback to take points, starting from the eighth row in twenty-fourth position.

Miguel Oliveira

FP3 - 2:15.011, 13 laps, 72 km.

QP - 2:15.316, 13 laps, 72 km.

“It was a rather difficult day for us, despite having dropped a second from yesterday’s pace. We did a good job with the team and I clocked my fastest lap when on my own, which is important in this class. In qualifying I found it a little more difficult to find my feel, but tomorrow in the warm up we can still improve a few details."

Álex Rins

FP3 - 2:14.629, 15 laps, 83 km.

QP - 2:15.814, 16 laps, 89 km.

“In the morning we worked in a good way and made the most of the session. In the afternoon it was a tougher time, because we had a gearbox issue that meant I had to cut the throttle to change up and down. The good thing is that the problem is already resolved, so I hope to get a good start tomorrow. I don’t think we will have Folger’s pace in the race, but we will try to be up there with the leading riders."

Álex Márquez

FP3 - 2:16.044, 15 laps, 83 km.

QP - 2:16.979, 13 laps, 72 km.

“That was a bit of a difficult day. At the beginning of the afternoon session the track was neither dry nor wet, so we had some doubts about the tyre choice. In the end we went for slicks and they allowed us to gain pace. It was a pity that, when I had been improving lap times and was two tenths off the top, I clipped another rider and fell. The most important thing is that we are prepared for tomorrow’s race, so we will have to get a good start in order to move back into the points and aim for a top ten finish."

JONAS FOLGER NARROWLY MISSES OUT ON POLE AT SEPANG

MAPFRE Aspar rider to line up second on the grid after dominating free practice in Malaysia

Qualifying practice for the Malaysian Grand Prix got underway in tentative fashion this afternoon as the riders slowly took to a drying track following a typical late morning downpour. The pace gradually increased as the wet patches slowly disappeared and in the final ten minutes of the session the lap times began to resemble those set during free practice. The fight for pole position was a two-way battle between home favourite Zulfahmi Khairuddin and MAPFRE Aspar rider Jonas Folger, who eventually missed out to the young Malaysian by a narrow margin.

Folger is hoping to figure in what looks like to be a breakaway group at the front of the pack, the German having dominated free practice all weekend and with a steady race pace in the low 2'14s. After qualifying second fastest this afternoon his goal for tomorrow is to finish the race with the victory that he was denied so cruelly just six days ago in Japan. His team-mate Luca Amato has struggled to get to grips with the Sepang circuit and will start from 30th position on the grid.

2nd Jonas Folger 2.14.151 (11 laps): "I feel really strong here but I think I was a little unlucky at the end of the session today. I knew we could set a faster lap and I was looking for a slipstream on the straights to shave some time off but before I realised it the chequered flag was out and I didn't have the extra lap I thought I had. Anyway I am happy, our pace is fantastic and consistent and that's the most important thing for the race. The difference in the lap times is quite significant and the guys outside the top six are a second off our pace. I think there'll be a pretty small breakaway group at the front tomorrow so my objective is to push as hard as possible from the start and try to escape if I can. It was a strange session with the conditions because we only really got three good laps in."

30th Luca Amato 2.18.975 (16 laps): "It has been another tough weekend for us. We really struggled to get on the pace in Japan and it has been the same here. I'm doing okay through the first two sectors but then in the last two I can't get my reference points. Luckily the team are helping me a lot in each session. We have carried out a host of set-up changes here to try and make the bike as comfortable as possible and even though I am starting from the back of the grid I am hopeful we can have a good race and keep learning about this category."

IANNONE MISSES OUT ON THE TOP 10 IN THE QUALIFYING PRACTICE, TWENTY-NINTH TIME FOR ANDREOZZI

The starting grid of the Sepang Grand Prix was defined today, after the qualifying session of the fifteenth round for the Moto2 class of 2012 season.

There wasn’t much of a chance to take full advantage of the session of the morning, because of some sudden rain showers halfway through the practice. Iannone managed to complete few laps, checking some small imporvements for his Speed Up machine, ending the session in advance once the conditions of the track changed. In the qualifying session, Andrea and his crew worked to find some good solutions for the bike setting, ending the practice in eleventh position.

Andreozzi and his technicians tried to use the third free practice as much as possible, in order to bring forward some modifications for the setting, both for the dry one and for the wet one. In QP, which was held on dry track, Alessandro improved his personal time of more than one second, setting the time of 2'10.151 (twenty-ninth placement).

Andrea Iannone #29 - 11th with 2'08.021

“We didn’t manage to try out much in the sessions of today and yesterday, because we had only one entire session with dry track. We did manage to improve a little, but we weren’t hoping for this result. We didn’t have much time to test the ideas we thought, we were able to do what we had planned just partially. In this last part of the season we are struggling, we have to improve the set up in order to be more competitive and to control the bike as I’d like. In the warm up we’ll try some last changes, without really making a big difference to the setting, hoping it helps us to solve the situation at least partially. I’d like to thank Speed Master team for the support.”

Alessandro Andreozzi #22 - 29th with 2'10.151

“In the session of this morning we worked to try to imporve the rear grip, whereas as far as it concerns the front we checked some solutions to have less chattering. The track doesn’t really help, but in the afternoon we were able to improve the lap time of more than one second. I’m quite satisfied, we’ll give it a try and see if we can make a further step in the warm up.”

FOURTH ROW START FOR NICCOLO’S SEPANG DEBUT

Team San Carlo Honda Gresini Moto3 rider Niccolò Antonelli had no problems recovering positions after lapping 24th fastest in free practice yesterday, the Italian youngster halving the distance to top spot as he qualified twelfth this afternoon. It means Niccolò will contest his first race at the Sepang International Circuit starting from the fourth row of the grid and he is optimistic of going into it strongly with some more improvements for his bike planned during the warm-up tomorrow morning.

Niccolo’ Antonelli (12th 2’ 15” 913) “A fourth row start isn't bad although it could have been better because my lap time this morning was actually faster than I qualified. The main thing now is to have a good look at the telemetry so that the engineers can see where to improve the performance of the bike and for me to work out which points of the track I can improve around. It will be a tough race tomorrow but I will give my best like always.”

Fausto Gresini “I'd say that Niccolò went well today even though there is a big gap to the top. This is a long circuit and it is hard to pick the right line, especially if you have never been here before. He is picking up more good experience in difficult circumstances and that will be the goal tomorrow in what promises to be extreme heat and humidity. Niccolò was the fastest Italian today and continues to show steady improvement.”

Márquez to start from third at Sepang

Repsol rider will take off from front row for tomorrow’s race, his first opportunity to claim the Moto2 World Championship.

Winner of eight of the fourteen races held this season and off the podium at only two of them, Marc Marquez can tomorrow win the 2012 Moto2 World Championship. To do this, the Spaniard must finish ahead of Pol Espargaró —poleman in qualifying today— or not allow his rival to take more than three points off his advantage.

Tenth in the third free practice session, Márquez put in just 6 laps, with a best time of 2’08.850. 25 minutes from the end it began to rain, and the Repsol rider stayed in the garage from then on. In qualifying, Márquez started strong on the dry asphalt, stopping the clock in 2’07.566 on his third lap. On his following two runs he was unable to improve his times, but he will nonetheless start from the front row.

The race will start at 14:20 local time tomorrow.

Marc Márquez

FP3 - 2:08.850, 6 laps, 33 km.

QP -2:07.566, 17 laps, 94 km.

“That went better than I expected. Yesterday we were a bit further back, although it didn’t seem like it because of the time that we took, but today we did a good job. We gave our all and in the end we were only missing a little bit to take pole. The important thing is that we are on the front row and we can still try some things out in warmup to try and get more comfortable. If we don’t manage that, then we will give our all in the race and will be paying attention to the weather, which changes quickly here."

Niklas Ajo fights with fracture in his foot in Malaysia

Despite his broken foot Niklas Ajo qualified 16th on hot Sepang circuit when season´s 15th Moto3 GP qualifying practice was held in Malaysia. Ajo crashed with his KTM-bike during the morning´s free practice session and it was later discovered that there is a hairline fracture in his left metatarsus.

“Pretty good result comparing to difficult circumstances”, Ajo says, “What will make the riding difficult is that I have to work harder with my left foot while riding. They taped my foot for the qualifying and it really was quite painful. For Sunday we have to anesthetize it and just hope and believe that it will last until the end of the 18-laps´ race. I can´t do anything but fight.”

In the qualifying practice Ajo rode the 5,5 kilometres long Sepang circuit nine times.

“In the beginning of the session there were still damp patches on the track so I tried to save the power of my foot. In the end the qualifying went just ok even if I didn´t ride that many laps.”

The Finn´s fastest lap was 2.16,142, which was eight tenths of a second faster than his time in the free practice session.

Ajo admits that he had to consider whether to attend the qualifying after the crash.

“When I came out from the curve the rear wheel of the bike slid out from under me and then I fell. I was for a long in the paddock hospital as they suspected that I had a concussion. In the beginning I didn´t even remember properly how the crash happened.

“I returned from the paddock hospital back to the box just before the qualifying and we wondered whether I should go to the track at all. But I decided to try and it was a good decision”, says Ajo.

The pole position was taken by a Finnish team Ajo Motorsport´s KTM-rider Zulfahmi Khairuddin with a top time of 2.13,888. Khairuddin organized himself an unforgettable 21st birthday gift in front of his home crowd, as the pole was the first of his career.

Khairuddin´s German teammate, championship leader Sandro Cortese was third, 0,714 seconds from Khairuddin.

EIGHTH ROW START FOR REA AT SEPANG

Gino Rea was unable to break into the top fifteen on the grid today but he showed the potential to be able to do just that in tomorrow's race and score some vital points for his championship. Whilst he showed excellent pace in a wet final free practice this morning the rainfall did nothing to help the team in their quest to find a dry setting, which remains their priority, but optimism is high for a good race tomorrow.

Gino Rea (22nd 2’ 09” 021) “It has been and up and down day but we have a lot of positives to take. We made a change to the bike this morning and it worked really well in the wet, then in the afternoon we found a good setting for the dry but I just didn't manage to get a clean lap in during the available time. If I did I know we could have taken half a second off and that would have been good enough for the top fifteen. I believe we have the pace to fight for the points tomorrow so that's the target.”

Fausto Gresini “Unfortunately you can't see it on the time sheets but today Gino showed more confidence on the bike today and I am confident he can have a good race tomorrow. Obviously if it is wet Gino could be very competitive as he showed this morning in the rain but the primary objective remains to find a good setting for the dry.”

FEEM NARROWLY MISSES OUT ON TOP FIFTEEN IN SEPANG QUALIFYING

Ratthapark Wilairot missed out on a fifth row start in tomorrow's Malaysian Grand Prix by a fraction of a second thanks to a much improved performance in this afternoon's qualifying practice at Sepang. The Thai rider has found a timely boost in confidence ahead of his 'home' race and he is looking forward to performing in front of his travelling support tomorrow from sixteenth on the grid.

Ratthapark Wilairot (16th 2’ 08” 675) “I was hoping for better today and the target was a 2'08.0 but we had some chatter problems and I couldn't push any harder on my last outing. It's a shame but I think we have the chance to make up for it tomorrow and fight for a top fifteen finish.”

Fausto Gresini “It would have been nice for Ratthapark to qualify on the fifth row because it would have given him another boost ahead of the race tomorrow but the progress is there to be seen and it is positive for his immediate future.”

Fifth front row start of the season for Redding in Malaysia

Sepang, Malaysia - 20 October 2012: Scott Redding will start from the front row of the grid for the fifth time this season in tomorrow's Malaysian Moto2 Grand Prix, after finishing second in this afternoon's qualifying session. Mika Kallio was disappointed to qualify only 15th, after machinery problems yesterday and a wet session this morning left him short of dry set-up time.

Redding was happy with his set-up in the dry conditions and was able to improve his lap time by almost half a second before the rain arrived 15 minutes into this morning's final free practice session. The 19-year-old Briton was initially less confident in the wet, but used the rest of free practice to refine the wet set-up on his Kalex Moto2 bike in case of a wet race tomorrow, which is looking increasingly likely.

With rain threatening once again in qualifying Redding was quick to make his mark, shattering the pole position record on just his third flying lap, before the sun breaking through the clouds caused the track temperature to rise and the grip levels to drop off. Few riders were able to improve from this point on with the result that Redding's early lap was enough to see him qualify in second position.

Mechanical issues yesterday, which forced a change of frame and engine on Kallio for today's two sessions, cost the 29-year-old Finn dear today. Effectively starting from scratch with bike set-up, Kallio was initially quicker than yesterday, but then lost out on crucial dry track time when the rain arrived and disrupted this morning's free practice.

Kallio continued to try and refine his set-up during this afternoon's qualifying session but, again, was unable to push hard for a fast qualifying lap due to front-end chatter and a problem with the clutch that lost him time on every corner exit. Despite the issues, Kallio remains confident he can secure a good result tomorrow if he can get away from the start cleanly.

Scott Redding #45: 2nd Position - 2'07.399

"With the chance of rain always high here this weekend I know I had to go out hard from the start. I felt pretty good with the bike from the start of the weekend, so I was pretty up for it this afternoon. We tried the other option front tyre for the first time right at the start of qualifying and it worked a lot better for me, which is why I was able to set a fast lap so early on. It's a good job I did, as the track sort of went away from us as the session progressed and only Pol Espargaro was able to improve his time at the end. Tomorrow will be a long, hard race, as it always is in Malaysia. We know that grip is going to drop off pretty quickly and that I'll have to smooth out my riding style to compensate. It will be easier if I can get away at the front, so that's what we'll be looking to do. A podium tomorrow here at Sepang, a track that doesn't really suit me, would be amazing."

Mika Kallio #36: 15th Position - 2'08.599

"Last night we changed both the frame and the engine and although the feeling was better, the chatter problem was the same. We tried all the normal things to try and reduce the chatter, but nothing seemed to work. We can see the problem quite clearly on the data, which also shows that Scott isn't having the same issues. We've pretty much exhausted our remedies, so we may try some of Scott's suspension settings in warm up to see if that improves things. It's not an ideal approach, as our riding styles are very different, but if it does reduce the chatter than I can ride around any other issues. We also had a problem with the clutch slipping today, which lost me time out of every turn, so we also need to fix that problem before tomorrow's race."

Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal

"Scott was quick to find a good dry set-up yesterday, so the changeable conditions we've had here in Malaysia played into his hands a little. After the wet session this morning, and with rain threatening this afternoon, we decided to go for a fast lap from the start of qualifying, just in case. That's exactly what Scott did, breaking the pole position record within three laps to qualify on the front row. A good result for Scott here in Malaysia could see him close on third position in the championship and that's all the motivation he needs for the race. Mika has had another disastrous weekend, losing time to mechanical issues yesterday and then missing out on dry set-up time today. Starting from the fifth row of the grid will be difficult, but he showed in Japan that he's capable of fighting his way through to the front, and I'm confident he can do the same tomorrow."

SIXTH AND SEVENTH ROW STARTS FOR MAPFRE ASPAR PAIR AT SEPANG

Jordi Torres eighteenth and Nico Terol twentieth after a crash in qualifying

Mixed weather conditions at Sepang have hit the Moto2 class hardest so far this weekend with the rain again arriving just in time for their final free practice this morning but thankfully abating for qualifying in the afternoon. Scott Redding and Pol Espargaró battled for pole position with the Brit dominating the early exchanges before a strong finish from the Spaniard secured front spot on tomorrow's grid.

MAPFRE Aspar riders Jordi Torres and Nico Terol will start from the sixth and seventh row of the grid respectively. Jordi worked hard to improve his set-up today but is still struggling to find good handling in the corners and he could only lap 1.7 seconds off pole position today. Nico will start from two places behind his team-mate, a positive weekend of practice having come to a grinding halt on the seventh lap of qualifying when he crashed in turn six.

18th Jordi Torres 2.08.705 (18 laps): "We made a few changes before the rain came this morning and took a step forward, which translated well to the wet setting. We made some more changes for the afternoon but I didn't manage to go any faster. We need more confidence with the front end under braking and even though we haven't qualified where we want the good thing is that we know where we need to improve and how to achieve it. This is a difficult track and you need a lot of laps to understand certain things. We are competitive in T1 and T2 but struggling in T3 and T4 so hopefully we can find more grip in the race, get the bike picked up better and make some improvements."

20th Nico Terol 2.08.798 (7 laps): "The weekend was going great up and yesterday our pace was very strong in the dry. We had a gearbox problem on the first lap this morning and I had to come in, then the rain came so we just made use of the time to test the wet tyres and a couple of other things. I struggled to get on the pace this afternoon but eventually got into the 2'08s. Then I came in to try the hard front, which I hadn't used up to that point, and pushed hard from the first lap. I was flying through the first sector but lost the front in turn six. That was the end of the session for us and it was a shame. The important thing is that I'm okay and the team are doing a great job. I am sure me and the bike will be back to 100% tomorrow so we can fight for a good result."

MotoGP Moto3 - Team Italia in 4th and 5th row in Sepang

A slippery track slowed down Tonucci and Fenati, who will start from 13th and 17th position respectively.

Tonucci (Team Italia FMI FTR Honda#19) posted a 2'15"915, faster than what he did in free practice but not enough to keep his Top 10 spot. His consistent pace will nonetheless allow him to fight close to the front tomorrow.

Fenati (Team Italia FMI FTR Honda#5) had a small crash at the beginning of the session and lost twenty precious minutes. With a best time of 2'16"229, similar to his previous best, he will start from 17th position.

Local rider Khairuddin seized pole position with a 2'13.885 ahead of Folger and Cortese. The two Italians are facing a comeback race. The forecast, predicting rain, could further mix up the race.

Alessandro Tonucci (Team Italia FMI FTR Honda#19) 14 laps, 2'15"915

"I was fast on the humid track early on, but toward the end I couldn't make the necessary step forward to stay at the front. We'll work hard to find a better setting for the suspensions. The uncertain weather doesn't help us though."

Romano Fenati (Team Italia FMI FTR Honda#5) 11 laps, 2'16"229

"The crash made me lose precious time and complicated the qualifier. When I came back on track I lost my rhythm and wasn't able to improve. The warm-up will be crucial to find some speed. I hope I can be a protagonist during the race."

Roberto Locatelli (FMI Technical Coordinator)

"The weather complicated our work today. Romano lost the front on a wet patch and had to hurry his way through the rest of the session, without a chance to try many settings. Tonucci couldn't find his confidence on the dry, and had to settle down. We'll try a few ideas during warm-up to score a Top 5 finish."

Birthday boy Khairuddin celebrates pole position on his home track

AirAsia-SIC-Ajo Team´s Zulfahmi Khairuddin became a true hero in front of his home crowd on Sepang circuit in season´s 15th qualifying practice of Moto3 class in Malaysia.

Khairuddin who did once again a Road Racing history in Malaysia took the first pole position of his career on his 21st birthday.

“Incredible! I honestly couldn´t have wished a better birthday present than this!”, rejoices Khairuddin, who is seventh in championship standing.

“I expect that I will also manage to have a great race”, continued Khairudding aiming to be on the podium for the first time.

After a successful performance Khairuddin´s self-confidence is at high level and the home crowd will improve it even more.

“We will for sure have a tough fight but I am confident that I will get a good start and manage to fight my way to the top three. I will just concentrate 120 percent like I did in the qualifying. The team has done once again a great job as the bike feels really good”, Khairuddin thanked.

Khairuddin who is having his 49th GP-weekend was the only on who´s lap time was under 2.14 seconds. His fastest time was 2.13,885, seconds which meant that he was 0,266 seconds faster than Jonas Folger who dominated the free practice sessions and 0,714 seconds faster than championship leader Sandro Cortese.

Heroic Smith braves pain to claim second row in sizzling Sepang

Tech 3 Racing Team rider Bradley Smith bravely brushed aside the pain from a left foot injury to claim a stunning top six position in Moto2 qualifying in gruelling heat and humidity at the Sepang International Circuit today.

The British rider cracked bones in two toes in a heavy fall in wet conditions yesterday but bounced back with a performance full of grit and determination today to secure a hard earned place on the second row of the grid.

Smith powere d his Mistral 610 machine to a fastest lap of 2.07.721, which was less than 0.2s away from Moto2 World Championship leader Marc Marquez, who secured the final place on the front row in third behind Pol Espargaro and Scott Redding.

The 21-year-old is anticipating a physically demanding race tomorrow, which will be made even more complicated by the searing heat and humidity in Malaysia. Smith has been undergoing round-the-clock treatment with Clinica Mobile medical staff and he is confident he will be fighting at the front in what is expected to be another exciting and close Moto2 battle.

It was a less productive qualifying session for teammate Xavier Simeon, who faces a difficult challenge to build on his promising 14th position in Japan last weekend from 24th position on the grid.

The Belgian rid er clocked a fastest lap of 2.09.154 in the early stages of this afternoon's session, but he was unable to improve his pace in a further 12 laps he completed.

Despite his lowly grid position for the 19-lap race, Simeon remains in a positive frame of mind and he is confident he will be able to launch a challenge for the top 15.

Bradley Smith 6th 2.07.721 – 16 laps:

“To be on the second row is a great result considering my physical condition because it was incredibly hard work. I just had to grit my teeth and brave the pain and it is great to be rewarded with a top six. I need to say a big thanks to the Clinica Mobile staff because without them I wouldn't be able to ride. They've done a fantastic job to help me but I know it will be a long and tough race. The heat and humi dity makes it even harder when you are not 100% fit at this track, but I will get plenty of rest tonight and ice the foot again. I'm a little bit battered and bruised after two big crashes in a week and my foot is not great. I've got a crack in the fourth toe at the joint and a crack in my big toe. But I will be giving it my best shot tomorrow and I'm still confident I can be battling at the front.”

Xavier Simeon 24th 2.09.154 – 16 laps:

“Today was not a very good result and it will be a tough race tomorrow. My race pace is not too bad but when I needed to push for the fast lap time at the end I wasn't as fast as I expected. It is going to be an intense battle tomorrow because I have to make a lot of passes to get into the points, and with the heat and humidity it is going to be a very demanding race. The Mistral 610 though is normally really strong over the race distance, so I am convinced I will be able to fight for some points. As always I will be giving 100% to get the best result I can for the Tech 3 Racing Team.”

De Angelis back in the Top10 at Sepang

Good qualifying session for Alex De Angelis who during this second day at Sepang has recovered faith and improves his lap times at the Malaysian Grand Prix. The rider from San Marino ends the qualifying session in ninth position at only eight tenths from the pole and at only .23 from the Top4.

Yuki Takahashi on the other hand has had an unfortunate qualifying session. The Japanese rider finds himself starting from the twenty-third position on the grid after not being able to find the right feeling during the session with his FTR.

Alex de Angelis – 9th (2´07.849)

“I am satisfied with today’s result, we come back to the positions I should be more or less in. Halfway through the session we made an important modification on the rear that made us improve considerably. We still have work ahead of us because the top riders are very fast but we are surely working in the right direction. My back still hurts from yesterday’s crash in the rain but between today an tomorrow we will work along with the Clinical Mobile to be at my best for the race.”

Yuki Takahashi – 23rd (2´09.053)

“At the beginning of qualifying session I had a good pace and had a good feeling with the bike. Even if the feeling I had with the tires I was already using I still decided to change and try the hard ones and exited on the last 10 minutes of the session. I saw a big group with Pol Espargaro and Simone Corsi and thought that I could get to them and push but couldn’t. At the moment I feel the bike is quite good and tomorrow during the warm up I will just concentrate on the race pace.”

Pietro Caprara – Moto2 Technical Director

“Good qualifying session for Alex De Angelis powered by the arrival of FTR´s new swingarm. The data shows great performance in both wet and dry conditions. The tire performance during race simulation is also very encouraging for tomorrow’s race. Had it not been for the traffic on track maybe the second row would have been possible. Yuki has been very performing in the first two sectors of the track. He encountered traffic and we hope that tomorrow he will be able to do a good start and gain positions early in the race.”

 

Round Number: 
16
Year: 
2012

GTranslate