Tom Sykes could not replicate his Race 1 victory on Sunday at Sepang
In a wet second WorldSBK race at Sepang Kawasaki Racing Team rider Tom
Sykes found the going harder than on Saturday in the difficult
conditions and finished eighth. He remains third in the overall
championship standings.
With no previous wet experience to call on at the resurfaced Sepang
circuit the riders had little time to find a good set-up on full wet
tyres. Starting from pole Sykes went in search of more podium success.
Soon after the start, however, he realised his set-up was not going to
allow him to challenge and despite fighting for every point he dropped
back to finish eighth, on a drying track surface that made his set-up
issues more profound.
Sykes is still 62 points ahead of the fourth placed rider in the
championship and leaves Sepang with another race win on his record
thanks to his Saturday performance.
He stated: “It was a big shame after the strong run we have had over
the other parts of race weekend. I looked at a small change for the dry
conditions today but heading into the wet we took on some experience
from the Assen weekend and then went racing. But when the water cleared
the grip from the surface was quite high.”
“Unfortunately we did not have the perfect set-up for the grippy
surface. I was not able to push the tyres onto the ground and get the
traction we needed. Other than that, I felt if we would have made some
changes we could have been stronger. I am disappointed not to capitalise
on our momentum from yesterday’s win, but this is racing sometimes.”
Home hero just misses out on victory in Sepang as Ayrton Badovini withstands last lap attack
Local rider Zulfahmi Khairuddin kept raucous home fans on their feet at
Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, as the WorldSSP rookie went
from his P5 grid slot to both lead the race and challenge for the
victory on the last lap. On the final corner, Fahmi just lost out to
Ayrton Badovini, as the Italian managed to cut back on the inside to
beat the Malaysian over the line by a whisker. GRT rider Gino Rea, after
good pace all weekend, made good on his grid position after initially
leading and completed the podium in P3.
In a Race postponed until after WorldSBK due to weather conditions at a
rainy Sepang, it was British GRT rider Rea who got the best start,
rocketing away into the lead in front of reigning Champion Kenan
Sofuoglu. The Turk’s teammate Randy Krummenacher lost ground in the
first lap to cross the line tenth after Lap 1, with local hero Zulfahmi
Khairuddin making up places from P5 on the grid to duel with Sofuoglu
and close down on then race leader Gino Rea.
The new asphalt at Sepang was drying out as home hero Khairuddin leapt
through into the lead at the final corner on Lap 3 to head a WorldSSP
race for the first time. The conditions mixed up the World Supersport
grid for an exciting race of nervous apexes, with the home hero shining
and Ayrton Badovini taking an incredible win to add to the host of
different riders to have topped the tables in WorldSSP so far in 2016.
Honda’s PJ Jacobsen got another good haul of points in P4 as the
American kept cool under pressure, and was the lead rider in the group
of key Championship rivals. Reigning Champion and points leader Kenan
Sofuoglu suffered more in the conditions than his pace in the dry had
shown, crossing the line in P6 as wet weather specialist and Assen
winner Kyle Smith took his CIA Landlord Insurance Honda into the top 5
and past the Turk in the closing stages.
MV Agusta Reparto Corse title hopeful Jules Cluzel took a good amount
of points in P7, just ahead of WorldSSP rookie and Sofuoglu’s teammate
Randy Krummenacher as the two men fight to catch the Turkish points
leader in the title standings. Alex Baldolini had a solid ride for a top
ten finish in P9, as fellow Italian Federico Caricasulo closed out the
top ten to gain another good result in his rookie year.
“We didn’t expect this but when we started the race in the wet
conditions the feeling was good on the bike and I was thinking ‘I think
we can do well..’ I was waiting for something in the last corner and
then looking for a solution. He passed me in the corner and I saw he was
going a bit long so I tried to close and it was an incredible fight.
He’s a nice rider and it was a good race.”
WorldSSP will be back on track at Donington Park in two weeks time, for Round 7 of the 2016 Championship
Pole sitter sets new lap record in commanding victory
Kawasaki Racing Team rider Tom Sykes took an incredible win from P1 on
the grid in Sepang, after smashing the Best Lap in Tissot-Superpole.
Teammate and reigning Champion Jonathan Rea came home second for a
KRT
1-2, ahead of Aruba.it Racing – Ducati rider Chaz Davies.
The big winners off the line in Race 1 proved to be Pata Yamaha’s Alex
Lowes and Honda’s Michael van der Mark, with Lowes taking the lead from
P2 on the grid and van der Mark slicing through from tenth to P6, before
KRT duo Rea and Sykes moved through on the Yamaha. Sepang veteran Nicky
Hayden, after initially losing out off the line, soon fought back up
into the top 5 to chase down the lead group.
Sykes began to pull a gap on teammate Rea, who found himself chased by
key Championship rival Chaz Davies. The Yorkshireman also set a new Lap
Record on Lap 2, his first flying lap of the track, on his way to a
commanding lead and victory. Jonathan Rea on the sister ZX-10R followed
his teammate home to P2 after eventually shaking off the challenge of
Ducati’s Chaz Davies.
Davies was the lead Ducati in Race 1 once again as the Welshman took
his Aruba.it machine to yet another podium to cement his consistent
challenge, and teammate Davide Giugliano, after missing the Round in
2015 due to injury, fought for position in the second group before
crossing the line in P6.
Markus Reiterberger made good on his promise in Sepang as the rookie of
the track and impressed for Althea BMW, leading a charge back up the
field to P4 in a stunning show of pace, until suffering a mechanical
problem that forced him to retire. Teammate Jordi Torres also found
great pace in Race 1 in Sepang as the Spaniard fought to the front of
the second group to take P4.
Alex Lowes, after a run off in the first half of the Race, staged an
impressive fight back to take P5 and score a good haul of points for
Pata Yamaha as the team run only one bike after Sylvain Guintoli’s crash
in Imola.
Honda duo Nicky Hayden and Michael van der Mark had a race of opposites
as the American suffered more towards the end of the Race and his Dutch
teammate moved up the through the field. After the duo met in the
middle on track, van der Mark was able to take his veteran teammate on
the penultimate lap to come home just ahead of Hayden in P7.
Anthony West, riding for injured Sylvain Barrier at Pedercini, moved up
in the Race from his grid position to come home in P9, an incredible
result after only getting on the bike for the first time on Friday. MV
Agusta rider Leon Camier suffered in the early part of Race 1 in Sepang
but fought back steadily to close out the top 10 and Aprilia duo Lorenzo
Savadori, fastest on Friday, and recovering teammate Alex De Angelis,
were both running in the points before being unable to see the flag due
to separate incidents on track. Josh Brookes beat Sepang veteran Karel
Abraham over the line in the Milwaukee BMW inter-team battle, ahead of
Lucas Scassa, a replacement rider, and Xavi Forés for Barni Racing Team.
Grillini rider Josh Hook was the final points scorer, with the
Australian rookie closing out the top 15.
Race 2 will see lights out on Sunday at Sepang at 16:00 local time (GMT
+8) once again, as the teams and riders analyse the data from the first
challenge and ready for the second.
Kentucky Kid takes his first ever WorldSBK victory in stunning wet weather display
Honda World Superbike Team rider Nicky Hayden crossed the line in
Sepang on Sunday to take his first ever win in World Superbike. The
American, a rookie in the class, took off from the pack in a supreme
display of speed and control in difficult conditions. Ducati’s Davide
Giugliano came home second after a late charge, ahead of reigning
Champion Jonathan Rea.
Sunday in Sepang saw sun replaced by rain as a downpour hit the circuit
just before the WorldSSP Race was due to start. As the weather
conditions worsened and the World Supersport Race was postponed until
after WorldSBK, the riders had a long look at the sky in preparation for
a Wet Race.
A cautious line up threaded through turns 1 and 2 for the first time as
the front row of Sykes, Rea and Lowes was joined by Honda rider Nicky
Hayden from the second row. Hayden, who is a veteran of the track but a
WorldSBK rookie, then began to pull a gap on second placed Rea as riders
behind battled for position.
With grip tricky to judge, only Kentucky Kid Hayden seemed confident in
the initial laps, with Rea remaining behind in P2 as Lowes and Sykes
struggled to find similar pace. With the top three settled as Hayden,
Rea and Davies, it was second Aruba.it Racing – Ducati rider Davide
Giugliano who then began to set the fastest laps of the track and caught
teammate and title contender Davies. After shadowing the Welshman,
Giugliano then made his move and took the position, then heading off
after Nicky Hayden in pursuit of a victory. The Italian came home P2
after the late charge, as Rea passed Davies to lock out the podium in
P3, ahead of his Welsh title rival who crossed the line in P4. Defending
Champion Rea remains the only rider on the grid to have been on the
rostrum in every race.
Honda’s Michael van der Mark moved up from his P10 grid position to end
the race in P6 after a spectacular last corner against Alex De Angelis
after a race of spectacular duels, with Aprilia rider De Angelis also
making good progress from his starting position as he recovers from
injury.
Tom Sykes, after starting from pole, suffered in the conditions in Race
2 in Malaysia and eventually crossed the line in P8. Anthony West,
riding as replacement for Sylvain Barrier at Pedercini, lived up to his
reputation as a maestro of wet conditions as the Australian came home in
the top 5, giving the team their best result of 2016 so far and proving
second Kawasaki on Sunday.
Leon Camier, after another top ten result in Race 1, came home P9 in
the wet on Sunday afternoon, with Markus Reiterberger completing the top
ten for Althea BMW after a mechanical problem forced the German to
retire in Race 1 on Saturday. Pata Yamaha rider Alex Lowes, after
starting from his best qualifying position, suffered a crash in Race 2
and has been diagnosed with a closed fracture of his collarbone.
“It feels pretty good to be up here and to win the race," said winner
Hayden after Race 2. "In the first laps I tried to get in front, try to
get clear track and pull a bit of a gap. We had no idea what the tyres
were gonna do in the wet. As the track started drying I was a little
worried and it wasn’t easy. I’m very happy to get this win. I want to
thank my team and all my supporters and I want to dedicate this win to
my Dad. He asked for a podium this week as he has had a rough week and I
told him I would see what I can do. I went a little bit better so I
hope he is having fun.”
Hayden will be back out to try and repeat the feat in two weeks as the paddock now heads to Donington Park for Round 7.
The
French GP is infamous for a wild campsite enjoying every aspect of
motorcycle racing, but the action was just as wild on track.
One Mistake Apiece
For the second time in 2016 only 13 riders finished a MotoGP™ World
Championship race. Before the 2016 Argentina GP the last time only 13
riders finished in the premier class was at the 2012 race in Malaysia, a
race that was eventually red flagged due to the torrential rain. Of the
13 riders who finished the race, one had fallen and re-mounted: Marc
Marquez (Repsol Honda Team). He, Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP)
and Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) have now made a mistake
each, creating a more or less even playing field once again.
“The way the Championship runs these days, it’s who gets their stuff
together at the beginning of the season--and who doesn’t make
mistakes--you make one mistake these days and it’s very hard to come
back from,” said Casey Stoner back in 2012.
These will be very wise words for the likes of Marquez, Lorenzo and
Rossi to follow for the remainder of the season. Each of the trio has
proved that they’re untouchable when everything is going well but
they’ve also shown cracks in their armour. Patching up these cracks will
be critical, every rider and team only getting stronger and stronger
with more time on the new electronics and tyres.
A second mistake might not be the end of the world however; Marquez,
Lorenzo and Rossi have all taken a MotoGP™ title after failing to score
twice. In 2004 and 2009 Rossi lifted the crown despite issues, as did
Marquez in 2013. During the 2012 season Lorenzo suffered two DNFs,
although his second came at the final round of the year after he had
already secured the title. The last rider to win the premier class title
with more than two race finishes outside the points was Mick Doohan in
1998, but he took eight wins and three second place finishes out of 14
race starts.
Lorenzo and Marquez have now each won twice, Rossi forced to continue
to play catch up to his teammate. But the gap from first to third is
only 12 points, the tightest the MotoGP™ World Championship has been
after five rounds since 2009 when Stoner, Lorenzo and Rossi left Mugello
divided by only nine points. Back then both Lorenzo and Rossi had each
failed to score in a race while Stoner had never stepped outside the top
five. Stoner’s season would unravel due to illness. Fans around the
world stayed glued to their seats for every round of the ever changing
2015 World Championship, but 2016 is so far even tighter and the new
regulations have filled each race to the brim with surprises. Mugello
might be Rossi's backyard, but Spaniards have won the last six races
there. All Rossi wants to do is break the streak and return to the top
stop, but both Lorenzo and Marquez are guaranteed to do everything they
can to beat him to the line.
Ducati’s Difficulties
The Monster Energy Grand Prix de France was another disastrous
weekend for the factory Ducati Team, neither of their riders finishing.
Phillip Island in 2015 was the last time that both factory bikes
finished together in a race. Their lack of results shows not just for
the rider's championship but also for the team, the factory team is
fifth in the standings and only a single point ahead of Avintia Racing,
who are using the GP14.2 which first debuted back in 2014. Both Andreas
were in podium position when they fell, Dovizioso's fall coming out of seemingly no where. Ducati have the pace to battle at the front but have so far struggled to find the consistency to do so over race distance.
With 39 points, Hector Barbera (Avintia Racing) is the leading Ducati
rider in the MotoGP™ World Championship standings, Eugene Laverty
(Aspar Team MotoGP) is the second highest in ninth place. Andrea Iannone
is 14 points behind Barbera, a bigger gap than that of the championship
contenders. Meanwhile Andrea Dovizioso’s ever-increasing bad luck has
him two points behind Iannone and 11th overall. At this stage in 2015’s
championship Dovizioso was third with 83 points and Iannone was fifth
with 61, almost three times the points they have now.
Ducati are the only factory team who have their satellite riders and
teams ahead of them in the championship. Both Andrea Iannone and
Dovizioso need to start finishing races, especially as there will only
be one seat open at Ducati in 2017 after Lorenzo’s signing.
Just Deserts
MotoGP™’s hottest property, Maverick Viñales (Team Suzuki Ecstar) was
finally able to end on the podium he had been so close to achieving
throughout 2016. In Argentina he passed his hero Valentino Rossi for
what could have been second place, but then fell form what looked to be a
guaranteed top three. No such issues in France as Viñales proved he can
handle almost everything that is thrown at him, learning from each and
every mistake. He may have benefitted from the falls of several riders
ahead, but he still held off Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team), a rider
with three World Championships and 100 MotoGP™ podiums. As Lorenzo,
Rossi, Stoner, Iannone, Dovizioso and many more have all found out,
beating Pedrosa, even on a bad day, is no fluke.
Viñales was the first rider to take a debut premier class podium
since Scott Redding defied the odds in Misano back in 2015, taking third
despite crashing mid-race. He also became the first rider to stand on
the podium riding a bike other than a Yamaha, Honda or Ducati since
Aleix Espargaro’s second place on the Forward Yamaha in Aragon in 2014.
Before that, the last non-Yamaha, Honda or Ducati podium came at the
hands of Marco Melandri on the Kawasaki back in 2009, also at the French
GP. Viñales has now definitively proven that both he and Suzuki are
contenders, but where does his future lie?
Lorenzo produces perfection in crash filled French GP
Jorge Lorenzo ran away with the French GP, taking a flag-to-flag victory as former championship leader Marc Marquez fell.
Tension hung in the air
ahead of the 28-lap Monster Energy Grand Prix de France as riders in the
MotoGP™ World Championship sat patiently on the grid. Jorge Lorenzo
(Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) had pole ahead of championship leader Marc
Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) and potential podium challenger Andrea
Iannone (Ducati Team). Gusts of wind blew across the track as they
departed for the Warm Up lap.
Lorenzo made a perfect start as Marquez wheelied off the line, the
Yamaha rider leading through the first chicane with Andrea Dovizioso
(Ducati Team) behind him. Marquez was soon up to fourth as he charged
past Pol Espargaro (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), Valentino Rossi (Movistar
Yamaha MotoGP) attempted to follow him through but found himself swamped
by the likes of Aleix Espargaro (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Bradley Smith
(Monster Yamaha Tech 3).
As they crossed the finish line for the first time Lorenzo's lead
stood at half a second with Dovizioso and Iannone behind. It was not the
start Rossi had wanted, able to make up just a single place from
seventh on the grid as the second lap began. Dovizioso, who had
seemingly banished his recent bad luck, remained strong in second.
Having started last on the grid, home rider Loris Baz (Avintia
Racing) was up to 17th by the fourth lap of the race. Home fans cheered
him on with each pass, urging the Frenchman forever forward.
Lap four saw Rossi improve his pace, going half a second quicker than
his rival Marc Marquez who was just ahead. The pair weren’t the only
ones closing up, Iannone also making significant progress on his
teammate. His charge would be halted on lap seven when Iannone fell at
Turn 8. Iannone’s fall was followed soon after by Cal Crutchlow (LCR
Honda), who suffered his fourth race crash of the year. One lap later,
fellow satellite Honda rider Tito Rabat (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS)
came off at Turn 6. Iannone would re-join the race but eventually
retired.
Lap 13 saw Rossi slip past on Marc Marquez, making it a three-way
battle for second as Lorenzo continued to run away at the head of the
race. Just a few corners later Rossi was up into second place and
matching Lorenzo’s times.
A thrilling battle for second was brewing until on lap 16 at Turn 7
both Andrea Dovizioso and Marc Marquez crashed at the same time. There
was no contact between them, the pair both losing the front in
synchronisation. Now Maverick Viñales (Team Suzuki Ecstar) was on course
for his first MotoGP™ podium and Lorenzo on the cusp of taking the
championship lead.
The falls continued and soon Marc Marquez was up in 13th place,
despite missing a large section of his side fairing. Lorenzo, 7.8
seconds clear with five laps to go, was having no such issues as he
calmly ran his own race. With gaps of at least three seconds splitting
the top three, each eased their pace to guarantee a finish in the
clearly difficult conditions.
For the second time in 2016, Jorge Lorenzo crossed the line in first
place after dominating the French GP. Over ten seconds would separate
him from Rossi as the race came to an end. It was a day of celebration
for both Suzuki and Viñales, the Spaniard taking his first podium finish
in the premier class. Viñales’ podium is the first for Suzuki since the
2008 Czech GP, making amends for his mistake in Argentina.
Victory sees Lorenzo move to the top of the championship with 90
points, Marquez forced to concede his advantage after the crash. Rossi
stays third and is 12 points behind Lorenzo. Marquez, Lorenzo and Rossi
now have a mistake each to their name and with only 12 points between
them in the championship; the season is only just getting started. The
MotoGP™ World Championship now heads to Mugello, Rossi’s home round but
one where Lorenzo has been the man to beat in recent years. Once again
it looks set to be a thrilling weekend in the Tuscan hills.
Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) was unable to close the gap to
Viñales despite his best efforts and settled for fourth. Pol Espargaro
was once again the fastest Independent Team rider as he ended Tech 3’s
home round in a credible fifth ahead of his brother.
Aleix Espargaro (Team Suzuki Ecstar), Danilo Petrucci (Octo Pramac
Yakhnich), Hector Barbera (Avintia Racing), Alvaro Bautista (Aprilia
Racing Team Gresini) and Stefan Bradl (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini)
completed the top ten. Of the 21 riders on the grid, 13 finished the
race.
Scott Redding (Octo Pramac Yakhnich) retired from the race early on,
followed by Yonny Hernandez (Aspar Team MotoGP) who crashed from the
race on lap seven.
While running inside the top ten, Jack Miller (Estrella Galicia 0,0
Marc VDS) suffered a fall, the French GP a war of attrition. Turn 7
claimed yet another victim as Bradley Smith crashed out of his team’s
home race.
Full race results can be seen here.
The ever-tightening MotoGP™ World Championship can be viewed here.
Having never stepped outside the top two all weekend, Jorge Lorenzo set a new pole record ahead of Marquez and Iannone.
The atmosphere in Le Mans
was tense as the MotoGP™ World Championship headed out of the pits, the
packed stands cheering as the riders filtered out. Jorge Lorenzo
(Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) was immediately on the pace, his first flying
lap already the fastest time of the weekend.
Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) suffered an early crash at Turn 4
with just over eight minutes of the session remaining. He was unable to
remount and quickly got back to the pits for his second machine.
Fortunately for Pedrosa his experienced team were immediately ready with
his second bike.
As the final runs of the day began, Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team) fell
while on his out lap. The Italian immediately sprinted back to the pits
and jumped onto his second Desmosedici GP, not even waiting to catch
his breath.
Meanwhile Jorge Lorenzo improved his time, setting the first ever
1’31 around Le Mans with a 1’31.975 and giving Michelin their first
record since returning to the World Championship. This is also Lorenzo’s
first ever premier class pole position in Le Mans.
Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) will start second, his fifth front
row start of the season. His 1’32.416 was 0.441s back on Lorenzo’s time,
the Yamaha having a decent advantage over a single flying lap but
Lorenzo himself admitted it won't be the pace for the race.
Even with the fall, Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team) was able to lock
down third on the grid. His 1’32.469 came from his third lap of the
session, unable to improve after his crash.
Pol Espargaro (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) will start Sunday’s French GP
in fourth and as the leading Independent Team rider. Behind the Spaniard
will be Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) as Ducati were once again the
only factory team with two bikes inside the top five.
Bradley Smith (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) achieved his best Qualifying
result of the year with sixth while Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha
MotoGP) ended seventh. This is his worst grid position since Rossi
started last in Valencia and his first time starting on the third row
since the Australian GP in 2015.
Maverick Viñales (Team Suzuki Ecstar), Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) and
Danilo Petrucci (Octo Pramac Yakhnich) completed the top ten. Like
Pedrosa and Iannone, Petrucci suffered a fall during the session.
Due to his crash, Pedrosa will start the French GP down in 11th after
a promising start to the weekend when he topped Free Practice 1.
Home rider Loris Baz (Avintia Racing) had a difficult day, struggling
in Q1 and subsequently starting last on the grid for his home round.
MotoGP™ Warm Up commences at 09:40 Local Time with their race starting at 14:00 Local Time.
Complete times from the Q2 session are available here.
Andrea
Iannone was delighted to finish Friday’s practice in second, but knows
there is still work to do to close the gap to Lorenzo.
The Italian immediately
found an improvement with the spinning issues he had experienced in
Jerez thanks to the new Michelin tyres and also the improved grip levels
at Le Mans. Ending FP1 in sixth, Iannone would go on to take another
1.3s off his time in the afternoon session. His 1'33.169 was good enough
to secure second on the overall timesheets, 0.339s behind the man at
the top of the timesheets Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP).
Andrea Iannone: “This afternoon we managed to
improve over the morning session after getting to grips with the
behaviour of my Desmosedici GP and adapting it to the characteristics of
this circuit. We’ve still got some work to do tomorrow in this
direction, but for today I am quite satisfied. Regarding the tyres, this
afternoon we also tried the new rear tyre that Michelin brought to Le
Mans. The French manufacturer is proving to be very responsive because
it wasn’t necessarily expected that it would immediately work better
than the standard one. My bike still moves about a bit coming out of the
corner and we still have some spinning, but the situation has improved a
lot over Jerez and so now we have to continue to work to try and
resolve these two problems.”
Jorge
Lorenzo with a clear advantage over the rest of the field in Le Mans,
Iannone and Marquez the only riders within half a second.
In the morning session it
was Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) who led the way with a 1’34.042,
the Spaniard showing well after a fruitful test in Jerez. His time
wouldn’t stand for long as riders were immediately pushing in the second
session.
Free Practice 2 for the MotoGP™ World Championship began with Jorge
Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) setting a string of fast laps. Clouds
began to gather overhead as the session got underway, the rain
fortunately holding off and allowing all the riders to improve their
times. Results from Free Practice 2 could be vital for passage into Q2
as the morning sessions in Le Mans are often quite cool.
After his blazing start to the session, it came as little surprise
that Jorge Lorenzo concluded Free Practice 2, and the day as a whole, as
the fastest rider. Lorenzo’s fastest time, a 1’32.830, came towards the
end of the session. The only rider in the 1’32s, Lorenzo left the Le
Mans circuit on Friday evening with a 0.339s advantage over Andrea
Iannone (Ducati Team).
The Le Mans circuit has often seen Ducati riders perform well, Andrea
Iannone continuing the tradition as he wrapped up Friday in second
place on the combined timesheets. Iannone’s best time came on his final
lap of the day, the problems of Jerez long gone for the Desmosedici GP.
Once again it was Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) who completed the
top three, the final rider able to get within half a second of Lorenzo’s
time. Marquez's performance made it three different brands inside the
top three, proving that a variety of styles are competitive at the
French GP.
Pol Espargaro (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) achieved his first, and so far
only, MotoGP™ front row start in Le Mans during his rookie campaign.
After a troublesome year in 2015, the Spaniard is again performing well
and concludes Friday at his team’s home race in fourth and as the
leading Independent Team rider, ahead of Rossi on the factory bike.
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) completed the top five, making Ducati
the only factory team with both their bikes inside the top five. The
Italian was 0.744s back on Lorenzo’s time as he looks to maintain a run
of five straight front row starts in France and shake his bad luck from
the start of the year.
Aleix Espargaro (Team Suzuki Ecstar), Maverick Viñales (Team Suzuki
Ecstar), Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team), Hector Barbera (Avintia
Racing) and Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) rounded out the top
ten.
While Lorenzo improved his time from FP1 by 1.2 seconds, Rossi was
only able to improve by half a second and ended 1.1 seconds behind his
teammate.
Danilo Petrucci (Octo Pramac Yakhnich) concluded Friday in 11th on
his MotoGP™ return after injuring his hand in both the Phillip Island
test and the Qatar GP.
Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) was the victim of a crash at Turn 13,
jumping to his feet and jogging back into the pits for his second
RC213V. It was a difficult day overall for Loris Baz (Avintia Racing) as
he suffered a second crash, coming off at Turn 6 with less than five
minutes of FP2 remaining.
On his final lap of the day, Scott Redding (Octo Pramac Yakhnich)
crashed at Turn 7, removing any chance he had of getting into the top
ten.
The MotoGP™ World Championship is back on track at 09:55 Local Time
on Saturday the seventh of may for the critical FP3 session, the last
chance for riders to get into the top ten.
Full times from the second session can be seen here.
Valentino Rossi may have been untouchable in Jerez, but the MotoGP™ Championship is building towards an all out brawl.
Heading into the Spanish GP, riders in the
MotoGP™ World Championship were playing catch up to Marc Marquez. The
Repsol Honda rider had vanished into the distance at the Circuit of the
Americas and everyone was left wondering if he’d do the same at home in
Jerez. Or would it be Jorge Lorenzo who reclaimed the Spanish track as
Lorenzo’s Land? Both, along with Valentino Rossi, had set the pace all
weekend and the trio were in a league of their own. Qualifying saw them
line up on the front row together for the third race in a row and with
under two tenths of a second dividing them, everything looked set for a
titanic clash.
However, there was no battle, no last corner do or die moves nor any
unbelievable comebacks. Valentino Rossi proved, as any good role model
does, that hard work pays off. He and his crew inside the Movistar
Yamaha MotoGP garage prepared perfectly for the race and Rossi mastered
the rising track temperature while his rivals struggled. Neither Marquez
nor Lorenzo could hold a candle to ‘The Doctor’ as he ran away with
victory, crossing the line over two seconds ahead of Lorenzo. For the
first time in his premier class career, Rossi took a flag to flag
victory from pole position, the 113th win of his long and illustrious
career. Victory pulled Rossi up to third in the championship, but he’s
still 24 points behind rival Marquez. Rossi needs to start winning, or
at least beating both Lorenzo and Marquez but you can guarantee it will
be tough. The three have always been at the top but in 2016 they’re
truly ahead as the rest of the field plays catch up with the new rules,
now one of them needs to assert themselves.
Marquez has so far been the only rider to finish on the podium in all
four races; both Rossi and Lorenzo playing catch up after falls in
Austin and Argentina. It’s this consistency that has Marquez at the head
of the championship with 82 points, his maturity prevailing in Jerez to
keep his lead alive. In years past Marquez would have likely pushed his
Honda RC213V to breaking point in Jerez, producing a thrilling battle
but also exponentially increasing his chances of crashing with each
corner. Not so in Jerez, with tyre life rapidly fading he stayed safe
and brought home 16 points with third.
As with Marquez, Lorenzo experienced severe tyre issues in Jerez, his
rear wheel spinning down the straight and forcing him to roll off.
Lorenzo was left to lament the tyre issues that removed any chance of
challenging Rossi he had, second place allowed him to close the points
difference to Marquez but the 2015 MotoGP™ World Champion had wanted
more. Since 2012, Lorenzo is the only rider in the leading three to take
more than a single victory in Le Mans, Rossi not having won there since
2008.
Weather often plays a major role in the French GP and could likely
result in a fourth different winner of the season. The MotoGP™ World
Championship remained in Jerez on Monday after the race for a one day
test, a number of riders making significant improvements to their setup
and heading to Monster Energy Grand Prix de France more prepared than
ever.
For years Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) has been considered an
alien, at the front in almost every race but the new rules and current
Honda have seen him off the pace. He’s been in the top five but hasn’t
had the pace to challenge for victory in any races. Testing offered some
much needed track time to Pedrosa and his crew who tried a number of
setting changes to relieve the situation, the Monster Energy Grand Prix
de France will show if the solutions worked.
One to watch is definitely Maverick Viñales (Team Suzuki Ecstar) who
ended the test as the third fastest rider. Viñales has threatened the
podium on several occasions this season and seems to be on the cusp of
great things. Le Mans is a special circuit for Viñales as it was where
he took his first World Championship victory in 2011 and one where he
almost always goes well. The tight layout of the Le Mans circuit should
suit the sweet handling GSX-RR well, but if recent rounds are anything
to go by, Viñales may not be the only Suzuki in the podium hunt.
Only a single point behind his teammate in the championship, Aleix
Espargaro (Team Suzuki Ecstar) is showing increasingly well with each
passing round. He arrives in France with two straight fifth place
finishes, his best ever successive results in the premier class. With
the disappointing start to the season behind, Espargaro is back to
showing his junior teammate how it’s done in MotoGP™.
Jerez proved to be a disastrous weekend once again for Andrea
Dovizioso (Ducati Team), a water pump issue ending his race early.
Ducati riders have always gone well at Le Mans, especially in the wet
and it could be the lifeline Dovizioso needs to save his season. Both
Dovizioso and teammate Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team) come to France
having not only tested in Jerez, but also privately in Mugello.
It wasn’t just Dovizioso who had a tough weekend in Jerez, all of the
Ducati riders had significant grip issues and like Lorenzo had problems
with rear wheel spin on race day. None were hit worse than Scott
Redding (Octo Pramac Yakhnich) who went on to finish a full minute
behind Rossi. Both he and Dovizioso are looking for a much needed bit of
good luck. Danilo Petrucci (Octo Pramac Yakhnich) looks set to make his
GP return, having withdrawn in Qatar due to aggravating his pre-season
hand injury. He will attempt to ride during practice and assess his
condition as the weekend progresses
As the only French rider on the grid, Loris Baz (Avintia Racing) will
be a popular man over the weekend. He’s had a rough start to the
season, first corner incidents forcing him to spend multiple races
playing catch up. His home debut in 2015 saw him take 12th on the Open
Yamaha, his best finish from the first five races of the season. Now on a
much more competitive machine, he could give the home crowd something
to cheer about.
They may not have any French riders, but the Monster Yamaha Tech 3
squad are nevertheless excited for Le Mans as it is the team’s home
race. Pol Espargaro (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) is currently fifth in the
championship and leading the Independent Team rider battle and looking
in much better form than in previous years. Le Mans was where Espargaro
took his first and so far only MotoGP™ front row start in just his fifth
premier class race. Teammate Bradley Smith has had a much more
difficult time in 2016 and is looking to return to fighting with his
teammate.
It's no longer a matter of playing catch up, it's now about asserting
dominance. The Monster Energy Grand Prix de France commences on the 6th
of May, the first MotoGP™ session starting at 09:55 Local Time.
Nico Rosberg dominated Sunday’s 2016 Formula 1 Russian Grand Prix after
a Sochi race in which his main rivals struck trouble. Team mate Lewis
Hamilton fought his way up from 10th on the grid to secure a Mercedes
one-two, as Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen completed the podium.
It was Rosberg’s fourth win of the season and his seventh in
succession, and gives him a 43-point lead in the driver standings.
Hamilton, meanwhile, believed he had the pace to win, but yet again saw
his challenge compromised as falling water pressure obliged him to back
off after he had reduced a 12.9s deficit to 7.5s between laps 23 and 36.
Where the world champion at least finished second this time, however, it was another pure disaster for 2016’s other unlucky man, Sebastian Vettel.
He was hit from behind by Chinese nemesis Daniil Kvyat in Turn 2 on the
opening lap as he pushed the Ferrari inside Daniel Ricciardo’s sister
Red Bull.
Then as Vettel appeared to slow slightly with a resulting rear
puncture he was again hit from behind by Kvyat and sent spinning hard
into the wall in Turn 3. The Russian was given a 10s stop-go penalty and
three penalty points, but Vettel was done.
Ferrari’s scant consolation came with Raikkonen’s subdued third -
Ferrari’s 700th podium - in a race at which the Scuderia had expected to
match Mercedes.
Valtteri Bottas was strong initially despite losing second place on
the opening lap to Raikkonen; the Williams driver got that back after a
safety car intervention because of Vettel’s accident and a resultant
Turn 2 clash further back between Haas’s Esteban Gutierrez, the Force
India of Nico Hulkenberg, Marcus Ericsson’s Sauber and Rio Haryanto’s
Manor, as racing resumed on the fourth lap.
But soon both Hamilton, who had jumped Massa at the restart, then
Raikkonen, deposed the white car, leaving Williams to take fourth and
fifth with Bottas leading team mate Felipe Massa home.
Max Verstappen looked set for a strong sixth for Toro Rosso until his
Ferrari engine broke on the 34th lap, handing the position to Fernando
Alonso who had made a blinding start for McLaren. The Spaniard pushed
home to his first points of the season, and it was a double score for
the Woking team as Jenson Button likewise opened his 2016 account with
10th place after a big fight with Toro Rosso’s Carlos Sainz, who
incurred a 10s time penalty and two penalty points for forcing Renault’s
Jolyon Palmer off track earlier in the race.
Between the two McLarens, Kevin Magnussen also made use of a great
start to finish seventh and score Renault’s first 2016 points after a
great drive, as Romain Grosjean put Haas back in the points after
fighting off the recovering Sergio Perez. The Force India driver, after
picking up a rear puncture from Ricciardo’s front wing on lap one, had
cannily switched from supersoft to soft tyres under the safety car, but
had to stop for fresh rubber later on when running sixth.
On a day of disaster for Red Bull, Ricciardo salvaged 12th ahead of
Palmer, the feisty Ericsson, a chastened Kvyat, Sauber’s Felipe Nasr
(who got a 5s time penalty for failing to rejoin the track correctly at
Turn 2), Gutierrez (handed a drive-through penalty for causing his
collision with Hulkenberg at the start) and Pascal Wehrlein, whose Manor
was delayed by a long late stop for supersoft tyres after the German
had shown plenty of fighting spirit.
Rosberg now has a lead of 43 points over Hamilton and joins Alberto
Ascari, Michael Schumacher and Vettel as the only men ever to win seven
Grands Prix in a row. As Raikkonen rises to third with 36 points, Vettel
himself lies fourth on 33, one ahead of Massa.
Red Bull’s Daniil Kvyat says he accepts responsibility for his double
collision with Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel on the first lap in Russia -
an incident which also led to damage for team mate Daniel Ricciardo.
Kvyat misjudged his braking point heading down into Turn 2, and
lightly tagged the rear of Vettel's car - pitching the Ferrari into
Ricciardo. All three recovered, but as Vettel headed through Turn 3
Kvyat tapped his rear again, this time diverting the Ferrari into the
barriers and out of the race.
The incident came just one race after Vettel and Kvyat's war.
"There was a bit going on [at the start]," Kvyat explained, "and I think in the last moment I didn't expect it to slow so much.
"I tried to press the brakes, the rear wheels locked and the first
contact came from that. The second contact he just slowed down a lot, I
couldn't see ahead, and I didn't have time to react.
"All the mess came from me… of course it doesn't feel great but these
things happen sometimes. It's probably the messiest [start] of my
career. I will learn from it - and of course apologies to everyone
involved.
"I think we will speak [with Vettel and Ricciardo], that's all we can do. Everyone will attack me, but I'm okay with that."
Vettel was incandescent in the cockpit of his Ferrari immediately after the contact, but was more circumspect in the paddock.
"I got a big hit, I was lucky not to spin and then got another huge
hit which turned me around and I couldn't avoid the barriers," he said.
"These things happen - there is nothing I could have done
differently. I think there was enough damage to conclude I couldn't
continue. If anyone needs to talk to anyone, I think it's him [Kvyat]…"
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, who discussed the incident
with Vettel during the race, added: "Obviously Seb was slightly
frustrated. All I could do was apologise, because this week it was
unfortunately a mistake from Dany.
"I think he knows what happened. He's misjudged that first corner,
and hit Sebastian who hit Daniel. From a team point of view it's screwed
our race because we could have scored a lot of points today.
"Emotions run high with all these guys, in his home race I think he
just went for too much too soon. Unfortunately I think he has just
misjudged it."
Kvyat, who received a 10-second stop and go penalty and three penalty
points as punishement for the incident, eventually finished a lap down
15th place.
