Press release
342KB
ottobre 28, 2018 - KTM
MOTOGP - POL ESPARGARO MAKES Q2 CUT AT AUSTRALIANGP
Comunicato Stampa disponibile solo in lingua originale.
QUALIFYING 17th Rd. #motogp 2018 – #phillipisland (AUS)
MotoGP
The blustery and changing conditions of #phillipisland and the spectacular course in the south of #australia welcomed the second step of the October ‘triple’ for #motogp. The natural and curling high-speed track in the state of Victoria was a positive setting for Red Bull KTM Factory #racing Team and was scene of #polespargaro and Bradley Smith's best results of 2017.
The duo immediately got to work through Free Practices 1, 2 and 3 where they posted lap-times to sit agonisingly close to the top ten and the automatic slots for the Q2 period. Smith was unlucky to crash at the bottom of the difficult Lukey Heights corner in FP4 and had to jump on his second KTM RC16 bike for Q1 where he ended the 15 minute session with 16th on the grid and the first space on the sixth row.
Espargaro pushed to enter Q2 for the second time in 2018. He made a 1min 30.1 chrono effort to sit second behind Alvaro Bautista. As the weather took a turn for the worst and raindrops began to fall Espargaro had to keep his remaining tyre combination and momentarily sat second fastest in the first minutes of Q2 but could not improve.
Espargaro: “We were very close to going direct to Q2 yesterday and this morning as well but finally we had to go through Q1 and needed to use the tyres we had to make that result. We could have been much nearer the front but we didn't have the tyres. Anyway, we are 11th and have to be happy being in Q2. We are coming back from all the ‘lost’ time we’ve had this season. It was difficult to make a fast lap today. It was windier than yesterday and the problem is that the tyre temperature drops quickly. We tried our best and I think we did a good job.”
Smith: “We had a good FP3 and we tried to make a ‘magic’ bike for FP4 to go outside of our normal window to fix some problems. With the crash it took me a while to get up to speed in qualifying and then in those two last laps it was a gamble. One lap it was windy, the next it wasn't, one lap you were blown off the track into turn one, the next it was fine. I think it was a case of who pushed to the limit and didn't have to deal with the wind’ got the best lap. I didn't see many #people doing it consistently. It is a shame to be 16th because it hasn't been our pace all weekend but I think with a good start and our race speed we can bring ourselves back to the top ten.”
Sebastian Risse (Technical Director MotoGP): “There have been some ups and downs throughout the weekend. We had high expectations because this race was great for us last year, one of the highlights, so we knew the bike fits quite well to the track. Anyway, we worked our way through the sessions and to get the tyres working in all conditions and in a similar way. It meant some big adjustments and was the challenge of the weekend. I think ending up in Q2 was a big relief. Inside qualifying itself we know that you have to manage the Free Practice almost as if it is QP time when it comes to the tyres. Ultimately we did not have the tyres left that we wanted but it was part of the plan. We could not show our full potential in Q2 but it was good to be there. We hope to see a good race tomorrow. We’d like to go forward from our qualifying positions but it depends a lot on the conditions with the wind and temperature. It is hard to predict. We are always heading for the top ten and I think we had hopes of better before the end of the season. It doesn't come naturally and you need a bit of luck. The top ten is already a good result.”
Moto2 & Moto3
Brad Binder classified 5th in the Moto2 Qualification Practice on his KTM Moto2 machine with a final lap attack that left the South African (who had headed FP2 on Friday) just half a second down on Mattia Pasini’s Pole effort. He will start tomorrow’s 25 lap race from the middle of the second row. Teammate Miguel Oliveira had a harder day in the gusts and was 20th.
B. Binder: "First of all, I want to apologise to the team for my crash in FP3. I should have been more aware of the damp patches on the track. I have to thank all of the Red Bull KTM Ajo team, who helped to get the bike ready for QP. I'm very happy about that. Today was very difficult, because we lacked a lot of grip and I lost confidence with the front end. At the end of the last stint I decided to push hard and see where it took me. I got in some good laps and took fifth position. Tomorrow in the warmup I hope to find more rear grip, so that I can have a good race."
Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Darryn Binder maintained his recent run of form by remaining in contention for Moto3 Pole Position. The South African and the rest of the Moto3 field had to contend with wet and delayed Free Practice sessions but Binder, younger sibling to Brad, kept his nerve. He was only two tenths of a second from his first Pole with his KTM RC250 GP bike, just six days after he walked a Grand Prix podium for the first time. He’ll set off for tomorrow’s race from the front row of the grid.
D. Binder: "I’m very happy with this second position in qualifying. It’s my first front row in the World Championship and I was very close to pole position. On the last lap I was improving my time even more, but unfortunately I made a small mistake. The wind made our work very difficult; it was tough to complete a good, clean lap. In any case, I'm very happy with how things are going. I want to thank the team for that. I feel very comfortable on the bike -even in the wet like in FP3 – so I can’t wait for tomorrow's race."
255155 Pol Espargaro KTM RC16 Phillip Island 2018
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255158 Pol Espargaro KTM RC16 Phillip Island 2018
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255161 Pol Espargaro KTM RC16 Phillip Island 2018
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255162 Pol Espargaro KTM RC16 Phillip Island 2018
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255165 Bradley Smith KTM RC16 Phillip Island 2018
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