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MotoGP SEpang

KUCIAR666

Registered User
Shell Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix
Friday - Free Practices


Impressive 3rd for Scott. Petrux ends up 11th
Friday?s practices at the Sepang International Circuit finish with a fantastic third position for Scott Redding, who runs fast on the dry in FP1, exploiting the power of his Ducati Desmosedici GP. Danilo Petrucci ends up eleventh, but still proves to have a good feeling.

After becoming familiar with the new asphalt and the changes to the circuit's layout, Scott went on track with the soft-rear tire and in the last run of FP1 set a great lap-time (2'01.507, two tenths of a second behind Marquez?s fastest lap-time) even thanks to a stunning T2 (best chrono).
Also Danilo Petrucci made a strong start finding soon a good feeling with the rear-hard tire. In time attack, however, Petrux dind?t find the ideal conditions to be more incisive, finishing in 11th position, just 23 milliseconds from the Top 10 of Jorge Lorenzo.
The heavy rain that began to fall after FP1, then forced the riders to lap in wet conditions for most of FP2.
Both Scott and Petrux entered the track with rain tires lapping at a good pace. Only five minutes to go to the end of the session, the track conditions allowed the riders to go out with the slicks. Scott has made two laps, Petrux preferred not to risk it.

3rd - Scott Redding
2?01.507


I'm happy for what we did this morning. It was a particolar situation with a new asphalt, but also due to a very dirty track. That?s why I went out a bit ?timid? but I felt that the feeling was growing lap by lap. I set a good lap-time with the soft rear tire and this gives me so much confidence. Then in the afternoon the conditions changed and it was impossible to improve. Now we have to wait and see which conditions we?ll find tomorrow.

11th - Danilo Petrucci
2'02.036


It was useless to go back on track at the end of FP2. But most of all I'm sorry to be out of the hypothetical Q2 only for 23 milliseconds. It would be a shame if tomorrow was wet because we were very fast. In Fp1 I started with the harder tire on the rear in order to save the soft. Then when I put the soft tire I preferred not to change the front and this was a mistake. I hope that tomorrow we?ll have dry conditions to try to gain direct access to the Q2.
 

KUCIAR666

Registered User
Sound Start for Movistar Yamaha MotoGP at Damp Sepang Track



The Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix got underway today at the Sepang International Circuit in mixed conditions. Movistar Yamaha MotoGP riders Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo spent the morning and afternoon session working through a base set-up to try and get a feel for the drying track and its new tarmac.

During the sunny morning session Rossi positioned himself as a key protagonist from the get-go of the last 2016 overseas Grand Prix weekend. Despite damp patches on the drying track, the Doctor made solid improvements over the first practice and finished in fifth position with a best lap of 2'01.611s, 0.401s from first.

After some heavy rain over lunch, the afternoon session saw more of the same from the Italian. Back out on a wet and drying track, he swiftly took provisional second place on his third lap before focusing his attention on finding a good wet weather set-up in order to be fully prepared for all circumstances come Sunday. Rossi ran out of time to set a lap on slicks when a dry lined formed at the very end of the session. A 2'13.416s best lap, set before a late flurry of activity, saw the nine-time World Champion wrap up the FP2 in 13th place. However, as no riders were able to improve on their best laps due to the damp conditions, he held on to fifth in the combined time sheets.

Lorenzo also had a good first outing in Sepang. He used the first 45-minute session to find an optimum set-up for the Malaysian circuit. Having found a good rhythm on his first laps, it didn't take him long to ride his YZR-M1 to second place. He remained a top five contender, with a best lap of 2'02.013s until the end of the session, when some last-minute track action pushed him to tenth, 0.803s from the front.

The Mallorcan showed his eagerness to fight at the front in Sunday's race as he was one of the first riders to head out on track in FP2. He immediately made his mark with the provisional third fastest time, a position he held for most of the session until the times dropped at the end. Lorenzo returned to the box after ten laps and was one of only a few riders that didn't venture out on slicks in the final minutes of the session when a dry line had formed. He found himself in 16th place in the FP2, but finished the day tenth in the combined rankings.

Massimo Meregalli - Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team Director
"This first day of practice went quite smoothly. Today was the first time riders got to ride on the new tarmac and try the modifications that were made to the circuit and their first experiences were quite positive on the grip that the new surface is providing. One aspect that we really have to take into consideration, especially due to the weather conditions, is that the new tarmac doesn't dry as fast as the Phillip Island circuit, as we saw one week ago. Unfortunately, the conditions we had today, where the track has never been fully dry even in FP1, didn't allow us to finalise the settings, but anyway it has been important to ride also in these mixed circumstances, because it looks like we might have similar conditions for the entire weekend. Based on the information we got today, we will try to prepare something for tomorrow's free practice, regardless if it will be dry or wet."
Untitled Valentino Rossi
5th / 2'01.611 / 33 laps

"This morning we were able to ride in the full dry, but anyway there were some wet patches that were very difficult and you have to stay very concentrated and careful because it's quite dangerous. We hope for the next days we have some clear conditions, full dry or full wet. The first feeling is not so bad, but for sure after today's rain the track needed too much time to dry out."
Jorge Lorenzo
10th / 2'02.013 / 17 laps


"Today was a strange day with mixed conditions. In the morning we rode on the new asphalt for the first time and it seems grippy. We couldn't stay with the quickest riders because at the last stint we put in the hardest tyres and I didn't have enough time to improve the lap time. In the afternoon with the wet track it was complicated, because the asphalt started to dry up and finally we decided to stay in the garage. It's difficult to draw conclusions from today."
Tech3 pair power through day one in Malaysia

Monster Yamaha Tech3 team rider Bradley Smith began his round 17 campaign with a resolute display on the first day of action at the world famous Sepang International Circuit. The British star arrived in Malaysia after impressively concluding last Sunday's Australian GP in 8th, despite an ongoing knee injury and he wasted no time in immediately launching into action in Free Practice One where the riders first sampled the recently resurfaced track. Here, Smith finished less than a second back from third and the encouraging performance left him fired up for the afternoon. However, a typical Malaysian downpour disturbed play and meant that the asphalt was wet when FP2 started. This did not deter Smith, who continued his work as he set his fastest time in the final moments of the session, which left him in 4th. The 25 year old's personal best from FP1 sees him end the day in 14th, and the 2015 leading satellite rider now looks on to producing a determined ride tomorrow to claim a solid grid placement for Sunday's race.

Meanwhile, Pol Espargaro endured the tricky Malaysian weather to complete day one three positions behind his teammate in the combined standings. The 2013 Moto2 World Champion got straight to work when the opening session commenced as he took the initial steps in setting up his MotoGP bike for the Grand Prix. He gradually improved as the shakedown continued, before he set his fastest time on his final lap of 16, which resulted in the Spaniard ending the practice three-tenths behind his Monster Yamaha Tech3 team partner. When FP2 kicked off, Espargaro courageously took to the track as he collected valuable data for a wet setup, with rain being a constant possibility in Malaysia. He braved the damp conditions to post his personal best on his 9th lap before he headed back to the pit box and decided sit out the rest of the session. Espargaro now hopes for a dry FP3 practice in order to up his pace and speed into the top 10 to directly qualify for the final Q2 shootout.

Bradley Smith
14th / 2'02.484 / 25 laps


"Overall, the first day was quite positive at Sepang. This morning, I felt pretty good and we used both options of front tyres that are available; a medium compound and a hard. This harder tyre was new for me and I haven't used it this year so far, but it was good to complete some distance on it and I felt comfortable. I didn't change the rear tyre because I wanted to put almost a full race distance on it for Sunday, however, maybe this wasn't the best plan for today with the changeable weather. Yet, I always prefer to focus on my race setting, rather than putting in a fast lap on Friday, so now we have to hope for dry weather for FP3 tomorrow. This afternoon, the conditions were tricky and to be honest, completing too many laps with wet tyres didn't make sense because there wasn't a lot of water on the track. We didn't need to risk anything so we waited and then in the final stages I went out and it was good to assess these conditions because there is a chance that we may have to experience this sort of weather again this weekend. Anyway, tomorrow, we hope that we can push inside of the top ten and then go straight through to Q2."
Pol Espargaro
17th / 2'02.732 / 26 laps


"To be honest, it almost feels like we didn't really ride today because the conditions and the weather made it tricky for us to evaluate our situation. This morning, the track was very dirty and there were also still some wet patches so we didn't have much of an opportunity to work out how the bike runs here, or how we are doing in comparison to the other riders. The new asphalt seems to be grippy in the dry conditions even if there are a few areas that take some time to dry. However, with regards to the dirty surface itself, the issue is that it becomes tricky when setting up the bike because it's hard to know if it's the tyres, the setting or the unclean track that is limiting us. With the rain, it's too much to expect the circuit to be a lot cleaner tomorrow, so it will be challenging. For the afternoon, it was one of those sessions that wasn't wet or dry, it was somewhere in between and there was not a lot of reason to go out. We hope that tomorrow morning will be dry so that we can cut our time and then go through to QP2. This morning, unfortunately, we selected the wrong compound for the final minutes which prevented us from improving our lap as much as we wanted to and this could be an issue due to the weather, however, we will do our best to fight for a good qualifying position tomorrow."
 

KUCIAR666

Registered User
SUZUKI ECSTAR ON THE PACE BEFORE RAIN HITS SEPANG



Maverick Vi?ales ? 2nd (Combined)
Aleix Espargar? ? 7th (Combined)

The opening free practice session at the Shell Malaysian MotoGP? at Sepang today saw both Team SUZUKI ECSTAR riders Maverick Vi?ales and Aleix Espargar? on a strong pace aboard their Factory GSX-RRs.

Vi?ales was the quickest of the two, finishing the FP1 session in second place with a lap-time of 2'01.478, while Espargar? slotted into seventh, 300ths-of-a-second behind on 2'01.774.

The day was then affected by poor weather conditions and only in the morning could the riders could make some laps with a dry set-up, while in the afternoon?s FP2, the conditions changed from wet to dry. This slowed down the work for the crews, who couldn?t undertake all the work that was planned, but didn?t prevent the riders having a first taste of the new tarmac surface and the changes that have been done to the layout.

Both Vi?ales and Espargar? made strong progress in the morning session, finding themselves in the top positions for many laps. The lap-times are expected to drop significantly further tomorrow if the conditions are dry, but according to the weather forecast, the unstable conditions could prevail until Sunday?s race.

Davide Brivio ? Team Manager:

?Fortunately this morning we had at least one session in dry conditions, therefore we were able to make some preliminary checks and ? most importantly ? to be in the provisionally top-10 with both riders. In the afternoon the rain made the track wet, it was about to dry but never turned into perfect conditions, so it was hard to manage the session. We decided to make some checks in the wet, and it was helpful because these conditions may be also be the same for the next two days; so also important to be ready for any sudden changes. For the moment, both riders feel good, although the day has been a little slow, but this morning they proved to be effective. We can only wait until tomorrow to see what the conditions are like and prepare for the race.?

Maverick Vi?ales:

?The day has been difficult because of the weather conditions. In the morning, we could only do the last three laps while pushing a little, and in the afternoon I didn?t take any risks as it was too easy to make a mistake and incur some damage. The early impressions are positive, I feel we could find a good set-up and my times improved positively. The new tarmac gives some more grip, but I couldn?t quite understand how it behaves under wet conditions; the previous surface dried very quickly, while this one looks like requiring longer. At least today we could test the durability of the tyre, as, with the softer tyre, I felt confident in terms of performance and we have almost covered the race distance so that tomorrow we will be on a good starting point already to complete the preparation for the race in terms of consistency. Also, it?s good that I could make the best lap with a worn tyre.?

Aleix Espargar?:

?Today we couldn?t do so many laps in full dry conditions, so we still miss a lot of information and work. This morning, at the beginning of the session, I didn?t feel totally confident, but later on we managed to find a more comfortable set-up that allowed me to improve my lap-times and close the session in the top-10. Finally, the feeling is ok, we could also try the durability of the tyre and it looks ok to me, while in the afternoon, we spent our time trying to get the feeling in the wet with the new surface, checking our information. It was meaningless to take any risks in the wet conditions, so we only verified the base set-up in order to have some information for tomorrow in case of variable conditions again.?


SHELL MALAYSIA MOTORCYCLE GRAND PRIX COMBINED RESULT:

1. Marc MARQUEZ, Repsol Honda Team - 2'01.210
2. Maverick VI?ALES, Team SUZUKI ECSTAR - 2'01.478 +0.268
3. Scott REDDING, OCTO Pramac Yakhnich - 2'01.507 +0.297
4. Andrea IANNONE, Ducati Team - 2'01.521 +0.311
5. Valentino ROSSI, Movistar Yamaha MotoGP - 2'01.611 +0.401
6. Hector BARBERA, Avintia Racing - 2'01.667 +0.457
7. Aleix ESPARGARO, Team SUZUKI ECSTAR - 2'01.774 +0.564
8. Yonny HERNANDEZ, Pull & Bear Aspar Team - 2'01.815 +0.605
9. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Aprilia Racing Team Gresini - 2'02.011 +0.801
10. Jorge LORENZO, Movistar Yamaha MotoGP - 2'02.013 +0.803
 

KUCIAR666

Registered User
SUZUKI ECSTAR QUALIFIES ON SEPANG 3RD ROW


Aleix Espargar? ? 7th
Maverick Vi?ales ? 8th

Team SUZUKI ECSTAR?s Aleix Espargar? and Maverick Vi?ales will start tomorrow?s Shell Malaysian MotoGP? at Sepang from the third row following today?s final qualifying session.

Vi?ales, who set the fastest lap in the morning?s ?dry? FP3 and Espargar? ? seventh in FP3 ? spent most of the final ?wet? Q2 in strong second-row positions, but were pushed back in the final seconds of the session.

Espargar??s progress allowed him to perform strongly in the morning, with consistent pace and effectiveness on the single lap time attack. He then struggled with the feeling in the afternoon, when the track had more water on the tarmac and lack of traction. Although he managed to stay close to the top, he had to step back to a third row starting position, even though his pace gives him strong hopes for the race tomorrow.

A strange feeling with the tyres affected Vi?ales? performance in qualifying. He?d been very fast in the morning, and in FP4, where the wet conditions didn?t prevent him being consistently quick. But the situation changed for Q2 as he couldn?t find a proper feeling with the grip and wasn?t as fast as he expected.

Davide Brivio ? Team Manager:

?Unfortunately, we haven?t harvested what we could, because once again rain came to modify the values on the field; I think we were in a good shape to aim for better positions with Maverick and Aleix. At the end of the day we will start in seventh and eighth, which is not bad if tomorrow the weather is good for us, which means either full wet or full dry. The important thing is to manage and capitalise today?s findings and deliver the riders effective machines, as recovering from third row is absolutely possible if we have a good consistency on the pace, as we?ve seen today.?

Aleix Espargar?:

?At the end of the day I?m happy with our performance, as this morning in the dry I felt really good with the machine. We only had a little problem at the end of the session and I couldn?t exploit the very last run pushing as hard as I wanted to, but overall we had a good performance. Thinking about qualifying, I?m not in the position I wanted to be, but if I look at the last races, we have been struggling a lot more in the wet, so today?s performance means that we?ve made huge improvements and now we can be competitive. Maybe I could have done even better in qualifying but I made a little mistake which resulted in a small crash, therefore not being able to improve. But we also collected very important information and I think we are ready for a positive race.?

Maverick Vi?ales:

?Thinking of the FP4 I?m very happy with our set-up because my pace is very good, but then in qualifying I couldn?t find the same feeling with the grip and this resulted in the third row. It?s not what I was expecting, but we can still investigate what happened in qualifying to learn and take countermeasures. This morning in dry conditions I was very fast, and also with the pace I feel confident, which leaves me feeling pretty easy for tomorrow?s race. Of course, it?s not gonna? be easy to start from the third row, I?ll have to push from the very beginning, but I feel very confident with the bike so a good start and a recovery is possible.?

SHELL MALAYSIA MOTORCYCLE GRAND PRIX Q2 RESULT:

1 Andrea DOVIZIOSO - Ducati Team - 2'11.485
2 Valentino ROSSI - Movistar Yamaha MotoGP - 2'11.731 + 0.246
3 Jorge LORENZO - Movistar Yamaha MotoGP - 2'11.787 + 0.302
4 Marc MARQUEZ - Repsol Honda Team - 2'11.874 + 0.389
5 Cal CRUTCHLOW - LCR Honda - 2'12.558 + 1.073
6 Andrea IANNONE - Ducati Team - 2'12.598 +1.113
7 Aleix ESPARGARO - Team SUZUKI ECSTAR - 2'12.869 + 1.384
8 Maverick VI?ALES - Team SUZUKI ECSTAR - 2'12.981 + 1.496
9 Alvaro BAUTISTA - Aprilia Racing Team Gresini - 2'13.325 + 1.840
10 Loris BAZ - Avintia Racing - 2'13.452 + 1.967
 

KUCIAR666

Registered User
Shell Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix
Saturday - Qualifying


Difficult qualifying for Petrux (5th row)
and Scott (6th row) at Sepang.
The Saturday?s qualifying of the Shell Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix, has not given satisfaction to Octo Pramac Yakhnich as Danilo Petrucci and Scott Redding finished respectively in 15th and 18th position.

After the good feeling recorded in dry conditions yesterday, Petrux and Scott started the Fp3 lapping with a good pace but unfortunately they missed direct qualification to Q2 for a few milliseconds. Redding has in fact ended in 11th place, just 37 milliseconds from the Top 10, while Petrucci has passed under the checkered flag 15 milliseconds behind his teammate.
Just as had happened in the first day of practice, the rain began to fall in mid-morning forcing riders to deal FP4 and qualifying in wet conditions. The two Octo Pramac Yakhnich?s riders didn?t manage to find the right feeling in FP4 and the same difficulties have also tabled again in Q1.

18th - Scott Redding
2'14.443


It was a difficult qualifying. I really struggled in wet FP4 because there was no grip and I lost a bit of confidence. In Q1 I tried to go out with soft but I could not find the right feeling and in the second run I could not do better. I really struggled today in these "mixed-condition". I hope the race will be dry tomorrow: we have done well in dry conditions and this morning FP3 I improved the time registered yesterday in FP1.

15th - Danilo Petrucci
2'13.776


It is a shame because in FP3 we missed the direct qualification to Q2 for few milliseconds. In FP4, in wet conditions, we tried different solutions with the tires but I could not find a good feeling. I came out with the soft on the rear in the first run of Q1, but things did not go well as I experienced a lot of spin. I returned to the pits to put the hard tire and tried to push in the only one I had available. I have improved my chrono but it was not what I expected.
 

KUCIAR666

Registered User
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Spurt to Double Front Row in Sepang Qualifying

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP riders Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo made another step forward today, getting more familiar with the resurfaced Sepang International Circuit in various conditions ahead of tomorrow's Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix. The teammates wrapped up qualifying in second and third place respectively, taking their sixth double front row start of the season.

Rossi enjoyed the 15-minute qualifying heat today, despite the uncertain conditions on a wet track testing the rider skills to the limit. He was quick to exit pit lane and immediately put his head down to set a fast lap under a threatening sky. The Doctor set a first flying lap of 2'13.135s to take provisional pole position before being pushed back to second. On his next laps he improved his time but not his place and found himself lying in fourth.

As the last minutes counted down Rossi dug deep and delivered a scorching 2'11.828s lap to take provisional third, before a final hot lap of 2'11.731s moved him ahead of his teammate into second, 0.246s from pole.

Lorenzo shared a similar positive experience to his teammate. The Mallorcan was the first rider to head out on the damp track to lead the charge for pole position. His first lap, a 2'13.746s briefly put him in first place before other riders clocked their first times and pushed him back to fifth. He improved to second place with a 2'12.098s but was pushed back to third and although he set a new personal best lap on his third attempt, he remained in third place.

As the lap times began to tumble with three minutes remaining Lorenzo immediately took second with a 2'11.787s for second place. He tried to keep the pressure on, but overheated tyres held him back from attempting a perfect lap. His best time, however, was enough to take third on the grid, 0.302s from pole.

Massimo Meregalli - Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team Director
"Today was a very positive day for us. Thanks to the dry session this morning and the wet session in the afternoon we have been able to test our settings for all conditions and the riders are quite satisfied, which showed during qualifying. Valentino and Jorge both did a very good job in an unusual qualifying session and it's great to see them both on the front row of the grid. We still have some work to do for tomorrow's warm-up because we still have some room to improve the bike in both the wet and the dry. The weather is very unpredictable and the weather forecasts predict all possible conditions, but we feel confident we can do a good job in all circumstances."
Valentino Rossi
2nd / 2'11.731 / 7 laps


"It was a difficult session and completely different from normal. In qualifying you usually have two laps and after that another new tyre and another two laps. Today we had to start, try to not make any mistakes, put temperature into the tyres, but at the same time you have to push. Second place is very good. I feel comfortable, especially because we improved both the setting and the braking compared to the FP4. We have to work, but starting from the front row is very good."
Jorge Lorenzo
3rd / 2'11.787 / 7 laps


"In Sepang, in the rain, I've always been fast, so it doesn't surprise me that this weekend I would be competitive in the rain, because the grip of the track is very good. Maybe I pushed a bit too much in the beginning. On some laps I could have slowed down to cool down the tyres to attack on the last lap, but I didn't do this, I just kept running and at the end the tyre was too hot to improve the last three or four tenths. Anyway it's a good position, third place in the rain, and I'm quite happy."
Espargaro to launch from the 4th row of the grid at the Malaysian GP

Monster Yamaha Tech3 team rider Pol Espargaro battled against the challenging weather conditions during the qualifying today at Sepang and will kick off tomorrow's race from 11th on the grid. The 25-year-old immediately got on the pace in the dry morning session and after completing 15 laps, his personal best left him in 9th, which allowed him to qualify for Q2. Yet, the unpredictable Malaysian weather struck again and a downpour occurred shortly before FP4 which caused this practice and both of the qualifying shootout sessions to be wet. Nevertheless, the Spaniard got straight to work in Q2, and here, he rolled the dice by entering the pits after one lap to change to the soft compound of wet rear tyre. Proceeding this, he returned to the track and pushed onwards as he dodged the rain before he finally met the chequered flag in 11th. Tomorrow, the 2013 Moto2 World Champion will seek to continue his impressive recent form in the second half of the season by fighting to finish as close as possible to the factory MotoGP bikes.

Meanwhile, Bradley Smith powered through the rain and will begin the 17th round of the 2016 World Championship from the 5th row of the grid after pulling off a relentless charge today. He began by completing the morning practice session in 14th, as he narrowly missed out on the cut off point for Q2 by a mere 0.177 of a second. Yet, later on, the determined 25-year-old commenced his Qualifying One campaign in the wet conditions and he built up his pace before eventually setting his quickest time that left him only 0.014 back from the QP2 qualification slots. This performance saw him seal 13th and now, Smith confidently targets a top ten result in tomorrow's race as he aims to round up the consecutive flyaway GP's with a third solid result despite still riding with a damaged knee.

Pol Espargaro
11th / 2'13.707 / 7 laps


"To be honest, today we had to face quite a challenging day and the weather conditions didn't really help us improve our situation. This morning in the dry, I struggled a bit, even though the track was better in comparison to yesterday but, I never felt completely comfortable, plus the bike was lazy in acceleration. Then again, towards the end of the session, things seemed to work in a better way and I managed to ride a competitive lap which enabled me to pass through to QP2. Unfortunately, with FP4 being wet, we couldn't try the modifications that we believed would improve our situation in the dry, so I hope that there will be no rain in the warm up tomorrow so that we can assess these settings. Also in the wet, it took me quite a while to feel good on the bike, but the more laps that I got under my belt, the more my confidence grew. However, for some reason the bike seemed to be completely different in QP2, even if we didn't make any changes and we were struggling which a lack of traction, so I couldn't go any faster. This is a big pity, because after the strong qualifying that I had in Australia, my expectations were a lot higher. Now we need to analyse the data in order to understand what happened so that we can be prepared for tomorrow's race which, for sure, will be a tricky one as I haven't given myself an easy task by starting from the fourth row of the grid."
Bradley Smith
13th / 2'12.898 / 7 laps


"Once again the conditions today were not ideal which made everything harder than usual but now I am prepared for either a wet or dry race tomorrow and I am looking forward to the fight. This morning, I felt quite strong on the bike and I was certain that I could reach Q2, however, I made a silly mistake at the last corner, which prevented me from progressing. Having said that, I was comfortable on my Yamaha in that session and we collected a lot of vital data, which we will need if the race is dry. Then, later on in FP4, I had a good feeling in the wet on both compounds of tyre. So in qualifying, we took a gamble but unfortunately it didn't quite work which is a little frustrating as we were so close to making it into QP2. Yet, when we look at the bigger picture, I am pleased that I am back to my competitive level and it's positive that my knee injury keeps improving. I am as far forward as I can be without going into the second qualifying shootout, and now we will have to wait and see about what happens with the weather tomorrow. Either way, I am optimistic about my chances and I will give 110%."
 

KUCIAR666

Registered User
Shell Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix

Top 10 finish for Danilo Petrucci in Sepang?s heavy rain. Scott Redding ends up 15th
Octo Pramac Yakhnich team ends up the long triple-header of MotoGp with the Top 10 won by Danilo Petrucci. Scott Redding has instead had to settle for a point having finished in 15th position.
The Shell Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix was marked by heavy rain that forced the race direction to delay the start. And it was a shame because during the warm-up in dry conditions, the signs were very positive, especially for Petrux who lapped with great confidence registering the seventh fastest time.

Petrux and Scott have struggled a lot in the early laps also due to the lack of visibility. From mid-race on, the Italian rider, who started from fifteenth position, found a good rhythm lapping consistently in 2'14 to chase the Top 10. Five laps to go to the end, Petrux managed to overtake Aleix Espargaro gaining the 10th position. On the last lap he even managed to reduce the gap to his brother Pol by only 3 thenths of a second, then he preferred not to risk in order to bring home the third consecutive Top 10 of the "triple".
On the other hand, Scott was not very incisive as he had to deal with the lack of grip on the rear. For the Englishman the fifteenth position under the checkered flag.

15th - Scott Redding

It was a very difficult race because I had no rear grip. I never found the feeling with the rear tire but I must admit that others who went out with the hard were still competitive. It was hard since the start. I also risked crashing on warm up lap. I tried to push but I was never able to find the rhythm in order to recover on the Top 10. I hoped it to be a dry race because over the weekend we had a good feeling in the dry. To be honest I did not expect to struggle so much,

10th - Danilo Petrucci


It was very tough especially in the first few laps. I suffered a lot on the straights because there were large water-clouds and it was almost impossible to see anything. I had little confidence in the front and I could not brake properly. It was hard, but in the end I did it to make the Top 10, also becouse some of the riders in front crashed. I brought home important points because it was too difficult also to avoid a crash. I'm glad I did not crash, but I wanted to do muc
h better.
 

KUCIAR666

Registered User
Soaked Sepang Battle Delivers Double Yamaha Podium


Heavy rain saw the start of the Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix delayed and the race distance reduced to 19 laps, but the more than 95,000 attendees still got plenty of thrilling racing action. Movistar Yamaha MotoGP riders Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo fought hard during the race to take second and third, their fifth double podium of the season.

Rossi had dropped two places from his position on the starting grid as the 21 MotoGP riders stormed out of the gates. As a result he went into the first corner in fourth, but quickly worked his way to the front over the next couple of turns. Rossi swiftly gained the lead and tried to break away but he was soon joined by Andrea Iannone. The following 11 laps were a consistent tug of war for the lead in the race between the two Italians.

The Doctor used the nimble character of the Yamaha to the fullest in the twisty sections of the Sepang circuit. With 12 laps remaining Iannone made his first attempt to take off at the front, but Rossi didn't let him escape and upped his pace further to close the gap within two laps, with Andrea Dovizioso in tow.

Studying his rival's riding, Rossi timed his attack to perfection. He wrestled his way past Iannone, followed by Dovizioso, and set a provisional fastest lap while the rivals behind him lost time battling each other. With five laps to go, as the track started to dry, Rossi suffered a problem on the right side of his front tyre. As a result he went wide in turn one, allowing Dovizioso through and after having experienced two moments the Doctor decided to bring his YZR-M1 over the line in second place, 3.115s behind the leader.

Teammate Lorenzo took the holeshot from pole on the wet track, but wasn't able to hold off an aggressive move from Marc Marquez and Iannone a few corners later, that saw him being relegated to sixth at the end of the first lap. The Mallorcan moved up one place at the start of lap three when Aleix Espargar? went wide and then took up the pursuit of Marquez who was a little more than a second ahead of him.

Lorenzo set a provisional fastest lap, but lost time and a place due to a scrap with Cal Crutchlow. Lorenzo decided to follow the Briton to the leading group and then found an impressive race pace but was unable to match the front runners. He had a lonely ride to the podium as Crutchlow, Marquez and Iannone all crashed in the later stages of the race, allowing him to grab a solid third place, finishing 11.924s from the front.

Rossi's second place earns him 20 points and leaves him second in the championship standings with 236 points. Lorenzo's performance sees him take 16 points and places him third in the rankings on 208 points, trailing by 28 points, making Rossi the 2016 MotoGP Vice Champion.

The MotoGP paddock heads back to Spain now for the last round of the season in Valencia in two weeks' time.
Massimo Meregalli - Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team Director
"A double podium under today's critical circumstances is the evidence the team did an excellent job again here in Sepang. Valentino rode a superb and perfect race and I am sure he would have battled with Dovizioso until the very end, if his front tyre would not have dropped so quickly on the 15th lap. He was great to read the situation at the beginning of the race and he was also very brave because he had to reject first Iannone's attacks and then Dovi's. As for Jorge, it was evident from the beginning of the race that he did not have the feeling on today's flooded track but he was patient, his riding was very smooth and he was able to manage the situation for third place on the podium. We wrapped up the triple overseas races in the opposite way we started it. Although Vale has secured the second place in the overall standings, the third place is still open and therefore we head to Valencia now with the aim of having both riders on the final podium. I want to take this occasion to thank the whole team crew and all the staff, as the last three races have been a long and intense journey."
Valentino Rossi
2nd / +3.115 / 19 laps


"My main target for today was to arrive in front of Jorge for second place in the championship, but I also wanted to win because I felt very good with the bike in the beginning. I had to fight a lot with Iannone and he was fast. After, when I went in front, I was very optimistic but when the water on the track became less the temperature went up, I was a bit in trouble with the tyres, especially with the front. I had two moments, I risked too much and I made a mistake and in that moment Dovizioso was too fast and he went. Securing second place in the championship is important, the battle with Lorenzo is always very intense and we always arrive at the last race. When you beat a rider that's very strong, like Jorge, it's great and in the end it has been a good season. I wanted to win, but it wasn't possible."
Jorge Lorenzo
3rd / +11.924 / 19 laps


"Being honest, today I've been lucky, because without the crashes I would have finished fifth or sixth. Crutchlow, Iannone and Marquez crashed and finally I got this podium and that's OK. In the past I have been competitive in wet races, when I felt great. Especially with pit stops I have won races, I have secured podiums and got pole positions in the rain. In the wet, with the Michelin tyres this year, especially at the beginning, I had trouble getting confidence in the front tyre. It has been hard for me but after Brno we made some modifications to the setting and also this tarmac helps. At this track I had more grip than normal, so I had a bit more confidence and I was able to be more competitive. Maybe in the race a bit less than in qualifying, but finally because of some luck it was enough to get to the podium. We now go to Valencia with the aim to confirm the third place in the championship."
Espargaro braves Malaysian weather to seal 9th - Smith perseveres to clinch 14th

Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team rider Pol Espargaro concluded the Malaysian Grand Prix in 9th position after powering through the treacherous conditions today at the Sepang International circuit. The beginning of the race was delayed due to a sudden downpour at the scheduled start time. However, once the GP commenced, Espargaro bolted forward from 11th on the grid and he completed the opening lap in 9th. During the next few laps, the 25-year-old slipped back to 13th, yet the Spaniard remained resolute and after running a strong and consistent rhythm, he moved into 10th on the 13th lap. Espargaro maintained his solid pace as he continued to run at speed at the physically demanding circuit and he closely monitored his times in order to keep a comfortable gap to the pursuing riders. After pushing relentlessly, the 2013 Moto2 World Champion shot across the finish line in 9th place, which marks a positive close to the penultimate round of the championship. Now, Espargaro confidently eyes up the next GP in Valencia where he will seek to seize the top independent honours in what will be his final appearance on the Yamaha YZR-M1.

On the other side of the Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team pit box, Bradley Smith bravely battled through to 14th to conclude the triple back to back GP's with another determined performance. Smith began the 20-lap sprint from the head of the fifth row of the grid and he expertly navigated his way around the opening lap, whilst impressively climbing four positions, before concluding it in 11th. From here, the British star stuck into a solid rhythm, yet despite giving his all, he was shuffled back to 16th after one-third of the race distance. However, the determined 25-year-old remained focused and pushed through the challenging conditions all the way to the chequered flag, which he met in 14th. This result marks a third successive point scoring finish since his comeback at the Japanese GP, from his knee injury, with Smith's displays highly exceeding expectations in the flyaway races despite not riding at full fitness. Now, the British star aims to conclude his six-year partnership with Tech3 on a high note in his final appearance at the next round in Valencia.

Pol Espargaro
9th / +33.704 / 19 laps


"It was a very hard race today and especially at the beginning where there was a lot of water on the track but I am glad to walk away with a top ten finish and some valuable championship points. Because of the rainwater on the asphalt, the visibility was limited and the more behind you were, the more time you lost in the first few laps as there weren't any reference points regarding where to brake or accelerate, so it's been really complicated. In addition, I didn't want to risk making any mistakes, therefore we have to be content with this 9th position. However, this result has ensured my 8th place in the Championship standings, plus I am classified ahead of a couple of the factory MotoGP riders so it is pleasing to have ended the oversea races in this way. Now, we'll head back to Europe for the final round of the 2016 season, which will also be my last event with Tech3 so I'm highly motivated to do the best job that I can."
Bradley Smith
14th / +45.609 / 19 laps


"I have to start by saying that the three back to back races have been fantastic and I am more than satisfied with the results. To come back from my injury and score three point scoring finishes is much better than what I was expecting. If we look at the bigger picture, the Monster Yamaha Tech3 team did a superb job as well as the Clinica Mobile medical staff who made sure that I could compete in every session. In terms of the race, it certainly was tough due to the conditions but we have to be content with another finish in the points, even if we were hoping for more. I decided to risk using the hard rear tyre but it is not a compound that I have liked in the past, even though my feeling with it in FP4 was ok on the whole. Unfortunately, with the amount of water that was on the track today, I wasn't able to generate the right temperature into the rear tyre so it was tricky but I did my best and I don't think that I could have given any more. It's a pity to end up in 14th because we've had really good pace throughout the weekend, yet we have to look at the positives and take them onboard. Now, we will have a weekend off and then I will head to Valencia, ready for my final appearance with the Tech3 team, where I will do my absolute best."
 

KUCIAR666

Registered User
TOUGH SEPANG MotoGP? FOR TEAM SUZUKI ECSTAR

Maverick Vi?ales ? 6th
Aleix Espargar? ? 13th

Team SUZUKI ECSTAR riders Maverick Vi?ales and Aleix Espargar? scored sixth and 13th places under difficult weather and track conditions during the Shell Malaysian MotoGP? at Sepang today.

Following a 20-minute delay on the start because of a heavy tropical storm, making racing too dangerous, Vi?ales ? who was fastest in the morning?s ?dry? warm-up - and Espargar? both had good jumps on the start, moving up into the leading places. Espargar? was in the fight for fourth position until running wide and dropping down to 13th, so spent the race trying to catch-up, while Vi?ales lost some places at third-race distance before gaining some after a couple of riders slipped-off.

Ken Kawauchi ? Technical Manager:

?It was a very disappointing race because in the dry sessions, like FP3 and also this morning?s warm-up, Maverick was very fast and also Aleix was very strong, so I was looking forward to the race in dry conditions. Unfortunately, rain came to ruin our plans; in the wet we struggled a lot, the only positive thing is that both riders finished the race without crashing, but this isn?t enough for us. We still struggle in the wet conditions, we managed to find some ways to improve, but still not enough. This will be our priority; we want to have a machine which is top-performing no matter what the conditions, both in the dry and also the wet. The next race will be the last race with Aleix and Maverick, so I really want to get well-prepared and have a positive race to end of our two years together.?

Maverick Vi?ales:

?Although sixth place is not so bad, I?m disappointed with the race result. We had a very positive weekend and I performed very fast in the dry, I really had hopes for a podium and also for a victory, but unfortunately in wet conditions we are not competitive yet. We struggle to find a good configuration with the electronics, which makes my riding very hard, in particular when it comes to acceleration. I can?t feel confident with the traction control, therefore resulting in me riding very carefully as I didn?t want to incur a high-side that could prevent me finishing the race. We have made many improvements on the machine and now we have reached a positive competitiveness in dry conditions, but the progress we?ve made in the wet is not enough. This result also proved the positives of the last three races; they were at three completely different circuits and we?ve proved we can adapt and be strongly-competitive in any kind of layout. Now the objective is to have the same competitiveness no matter what the weather conditions.?

Aleix Espargar?:

?I?m disappointed with the final result because the weekend overall had been positive, but then in the race I couldn?t feel competitive. I decided to go with a soft rear tyre, hoping the conditions of the track would stay wetter, but at the end this proved to be the wrong choice. From the very beginning I realised that my performance was not good and I lost the feeling with the grip right after four-or-five laps. I also made a couple of mistakes, and doing them at the very beginning of the race, when all the riders were still packed together, meant I lost many positions and then it was really hard to recover. It?s a pity, we?ve made a lot of progress in the last few races and I felt very competitive in dry conditions, but we still need to improve our capability to have the same performance also in the wet.?


SHELL MALAYSIA MOTORCYCLE GRAND PRIX RACE RESULT:

1 Andrea DOVIZIOSO - Ducati Team - 42'27.333
2 Valentino ROSSI - Movistar Yamaha MotoGP - 42'30.448 + 3.115
3 Jorge LORENZO - Movistar Yamaha MotoGP - 42'39.257 + 11.924
4 Hector BARBERA - Avintia Racing - 42'47.249 + 19.916
5 Loris BAZ - Avintia Racing - 42'48.686 + 21.353
6 Maverick VI?ALES - Team SUZUKI ECSTAR - 42'50.265 + 22.932
7 Alvaro BAUTISTA - Aprilia Racing Team Gresini - 42'53.162 + 25.829
8 Jack MILLER - Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS - 43'00.079 + 32.746
9 Pol ESPARGARO - Monster Yamaha Tech 3 - 43'01.037 + 33.704
10 Danilo PETRUCCI - OCTO Pramac Yakhnich - 43'01.613 + 34.280
11 Marc MARQUEZ - Repsol Honda Team - 43'03.813 + 36.480
12 Eugene LAVERTY - Pull & Bear Aspar Team - 43'03.971 + 36.638
13 Aleix ESPARGARO - Team SUZUKI ECSTAR - 43'04.230 + 36.897
 
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