Abraham just misses out on Q2 but equals best qualifying

2018-10-29 06:40
Ángel Nieto Team rider adapts quickly to Ducati GP17 and will line up in Australia in position 12+1



Marc Márquez continues to set new targets in MotoGP and after wrapping up the title last time out in Japan the Spaniard took his sixth pole position of the season in Australia, with more than three tenths of a second over second-placed Maverick Viñales and half a second over Johann Zarco in third. Márquez dipped into the 1’28s in good conditions at Phillip Island, whilst Andrea Dovizioso and Valentino Rossi will continue their battle for the runner-up spot in the championship from the third row.

Karel Abraham was just 0.007 seconds off qualifying for Q2 on a day when he still managed to equal his best grid position of the season. The Ángel Nieto Team rider will start from the 12+1 position, just as he did in Argentina, and he has his sights set on bigger targets after a swift adaptation to the Ducati GP17. His teammate for this race Mike Jones clocked his best lap of the weekend in qualifying (1’32.639) and is looking forward to racing in front of the home fans tomorrow.



12+1 Karel Abraham 1’30.174: “I am a little disappointed because today we had a big chance to make it through to Q2 but we are still struggling with some bumping in the bike and it is costing me some time. Otherwise, I have to be happy to equal my best grid position of the season and to set several laps with a strong pace. I always think that we have to be ready to fight for the points and here we are. If I feel good tomorrow, I want to fight for more. So far it has been a good weekend.”

23rd Mike Jones 1’32.639: “In general it has been a good day, we continued to make progress and we are understanding more about how the changes to the bike affect its performance. We have worked on that and on my riding, to try and understand everything more. I feel that we could have done a bit better in qualifying but now we have to think about the race. Hopefully the weather holds out and we can have a good race in front of the fans.”

Source: Ángel Nieto Team

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