Front row start for Marquez in Jerez 125cc GP

2009-05-02 08:14
Red Bull KTM Moto Sport's Marc Marquez, clearly at home in front of his home crowd in Jerez, Spain, finished fourth in qualifying for Sunday's 125 cc GP on Saturday to secure a front row position on the grid.

It was the first time in his young career that the 16-year-old Spanish rider will be on the front row and he is understandably excited that he has achieved it in front of his home crowd. "I am very excited because I am on the front row in a GP for the first time, and now I can't wait to go out and race. I really want to do well here at my home GP, but I know that I must not get too over-excited, because too much excitement can be treacherous! Yesterday we struggled a bit with our front fork, so we put a new one in for today and with the settings that we figured out at the texts in March eventually worked really well," he added.

Marquez adapts to windy conditions
Marquez said he tried to adapt his riding style to cope with the winds that prevailed at the Spainsh circuit. "I shifted my body weight as much as possible towards the front of the bike to make it turn," he said. "It worked quite well even though the wind gusts pushed me around here and there and everywhere."

Beaubier hoping to be in the points on Sunday
The team's second factory rider, young American Cameron Beaubier, a former Red Bull Rookie and riding his first year with Red Bull KTM Moto Sport, finished in seventeenth place. "It was really windy this afternoon," the 16-year-old American said. "We fine-tuned the set-up for the final session, but due to the conditions, I wasn't able to go much faster. In fact, my lap times during the February tests here were a little faster. But never mind, I feel good and I am ready to race. I hope for a good start and to finally break into the point rankings which I missed so narrowly at the last race in Japan!"

Bartol satisfied with team effort
Factory team boss Harald Bartol was also satisfied with his machinery and riders.
"Practice was really good for us, and being on the front row of the grid is certainly a highlight," Bartol said. "Obviously, Marc is very motivated at his home GP, but at the same time, it's remarkable how he withstands the pressure at his young age. But I am also impressed with Beaubier's performance. He was doing whatever was possible with very windy track conditions without taking unnecessary risks. We completed all practice sessions without any problems on our bikes, which also boosts our confidence for a good race tomorrow!

Riders were at last able to complete a qualifying practice after rain had washed it out in the two GPs so far held, in Qatar and in Japan. This season the class has only one qualifying session instead of the two held in previous seasons. They faced almost perfect conditions on the famous Spanish circuit although they did have to content with the strong winds that affected the lighter bikes more than the other classes.


Qualifying Results
1 Julian Simon, Spain, Aprilia, Lap time 1'48.237
2. Bradley Smith, Britain, Aprilia, 1'48.434
3. Andrea Iannone, Italy, Aprilia, 1'48.519
4. Marc Marquez, Spain, KTM, 1'48.931
5. Sergio Gadea, Spain, Aprilia, 1'48.955
Other KTM
17. Cameron Beaubier, USA, KTM 1'50.256

Source: KTM-Sportmotorcycle AG

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