High and dry: Marquez’ perfect pole gamble

2016-10-24 05:39
Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) has taken pole position at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, as the new World Champion chose the perfect moment to head out in the changeable conditions on full slick tyres. Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) starts from P2 after graduating from Q1, with Pol Espargaro (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) completing the front row.

With Q1 seeing some incredibly high profile casualties, it was Cal Crutchlow and Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) who moved through to fight for the front, leaving Maverick Viñales (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) behind – with Rossi in P15 on the grid in his worst qualifying since 2011.

The track was drying in Q1, and drier by the start of Q2. With rain forecast to hit halfway through the second qualifying session however, the pressure was on to do a good lap – and choose the right tyre. With some heading out on intermediates, Marquez then came back in quickly to switch to slicks - untouchable from that point on, and 1.5 seconds clear a few minutes later until the grid began to reel him closer. Pol Espargaro was late to switch, attempting a fast lap on the intermediates, before coming back in for slicks and then taking the front row – as Crutchlow didn’t quite take the full gamble, and set his front row qualifier on an intermediate front and slick rear.

Aleix Espargaro (Team Suzuki Ecstar) shone in the session to challenge for the front – just beaten over the line by his brother – and will start fourth, ahead of Aussie Jack Miller (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) at his home race, who completed the top five in his best ever qualifying result. Locking out Row 2 is Octo Pramac Yakhnich rider Danilo Petrucci.

Nicky Hayden, riding in place of injured Dani Pedrosa at Repsol Honda, took an impressive P7 on his return to MotoGP™, ahead of Aprilia Racing Team Gresini rider Stefan Bradl – who is also set to become Hayden’s teammate in 2017 at Honda World Superbike Team. Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) is ninth to complete the third row, finding going a little tougher as the track dried. His teammate, Hector Barbera – standing in for injured Andrea Iannone – completed the top ten.

Scott Redding (Octo Pramac Yakhnich) will start from eleventh, ahead of 5-time World Champion Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP), who struggled in Q2 after having graduated from Q1.

MotoGP™ hope for better weather for Sunday as race day looms and lights out later in the day at 16:00 local time (GMT+11). With the big hitters spread throughout the field, the 2016 Australian GP is sure to be another classic.

MotoGP™ Qualifying Results
1 - Marc Marquez (SPA) HONDA 1'30.189
1st Independent Team Rider
Pos 2 - Cal Crutchlow (GBR) HONDA + 0.792

3 - Pol Espargaró (SPA) YAMAHA + 0.918
Thomas Lüthi takes pole as Moto2™ gets a shake up


Thomas Lüthi (SWI)
Moto2 Front Row
Turn 4 takes some casualties as track temperatures drop in qualifying – and the pack shuffles

Tom Lüthi (Garage Plus Interwetten) will start the Australian GP from pole position after an incredible qualifying session for the intermediate class, with Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team) taking an impressive front row in P2, ahead of Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) – who also crashed twice.

Qualifying got underway for Moto2™ after MotoGP™ had seen the pole lap – from Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) – set on full slicks, with track conditions much improved after the intermediate class had seen wet weather play havoc with FP1 and then rain off FP2. The first dry track time of the weekend threw up some difficult crashes for as riders tried to find the limit, with Turn 4 especially taking some famous scalps.

Sam Lowes was the first high profile crasher to slide out, with the man P4 in the title quickly heading back to the pits to get back in the session – with more rain forecast and putting on the time pressure. The Brit then took another tumble slightly later, before reigning Champion Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport) crashed out – and also hit the deck for a second time later in the session.

Lüthi and Franco Morbidelli (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) were other crashers, and Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) suffered a huge highside at Turn 4 that sent the Japanese race winner heading to the Medical Center.

A late incident between Julian Simon (QMMF Racing Team) and Alex Marquez (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) saw Simon walk away from the scene and Marquez headed to the Medical Center, left down the timesheets in P14. The 2014 Moto3™ World Champion was then also later airlifted to hospital in Melbourne for a CT scan, fully conscious and stable.

Sandro Cortese (Dynavolt Intact GP) was one of those who kept his nose clean to head up the second row, ahead of a stunning session from Sports-Millions-EMWE-SAG rider Jesko Raffin – who was on provisional pole for much of the latter part of the session before taking his career best result. Cortese’s teammate Jonas Folger completed Row 2 after a solid session for the German squad.

Xavi Vierge (Tech 3 Racing) heads up Row 3 in his career best qualifying, with Lorenzo Baldassarri (Forward Racing Team) P8 and Franco Morbidelli (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) P9 despite his crashes in the session.

Reigning Champion Zarco, unable to get back out after his second crash, completes the top ten. Key title rival Alex Rins (Paginas Amarillas HP 40) played it safe in the pits as the crashes continued, 15th on the timesheets – ending the session in P16 as his final run was then aborted with a technical problem.

Moto2™ sees lights out at 14:20 local time (GMT +11) at Phillip Island, as Lüthi takes advantage – and Zarco and Rins look to take it back.

Moto2™ Qualifying Results
1 - Thomas Lüthi (SWI) KALEX 1'33.992
2 - Mattia Pasini (ITA) KALEX + 0.059
3 - Sam Lowes (GBR) KALEX +0.065

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