MotoGP

 

The MotoGP™ Q2 session on Saturday afternoon in Spain resulted in Marc Marquez taking pole at the Gran Premio Movistar de Aragon, with Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Iannone also achieving front row slots.

A new pole position record of 1’47.187 gave Marquez his 11th pole position of 2014 – and his 20th MotoGP pole in total – ahead of Sunday’s 800th premier class Grand Prix.

Marquez led the way by a 0.362s margin having broken the pole record earlier in the session, only for Pedrosa to move into provisional pole position with a 1’47.549s, with Marquez responding on his final lap. Marquez was 0.617s quicker than his own pole record from 2013.

The performance also saw Marquez clinch the BMW M Award for Best Qualifier MotoGP 2014. Marquez has 324 points in the BMW M Award standings with four rounds remaining and leads by an unassailable 120 point margin from his Repsol Honda teammate Pedrosa.

The front row was completed by the consistently impressive Andrea Iannone (Pramac Racing) who has a new GP14.2 bike this weekend and qualified just under half a second behind Marquez.

Row two will comprise rookie Pol Espargaro (Monster Yamaha Tech3),
Cal Crutchlow (Ducati Team) and Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP), the Italian having earlier made it through from Q1.

Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) qualified at the head of the third row in seventh place, 1.059s behind the rampant Marquez. Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda MotoGP) and crasher Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) complete the third row.

Aleix Espargaro (NGM Forward Racing) was unhappy at the end of the session as he was held up by another rider and qualified tenth.

Bradley Smith (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) crashed with just three minutes to go, leaving him 11th on the grid and Dovizioso (Ducati Team) also fell minutes later. Despite advancing through Q1 on his new Ducati, Hector Barbera (Avintia Racing) was unable to set a lap time due to front end chatter problems – thus being classified 12th.

Nicky Hayden (Drive M7 Aspar) qualified in 18th place in Q1 as he returns to Grand Prix action this weekend, whilst Karel Abraham (Cardion AB Motoracing) had big crash at the end of Q1 and ended up 17th.

 

Moto2

 

Saturday’s Moto2™ QP session at the Gran Premio Movistar de Aragon, saw Maverick Viñales take pole, with Johann Zarco and Mika Kallio also on the front row.

The Moto3™ World Champion Viñales, a rookie in the intermediate class, got his first Moto2 pole with an impressive 1’54.073 lap. The young Spanish talent had also led FP3 earlier in the day and he will go in search of a second victory of 2104 on Sunday.

Behind Viñales the recently improved Zarco (AirAsia Caterham Moto Racing) took second place, with Kallio (Marc VDS Racing Team) in third.

Lining up in fourth place on the grid will be another rookie Franco Morbidelli (Italtrans Racing Team) who qualified 0.11s off pole. World Championship leader Tito Rabat (Marc VDS Racing Team) had provisional pole but crashed on his seventh lap and could not improve after that, ending up fifth on the grid, just ahead of Thomas Luthi (Interwetten Sitag).

Takaaki Nakagami (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia), Dominique Aegerter (Technomag carXpert) and Sandro Cortese (Dynavolt Intact GP) are set to line up on row three, with Marcel Schrotter (Tech 3) heading the fourth row.

Jordi Torres (Mapfre Aspar Moto2) took an early tumble as he lost the front end of his Suter. Ratthapark Wilairot (Airasia Caterham) also fell but was unhurt and able to rejoin the session.

 

Moto3

 

Moto3™ QP at the Gran Premio Movistar de Aragon on Saturday afternoon in Spain saw Alex Rins secure pole, ahead of Danny Kent and Juanfran Guevara on the front row.

At his local track the form rider of the class Rins (Estrella Galicia 0,0) secured his fourth pole position of 2014 with a fastest time of 1’58.318 which put him 0.116s ahead of Englishman Kent (Red Bull Husqvarna Ajo).

Guevara (Mapfre Aspar Team Moto3) rounded out the front row 0.152s off Rins’ time, having also set a sensational lap time of 1’57.930 in FP3.

World Championship leader Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Ajo) should be in the hunt tomorrow from the front of row two, where he is joined by Alex Marquez (Estrella Galicia 0,0) and Enea Bastianini (Junior Team Go&FUN Moto3).

The third row will feature Isaac Viñales (Calvo Team), John McPhee (SaxoPrint-RTG) and Niccolo Antonelli (Junior Team GO&FUN). Efren Vazquez (SaxoPrint-RTG) completed the top ten, whilst engine problems for Niklas Ajo (Avant Tecno Husqvarna Ajo) left him down in 26th.

There was an early crash for Andrea Locatelli (San Carlo Team Italia), which saw the Italian rider spend much of the session in the Medical Centre for a finger injury. Jasper Iwema (CIP) was another faller, losing his fairing. Francesco Bagnaia (SKY Racing Team VR46) also took a heavy fall but walked away unhurt.

 

Source: motogp.com