Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas, Friday roundup: MotoGP, Moto2, Moto3
MotoGP
Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) took back the top of the timesheets at the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas in Austin, Texas, as the number 93 put in a late charge on soft rubber to go fastest on Friday with a 2:04.061 – 0.296 clear of an incredible performance from Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rookie Johann Zarco. Championship leader Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) was third quickest on combined times after topping FP1.
Nine-time World Champion Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) shot up into the top five late in the day as riders put in some time attacks, taking P4 by 0.005 from Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa.
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) was sixth quickest as he looks to put his bad luck in the Americas behind him, ahead of LCR Honda rider Cal Crutchlow, who also suffered a crash in FP1.
FP2 was punctuated by a big crash for Pull&Bear Aspar Team’s Karel Abraham down the road from T11, with the Czech rider up and headed to the Medical Centre thereafter. Abraham has suffered a small fracture in his ankle and will be reviewed again on Saturday before practice. Loris Baz (Reale Avintia Racing) was another crasher at T1, rider ok, and there was a mechanical problem for Team Suzuki Ecstar rookie Alex Rins early in the second session of the day – with the Spaniard back out soon after on the second bike.
Jonas Folger (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) was second fastest rookie in an impressive eighth on combined times, ahead of Octo Pramac Racing’s Scott Redding and Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Andrea Iannone, who completed the top ten.
Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team) just missed that top ten in eleventh, with Danilo Petrucci (Octo Pramac Racing), Jack Miller (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS), Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) and Hector Barbera (Reale Avintia Racing) completing the top fifteen.
One big talking point on Friday afternoon saw Red Bull KTM Factory Racing unveil their first “aero-fairing” of the season, with Pol Espargaro finding the positives with the new design and nothing negative to report as the Austrian factory look to continue their progress following their first points in Argentina.
Next up, FP3 lets the grid shoot it out for direct entry to Q2 at 9:55 local time (GMT -5) on Saturday – with qualifying then beginning from 14:10.
Moto2
2014 Moto3™ World Champion Alex Marquez (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) topped Friday at the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas by an impressive three tenths, with teammate and Championship leader Franco Morbidelli completing another 1-2 for the team on the timesheets. Marcel Schrötter (Dynavolt Intact GP) locked out the top three in a fast first day of action in Austin for the German.
Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) kept the new intermediate class KTM chassis high on the timesheets at COTA in fourth, with 2016 Championship runner up Tom Lüthi (CarXpert Interwetten) locking out the top five.
Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team) took sixth after two impressive sessions, with Hafizh Syahrin (Petronas Raceline Malaysia) in P7. Fastest rookie was Fabio Quartararo (Pons HP 40) once again as the Frenchman took eighth, ahead of Ricky Cardus (Red Bull KTM Ajo) in P9 as the Spaniard fills in for injured reigning Moto3™ World Champion Brad Binder.
Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) completed the top ten, with Sandro Cortese (Dynavolt Intact GP), rookie Francesco Bagnaia (Sky Racing Team VR46), Xavier Simeon (Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2), Xavi Vierge (Tech 3 Racing) and rookie Jorge Navarro (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) locking out the fastest fifteen.
Moto2™ head out on Saturday morning for FP3, with qualifying then set for 15:05 local time (GMT -5).
Moto3
Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0) set a serious marker in FP1 at the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas, and the Spanish sophomore bettered it further in the afternoon as a 2:16.750 saw him seven tenths clear of Championship leader Joan Mir (Leopard Racing) to easily end the day as fastest.
2016 winner at the track Romano Fenati (Marinelli Rivacold Snipers) joined Mir on a late charge to catch Canet in FP2, ending the day in third on combined times – with Del Conca Gresini Moto3 rider Jorge Martin in fourth the last rider within a second of the fastest time.
Juanfran Guevara (RBA BOE Racing Team) completed the top five, just ahead of teammate Gabriel Rodrigo, with Sky Racing Team VR46 rider Andrea Migno taking P7. Canet’s teammate Enea Bastianini was eighth by the end of play, showing some much improved pace after a difficult start to the season.
British Talent Team rider John McPhee was ninth in FP1 and remained ninth on combined times and with an improved laptime, with Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Niccolo Antonelli completing the top ten on Day 1.
Philipp Oettl (Südmetall Schedl GP Racing) was eleventh, just in front of an incredible twelfth place for fastest rookie Ayumu Sasaki (SIC Racing Team). Nicolo Bulega (Sky Racing Team VR46), Jules Danilo (Marinelli Rivacold Snipers) and Darryn Binder (Platinum Bay Real Estate) completed the top fifteen.
Moto3™ qualify on Saturday at 12:35 local time (GMT -5), with FP3 earlier in the morning for final adjustments before the front row rush.
Source: motogp.com