CORAJE!! 💪🏼
COURAGE!! 🙌🏽
🏆VICTORY🏆
#Level7
Source: Marc Márquez on Facebook
Monthly Archives: November 2018
Dani Pedrosa – P5 Malaysia
P5. Hoy he podido recuperar alguna posición en la salida y hemos tenido una carrera mejor de lo habitual. Lástima ya que al final he tenido algún problema de agarre y no he podido luchar por el podio./ P5 Today I was able to win some positions at the start and we had a better race than usual. Pity because in the end I had some grip problems and I could not fight for the podium.
#DP26 #MalaysianGP #RepsolHondaTeam
Source: Dani Pedrosa on Facebook
Valentino Rossi rues Malaysian mistake | Lorenzo comments
Rossi was on fire before late mistake ends in ashes
Valentino Rossi had a heroic run at the Sepang International Circuit, but it ended in heartbreak on lap 17 when the Italian superstar crashed out of the lead. He was able to rejoin the race and took the chequered flag in 18th place.
Valentino Rossi
“It was a great shame because this was my best race of the season. I felt comfortable, I had a good pace, I pushed, and I had the chance to win, but unfortunately with four or five laps to go I fell – I don’t understand what happened. I made a mistake, because I crashed. It’s such a pity, but it still remains a good weekend, because we improved the setting of the bike. I think we have to do some more work, but it looks like we were able to use the bike in a better way in the last few races. This is good, but we have to see if we’re also strong in Valencia. It’s a difficult track for us in general, but we have to try.”
A champion in defeat
Despite the disappointment Rossi still acknowledged all of the fans on the slow down lap and put on a brave face for the cameras. This is not his first rodeo… But still, impressive to see his demeanour after the heartache.
In another great display of sportsmanship from an opposite side of the fence. The injured Jorge Lorenzo tweeted after the race the following.
Jorge Lorenzo
“Apart from the crash, I’ve never seen @ValeYellow46 so consistent. More than ten laps in just one-tenth at the hottest and longest track impressed me today. And some said he started to feel his age after the last race….”
Rossi had a perfect start from second, taking the hole shot and holding the lead superbly. He had a stunning consistent pace that allowed him to make a clean getaway from his pursuers.
Though his advantage went up and down over the first half of the race, there was no one who could really reach Rossi at the front, let alone make an attempt at passing the nine-time World Champion.
However, in the final ten laps the heat and the tyre degradation meant Marc Márquez was closing in.
The Doctor responded by picking up the pace and defended his first place brilliantly, but a small mishap in Turn 1 on lap 17 caused him to slide down the tarmac. He was able to rejoin the race in 18th place and finished in the same position, 58.288s from first.
Today’s results see Rossi hold on to third position in the championship standings with a 25-point gap to second.
Massimo Meregalli – Yamaha Team Director
“For sure this is not the ending we had hoped for this weekend. The final results don‘t do justice to the pace of our riders, because they both had really strong form this weekend. Maverick had to start from the fourth row and make up a lot of ground. If he had started a bit more towards the front, he would have been a top contender today, because his pace matched Vale‘s. Valentino did exactly what he needed to do at the start. He was leading the race perfectly, so it‘s a great shame it ended the way it did. Nevertheless, we can take some positives from these last three races, as we made a step with the bike and were consistent in our performance. Today we were competitive at a circuit that doesn‘t necessarily play to our bike‘s strengths. So, with that in mind, we head to Valencia eager to fight at the front again during the season finale.”
Source: MCNews.com.au
Billy Van Eerde | 2018 Asia Talent Cup Champion | Videos
2018 Asia Talent Cup Champion
[embedded content]
16-year-old Billy Van Eerde today won the 2018 Asia Talent Cup Championship after an unbelievable weekend of racing at Sepang.
It came down to the line and Billy was actually beaten to the flag by championship rival Haruki Noguchi. However, the Japanese rider had a coming together on the straight with Malaysian rider Danial Sharil.
[embedded content]
An investigation immediately after the race then judged Noguchi to have been guilty of irresponsible riding and docked him 27-seconds, which promoted Billy to the race win, and with that enough points to be crowned Asia Talent Cup Champion.
Billy only joined the Asia Talent Cup for the first time this year, while many of his competitors, including Noguchi have had multiple years in the tightly contested category on controlled Honda NSF250R motorcycles.
I don’t think it is out of place for me to say that all of us that are regularly involved in Australian Road Racing are immensely proud of Billy’s achievement today, and feel lucky to have seen his progression from the start as he made his transtion from dirt track in the ranks of ASBK Supersport 300 on a KTM.
I reckon it is also fair to say that quite a few of shed a tear this evening as we watched the realisation dawn on Billy that he had won the championship.
Alberto Puig (Talent Promotion Director)
“As always this Cup is about evolution during the year and some guys make more of an evolution than others, van Eerde started step by step but has been progressing, as have many other riders, and finally he was the Champion and we have to congratulate him. I think this incident in the last race made it a little it strange, but in the points he’s the Champion and that’s what counts. Overall we’re happy with the year, we’re satisfied we had another season of the Cup because it’s always complicated.”
2018 Asia Talent Cup Final Championship Points
- Billy Van Eerde AUS 199
- Haruki Noguchi JPN 174
- Sho Nishimura JPN 150
- Danial Sharil MAL 147
- Mario Aji INA 123
- Tachakorn Buarsi THA 108
- Takuma Matsuyama JPN 101
- Lucky Hendriansya INA 87
- Agung Fachrul INA 75
- Afridza Munandar INA 59
Source: MCNews.com.au
Francesco Bagnaia | 2018 Moto2 World Champion
2018 Moto2 World Champion
Francesco Bagnaia is the 2018 Moto2 World Champion, taking the title at Sepang after eight wins, 12 podiums and six pole positions over an incredible season. Arriving 36 points up in the Championship, his third place in the race – paired with a second for title rival Miguel Oliveira – was enough for the Italian to secure the crown.
Making his debut on the world stage in 2013 with team Italia FMI in Moto3, Bagnaia then switched to Sky Racing Team VR46 the year after – but it wasn’t until 2015 that he finally took his first podium. That was at Le Mans, but riding a Mahindra; a marque whose history ‘Pecco’ would become an even bigger part of the following season.
After podium finishes at Losail, Jerez and Mugello, Bagnaia finally took both his first Grand Prix win and the first win for Mahindra after a stunning ride at the TT Circuit Assen. His favourite track, the layout of which he even has as a tattoo. It wasn’t a one off in that impressive season either, with Bagnaia taking another win, this time at Sepang, to put him fourth overall in the standings.
At the end of the season Bagnaia got his first taste of a MotoGP machine at the Valencia test, owing to a bet made with his team. They’d said that, if ‘Pecco’ were to win a race that season, they’d let him try the then-Aspar liveried Ducati.
Before he made that a full-time switch, however, Bagnaia’s next challenge was Moto2 – in the same Sky Racing Team VR46. His first podiums didn’t wait long to arrive, as the Italian took to the rostrum in Jerez, Le Mans, Germany and at Misano; enough to put him fifth overall and see him take the title of Rookie of the Year.
His stellar first season in the intermediate class was more than just awards and success – it also penciled him in as a key favourite for the 2018 crown. Starting the year on the top step with a first Moto2 win in the season opener in Qatar, ‘Pecco’ then ceded the points lead next time out in Argentina, but he was back on it in Texas.
A key rival then began to appear: Oliveira. The Portuguese rider won in Mugello from outside the top ten on the grid, and that brought him to within a single point of Bagnaia at the top. But the Italian responded at Assen, winning at his talisman track once again. In Germany there was some drama, however, as Bagnaia was forced into avoiding action after a crash for compatriot Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team) and crossed the line in P12.
Oliveira then struck gold in Czechia to win another race, but Bagnaia was quick to hit back once again as he took the victory in Austria to begin a run of top results: a win at Misano, a P2 at MotorLand and then another victory in Thailand – the 800th for Italy – to really pull the pin. Second on the road at Motegi, he was later promoted to the win after the disqualification of Fabio Quartararo (MB Conveyors – Speed Up Racing) for a technical infringement – making the gap that much bigger as the paddock arrived at Phillip Island. There, he had his first match point but it wasn’t to be after a more difficult weekend, so the battle rolled on to Malaysia.
There, it was mission accomplished after a stunning season in the intermediate class and another podium to secure the crown. After one more race and now as reigning Moto2 World Champion, Bagnaia will then be getting on a MotoGP bike once again – this time for good as he moves up to partner Jack Miller at Alma Pramac Racing in 2019.
Statistics – Francesco Bagnaia
• Francesco Bagnaia is the second Italian rider to win the Moto2 title, following Franco Morbidelli last year. This is the first back-to-back world title with two different Italian riders in the intermediate category since Loris Capirossi (1998) and Valentino Rossi (1999).
• Bagnaia is the 15th different Italian rider to clinch to title in the intermediate category. Bagnaia’s title is also 24th in the class for Italian riders and the 77th in Grand Prix racing.
• At 21 years and 294 days old, Bagnaia is the ninth youngest rider to clinch the title in the intermediate category and the fourth youngest Italian rider to do so after Marco Melandri (20 years 74 days), Valentino Rossi (20 years 250 days) and Marco Simoncelli (21 years 273 days).
• Bagnaia has won eight races so far this year, equalling Johann Zarco in 2015 and Franco Morbidelli last year which is also the second-highest number of Moto2 wins in a season after Marc Márquez in 2012 (9).
• Bagnaia equals Andrea Iannone and Franco Morbidelli, who both stands in the first place on the list of Italian riders with most wins in the class.
• Bagnaia has stood on the podium 12 times this season so far and 16 in the Moto2 class, equalling Mika Kallio, who stands in 10th place on the list of riders with most podium finishes in the class.
• With 16 podium finishes, Bagnaia is now in third place on the list of Italian riders with most podium finishes in the Moto2 class.
• With his pole position at Motegi – his 6th of the season so far – he equalled Franco Morbidelli in 2nd place on the list of Italian riders with most pole positions in the Moto2 class, two less than Mattia Pasini.
• Bagnaia is only the second Italian rider who has won back-to-back races in the Moto2 class along with Franco Morbidelli.
• Bagnaia has scored points in the last 29 successive races. The last time he failed to score points was in Italy last year when he crashed on the final lap. Only Dominique Aegerter (33) and Mika Kallio (31) and have scored points in more than 29 successive races in Moto2.
• Since he stepped up to Moto2, Bagnaia has always reached the finish line and only failed to score any points twice, in the Americas and Italy last year.
• At 21 years and 63 days old on race day in Qatar, Bagnaia became the sixth youngest rider to lead the Moto2 World Championship since its introduction back in 2010, and the youngest Italian rider.
Source: MCNews.com.au
Jorge Martin crowned 2018 Moto3 World Champion
2018 Moto3 World Champion
Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) is the 2018 Moto3 World Champion, taking the title at Sepang after a stunning season. Seven wins, nine podiums and 11 poles saw Martin a frontrunner throughout the season, and the Spaniard weathered the ups and downs of a tense year of competition to come out on top against key rivals Marco Bezzecchi (Redox PruestelGP) and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Del Conca Gresini Moto3).
Jorge Martin – 2018 Moto3 World Champion
“My whole life passed through my very own eyes. I come from a humble family and it wasn’t easy to get here where we are now. I would like to thank everyone who supported me and helped me grow: from the “Cuna de Campeones” to the rookies cup to obviously Gresini Racing. I saw this title almost slipping off my hands in Thailand when I thought I wouldn’t have raced, but we did and I wanna thank everyone, including my rivals. To be winning the title and taking the race win at the same time is probably the best thing in the world, so thank you once again!”
Martin made his debut on the world stage in 2015 with Mapfre Mahindra, moving up after taking the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup. He scored his first point in the season opener in Qatar and became a regular top 15 contender, ending his rookie year in 17th overall. The following season, the rider from Madrid took another step forward – including his first podium in the wet at Brno – but he also missed a couple of races through injury, therefore ending the season just one place further forward in 16th overall.
2017 saw Martin cement his place at the front as he moved to Del Conca Gresini Moto3, beginning the year on the podium in third at Qatar. He took nine pole positions and eight further podiums that season – but it was a long wait for one to be a maiden win. The Spaniard wrapped that up in the season finale at Valencia; his first trip to the top step setting him up perfectly for an assault on the crown the following year and seeing him take fourth overall in the standings.
2018 began perfectly as Martin won in Qatar, but Argentina was a tougher race in tougher conditions and he could only manage P11. That was when the man who would push him the most this season – Marco Bezzechhi – took his first win, and a classic rivalry was born. Austin saw Martin back on the top step before two more difficult races and DNFs in Jerez and Le Mans, both seeing the Spaniard victim to serious bad luck at the hands of Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0) and Bezzecchi…
Mugello was a win before a zero in Catalunya, but Martin then took back-to-back wins in Assen and Germany to lead the standings once again. Then, however, disaster struck as the Spaniard broke his left wrist in FP1 at Brno. Operated on and forced to forfeit the round, it was an upset to the Spaniard’s charge.
Back on track in Austria, it was a weekend for Martin to clench his teeth and dig deep, which he did in stunning style to take an emotional podium. In Misano Bezzecchi then faltered and crashed, but Martin could only gain the 20 points for second. Aragon was Martin back on full power at the front for a home win, and the first of the flyaway races in Thailand gave him more of an advantage as Bezzecchi was crashed out and Martin took fourth despite some struggles with his recovery. Motegi then saw the pendulum swing again as Martin crashed in the leading group – and Bezzecchi closed back in with a win.
Phillip Island was yet more drama. This time Bezzecchi was back on the receiving end of the bad luck as he was hit by another rider, and Martin took some good points although he couldn’t take the win, coming home fourth. That was enough to give him his first match point next time out at Sepang, however, with Martin 12 points clear before the race in Malaysia – and 20 points clear of Di Giannantonio.
After another incredible race, Martin fought it out before pulling the pin to perfection and Bezzecchi was left to battle to try and keep his hopes alive. As Martin crossed the line first for another win, it all went down to the final corner but Bezzecchi couldn’t quite make it through into that crucial fourth place – making Martin the 2018 Moto3 World Champion.
Fausto Gresini – Team Manager
“I was not expecting to win the championship here. It has been a tough race, so it’s twice as rewarding to win it here. Seven years ago we lost Marco here, so I would like to dedicate this title to him. Everyone in the team has been incredible. We are World Champions by getting the most pole positions and race wins and by winning both team and riders’ classifications. It has been a perfect season, and we could still wrap it up with Diggia’s second place!”
Statistics: Jorge Martin
• Jorge Martín is the third Spanish rider to win a Moto3 title after Maverick Viñales (2013), Álex Márquez (2014) and Joan Mir (2017).
• Martín is the 13th different Spanish rider to clinch to title in the lightweight category. In addition, Martín’s title is the 19th in the lightweight category for Spanish riders and 50th in Grand Prix racing.
• At 20 years and 279 days old, Martín is the fourth-youngest rider to clinch the Moto3 world title after Álex Márquez (18 years 200 days old), Maverick Viñales (18 years 302 days old) and Joan Mir (20 years 51 days old).
• Martín has won seven races so far this season, equaling Luis Salom (2013) and Brad Binder in 2016 in the Moto3™ class.
• Martín has won eight races in his career so far, equalling Maverick Viñales, Alex Rins and Danny Kent in fourth place on the list of riders with most wins in the Moto3 class since 2012.
• Martín has stood on the podium nine times this season so far and 19 in the Moto3 class, one less than Luis Salom and Brad Binder, who both stand in fifth place on the list of riders with most podium finishes in the class.
• With 19 podium finishes, Martín is now in fourth place on the list of Spanish riders with most podium finishes in the Moto3 class after Álex Rins (23), Maverick Viñales (22) and Luis Salom (20).
• This is the fourth successive year that a rider who comes from the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup has won the world title, after Brad Binder, Danny Kent and Joan Mir.
• Martín became the second rider to clinch a Grand Prix world title after winning the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup, along with Johann Zarco (2008).
• Jorge Martín has qualified on pole position 20 times in Moto3, a record in the class. His closest rival is Álex Rins with 13, followed by Enea Bastianini with 9. In addition, he took pole five times in a row from Jerez to Assen in 2017, a record streak in the Moto3 class.
• This is the fourth time that a Honda rider has won the Moto3 world title, adding to the championships won by Álex Marquez (2014), Danny Kent (2015) and Joan Mir (2017).
• Martín (186) belongs to the list of four riders who have led more than 150 laps since the introduction of the Moto3 class in 2012, along with Romano Fenati (265), Maverick Viñales (234) and Álex Rins (173).
Source: MCNews.com.au
Malaysian MotoGP starts at 1600 AEDT | Marquez penalised
Marquez takes pole then has it taken off him
Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) secured an 80th career pole position after he was the early master of the wet Q2 conditions at the Shell Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix, but there was a small bump back to Earth not long after for the reigning World Champion as he later crashed – and then another hit when he was given a six-place grid penalty for irresponsible riding.
Marquez impeded Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and will now start seventh. It did not look like a purposeful act but a momentary brain fade, while the Spaniard himself was baulked in the session by Valentino Rossi at one point, but both men were amicable about the mistake. The penalty for Marquez is quite a blow as the Spaniard was simply on another level during qualiying, dominating the session throughout and looking untouchable in the tricky conditions.
Marquez’ heavy penalty means we have Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) now on top after going second quickest in the session. Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) starts second, and fittingly, it’s Iannone now completing that front row.
The MotoGP race starts at the earlier time of 13:00 local time – which makes it 1600 Australian Eastern Daylight Savings Time.
How QP progressed
Marquez had led the field over the line and set the first benchmark; a 2:13.641 to edge out Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing), who was just behind the Spaniard on track. Iannone was also within a tenth after the first lap, with a mere 0.051 splitting the top three, but with a banker lap under his belt, Marquez then slammed in a rapid second lap to considerably shift the goal posts. A 2:12.161 put him a full 1.264 quicker than the man who’d taken over at the top, Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Racing), as the World Champion put some serious daylight between himself and his rivals. The Repsol Honda rider then lost the front at Turn 4, however, and there was no saving this one.
The field then set about trying to beat Marquez’ marker. Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) shot up to P2 but was still over a second off and then on his final flying lap and then Italian crashed at Turn 9, before Iannone went up to P2 but the gap was remained 0.936. A flying Frenchman then propelled himself into second with Zarco cutting the gap to eight tenths and fellow YZR-M1 rider Rossi then leapfrogging him. Could either go one better on their final attempt?
Zarco put in a personal best lap to re-take P2 from ‘The Doctor’, but the gap between the number 93 and his rivals remained 0.548 after a masterclass from Marquez for his 80th career pole position across all classes. Then, though, news came through of the penalty and although it remains a Marquez pole in the statistics, he’ll be starting seventh.
Marc Marquez – P1 then demoted to P7
“I think that being able to quickly adapt to sudden changes in track conditions is one of my strong points. Today I took advantage of that, even if, honestly, it wasn’t easy. It was the first time this weekend we rode in the wet, and we even crashed. But the feeling was there and we achieved the pole position, which is a good feeling even if we’ll ultimately start from the third row. The most important thing is that we made a huge step forward with the setup in dry conditions, and now I think we’re competitive. I also adapted my riding style a bit, and now we’re closer to the faster guys, who here are Dovizioso and Viñales. Now we’ll see which conditions we’ll have tomorrow, then we’ll try and make a good start and if possible we’ll fight for the podium.”
Johann Zarco – P2
“We started with soft-soft and could see that Aleix (Esparagaro) went well with these tyres. I tried to do it, but it didn’t work and I said to myself, it’s not normal that I’m that slow. So I stopped to change to the other bike and asked to put in the medium rear. We already planned to use the harder front tyre. From the first lap, I knew something is possible. On the last lap, my feeling was great, but I was sliding on the rear in turn three and in turn four. I got quite some signals and lost a few tenths, so I wasn’t sure if I could have done the lap time of Marc (Marquez). Anyway, it was great. I enjoy the second place and wish for a podium tomorrow.”
Valentino Rossi – P3
“This kind of situation is always difficult, because you have to go into the qualifying with no data and no feeling. I’m very happy about the front row and I’m also happy because I have a good feeling with the bike, I could ride it in a good way. I tried qualifying with a soft rear, Márquez and Zarco used the medium. I ran into some traffic, I had to fight with Bautista a bit. But in the end this result is good, because at a certain point we thought we weren’t going to do the qualifying, so starting from the front row is very important. The race tomorrow will be held earlier, which I think is very clever, because at three o’clock the conditions are always bad here, every day. Maybe we can have a dry race, or at least race with a normal amount of water.”
Andrea Iannone – P4
“Today has not been easy, but it was much better than yesterday because we improved a lot with the bike and the feeling. I end today with a positive feeling and this is important for me. Unfortunately in my last flying lap I got held up at corner 9 and I lost 4-tenths of a second, without that my final time could have been even faster. That was a shame but finally I will start on the first row which is a good position. Tomorrow will be hard but we feel ready.”
That means Dovizioso starts fourth despite his crash, with fellow Desmosedici rider Miller ending the session P6 after setting his best lap on his final lap. Milerl now starts in the middle of a second row completed by teammate Danilo Petrucci.
Andrea Dovizioso – P5
“Today we had to adapt to the different situations that we encountered on the track, both in the morning and the afternoon, and as a result we were unable to try everything we had planned. Both Marquez and Viñales improved their pace and I think that tomorrow there will be a group of riders fighting for the leading positions. In Q2 I made a mistake and crashed on my best lap. We also had to use a front tyre that was too hard, like many other riders, and I entered Turn 9 too quickly and slid onto the grass. Pity because we could have started from the front row, but in any case it was important to be able to lap on the wet asphalt in case it rains tomorrow in the race. In any case I believe we can be competitive both in the dry and the wet.”
Jack Miller – P6
“If I have to be honest I was convinced that I could win the front row but in the second time attack the front tyre started to deteriorate a lot. Starting from the second row is still a good result also in light of the race pace that throughout the weekend was very positive”.
Danilo Petrucci – P7
“After the first run I had a lot of confidence. We decided to try the soft rain tyre at the rear but only afterwards we realized that it was less performing than the medium one. I don’t know what the weather will be like tomorrow but I am confident I can stay in the Top 5”.
Marquez heads Row 3, ahead of Friday’s quickest rider Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Q1 graduate Alvaro Bautista (Angel Nieto Team).
Alex Rins – P8
“I think today was a really good and solid day, especially as we tested our rhythm with used tyres and it wasn’t bad. Qualifying was a bit of a shame because our strategy could have been different, if I had stopped to change the tyre I could have been closer to the front. But we’re happy with the grid position anyway and we’ll try and get a good start tomorrow and be fast.”
Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team), Australian GP winner Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) line up on a super-powered Row 4.
Maverick Viñales – P11
“We didn’t have a good attempt during today’s qualifying. The bike wasn’t working well, so it was difficult. What’s certain is that it wasn’t the tyre that caused the problem, it was the bike set-up for the wet, so that’s what the team needs to work on. In the dry we already set up the bike quite well. I don’t know what I should expect for tomorrow’s race, but it will be very interesting. In any case, we have a much better prospect now the schedule for tomorrow has changed, because the chance of rain is higher at three o’clock than it is at one. So, I hope the track will stay dry, because that’s when I feel the best. We have to see, but in FP4 I was really fast, and I felt so good on the bike. I think I can overtake quite fast at this track because the bike is good on acceleration. I need to concentrate on the start, and let’s see if I can make my best start of the year!”
MotoGP Qualifying Results
| 2018 Sepang MotoGP Q2 Qualification | |||
| Pos | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1. | Marquez M. | Repsol Honda | 2:12.161 |
| 2. | Zarco J. | Monster Tech 3 | +0.548 |
| 3. | Rossi V. | Movistar Yamaha | +0.848 |
| 4. | Iannone A. | Team Suzuki Ecstar | +0.936 |
| 5. | Dovizioso A. | Ducati Team | +1.022 |
| 6. | Miller J. | Alma Pramac Racing | +1.113 |
| 7. | Petrucci D. | Alma Pramac Racing | +1.252 |
| 8. | Rins A. | Team Suzuki Ecstar | +1.302 |
| 9. | Bautista A. | Angel Nieto Team | +2.024 |
| 10. | Pedrosa D. | Repsol Honda | +2.282 |
| 11. | Vinales M. | Movistar Yamaha | +2.695 |
| 12. | Espargaro A. | Aprilia Racing Team Gresini | +3.179 |
| 2018 Sepang MotoGP Q1 Qualification | |||
| Pos | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1. | Bautista A. | Angel Nieto Team | 2:13.311 |
| 2. | Espargaro A. | Aprilia Racing Team Gresini | +0.024 |
| 3. | Redding S. | Aprilia Racing Team Gresini | +0.475 |
| 4. | Pirro M. | Ducati Team | +0.512 |
| 5. | Simeon X. | Reale Avintia Racing | +0.660 |
| 6. | Espargaro P. | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | +0.821 |
| 7. | Smith B. | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | +1.021 |
| 8. | Luthi T. | Marc VDS Racing Team | +1.532 |
| 9. | Morbidelli F. | Marc VDS Racing Team | +1.683 |
| 10. | Bradl S. | LCR Honda | +2.053 |
| 11. | Abraham K. | Angel Nieto Team | +2.368 |
| 12. | Nakagami T. | LCR Honda | +3.247 |
| 13. | Syahrin H. | Monster Tech 3 | +3.514 |
Moto2
Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) stormed to Moto2 pole position at the Shell Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix, setting the only laptime in the 2:05s to better closest challenger Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46) by a stunning 0.488 seconds. Marquez Fabio Quartararo (MB Conveyors – Speed Up) completing the front row of the grid at the Sepang International Circuit – with ‘El Diablo’ 0.666 off the top…
From the outset, it was Marquez who looked menacing and sure enough on his third flying lap, the Spaniard set a sensational 2:05.629 to go 0.692 faster than anyone else. The gauntlet was well and truly thrown down, with Quartararo and Remy Gardner (Tech 3 Racing) sitting as his two closest challengers in P2 and P3 – 0.026 separating the duo, with Marini just 0.009 off a provisional front row with 15 minutes to go.
The timing screens then went stagnant in Sepang and that seemed to be that, with no one able to vastly improve on their early laps. However, this then changed when Marini went from P4 to P2 with under five minutes remaining, although the gap to Marquez was still 0.488. Quartararo, after being pushed down to P3 by Marini, then set a personal best but it wasn’t quite enough to improve his position as the standings were set.
So it was Marquez who took pole – despite a late crash at Turn 1 – to continue his dominant weekend, with Marini and Quartararo joining him on the front row. Fourth place went to Gardner, the Australian producing career-best qualifying in P4 to finish just 0.052 off the front row, with Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team) lining up alongside him in P5. Championship leader Francesco Bagnaia (Sky Racing Team VR46) completes the second row ahead of his second match point on Sunday.
Remy Gardner – P4
“Today has been a very positive day. I did a really first lap on the first exit of Qualifying, luckily, because then the track went hotter and it was a lot more greasy towards the end. Also the tyres only lasted for one lap. I managed to put a pretty decent lap together in the first lap and we were sitting in P3 for a while all the way until the last two minutes. We put in a new set of tyres again and I tried, but it was just really difficult out there. Quartararo did a good job to pass me in these conditions. We were close to parc fermé, but not in, anyway, I don’t think it’s going to change a lot for tomorrow. We still need to work on our race pace in the Warm up, but I’m happy.”
His title rival Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) remains close, however. The Portuguese rider was heads up Row 3 and was just 0.068 in arrears – with the duo also having played a little bit of cat and mouse in qualifying. Xavi Vierge (Dynavolt Intact GP) ended qualifying in P8, 0.070 away from Oliveira, with Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Marcel Schrötter (Dynavolt Intact GP) completing the top ten.
Marquez looks like he’s going to take some beating in Malaysia. Will he take his first victory of the season? And can Bagnaia seal the World Championship? The two title rivals line up in tandem on the grid, with Oliveira out to put the celebrations on hold.
| Moto2 Qualification | |||
| Pos | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1. | Marquez A. | Estrella Galicia Marc VDS | 2:05.629 |
| 2. | Marini L. | Sky Racing Team VR46 | +0.488 |
| 3. | Quartararo F. | Beta Tools-Speed Up Racing | +0.666 |
| 4. | Gardner R. | Tech 3 Racing | +0.718 |
| 5. | Pasini M. | Italtrans Racing Team | +0.810 |
| 6. | Bagnaia F. | Sky Racing Team VR46 | +0.920 |
| 7. | Oliveira M. | Red Bull KTM Ajo | +0.988 |
| 8. | Vierge X. | Dynavolt Intact GP | +1.058 |
| 9. | Binder B. | Red Bull KTM Ajo | +1.112 |
| 10. | Schrotter M. | Dynavolt Intact GP | +1.113 |
| 11. | Fernandez A. | Pons HP40 | +1.249 |
| 12. | Navarro J. | Federal Oil Gresini | +1.272 |
| 13. | Baldassarri L. | Pons HP40 | +1.335 |
| 14. | Lecuona I. | SWI | +1.412 |
| 15. | Locatelli A. | Italtrans Racing Team | +1.457 |
| 16. | Nagashima T. | Idemitsu Honda Team Asia | +1.591 |
| 17. | Aegerter D. | Kiefer Racing | +1.614 |
| 18. | Mir J. | Estrella Galicia Marc VDS | +1.622 |
| 19. | Pons E. | Pons HP40 | +1.622 |
| 20. | Raffin J. | Garage Plus Interwetten | +1.736 |
| 21. | Lowes S. | SWI | +1.750 |
| 22. | Corsi S. | Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2 | +1.865 |
| 23. | Roberts J. | NTS RW Racing GP | +1.887 |
| 24. | Odendaal S. | NTS RW Racing GP | +1.937 |
| 25. | Pawi K. I. | Idemitsu Honda Team Asia | +2.054 |
| 26. | Tuuli N. | SIC Racing Team | +2.796 |
| 27. | Danilo J. | SAG Team | +2.871 |
| 28. | Pratama D. E. | Federal Oil Gresini | +3.140 |
| 29. | Cardelus X. | Team Stylobike | +3.360 |
| 30. | Vinales I. | Forward Racing Team | +3.895 |
| 31. | Fuligni F. | Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2 | +4.313 |
| 32. | Sucipto R. T. | QMMF Racing Team | +4.924 |
Moto3
Moto3 Championship leader Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) took pole for the 11th time in 2018 at the Shell Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix, setting a new lightweight class qualifying lap record at Sepang. But the Spaniard heads main title rival Marco Bezzecchi (Redox PruestelGP) by just 0.032 to set us up for a Sunday stunner, with Tony Arbolino (Marinelli Snipers Team) continuing his strong weekend to take P3 on the grid.
It was John McPhee (CIP – Green Power) who led for the majority of the session and with 15 minutes remaining, despite Bezzecchi briefly taking over at the top, McPhee had moved the goal posts again – his advantage sitting at an impressive 0.584. That was immediately trimmed to 0.052 with Martin going second fastest, however, and Free Practice’s fastest man Arbolino then jumped up to second – with McPhee then clear at the top by only 0.020.
When it was time for the final lap dash, Martin and Bezzecchi both left it late to head out – the latter crossing the line with just four seconds of the session remaining to begin his final lap. Arbolino, Martin and Bezzecchi were then all up in the opening two sectors, but provisional pole man McPhee was also looking to increase his advantage – and that’s exactly what he did. It was only by 0.060 though, with the three riders behind all on fast laps…
Martin then came across the line to top McPhee’s new benchmark by 0.350, as Arbolino slotted into P2 after he also beat the Scotsman’s time. Bezzecchi then made his final lap count and although he missed out on pole to rival Martin, he was just 0.032 down. The two title rivals therefore start side by side, although the third man in the hunt – Fabio Di Giannantonio (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) – starts down in P13 with a little more work to do.
Joining McPhee on Row 2 are Australian GP winner Albert Arenas (Angel Nieto Team Moto3) and Enea Bastianini (Leopard Racing), who was lingering down in P20 with 15 minutes remaining before a final push, with Row 3 an all-Japanese affair. Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) sits P7 to lead Kazuki Masaki (RBA BOE Skull Rider) and Ayumu Sasaki (Petronas Sprinta Racing) in P8 and P9 respectively. Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) rounds out the top ten; an impressive session from the Italian as he continues to recover from his Japanese GP injuries.
It’s match point to Martin in Malaysia, but with Bezzecchi breathing down his neck on the starting line, another awesome Moto3 race looks set to take place.
| Moto3 Qualification | |||
| Pos | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1. | Martin J. | Del Conca Gresini Racing | 2:11.731 |
| 2. | Bezzecchi M. | PruestlGP | +0.032 |
| 3. | Arbolino T. | Marinelli Snipers Team | +0.334 |
| 4. | Mcphee J. | CIP Green Power | +0.350 |
| 5. | Arenas A. | Angel Nieto Team Moto3 | +0.480 |
| 6. | Bastianini E. | Leopard Racing | +0.491 |
| 7. | Suzuki T. | SIC58 Squadra Corse | +0.812 |
| 8. | Masaki K. | RBA BOE Skull Rider | +0.896 |
| 9. | Sasaki A. | Petronas Sprinta Racing | +0.906 |
| 10. | Antonelli N. | SIC58 Squadra Corse | +0.948 |
| 11. | Binder D. | Red Bull KTM Ajo | +1.017 |
| 12. | Vietti C. | Sky Racing Team VR46 | +1.032 |
| 13. | Di Giannantonio F. | Del Conca Gresini Racing | +1.066 |
| 14. | Dalla Porta L. | Leopard Racing | +1.081 |
| 15. | Canet A. | Estrella Galicia 0,0 | +1.142 |
| 16. | Foggia D. | Sky Racing Team VR46 | +1.209 |
| 17. | Lopez A. | Estrella Galicia 0,0 | +1.244 |
| 18. | Norrodin A. | Petronas Sprinta Racing | +1.358 |
| 19. | Ramirez M. | Bester Capital Dubai | +1.382 |
| 20. | Toba K. | Idemitsu Honda Team Asia | +1.429 |
| 21. | Perez V. | Reale Avintia Academy | +1.450 |
| 22. | Kornfeil J. | PruestlGP | +1.913 |
| 23. | Migno A. | Angel Nieto Team Moto3 | +1.948 |
| 24. | Atiratphuvapat N. | Idemitsu Honda Team Asia | +1.987 |
| 25. | Oettl P. | Sudmetall Schedl GP Racing | +2.224 |
| 26. | Wongthananon A. | VR46 Master Camp Team | +2.771 |
| 27. | Nepa S. | CIP Green Power | +2.961 |
| 28. | Yurchenko M. | Marinelli Snipers Team | +3.137 |
Source: MCNews.com.au
Dani Pedrosa P10 Qualifying Malaysia
P10. Hoy hemos mejorado algunos aspectos, pero no lo suficiente como salir en buena posición de parrilla. A ver mañana las condiciones y si podemos hacer una buena salida. /Today we have improved some aspects, but not enough as to get a good grid position. Let’s see the conditions tomorrow and if we can do a good start.
#DP26 #MalaysianGP #RepsolHondaTeam
Source: Dani Pedrosa on Facebook
POLE POSITION! 🌧#MalaysianGP- UPDATE: Penalty! Tomorrow we will start from #Level7 (7th)😅✊🏼
POLE POSITION! 🌧
#MalaysianGP
- UPDATE: Penalty! Tomorrow we will start from #Level7 (7th)😅✊🏼
Source: Marc Márquez on Facebook
