Conditions were spot on for the intermediate class to better their Friday times and every rider did so, with a place in the top 14 and Q2 beckoning. The two Speed Up riders were at the sharp end of the times from the off and it was home rider Navarro who would end FP3 at the top of the combined standings thanks to an early flying lap – but only just. 0.068 is the gap between the top five riders in Moto2™ heading into qualifying, with SKY Racing Team VR46’s Luca Marini fourth at the end of play, the Italian also getting his work done in the early stages of the session to sit 0.017 off Lowes.
However, FP3 would end badly for Petronas Yamaha SRT. Franco Morbidelli, while battling to keep his place in the top ten, suffered a big highside at Turn 13, with Quartararo then experiencing his first premier class crash at Turn 2 – luckily for the 20-year-old, he was safe from dropping out the top ten.
Yesterday’s pace setters, Estrella Galicia 0,0’s Sergio Garcia and Alonso Lopez, did improve from yesterday but slipped back to seventh and eighth place respectively. They finished just ahead of another pair of teammates in Leopard Racing’s Marcos Ramirez and Lorenzo Dalla Porta, who rounded out the top ten.
Going on a night ride can be a calming and exhilarating experience for any motorcycle enthusiast. The absence of traffic and more quiet surroundings are just some of the reasons why riding at night is worthwhile.
But apart from quiet and open streets, bikers still face considerable risks as the streets go darker and darker. Accidents are more likely to happen during the night, so you will have to be extra careful when they begin their journey at sundown.
For that, let’s take a look at a few practical tips to keep yourself safe and secured.
Check your lights
Perhaps the most important bit of maintenance you should be routinely performing is checking and testing your lights. For this, focus on the headlight and turn signals. Electrical issues can cause these lights to malfunction, so you should be able to check for wiring problems. Most commonly, you will just need to replace the bulbs for when they burn out. The last thing you want as a biker on the roads at night is for people driving a car or truck to be unable to see you.
Keep yourself visible
You could thank street lamps for illuminating your path, but when you’re in certain areas where you’re almost invisible, you might want to make sure that you and your bike are highly visible to other motorists. One option is to install LED lights. You can also wear reflective jackets and pants and add reflective tape to certain parts of your motorcycle. Not only will these approaches help you avoid oncoming traffic, but they will also protect you from the dangers lurking behind every corner.
Drive sober
If driving under the influence during the day is considered dangerous, then a night ride after a few drinks is a deathwish. Many motorcycle accidents are caused by irresponsible riders. Going on a late night drinking spree won’t be all that worthwhile if you’d end up spending the rest of the night in the hospital, or worse. Never give in to the temptation if you really want to get home in one piece. But often, there will be a traffic collision in which you’re not the one who’s intoxicated. Especially if you’re left with major fractures and made to go on an extensive hospital stay, you will need to work with a drunk driving lawyer who can help you get properly compensated after an accident.
Stay alert
Drunk drivers are the only risks you should worry about during a night ride. You also need to be cautious of places where animals cross as well as other obstacles on the road such as open manholes, road bumps, and traffic cones. As a good rule of thumb, you should be able to regulate your speed. Doing so gives you enough time to react on the last minute after spotting an obstruction.
You can’t really avoid going on a night ride where there are too many risks to your safety. But with these tips in mind, you can avoid being another casualty in the dark.
The UK Department of Transport will test the prototype cameras in the coming months, but will not fine offenders.
Yet!
Noise cameras
“New camera technology to be trialled by the government aims to measure the sound levels of passing vehicles to detect those that are breaking the law on noise limits, and could use automated number plate recognition to help enforce the law,” the UK Department of Transport notice says.
“Research commissioned by the Department for Transport, found that a noise camera system could help tackle extremely noisy vehicles which breach legal noise limits.
“It could also help to catch those who rev car or motorcycle engines beyond legal limits, making life a misery for those who live close by.”
While the UK DoT could not supply us with any images of the camera, they did provide this tiny drawing showing a camera pointed at an oncoming car.
However, the noise cameras would take away the subjectivity and provide authorities with a method of fining offenders like a speed camera.
Police conduct roadside noise test at Mt Tamborine
Australia is watching and listening
We contacted police and road authorities in each state to gauge their interest in the noise cameras.
We received mainly non-committal replies saying they monitor the development and introduction of all traffic enforcement technologies around the world.
WA Police were the only ones to admit they are aware of the UK prototype noise cameras.
“While there are no current plans to trial such a camera in Western Australia, as with all emerging technologies, WA Police Force will monitor the activity in the UK and seek information on its operational effectiveness,” a media spokesperson told us.
UK Motorcycle Industry Association CEO Tony Campbell supports the trial.
“With growing pressure on the environment, including noise pollution, illegal exhausts fitted by some riders attract unwanted attention to the motorcycle community and do nothing to promote the many benefits motorcycles can offer,” he says.
“All manufacturers produce new motorcycles that follow strict regulations regarding noise and emissions and we welcome these trials as a potential way of detecting excessive noise in our community.”
Returned riders who have had several years off the motorcycle for various reasons, may be over-represented in the crash statistics, but that is no reason not to ride. (Above photo used for humour reasons only!)
Some say the statistics are a furphy, while others (such as Professor Narelle Haworth of the QUT Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety) suggest returned riders should re-sit their licence.
If you are thinking about buying one of those shiny, new, high-powered sports bikes like the racers ride or that you used to race, you probably should reconsider.
Your ageing body might not be able to tolerate the crouched riding position any more. Perhaps a more upright type of bike would be better.
Seriously consider what type of riding you want to do, ask fellow riders for their tips and search through our reviews section.
Are you going to ride to your local cafe, commute daily, tour long distances or ride off the beaten track? This will determine what type of bike you should buy.
Make sure the bike suits your needs … and your height!
You don’t necessarily need the newest, biggest, most powerful or the most technological bike.
In fact, if you are a little wary you could drop it in your driveway, it might be best to start with a cheaper and lower-powered bike to get back into riding.
After all, you definitely will be upgrading your bike every couple of years. That’s just standard practice among mature-aged riders.
Be aware that most modern bikes at least have ABS which you may not be used to on a motorcycle.
When it was introduced to cars, there were many crashes where drivers felt the unusual pulse through the brake pedal and let go of the brakes.
The same can happen with a motorcycle.
Returned riders
Just kidding, folks!
Which brings us to the rider.
If you’ve not ridden a bike with ABS, you will need to learn how to use it correctly.
That means going back to school, or at least an advanced rider class.
There are many available and they are all pretty good and a great amount of fun.
If the courses are graded, start at the bottom and work your way up to advanced levels and maybe even track days on a closed circuit.
You can also brush up on your riding theory by checking out the many articles in our Tips/training section.
Riding requires a 100% commitment to concentrating on the road and its many hazards. Anything less can be lethal.
Frenchman Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) came straight out of the blocks at Catalunya’s seventh round of the 2019 MotoGP World Championship to top Friday’s timesheets.
Quick in FP1 and his fastest in FP2 enough to take over at the top, he ends Friday clear of the competition by almost three tenths. That competition made it an impressive four factories in the top four, however, with Andrea Dovizioso (Mission Winnow Ducati) in P2, Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) in third and Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) in fourth.
The morning session was a fairly quiet one by MotoGP standards, with a bit of a hairy entrance into turn 10 for Australian Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) and a little snap at the same place for Marquez two of the stand outs.
But it would nevertheless prove a crucial session for the reigning champion as he was the only rider in the top 10 who didn’t improve his lap time in the afternoon. He didn’t fit a new soft tyre but was able to stay in ninth, so the ‘extra’ tyre on Saturday could prove a masterstroke.
Marquez also ran with the Ducatis in the afternoon – much to their mild chagrin – as Dovizioso and teammate Danilo Petrucci (Mission Winnow Ducati) had headed out in tandem. They kept the advantage on the combined timesheets though, with ‘DesmoDovi’ in second and ‘Petrux’ taking P8, just ahead of the number 93.
So behind the four-factory fight at the top and those standout performances from the likes of Nakagami and Pol Espargaro, who impressed next? Second rookie Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing) put his Ducati in fifth and would doubtless have been the rookie talking point of the day if not for the Frenchman at the top, and Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) took P6 to again make it both the Independent Team Yamahas ahead of the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP bikes.
It wasn’t by much at Catalunya, however, with Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) an infinitesimal 0.003s behind compatriot and VR46 Riders Academy member Morbidelli. After a tougher run of late, especially on Friday and Saturday, it was a big step forward for the ‘Doctor’ at a venue he’s reigned more than anyone.
Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol), meanwhile, completes the top 10 to slot in behind Petrucci and Marquez. The Brit was only 0.01s0 behind Marquez, too, with those two Hondas trailing Nakagami’s best lap by a couple of tenths. But then the number 93, as aforementioned, didn’t pop in a fresh soft tyre.
And neither did Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar), who finishes Friday in P11 and therefore outside the automatic graduation zone to Q2. The Suzuki rider also suffered a crash, but the weather forecast is fine for the weekend and Saturday is another day, so both he and Marquez will be gunning for a hot lap in FP3.
The likes of Jorge Lorenzo (Repsol Honda Team) in P14 and Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) in P15 will be rushing to join them too, with Vinales one who, along with Jack Miller, dropped down the timesheets in the afternoon.
FP1 pacesetter Tom Luthi (Dynavolt Intact GP) kept Moto2 day one honours at Catalunya after his 1m44.673s went unbeaten in the afternoon, with Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) and HDR Heidrun Speed Up’s Jorge Navarro completing the top three and just 0.067s between them. Australian Remy Gardner (SAG Racing Team) was eighth fastest.
Alonso Lopez led rookie teammate Sergio Garcia to an Estrella Galicia 0,0 1-2 in the Moto3 category, with the two Spaniards having topped FP1 and no one able to overturn them in the afternoon. FP2’s quickest man was Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing), and he slots into third on the combined timesheets as he chases the Championship lead this weekend.
Who’s not a sucker for a nice new helmet? Especially when it’s a hand-built super-zoot high-end one from Arai. Our lead photo is the new HONDA XD-4 AFRICA TWIN, with officially licensed Honda graphics. But wait, there’s more.
Arai Press Release:
CORSAIR-X ISLE OF MAN GRAPHIC
Arai’s new 2019 Corsair-X Isle of Man Limited Edition graphic is available with an intermediate-oval interior shape and features all of Arai’s latest features and benefits. The new graphic arrives in dealerships early June.
SIGNET-X DYNO
The Signet-X Dyno graphic is new to the model line up with an MSRP of $829.95, and is available in Red, Yellow or White Frost.
ARAI DT-X SUZUKI ECSTAR
The Suzuki exclusive Arai DT-X Suzuki Ecstar, with an Intermediate Oval interior shape, can be found online or at Suzuki dealerships.
THE ALL-NEW ARAI RAM-X
Arai’s new open face RAM-X helmet is now in authorized Arai dealers. It comes packed with features, such as the Pro Shade, Pinlock Lens, and new VAS-Z shield system.
As this video shows, you can convert the gauntlet glove into a short summer glove in seconds and then quickly pull a fully waterproof cover over them.
The goat skin gloves are not cheap at €179.99 (about 294) but they may the only pair of gloves you will ever need. They also only come in sizes large to 3XL.
Siima founder Giorgos Evripidou says the gloves are Euro approved, designed in Cyprus and made in Indonesia.
He says that since I had written about the lack of such an all-round, all-weather glove, he would send me a pair to review, so stay tuned.
All-weather travel glove
The Sibirsky Adventure Glove is designed for riders who spend long days in the saddle, travel a long distance and in all types of weather.
They feature a four-way air mesh in between fingers to allow a steady air flow for the hot summer months, while the inner shell is Thermolite for warmth.
It will be interesting to see how these seemingly conflicting vents and liner work in different temperatures.
You could always pull on the thin but fully waterproof overglove to add some warmth.
We are also interested to see if the overglove makes them cumbersome and isolates the feeling of your fingers from the throttle and levers.
Siima says the gloves have 11 “protection points” of armour or extra leather thickness on the palm, knuckle, fingers and wrist.
Some other great features are a wiper blade on the left index finger, a pull string on the overgloves to seal against the rain and a grip patch on the palm for better throttle grip.
They also feature touchscreen-sensitive index and middle fingers. We’ve tried these before on other gloves and found some work better than others, so we shall see.
Sibirsky Adventure Glove tech specs
TPR flexible ventilated knuckle protector,
TPR finger knuckles,
Superfabric palm slider,
Carbon PU upper wrist protector,
Superfabric back thumb reinforcement,
Drum-dyed goatskin (outer shell),
Thermolite insulation for all-season temperature regulation (inner shell),
180gr bemberg +5mm sponge (inner shell),
Reflective stripes for night visibility (gloves & rain overgloves),
Fabio Quartararo has taken top honours on Friday at Catalunya, topping the timesheets and leading the way following arm pump surgery, proving fast in FP1 and fastest in FP2, with a three-tenths lead in Saturday. That competition made it an impressive four factories in the top four, however, with Andrea Dovizioso in P2, Takaaki Nakagami in third and Pol Espargaro in fourth – with all three within 0.033 on the chase.
Fabio Quartararo
“Today was a great day. We were first on the combined timesheets and I had a great feeling. I didn’t know how my arm would react after my operation, but things went very well. I had some pain to deal with, but I feel good. The first run was hard, but after a while everything went better. It was a matter of getting used to the pain, but I didn’t expect to go so well at this Grand Prix. We have to stay calm, which is the most important thing. We have a lot of work to do tomorrow morning and of course we will do our best to get onto the front row, but right now our goal is to be on the first three rows and go straight into Q2. We’ll see if we can have a good qualifying.”
Fabio Quartararo – Catalunya MotoGP 2019
The morning session was a fairly quiet one by MotoGP standards, with a bit of a hairy entrance into Turn 10 for Jack Miller and a little snap at the same place for Marquez two of the stand outs. But it would nevertheless prove a crucial session for the reigning Champion as he was the only rider in the top ten who didn’t improve his laptime in the afternoon. He didn’t fit a new soft tyre but was able to stay in ninth, so the ‘extra’ tyre on Saturday could prove a masterstroke.
Andrea Dovizioso – Catalunya MotoGP 2019
Marquez also ran with the Ducatis in the afternoon – much to their mild chagrin – as Dovizioso and teammate Danilo Petrucci had headed out in tandem. They kept the advantage on the combined timesheets though, with ‘DesmoDovi’ in second and ‘Petrux’ taking P8, just ahead of the number 93.
Andrea Dovizioso
“I’m satisfied with our performance in this first day of practice, I had a good feeling with the bike and we’ve been fast. As it often happened here in the past, grip is very low and the track’s layout makes tyre management particularly difficult, especially considering the higher temperatures forecast for the rest of the weekend. However, I believe everyone is struggling under this aspect. We have work left to do ahead of the race: we’re still evaluating the different tyre compounds available and we need to improve the front-end feeling, but my sensations are good and so are the lap times, so I’m confident.”
Andrea Dovizioso – Catalunya MotoGP 2019
Danilo Petrucci
“My feeling on the bike is quite good, even though this morning we encountered an atypical issue with rear grip, which slowed our program down a little bit. In FP2 we made a big step forward, even though there is still room for improvement. We’re not far from the front in terms of pace, while we’re still not at our best on the flying lap because I struggle in corner entry as I feel little support from the rear. We have clear ideas about what changes to make on the bike and we defined our work program for tomorrow, so I’m optimistic.”
Danilo Petrucci – Catalunya MotoGP 2019
So behind the four-factory fight at the top and those standout performances from the likes of Nakagami and Pol Espargaro, who impressed next? Second rookie Francesco Bagnaia put his Ducati in fifth and would doubtless have been the rookie talking point of the day if not for the Frenchman at the top, and Franco Morbidelli took P6 to again make it both the Independent Team Yamahas ahead of the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP bikes.
Franco Morbidelli
“It’s been a good day for us. In the morning we found things a little harder, but we improved a lot in the afternoon. The grip level was not fantastic, so we suffered in that aspect, but our speed and pace were good, and I felt strong when going for a fast time. I finished sixth, which is not bad. We will have to see what the weather is like on Saturday, but so far I have a good feeling. Tomorrow morning will be different, because it will be colder. Speed is going to be the main aspect for us to improve, and then in the afternoon we’ll have to see what our pace is like.”
Franco Morbidelli – Catalunya MotoGP 2019
It wasn’t by much at Catalunya, however, with Valentino Rossi an infinitesimal 0.003 behind compatriot and VR46 Riders Academy member Morbidelli. After a tougher run of late, especially on Friday and Saturday, it was a big step forward for the ‘Doctor’ at a venue he’s reigned more than anyone.
Valentino Rossi
“The track is good, I like it a lot and, sincerely, today was a positive day for us, because I felt good with the bike and could ride quite well. My pace is not so bad, and I was able to stay inside the top-10 in the morning and in the afternoon. In FP2 it was already hot, but I didn’t feel so bad. It’s true that it wasn’t very, very hot, so we’ll have to see. The first thing is that we’ll try to improve tomorrow, we still have a lot of work to do. Today we worked well and in the afternoon we were able to improve the bike. The most important thing is to stay inside the top-10 tomorrow morning so we can get into Q2, and after that we’ll see what happens in the afternoon in qualifying.”
Valentino Rossi – Catalunya MotoGP 2019
Cal Crutchlow, meanwhile, completes the top ten to slot in behind Petrucci and Marquez. The Brit was only 0.010 behind Marquez, too, with those two Hondas trailing Nakagami’s best lap by a couple of tenths. But then the number 93, as aforementioned, didn’t pop in a fresh soft tyre.
Marc Marquez
“Not a bad day today. We had to change our strategy from the last GP a little bit because it’s important to understand the tyres. If you check the FP2 times, we look like we are far but we were able to do a lot of work and try many tyres and some setup changes. We’re not bad and the position isn’t our real one. I’m happy with all the information that we were able to get.”
Mark Marquez – Catalunya MotoGP 2019
And neither did Alex Rins, who finishes Friday in P11 and therefore outside the automatic graduation zone to Q2. The Suzuki rider also suffered a crash, but the weather forecast is fine for the weekend and Saturday is another day, so both he and Marquez will be gunning for a hot lap in FP3.
The likes of Jorge Lorenzo in P14 and Maverick Viñales in P15 will be rushing to join them too, with Viñales one who, along with Jack Miller, dropped down the timesheets in the afternoon.
Jack Miller
“In general a positive day. The feeling with the bike is very good even if in the second part of the FP2 the soft tires used did not allow me to push. However, we have collected important data for the race. However, there is great confidence in tomorrow’s qualifications.”
Jack Miller – Catalunya MotoGP 2019
See how the cards play out in FP3 as it decides those heading straight through to Q2 at 9:55 (GMT +2) before qualifying begins at 14:10 and the grid for Round 7 is decided.
MotoGP Combined Practice
Pos
Rider
Motorcycle
FP1
FP2
Gap
1
F.Quartararo
YAMAHA
1’40.803
1’40.079
0.000
2
A.Dovizioso
DUCATI
1’41.030
1’40.360
0.281
3
T.Nakagami
HONDA
1’41.040
1’40.381
0.302
4
P.Espargaro
KTM
1’41.410
1’40.393
0.314
5
F.Bagnaia
DUCATI
1’41.530
1’40.471
0.392
6
F.Morbidelli
YAMAHA
1’41.160
1’40.517
0.438
7
V.Rossi
YAMAHA
1’41.190
1’40.520
0.441
8
D.Petrucci
DUCATI
1’41.624
1’40.599
0.520
9
M.Marquez
HONDA
1’40.692
1’40.963
0.613
10
C.Crutchlow
HONDA
1’41.243
1’40.702
0.623
11
A.Rins
SUZUKI
1’41.142
1’40.727
0.648
12
K.Abraham
DUCATI
1’41.972
1’40.727
0.648
13
J.Zarco
KTM
1’41.390
1’40.771
0.692
14
J.Lorenzo
HONDA
1’41.621
1’40.816
0.737
15
M.Viñales
YAMAHA
1’40.872
1’40.847
0.768
16
A.Espargaro
APRILIA
1’41.213
1’40.878
0.799
17
J.Miller
DUCATI
1’41.049
1’40.948
0.869
18
T.Rabat
DUCATI
1’41.603
1’41.007
0.928
19
J.Mir
SUZUKI
1’41.355
1’41.070
0.991
20
M.Oliveira
KTM
1’41.920
1’41.331
1.252
21
A.Iannone
APRILIA
1’41.825
1’41.524
1.445
22
H.Syahrin
KTM
1’42.448
1’41.527
1.448
23
S.Guintoli
SUZUKI
1’42.363
1’41.987
1.908
24
B.Smith
APRILIA
1’42.168
1’42.156
2.077
Moto2
FP1 pacesetter Tom Lüthi kept Moto2 Day 1 honours at the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya after his 1:44.673 went unbeaten in the afternoon, with Alex Marquez and HDR Heidrun Speed Up’s Jorge Navarro completing the top three and just 0.067 between them. The afternoon’s quickest man was Augusto Fernandez and he took P4 overall as one of only three men in the top ten to go faster in FP2.
Tom Luthi – Catalunya MotoGP 2019
Enea Bastianini continued his impressive season in fifth, with the rookie just 0.068 off Fernandez on Friday and ahead of veteran Xavi Vierge. Second rookie honours went to Nicolo Bulega, with the Italian taking P7 as well as putting in a miracle save in the afternoon.
Remy Gardner took P8 despite a crash in the afternoon, with Championship leader Lorenzo Baldassarri down in ninth. He, along with tenth-placed Luca Marini, joined Fernandez in the afternoon improvers’ club. Brad Binder was P11, ahead of rookie Fabio Di Giannantonio, Andrea Locatelli and Simone Corsi.
Remy Gardner
There were a few key incidents on Friday, one of which was a crash for Navarro as he lost the front at Turn 5, and an off for 15th quickest Marcel Schrötter, who’s left as the first of those needing to improve in FP3 to head straight through to Q2. Sam Lowes and Philipp Öttl also crashed.
The intermediate class will be back out on track for FP3 from 10:55 (GMT +2) on Saturday, with Q1 qualifying starting to decide the grid from 15:05.
Moto2 Combined Practice
Pos
Rider
Motorcycle
FP1
FP2
Gap
1
T.Luthi
KALEX
1’44.673
1’44.870
0.000
2
A.Marquez
KALEX
1’44.733
1’44.910
0.060
3
J.Navarro
SPEED UP
1’44.740
1’45.099
0.067
4
A.Fernandez
KALEX
1’44.820
1’44.782
0.109
5
E.Bastianini
KALEX
1’44.850
1’44.994
0.177
6
X.Vierge
KALEX
1’44.905
1’45.301
0.232
7
N.Bulega
KALEX
1’44.934
1’45.451
0.261
8
R.Gardner
KALEX
1’44.950
1’45.579
0.277
9
L.Baldassarri
KALEX
1’45.173
1’44.955
0.282
10
L.Marini
KALEX
1’45.484
1’45.021
0.348
11
B.Binder
KTM
1’45.101
1’45.245
0.428
12
F.Di Giannanto
SPEED UP
1’45.472
1’45.151
0.478
13
A.Locatelli
KALEX
1’45.292
1’45.227
0.554
14
S.Corsi
KALEX
1’45.309
1’45.228
0.555
15
M.Schrotter
KALEX
1’45.250
1’45.462
0.577
16
T.Nagashima
KALEX
1’45.428
1’45.329
0.656
17
B.Bendsneyde
NTS
1’45.793
1’45.349
0.676
18
I.Lecuona
KTM
1’45.393
1’45.900
0.720
19
S.Lowes
KALEX
1’46.034
1’45.419
0.746
20
J.Folger
KALEX
1’45.701
1’45.588
0.915
21
D.Aegerter
MV AGUSTA
1’45.668
1’45.954
0.995
22
S.Odendaal
NTS
1’46.360
1’45.804
1.131
23
J.Martin
KTM
1’45.832
1’46.310
1.159
24
S.Manzi
MV AGUSTA
1’46.133
1’46.176
1.460
25
D.Ekky Pratam
KALEX
1’46.473
1’47.029
1.800
26
S.Chantra
KALEX
1’47.352
1’46.712
2.039
27
J.Dixon
KTM
1’46.724
1’46.839
2.051
28
L.Tulovic
KTM
1’47.509
1’46.725
2.052
29
M.Bezzecchi
KTM
1’46.901
1’46.815
2.142
30
J.Roberts
KTM
1’47.222
1’46.942
2.269
31
P.Oettl
KTM
1’48.374
1’47.340
2.667
32
X.Cardelus
KTM
1’47.830
1’47.632
2.959
Moto3
Alonso Lopez led rookie teammate Sergio Garcia to an Estrella Galicia 0,0 1-2 on Day 1 at the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya, with the two Spaniards having topped FP1 and no one able to overturn them in the afternoon. FP2’s quickest man was Lorenzo Dalla Porta, and he slots into third on the combined timesheets as he chases the Championship lead this weekend.
Alonso Lopez – Catalunya MotoGP 2019
Brief spots of rain affected FP2 but the weather was largely fine on Friday, although conditions didn’t see everyone improve in the latter session. So it’s a mix of FP1 and FP2 best efforts that decides the Friday combined timesheets, with the top three followed by Gabriel Rodrigo from his FP1 time and Tatsuki Suzuki from his FP2 time.
Next up it was a solid opening day for Darryn Binder in sixth, ahead of rookie Can Öncü in a much improved performance for the Turk. Romano Fenati was P8, with Albert Arenas and Niccolo Antonelli completing the top ten.
Kaito Toba, Kazuki Masaki, Marcos Ramirez and Makar Yurchenko complete the fastest fourteen, denying Jaume Masia and John McPhee provisional graduation to Q2.
Lopez was one crasher, down in FP2, and Toba and Dennis Foggia suffered falls in the morning. The fastest 14 on the combined timesheets after FP3 go straight through to Qualifying 2. Tune in to see how it shuffles on Saturday morning from 9:00 (GMT +2), before qualifying begins from 12:35.
