In the final five minutes, Championship leader Dovizioso was P10, 0.010 ahead of Oliveira in 11th. Pol Espargaro crashed at Turn 6 while sitting P7, could that be costly? Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) moved into the top 10 with his best lap of the weekend, Zarco then also went quicker to shift Dovizioso out of the top 10. Oliveira then crashed heavily at Turn 15 as he went for a check-up in the medical centre, later being declared fit, before Bagnaia was down at Turn 6 as the riders pushed for a lap time. And, crucially, the yellow flags were being waved.
Leopard Racing’s Dennis Foggia was another of the men forced to sit out the final 15 minutes but the Italian got his work done nice and early to take seventh on the timesheets. His compatriot, Rivacold Snipers Team’s Tony Arbolino, left it too late though, with the 20-year-old setting his fastest lap with 14 minutes and 50 seconds on the clock meaning it was cancelled and he will, as a result, fight out of Q1 later.
Razgatlioglu fastest at Catalunya WorldSBK on Friday
Section: CompetitionPost: CycleOnline
Rea tops wet second session.
Image: Supplied.
Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Official Team rider Toprak Razgatlioglu ended day one fastest at a rain affected Acerbis Catalunya Round for the Motul FIM Superbike World Championship, with Kawasaki Racing Team’s Jonathan Rea the quickest in the wet afternoon session.
After placing tenth position in the wet session Razgatlioglu admitted he was becoming more comfortable, saying, “Maybe 10th position is not ‘good’, but I feel like I am riding better in these conditions! We are happy with today, everything is working really well in the team and I am enjoying my R1 very much here in Barcelona – maybe too much after FP1, as I made a big ‘stoppie’ for fun but Race Control were not so impressed, so I had to say sorry to them!”
Yamaha were able to capture the top three spots on the order courtesy of Pata Yamaha teammate Michael Van Der Mark and Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team).
Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) was close behind in fourth and confident in the feedback he was getting from the Fireblade. “This afternoon I used the rain tyres for only the second time,” Bautista commented. At first the feedback on the wet track wasn’t great, but we made some changes to improve my feeling and pace during that session and to be honest, by the end, I was feeling quite confident also in the wet.”
Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) completed the top five and was also fastest in the afternoon wet session. Aragon race winner Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team GoEleven) finished sixth with Rea’s teammate Alex Lowes putting the second factory Kawasaki in the top ten. Tom Sykes BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) finished in eighth with Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) left with some work to do as Loris Baz (Team Kate Racing Yamaha) rounded out the top ten.
MotoGP exile Jonas Folger (Bonovo Action by MGM Racing), who is currently also competing in the German IDM Championship, finished 15th after starting well early.
Image: Supplied.
World Supersport competitors were greeted with a dry morning track and damp in the afternoon, with Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) topping the combined timesheets after setting his fastest lap in the morning session.
Isaac Viñales (Kallio Racing) went second and also topped the second practice session ahead of Mahias. Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was third in the standings after the two practice sessions.
Andrea Locatelli (Bardahl Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) finished in fourth place overall and can mathematically clinch the title this weekend. South African rider Steven Odendaal (EAB Ten Kate Racing) finished in fifth place while Corentin Perolari (GMT94) completed the top six.
World Supersport 300 was also disrupted by rain in the afternoon with Bruno Ieraci (Kawasaki GP Project) topping the times after going fastest in the morning session in dry conditions. Group B riders were the first to venture on track this morning but riders from Group A made up the first three positions in the combined standings, with Ieraci leading Koen Meuffels (MTM Kawasaki Motoport) and Championship leader Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki Motoport).
Inigo Iglesias Bravo (Scuderia Maranga Racing) was in fourth place overall for the day, almost matching both Meuffels and Buis on pace during the session and finished as the lead Group B rider for the day. Tom Bramich (Carl Cox – RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) posted a time of 1m 58.193s and finished 19th in Group A, spending the morning learning the track layout. Tom Edwards (Kawasaki ParkinGo Team) was 17th in Group B with a time of 1m 58.423s.
Brad Binder has led a Red Bull KTM Factory Racing resurgence to top Friday practice at the second leg of the Misano MotoGP double header after finishing outside the top ten in last weeks race.
In second place and only a tiny 0.002s behind was Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Indemitsu), with both riders capturing a reversal of fortunes from the previous week. Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) started strongly in third, where he is looking to recapture the championship lead after crashing out last weekend for the first time since the Phillip Island round last year. “I was able to make a bit of a long-run, about 16 laps, all in the 1min 32 seconds and that was really positive,” the Fenchman commented. “Our pace feels good. We have modified the settings a little bit since last week, and I feel a bit better on the bike.”
Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) was the first of the factory Yamaha’s in fourth while Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) completed a positive day for the orange team, where both struggled to make inroads on the top ten just one week ago. The top five all set their fastest time in the afternoon session and are covered by a hairs width 0.071s.
Last weeks winner Franky Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) finished in sixth followed by another podium finisher from last weekend, Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar). Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) put a third KTM in the top ten while Danillo Petrucci (Ducati Team) was the fastest of a string of Ducati’s in ninth place. Johan Zarco (Esponsorama Racing), also on a Ducati, rounded out the top ten.
This leaves a lot of work to be done in FP3 for some of the big names including championship leader Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team), who was marginally quicker than Pecco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing). Australian Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) was further back in 16th, one place behind Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP). Miller was confident for the race, saying, “Today the plan was to find the best solution for Sunday, we worked very well. I think we are in the right way and tomorrow we will try to do the time to make Q2.”
Image: Supplied.
In Moto2, San Marino GP winner Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46) continued his run of form, setting a new lap record of 1min 35.956s of the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. Aron Canet (Inde Aspar Team Moto2), who qualified back in 21st last weekend, put his Speed Up machine in second place by less than a tenth with Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP) completing the top three. Australian Remy Gardner (OneXOX TKKR SAG Team) will not be racing following surgery on his thumb that was required after an accident in Sunday warmup last week. Gardner had qualified on pole for lasts weeks race and has recently announced his signing with the Red Bull KTM Ajo team.
Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing), who last week finished seventh, has set a new all-time lap record on Friday in Moto3, with a lap of 1m 41.663s. This puts him just under three tenths ahead of Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) with Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46) completing the top three.
Eric Granado (Avintia Esponsorama Racing) was another able to reverse his fortunes from last weeks race, topping the timesheet in MotoE and setting a new lap record of 1min 42.910s. Misano local Alex de Angelis (Octo Pramac MotoE) was just behind with three-time Misano winner Matteo Ferrari (Trentino Gresini MotoE) third overall. Australian Josh Hook (Onto Pramac MotoE) sits in 15th spot.
Day one of the Acerbis Catalunya Round for the Motul FIM Superbike World Championship was a day of two halves as the mostly dry weather in the morning made way for mixed conditions in the afternoon; the track conditions at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya slowly improving after a shower soaked the track. Toprak Razgatlioglu (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team) ended the day fastest after posting the best lap time in the dry Free Practice 1 session.
The combined classifications meant Razgatlioglu topped Friday’s running after a flurry of quick laps at the end of Lap 1 changed the order rapidly. The Turkish rider led a Yamaha 1-2-3 as teammate Michael van der Mark and American Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team) finishing the day in third place.
All three riders were running as the session came to a close and kept improving their lap times with Gerloff putting in a stunning lap for third place right at the end of the session; allowing him to finish the day nearly a second clear of team-mate Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team); the Italian in 14th place.
Toprak Razgatlıoğlu – P1
“Today we had a good start in FP1, but I still feel like we still have some work to do to improve more – this is normal after only one session. I’m happy with FP2 as we rode in wet conditions and normally this is my big weakness, but I had a good feeling on the Yamaha R1 today and I could understand the grip levels. Maybe 10th position is not “good”, but I feel like I am riding better in these conditions! We are happy with today, everything is working really well in the team and I am enjoying my R1 very much here in Barcelona – maybe too much after FP1, as I made a big “stoppie” for fun but Race Control were not so impressed, so I had to say sorry to them!”
Toprak Razgatlıoğlu
Michael van der Mark – P2
“Really happy with the first day here in Barcelona, the conditions were different to the test but I felt very good with the bike immediately and the changes we made during FP1 were all positive. The bike’s also quite a lot different to what we had here at the test, so it was really interesting to see how the R1 was performing. I was really happy with how fast we were this morning, and also with the used tyre we had really good pace. In my fast lap I had a small moment, but even with this FP1 was great. FP2 was wet so I waited a little bit to see how track conditions were before I went out with the bike and to be honest I felt really comfortable. I was making progress every lap and in the end we tried a different bike set-up for these conditions but also the track was drying a lot. Happy with my bike, happy with FP1 and I think it was valuable to ride in FP2.”
Michael van der Mark
Paul Denning – Team Principal
“A positive Friday and a good first day here in Barcelona both for us as Pata Yamaha and for WorldSBK. It’s a great facility, the circuit layout is fantastic and, as we hoped, it looks like a more “friendly” track for the R1 by comparison to Aragón. Both Mikey and Toprak had a great feeling straight away in FP1, running competitive and consistent lap times, while also managing to both make impressive laps on fresh rubber at the end of the session to go one and two. Equally important, the wet performance was good, with Mikey right at the sharp end as usual and Toprak improving significantly on what has previously been a weak point for him. Race distance will be a challenge on this circuit in terms of rear tyre durability, but we’ve made a strong start to the weekend and let’s hope it can continue.”
Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) had led the majority of the running in the opening practice session of the day but was one of a handful of riders who did not take to the track in the last few minutes of the session; the Spanish rider finishing the day in fourth place ahead of reigning Champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK).
Alvaro Bautista – P4
“We’ve had a positive day. In FP1 I focused on using just one tyre, as the track is critical in terms of tyre consumption and we don’t have real references here of course. I was really happy with my feeling today and held first place for most of the morning’s session, only losing it when others put in fresh tyres at the end. The bike is giving me more feedback and I’m feeling increasingly in control. This afternoon I used the rain tyres for only the second time. At first the feedback on the wet track wasn’t great, but we made some changes to improve my feeling and pace during that session and to be honest, by the end, I was feeling quite confident also in the wet. So we have some ideas ahead of tomorrow as well as good information regarding tyre life, which I think will be key in the races.”
Alvaro Bautista
Bautista’s Team HRC team-mate, Leon Haslam, finished the day in 18th place but was running towards the front of the field in the wet Free Practice 2.
Leon Haslam – P18
“It was a little tough today. We spent the morning working on the bike and so I only made a couple of flying laps. We weren’t doing too badly in the heavy rain this afternoon but as the track began to dry my feeling wasn’t as good, so we have a few things to reassess. I’m enjoying the track though and those first laps in the rain have helped build my confidence. Tomorrow we’ll use FP3 to make a few changes to try and find better feeling ahead of the Superpole and race one.”
Leon Haslam
Rea had appeared to be unhappy during the early stages of Free Practice 1 but found lap time as the session progressed and ended the day in fifth place, with Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) in eighth place as KRT finished with both bikes inside the top ten as they celebrated their home race. Rea ended the Free Practice 2 as the fastest rider in the wet session.
Jonathan Rea – P5
“In the end I felt quite good with the bike and found a good rhythm. This morning I had some issues in braking, when the lever was coming back too far, so the first half of the session was dealing with that. In the afternoon it was wet so we were just step-by-step finding the conditions. We have never ridden here in the wet so we were just looking out for those slippery areas. I almost got caught out in the afternoon when Maximilian Scheib fell just in front of me – and first of all I want to say that I hope he is OK. I was catching him and he lost the rear on the exit of turn five. I was right there and I got in between the bike and him, so I was so lucky. After day one I feel like we are quite prepared and I have experience in wet and dry conditions now. We know what we are dealing with.”
Jonathan Rea
Alex Lowes – P7
“I felt quite good this morning in the dry session. We used the same tyres for all of FP1 and we went well on them. We had a good test here so even though we did not get any dry track time in the afternoon today we feel quite good with the set-up of the bike. In the rain I tried some different settings on the bike but the track conditions were also drying up and changing so it was a strange session. I have not done many wet laps on the bike before so it was nice to get out in the rain. Now let’s see what the weather is like on Saturday. I feel great and three or four days after the Motorland race I was feeling completely relaxed. It is so nice to be here feeling good, feeling fresh, knowing I can attack the races rather than physically struggle for 20 laps.”
Alex Lowes
Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) finished the day in eighth place as BMW, who were strong in a test at the circuit in July, continue to show good pace at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Tom Sykes – P8
“I am feeling quite good at the end of the day, I also think P8 is not a true reflection of how we performed. We made a few changes to the BMW S 1000 RR this morning, found some good improvements here and there so this is great that we keep moving forward. I was happy with our consistency throughout the session and the gap to the top, before the soft tyres came out at the end. This afternoon we had a wet session and I wanted to see what grip we had available, so I certainly took it easy in the opening stages. Once I had the feeling on the bike the lap times began to come to us, for sure the changes we made in the morning session helped in the wet conditions so to be P3 / P4 and respectable gap to the top boys was pleasing. Obviously towards the end the track began to dry, we did plan to schedule a change but, in those conditions, there was not much need to risk it and as a result dropped down the timing sheets. I feel that today has been very successful and I am looking forward to seeing what tomorrow brings.”
Team-mate Eugene Laverty finished the day in 12th place, just two-tenths outside the top ten.
Eugene Laverty – P12
“Today was a good day, and right from start of the session we were up in the second and third positions for a while. We decided to stay on the used tyre as we were testing a different rear setting on the bike for the race, this meant we got bumped down the order towards the end but reality is we were likely in the top 6, which is the first time this year. The second session we ended up in P9, this was good for us as the last time I rode the bike in the wet was in Phillip Island, which we didn’t have a good feeling on. My aim as normal for tomorrow is to get up into that top 6 in qualifying, this will give us a real good chance for the opening race.”
Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) was classified in ninth place for the day’s running, around seventh tenths away from Razgatlioglu’s pace, with Redding looking to start clawing back some of Rea’s 36-point Championship lead. Teammate Chaz Davies was in 11th place but with little to separate the two Ducati riders on the timesheets.
Scott Redding – P9
“It was a very particular day that allowed us to go out on the track in different conditions. For this reason, I think it was a positive first day at the end of which we collected interesting data. In FP1 the feeling with the bike was good. We worked for a lot with the used tire and at the end of the session, I preferred not to try the time attack. The feelings are positive“.
Scott Redding
Chaz Davies – P11
“I am quite satisfied with what we did today, especially in FP1 in dry conditions. We completed many laps with the same tire and the race pace was incisive. We tried to improve the grip with positive results. The plan of the afternoon was to try other tires solutions but the rain did not allow us to do it. Anyway, I am very confident“.
Chaz Davies
Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) was inside the top ten after Friday’s two practice sessions but was another who showed strong pace in the mixed conditions in the afternoon, finishing sixth in the second practice session although the Frenchman crashed in the latter stages of the session at Turn 7. Xavi Fores (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) finished the day in 13th place after edging close to the top ten, finishing half a second away from Baz in tenth.
Jonas Folger (Bonovo Action by MGM Racing) was 15th after his first day of WorldSBK action after showing promising pace early in the opening session but falling down the order as others improved their lap time. Sylvain Barrier (Brixx Performance) was 19th for the day with Samuele Cavalieri (Barni Racing Team) in 20th on his WorldSBK debut, and rookie Valentin Debise (OUTDO Kawasaki TPR) completing the order.
Leandro Mercado (Motocorsa Racing) was declared unfit for the weekend following a crash in Free Practice 1 after he came off his bike, with the Argentinean taking to a local hospital where he was diagnosed with a right wrist fracture (radius and scaphoid). Takumi Takahashi (MIE Racing HONDA Team) crashed during the wet running at Turn 4; finishing the day in 17th place. Maximilian Scheib (ORELAC Racing VerdNatura) suffered a crash in the wet running in Free Practice 2 at the Turn 4 right-hander causing the session to be Red Flagged; Scheib taking to the medical centre for a check-up following the crash and later declared unfit with a right acromioclavicular joint injury and taken to a local hospital for further assessment.
WorldSBK Friday Combined Times
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
T. Razgatlioglu
Yamaha
1m42.140
2
M. Van Der Mark
Yamaha
+0.169
3
G. Gerloff
Yamaha
+0.338
4
A. Bautista
Honda
+0.373
5
J. Rea
Kawasaki
+0.474
6
M. Rinaldi
Ducati
+0.495
7
A. Lowes
Kawasaki
+0.548
8
T. Sykes
BMW
+0.659
9
S. Redding
Ducati
+0.692
10
L. Baz
Yamaha
+0.699
11
C. Davies
Ducati
+0.733
12
E. Laverty
BMW
+0.887
13
X. Fores
Kawasaki
+1.117
14
F. Caricasulo
Yamaha
+1.457
15
J. Folger
Yamaha
+1.524
16
M. Scheib
Kawasaki
+1.806
17
T. Takahashi
Honda
+2.082
18
L. Haslam
Honda
+2.175
19
S. Barrier
Ducati
+2.698
20
S. Cavalieri
Ducati
+2.832
21
L. Mercado
Ducati
+3.411
22
V. Debise
Kawasaki
+3.521
World Supersport
The FIM Supersport World Championship teams and riders were greeted with dry running in the morning and a damp track in the afternoon as the Championship made its debut at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the inaugural Acerbis Catalunya Round. Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) topped the combined timesheets after setting the pace in the morning Free Practice 1 session.
Lucas Mahias
Mahias posted a time of 1’45.682s to top the timesheets on the opening day of running in Montmelo as he looks to keep his Championship hopes alive across the Catalunya Round weekend. The French rider was less than a tenth clear of Isaac Viñales (Kallio Racing) at the top of the standings, although Viñales did top the second practice session ahead of Mahias. Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was third in the standings after the two practice sessions.
Isaac Viñales
Andrea Locatelli (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team), who can clinch the WorldSSP World Championship title at the Catalunya Round, finished in fourth place overall for the day, with the Italian three tenths away from Mahias’ pace. South African rider Steven Odendaal (EAB Ten Kate Racing) finished in fifth place, matching Locatelli’s time, while Corentin Perolari (GMT94) completed the top six.
Andrea Locatelli
Raffaele de Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) was seventh with Kyle Smith (GMT94 Yamaha), replacing the injured Jules Cluzel, in eighth place; Smith making his return to WorldSSP as a substitute rider. 2019 WorldSSP300 World Champion Manuel Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) was ninth in the classification with Danny Webb (WRP Wepol Racing) completing the top ten in the James Toseland-run team; Webb surviving a trip through the gravel in the first session to post the tenth best time.
Can Öncü (Turkish Racing Team) was 11th fastest after the two sessions but briefly found himself leading the timesheets in Free Practice 2. He finished ahead of Kevin Manfredi (Altogoo Racing Team) with the Italian finishing the day as the highest placed WorldSSP Challenge rider. Estonian rider Hannes Soomer (Kallio Racing) was 13th with Andy Verdoïa (bLU cRU WorldSSP by MS Racing) in 14th and Axel Bassani (Soradis Yamaha Motoxracing) rounding out the top 15.
Miquel Pons (Dynavolt Honda) was the lead Honda rider in 16th place as he edged out teammate Patrick Hobelsberger in 17th place. Peter Sebestyen (OXXO Yamaha Team Toth) was in 18th place after showing impressive form in recent rounds; the Hungarian will look to return to the top ten throughout the weekend.
WorldSSP Friday Times
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
L. Mahias
Kawasaki
1m45.682
2
I. Vinales
Yamaha
+0.059
3
P. Oettl
Kawasaki
+0.231
4
A. Locatelli
Yamaha
+0.258
5
S. Odendaal
Yamaha
+0.289
6
C. Perolari
Yamaha
+0.461
7
R. De Rosa
MV Agusta
+0.730
8
K. Smith
Yamaha
+0.958
9
M. Gonzalez
Kawasaki
+1.065
10
D. Webb
Yamaha
+1.107
11
C. Oncu
Kawasaki
+1.136
12
K. Manfredi
Yamaha
+1.163
13
H. Soomer
Yamaha
+1.180
14
A. Verdoia
Yamaha
+1.583
15
A. Bassani
Yamaha
+1.689
16
M. Pons
Honda
+1.943
17
P. Hobelsberger
Honda
+1.983
18
P. Sebestyen
Yamaha
+2.213
19
F. Fuligni
MV Agusta
+2.588
20
L. Cresson
Yamaha
+2.667
21
A. Ruiz Carranza
Yamaha
+2.714
22
G. Hendra Pratama
Yamaha
+2.985
23
G. Van Straalen
Yamaha
+3.601
24
O. Gutierrez Iglesiasesp Gmt94 Y
Kawasaki
+3.752
25
L. Montella
Kawasaki
+3.771
26
G. Erill
Kawasaki
+4.271
WorldSSP300
FIM Supersport 300 World Championship’s visit to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the Acerbis Catalunya Round was disrupted by rain in the afternoon meaning Bruno Ieraci (Kawasaki GP Project) topped the times after going fastest in the morning Free Practice 1 session with dry conditions with the Italian going two tenths quicker than his nearest rival.
Bruno Ieraci
Group B riders were the first to venture on track this morning but riders from Group A riders made up the first three positions in the combined standings with Ieraci posting a 1’56.453s to lead Koen Meuffels (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT) and Championship leader Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT); Buis continuing his Championship charge by being in the top three in practice.
Koen Meuffels
Inigo Iglesias Bravo (Scuderia Maranga Racing) was in fourth place overall for the day, almost matching both Meuffels and Buis on pace during the session and finished as the lead Group B rider for the day. Yuta Okaya (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT) made it three MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT riders in the top five with fifth place, finishing just ahead of Alan Kroh (Yamaha MS Racing).
Samuel di Sora (Leader Team Flembbo) finished the day in seventh place with Meikon Kawakami (Team Brasil AD 78) in eighth place and Marc Garcia (2R Racing) in ninth; the 2017 WorldSSP300 Champion making his return to the Championship at 2R Racing following Victor Rodriguez Nuñez’s switch to EAB Ten Kate Racing. Angel Heredia (DEZA-ISMABON Racing Team) completed the top ten as he competes at the Catalunya Round as a wildcard.
Tom Booth-Amos (RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki) finished the day in 11th place as the three-time podium finisher missed out on the spot in the top ten by just a tenth of a second, while Ton Kawakami (Yamaha MS Racing) was in 12th, less than a tenth behind Booth-Amos. The top 12 were separated by just six tenths of a second in dry running.
Scott Deroue (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT), currently second in the Championship and 12 points behind teammate Buis, was 15th in the Group B classification as the Dutch rider looks to close the gap on his teammate at the top of the Championship.
In the afternoon session, in the rain in Montmelo, Eunan McGlinchey (Team# 109 Kawasaki) topped the times as teams and riders looked to gather information for any more potential wet running across the weekend. Bahattin Sofuoglu (Biblion Motoxracing Yamaha WorldSSP300) was a faller in the afternoon’s Free Practice 2 session as the Turkish race winner came off his bike at Turn 10 with Sofuoglu able to complete four laps in the session.
Brad Binder tops tight Friday Practice at Misano II
Five riders in less than a tenth and the top ten within 0.444? Sounds about right for the incredibly competitive 2020 MotoGP season, and that was the case on Day 1 of the Gran Premio TISSOT dell’Emilia Romagna e della Riviera di Rimini. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) is the man on top as action draws to a close on Friday, just 0.002 ahead of Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu), with Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) slotting into third. Covering the three is a tiny 0.071…
Brad Binder
FP1
Quartararo began the day as the man to beat, but San Marino GP winner and teammate Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) made for close company as he ended the session within 0.090. Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was third quickest as KTM’s promised step forward in Tuesday testing started to materialise early.
It was a rapid start to proceedings on Friday morning for the premier class riders, with Quartararo’s quickest time just three tenths away from Maverick Viñales’ (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) lap record set in Q2 last weekend. A mini time-attack in the final few minutes is when the Frenchman unleashed his speed, although second place Morbidelli set his best time on the hard rear tyre, which could bode well for the Italian if he’s planning to race it.
Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar), third at Misano last Sunday, was fourth fastest behind Pol Espargaro as the Suzuki rider continued to shine. Mir was 0.205 off Quartararo’s pace, with Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech3) making it two RC16s inside the top five in FP1 with a best time of a 1:31.965 – 0.244 away from Quartararo, in fifth.
It was a tougher session for Mir’s teammate Alex Rins, who escaped a highside as he got spat out his seat a couple of times on the exit of Turn 5, lucky to stay on. The Spaniard did then crash later in the session – rider ok.
FP2
In the opening stages of FP2, Quartararo was the pacesetter on the hard front, medium rear tyre and was setting very impressive lap times – as he did this morning. The Frenchman’s fastest time was a 1:32.320 before he then improved to a 1:32.273 soon after in the opening 15 minutes, with Nakagami sitting second already – 0.099 off the pace.
The two Red Bull KTM Tech 3 riders of Miguel Oliveira and Iker Lecuona were going well as the duo sat P3 and P5, with Pramac Racing’s Jack Miller splitting them in P4. Having said that, Miller, Lecuona and Tito Rabat (Esponsorama Racing) were the only riders to have improved their combined times in the opening 20 minutes of FP2.
The first man to oust Quartararo from the top of the timesheets was San Marino GP podium finisher Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing) as the Italian slammed in a 1:32.138, and then they were off and the times tumbling. Pol Espargaro – a crasher in the early stages of FP2 – recovered from that to really move the goalposts, the Spaniard heading to the top with a 1:31.699 – the first lap quicker than Quartararo’s 1:31.721 from the morning.
Nakagami hit next to go top, by 0.069, as the Japanese rider’s improvements in testing kept impressing. It still wasn’t quite all she wrote, however, as Binder made his move. Tucked in behind lap record holder Viñales, the Brno winner demoted Nakagami to P2 by 0.002 seconds – leaping up the timesheets after P14 in the morning. Viñales, just ahead of the South African on track, went to P4.
Brad Binder
Quartararo couldn’t quite retake the top and slotted into P3, with Viñales improving again abut staying fourth. Pol Espargaro’s 1:31.699 eventually saw him slip to fifth and at the end of the session, you could throw a blanket over the top five – it was that close. Just 0.071 between three manufacturers is a timely reminder of how close the premier class is in 2020!
The top five overall, then, are the top five from FP2: Binder, Nakagami, Quartararo, Viñales and Pol Espargaro. Morbidelli then slots into sixth courtesy of his FP1 time, not improving in the afternoon, with Joan Mir just behind him in seventh and likewise faster in FP1. The same is true of Oliveira, who ends Friday in P8.
Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team) gained some time in the afternoon to take P9 overall and the honour of top Ducati, although not by much. Johann Zarco (Esponsorama Racing) was tenth, Bagnaia 11th and Dovizioso 12th overall – leaving the latter duo especially with work to do on Saturday morning in FP3 if they want to guarantee themselves a place in Q2.
Joining them on the FP3 charge to take a place in Q2 are another two names outside the top ten: Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) in P15 on Day 1, and Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) just behind him. Will they make it through?
Jack Miller has some work to do on Saturday in qualifying but is confident in his race pace
Rider Quotes
Takaaki Nakagami – P2
“It’s a pretty good start for us, I felt so good on the bike. Following the test on Tuesday we’ve definitely improved the bike and my feeling with the bike – we’re much more consistent. We’re also working hard on the qualifying lap, the one lap time, but the lap times overall are more consistent because the bike is more stable. So I’m feeling really good, there are still some sectors we can improve a little, like sector two, and we’ll just keep working hard for qualifying. For tomorrow our target will be to get on the front row, because here the starting grid is really important.”
Takaaki Nakagami
Fabio Quartararo – P3
“Honestly I felt great today. I was able to make a bit of a long-run, about 16 laps, all in the 1min 32 seconds and that was really positive. Our pace feels good. We have modified the settings a little bit since last week, and I feel a bit better on the bike. There are still some areas for improvement, but I’m really looking forward to tomorrow. We tried a time attack on the medium tyre and we were fast. I think the soft has a little bit more potential but we finished less than one tenth from the top on this tyre. I’m also really happy with our practice starts too. The pace is great, which is really important, and we will see what we find tomorrow and Sunday. I want to fight for the pole position again and I’m feeling stronger than last week so we will see.”
Fabio Quartararo
Maverick Vinales – P4
“The feeling for one lap is good, but the only problem is that everything that we tested on Tuesday doesn’t work during the race weekend, because the feeling and the grip level changed. We need to set-up for these conditions in preparation for the race, and we need to try to understand how we can be faster. So, we went back to our standard bike that we finished with last Sunday. We lost a bit of time because of all of this. We have to continue working to find out how to have more grip during the race.”
Maverick Vinales
Franco Morbidelli – P6
“Today was a good Friday. We’ve been reconfirming our speed this morning and checking what the track conditions were like – I felt quite good. This afternoon the conditions were a little bit different and we had to adapt to that. I think we made the right choices and we improved the settings of the bike throughout the day. We were able to have a good pace, so this is positive. I will rest a little bit now before tomorrow, to try to be in even better shape and see where we are. Tomorrow morning it will be important to be fast in our time attacks.”
Franco Morbidelli
Joan Mir – P7
“We tried each rear tyre option today, which gave us good information. The sessions were very competitive today with very close times, and even though everyone has improved since last weekend, we feel that we have taken a step forward too. We’re ready to fight again at the front, so tomorrow we’ll try to improve a few more things and we’ll aim to get a good qualifying position. Let’s see what’s possible!”
Joan Mir
Miguel Oliveira – P8
“It was a nice day of work here. We went faster than in the last Grand Prix, which was obviously the target. We still have some things to adjust for tomorrow morning. I feel good. We know in FP3 it’s going to be very tight to go to Q2, but I believe we can manage to do a decent session and a decent lap. Our pace this afternoon was quite good, which I’m happy about, but we know that this pace here is not enough to do a good result, so we need to be faster tomorrow morning to be with the front.”
Miguel Oliveira
Danilo Petrucci – P9
“After last Tuesday’s test, we were able to take some steps forward. Since this morning, I have been able to have positive sensations on my bike. This afternoon I did a good lap time and, although it will not be enough to get directly into Q2, I am confident because we still have some room for improvements. We hope to be able to do so tomorrow morning in FP3, where it will be crucial to stay in the top ten.”
Danilo Petrucci
Johann Zarco – P10
“I have had a good day, this morning, I went fast from the first moment, although everyone has gone very fast since FP1. We have worked with the medium rear tire, and we are being more competitive with tire than last week, this is good for the race. I had a small crash in the afternoon, when my first lap launched with the soft tire started, it closed from the front on turn 2. Despite not having a wings on the left, I felt I had to continue because there were only 5 minutes left and that was the good tire. I could improve my lap time and stay on the Top-10.”
Pecco Bagnaia – P11
“Today we worked with medium tire because last Sunday Mir and Morbidelli were very fast with this tire so it was very important to try it to understand what will be the best choice. Tomorrow I will be able to do the time attack. I feel good and today we finished the work started last week.”
Pecco Bagnaia
Andrea Dovizioso – P12
“Today, we preferred to focus on the preparations for the race, without worrying too much about the lap times. We have made some progress, but it is still not enough: our rivals have also improved a lot since last Tuesday’s test. In any case, I am confident: we know where we need to work on to be more competitive. Now we need to keep our concentration: tomorrow morning it will be important to close FP3 in the top ten”.
Andrea Dovizioso
Aleix Espargaro – P13
“I am satisfied with this first day. We were more competitive compared to last week. The gaps are obviously very narrow, but the improvement is clear. In the afternoon with the medium compound, which is not my favourite, I was able to lap in the low 32 range. The bike has improved, especially in terms of electronics. Tomorrow we’ll try to go through to Q2 using the soft tyre. I get the impression that there will be ten riders within a tenth of one another, so we’ll need to grit our teeth and maybe stretch out our arms like they do in cycling sprints!”
Aleix Espargaro and Bradley Smith
Iker Lecuona – P14
“In FP1 I was quite happy, because we were working on our pace and I was working on my riding style. We wanted to improve that a bit and I had a good feeling, riding smoother and more relaxed. This afternoon, I put in a good tyre and was a lot closer to the top. On my fastest lap, I did a small mistake, but I did two quick lap times. At the moment, it is difficult to improve further. Anyway, I’m quite satisfied about today, as we are close to the top 10 again. Tomorrow we need to continue to work hard in order to improve this fast lap time.”
Iker Lecuona
Valentino Rossi – P15
“It was a difficult first day. We tried something different on the bike. In the morning I didn’t do a lap on new tyres, I did it this afternoon. Unfortunately, I’m out of the top 10, though I improved on my Friday lap time from last week, because everybody is a lot stronger and faster, like we expected. So, we have to work to raise our level. We have to try something else to improve our pace. We will work on the bike. We haven’t found the right balance yet, but we will continue to work and try again tomorrow morning.”
Valentino Rossi
Jack Miller – P16
“Today the plan was to find the best solution for Sunday, We worked very well, I think we are in the right way. Tomorrow we will try to do the time for being in Q2, I’m feel very confident, we did a massive improvement.”
Jack Miller
Alex Marquez – P17
“Today was a good day. We were able to confirm the step that we made in the test which is really good for us. Today we ended just two tenths from the top ten, so this is also good and shows we are working in the right direction. The plan is to keep working and keep pushing, especially over one lap. We tried some different options for the race and our pace is again looking good. A positive Friday for us.”
Alex Rins – P18
“Today has been a bit difficult for me. During the test on Tuesday I was able to keep a good performance even on used tyres, but today I didn’t capture that same feeling. Finally towards the end of FP2 I started to feel good again and that gives me confidence for race day. This morning in FP1 I had a very big moment, and a big save, and after that I also had a little crash. This didn’t impact my work too much and I’m still focused on tomorrow’s qualifying and Sunday’s race.”
Alex Rins
Tito Rabat – P19
“It’s been a pretty positive day, our fast lap is 1.32.7 a step forward given by having turned 32 today. Tomorrow we will try to take another step forward, today we have finished with positive feelings and continue working as before.”
Tito Rabat
Bradley Smith – P20
“We arrived at the level of the tests and that is a positive aspect. We also tested a few changes that we weren’t able to assess on Tuesday. Using a new engine, I found different sensations today with respect to my base, but I’m confident that we’ll be able check the data and set it up correctly for tomorrow. The situation got steadily better already in the afternoon, but everyone was extremely fast straight away, including Aleix. We’ll need to work hard tomorrow to recover a few tenths which we seem to be lacking at the moment.”
Bradley Smith
Stefan Bradl – Withdrawn
“Unfortunately, I am still having problems with my right arm and I am not able to ride in a safe and consistent way. I spoke with my doctor and we performed a small operation to clean the nerve before this weekend but when they opened my arm, they saw the situation was more complicated than they first thought. I came to Misano with the intention of racing because my doctor told me it would be okay to race. But in this situation, I do not feel I can ride safely over a whole race, together with HRC we have decided to take the rest of the week to recover before Barcelona.”
Davide Brivio – Suzuki Team Manager
“We’ve been keeping working today. Joan had good pace from the start trying different tyres options, and we continued to work on settings with him. Alex also was trying different tyre options and at the end he could find a good combination with good pace. Friday is the day for working on all these things, so at the moment we’re happy with how the day has gone and we’re looking forward to qualifying tomorrow. As we suspected, it’s much more competitive between all the riders this weekend because everyone has one race in the bag already and also a test. But our level was high last weekend, and we’ll try to do well again.”
Massimo Meregalli – Monster Yamaha Team Director
“Today we revisited the items of last Tuesday’s testing programme. The weather conditions for this weekend are expected to be slightly cooler than what we‘ve had previously during the San Marino GP and the Misano Test. Also the track conditions are different from the test, with more rubber on track, so we wanted to use today‘s sessions to see how this affects matters, especially concerning the grip levels. Maverick continues to have a good feeling with the bike for one lap, but he is still working on improving his race pace. He tried using some things he found during the test, but because the track conditions are so different from Tuesday, he went back to the package he used last weekend. Still, he finished only 0.041s from the top of today‘s timesheets. Valentino isn‘t that far off the fastest time either, but the entire rider field is very close. He is now in 15th place in the combined rankings. We expect tomorrow to be intense. If today‘s times are anything to go by, the battle for the top 10 in FP3 will be hard-fought, and also the times in qualifying will be very fast. The team will work hard tonight to prepare another step for FP3 to let Maverick and Valentino face the competition in the best shape possible.”
Friday MotoGP Combined Practice Times
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
B.Binder
KTM
1m31.628
2
T.Nakagami
HONDA
+0.002
3
F.Quartararo
YAMAHA
+0.016
4
M.Viñales
YAMAHA
+0.041
5
P.Espargaro
KTM
+0.071
6
F.Morbidelli
YAMAHA
+0.183
7
J.Mir
SUZUKI
+0.298
8
M.Oliveira
KTM
+0.337
9
D.Petrucci
DUCATI
+0.345
10
J.Zarco
DUCATI
+0.444
11
F.Bagnaia
DUCATI
+0.510
12
A.Dovizioso
DUCATI
+0.524
13
A.Espargaro
APRILIA
+0.557
14
I.Lecuona
KTM
+0.610
15
V.Rossi
YAMAHA
+0.635
16
J.Miller
DUCATI
+0.651
17
A.Marquez
HONDA
+0.741
18
A.Rins
SUZUKI
+0.779
19
T.Rabat
DUCATI
+1.160
20
B.Smith
APRILIA
+1.288
21
S.Bradl
HONDA
+1.756
Moto2
San Marino GP winner Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46) was back on top on Day 1 of the Gran Premio TISSOT dell’Emilia Romagna e della Riviera di Rimini, the Italian’s 1:35.956 a new lap record at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. He only got the better of rookie Aron Canet (Inde Aspar Team Moto2) by less than a tenth, however, with Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP) completing the top three.
FP1
In FP1, Enea Bastianini (Italtrans Racing Team) was top of the pile, 0.171 ahead of Tom Lüthi (Liqui Moly Intact GP) as the Swiss veteran put in an impressive session to get back nearer the front. Last week’s pole position setter, Sam Lowes (EG 0,0 Marc VDS), completed the top three as his Misano pace remained very much intact.
Hector Garzo (Pons HP 40) was another who impressed as he ended FP1 in fourth, just ahead of Nicolo Bulega (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2). Championship leader Marini began the day in sixth, 0.281 off the top.
Kasma Daniel (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) crashed at Turn 5 in FP1, before Jorge Navarro (Beta Tools Speed Up) went down at Turn 16. Andi Izdihar (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) also took a tumble, the Indonesian at Turn 14.
FP2
In the afternoon, Marini hit back and set his fastest lap on a well-used tyre – having spent most the session on it – which may prove ominous to many. Canet was second and Schrötter third, with both making a significant move up the top ten in FP2. Lowes was fourth, with American Joe Roberts (Tennor American Racing) leaping up the timesheets to complete the top five.
Schrötter crashed in the afternoon although still took third, with the other faller proving San Marino GP podium finisher Marco Bezzecchi (Sky Racing Team VR46). It seemed a tougher first day at the track this time around for the Italian, and he crashed at Turn 6 in a highside.
On Friday it’s an FP2 top five on the combined timesheets as Marini leads Canet leads Schrötter, with Lowes and Roberts in fourth and fifth respectively. Bastianini slots into sixth by virtue of his FP1 best, ahead of Bezzecchi and Xavi Vierge (Petronas Sprinta Racing).
Lüthi ends Friday in ninth from his FP1 fastest, with the top ten completed by Jorge Navarro and his FP2 best. Currently, the final riders provisionally moving through to Q2 are Garzo, Bulega, Tetsuta Nagashima (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Jake Dixon (Petronas Sprinta Racing). The first three by virtue of FP1, and Dixon after a huge step forward in the afternoon following some technical troubles in the morning.
Friday Moto2 Combined Practice Times
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
L.Marini
KALEX
1m35.956
2
A.Canet
SPEED UP
+0.090
3
M.Schrotter
KALEX
+0.201
4
S.Lowes
KALEX
+0.205
5
J.Roberts
KALEX
+0.295
6
E.Bastianini
KALEX
+0.306
7
M.Bezzecchi
KALEX
+0.328
8
X.Vierge
KALEX
+0.361
9
T.Luthi
KALEX
+0.477
10
J.Navarro
SPEED UP
+0.511
11
H.Garzo
KALEX
+0.553
12
N.Bulega
KALEX
+0.564
13
T.Nagashima
KALEX
+0.601
14
J.Dixon
KALEX
+0.625
15
L.Baldassarri
KALEX
+0.638
16
A.Fernandez
KALEX
+0.704
17
M.Ramirez
KALEX
+0.743
18
F.Di Giannanto
SPEED UP
+0.765
19
L.Dalla Porta
KALEX
+0.798
20
H.Syahrin
SPEED UP
+1.065
21
S.Manzi
MV AGUSTA
+1.153
22
B.Bendsneyde
NTS
+1.186
23
S.Corsi
MV AGUSTA
+1.222
24
E.Pons
KALEX
+1.335
25
M.Pasini
KTM
+1.396
26
A.Izdihar
KALEX
+1.423
27
S.Chantra
KALEX
+1.455
28
K.Daniel
KALEX
+1.616
29
P.Biesiekirski
NTS
+4.666
Moto3
Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing) set a new all-time lap record on Friday at the Gran Premio TISSOT dell’Emilia Romagna e della Riviera di Rimini, a 1:41.663 putting him just under three tenths ahead of Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) by the end of play. Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46) completed the top three by just 0.021 as action got back underway at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, with the top three in the Championship all outside the top ten on Day 1.
FP1
In FP1 it was Fernandez once again fastest out the blocks, the Spaniard’s last dash 1:41.962 making him half a second quicker than Ai Ogura’s (Honda Team Asia) pole position laptime last weekend. He was also just a fraction away from the 2019 outright lap record that Masia would go on to break in FP2. Reigning FIM Moto3™ Junior World Champion Jeremy Alcoba (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3) was second quickest, 0.164 back, with Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) in third only another 0.026 in arrears.
Gabriel Rodrigo (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3) and Andrea Migno (Sky Racing Team VR46) were a quarter of a second back in fourth and fifth.
Masia had a scary moment early on but later found some rhythm to start the day in sixth, just ahead of Filip Salač (Rivacold Snipers Team) and World Championship leader Albert Arenas (Gaviota Aspar Team Moto3). They were the final two of the eight riders who managed to go under Ogura’s pole lap from the San Marino GP.
Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) crashed twice, first at Turn 9 and later at Turn 6, rider ok. San Marino GP podium finisher Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) also went down at Turn 4, and Foggia at Turn 6.
FP2
In the afternoon, Masia moved from sixth to top as he smashed the lap record, ending the afternoon fastest ahead of Vietti as the Italian looks to bounce back from a tougher first weekend on home soil. Suzuki and Migno were next up, with Fernandez down in fifth and suffering a highside in the session – rider ok and even able to get it back to the pits.
Rodrigo, Migno and Fenati also all suffered crashes, riders ok.
Masia is the man leading the way to FP3 on the combined timesheets after that new lap record, and he’ll likely feel confident of moving through to Q2 despite a penalty he has to serve in the FP3 session. The Spaniard is one of a number of riders suspended from the last 15 minutes due to slow riding in practice last weekend.
Will the grid be able to get the jump on him? Next overall on Friday is Fernandez with his best laptime from FP1, ahead of Vietti, Suzuki and Migno with their fastest efforts from FP2. Alcoba slots into sixth overall courtesy of his FP1 lap, with Salač’s FP2 lap putting him just 0.007 behind the Spaniard.
Foggia’s FP1 quickest puts him in P8 and he’ll be another sitting out the final 15 minutes of FP3, so he’ll be looking for more early on Saturday to ensure he keeps that provisional place in Q2. Rodrigo was ninth overall, with Stefano Nepa (Gaviota Aspar Team Moto3) completing the top ten.
Ayumu Sasaki (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) bounced back from a DNF through no fault of his own last time out to take P11 overall, ahead of Championship leader Arenas by just 0.033. The last two currently set to move through to Q2 are Tony Arbolino (Rivacold Snipers Team) – who’ll be missing the last 15 minutes of FP3 as well – and Kaito Toba (Red Bull KTM Ajo).
That leaves a couple of familiar names outside that all-important top 14 and looking to move forward in FP3: San Marino GP winner and third in the Championship, John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing), who is P15 overall, as well as the man second in the title fight, Ai Ogura. Last week’s polesitter was down in P19.
Can they bounce back on Saturday? FP3 begins at 9:00 (GMT +3), with an interesting final slice of the session to come as Arbolino, Foggia and Masia join Ryusei Yamanaka (Estrella Galicia 0,0) and Davide Pizzoli (BOE Skull Rider Facile Energy) on the sidelines after having been penalised for riding slowly in FP3 last weekend. Qualifying then begins from 12:35 (GMT +2)!
Friday Moto3 Combined Practice Times
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
J.Masia
HONDA
1m41.663
2
R.Fernandez
KTM
+0.299
3
C.Vietti
KTM
+0.320
4
T.Suzuki
HONDA
+0.412
5
A.Migno
KTM
+0.426
6
J.Alcoba
HONDA
+0.463
7
F.Salac
HONDA
+0.470
8
D.Foggia
HONDA
+0.489
9
G.Rodrigo
HONDA
+0.549
10
S.Nepa
KTM
+0.564
11
A.Sasaki
KTM
+0.614
12
A.Arenas
KTM
+0.647
13
T.Arbolino
HONDA
+0.650
14
K.Toba
KTM
+0.697
15
J.Mcphee
HONDA
+0.782
16
D.Binder
KTM
+0.799
17
R.Fenati
HUSQVARNA
+0.824
18
R.Rossi
KTM
+0.830
19
A.Ogura
HONDA
+0.885
20
A.Lopez
HUSQVARNA
+0.909
21
S.Garcia
HONDA
+0.930
22
J.Dupasquier
KTM
+0.954
23
D.Pizzoli
KTM
+0.993
24
C.Tatay
KTM
+1.016
25
N.Antonelli
HONDA
+1.110
26
D.Öncü
KTM
+1.182
27
R.Yamanaka
HONDA
+1.249
28
M.Kofler
KTM
+1.249
29
B.Baltus
KTM
+1.392
30
K.Pawi
HONDA
+1.396
31
Y.Kunii
HONDA
+1.900
MotoE
Eric Granado (Avintia Esponsorama Racing) was the man to beat on Day 1 of FIM Enel MotoE World Cup action at the Gran Premio TISSOT dell’Emilia Romagna e della Riviera di Rimini, this time setting a new lap record – 1:42.910 – to gain some breathing space at the top. His closest challenger was Sammarinese home hero Alex de Angelis (Octo Pramac MotoE), two tenths in arrears, with three-time Misano winner Matteo Ferrari (Trentino Gresini MotoE) third overall.
The sun was shining at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli but the day wasn’t without some dramas, including a crash for the fastest man on Friday, Granado. He went down right at the end of the day, but no harm done and rider ok. On the other end of the scale, closest rival De Angelis crashed near the start of the day in FP1, tumbling at Turn 14. Rider also ok, but losing much of the session before he could get back out – making his P2 overall even more impressive.
Behind Granado, de Angelis and P3 man Ferrari, Jordi Torres (Pons Racing 40) was the fastest rookie on Friday as he took fourth, completing a top four on the combined timesheets who all set their fastest laps in the morning. Xavier Simeon (LCR E-Team) in fifth was the first to break that trend, the Belgian quicker in the morning by a few tenths and that keeping him in the top five. The number 10 did crash in the afternoon, however – rider ok.
Tommaso Marcon (Tech 3 E-Racing) was next up and sixth quickest on one of his best days in MotoE yet, just 0.018 off Simeon and improving by nearly eight tenths from FP1 to FP2. Points leader Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP), meanwhile, was seventh overall and 0.662 off Granado by the end of the day, the Swiss rider one of those who didn’t go quicker in FP2.
Veteran Mike Di Meglio (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) was next up in P8, shuffled down by just 0.015, with Lukas Tulovic (Tech 3 E-Racing) less than a tenth behind him. The gap to complete the top ten was even smaller, with Alessandro Zaccone (Trentino Gresini MotoE) 0.004 behind the German, forced to settle for tenth.
One surprise on Day 1 was Mattia Casadei (SIC58 Squadra Corse), with the Italian down in 11th overall. He’ll be one of those looking for more in E-Pole and Race 1 as Saturday promises a packed program for the electric runners!
Josh Hook – P15
“This morning was quite good, we made a good improvement compared to last week. The feeling was much better, a very good impression. During the FP2 I struggle a lit bit, but we understand a lot. We still have work to do, but we are in the right way”
Josh Hook
MotoE fastest on Friday
Friday MotoE Combined Practice Times
Pos
Bike
Bike
Time/Gap
1
E.Granado
ENERGICA
1m42.910
2
A.De Angelis
ENERGICA
+0.207
3
M.Ferrari
ENERGICA
+0.252
4
J.Torres
ENERGICA
+0.409
5
X.Simeon
ENERGICA
+0.517
6
T.Marcon
ENERGICA
+0.535
7
D.Aegerter
ENERGICA
+0.662
8
M.Di Meglio
ENERGICA
+0.677
9
L.Tulovic
ENERGICA
+0.775
10
A.Zaccone
ENERGICA
+0.779
11
M.Casadei
ENERGICA
+0.873
12
N.Canepa
ENERGICA
+1.015
13
N.Tuuli
ENERGICA
+1.066
14
A.Medina
ENERGICA
+1.097
15
J.Hook
ENERGICA
+1.291
16
M.Herrera
ENERGICA
+1.566
17
X.Cardelus
ENERGICA
+1.597
18
J.Kornfeil
ENERGICA
+1.760
2020 MotoGP Calendar
Rnd
Date
Circuit
1
08 March (Moto2/Moto3)
Losail International Circuit
2
19 July
Circuito de Jerez-Ángel Nieto
3
26 July
Circuito de Jerez-Ángel Nieto
4
09 August
Automotodrom Brno
5
16 August
Red Bull Ring-Spielberg
6
23 August
Red Bull Ring-Spielberg
7
13 September
Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli
8
20 September
Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli
9
27 September
Barcelona – Catalunya
10
11 October
Le Mans
11
18 October
MotorLand Aragón
12
25 October
MotorLand Aragón
13
08 November
Comunitat Valenciana-Ricardo Tormo
14
15 November
Comunitat Valenciana-Ricardo Tormo
15
22 November
Autodromo Internacional do Algarve
MotoGP World Championship Points
Gran Premio Lenovo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini Schedule
Sixteen-inch wheels are not a common size on motorcycles of today and limit your tire choices. Using smaller wheels is one of the many ways that the Rebel maintains its low seat height. Photography by Kevin Wing.
In The Beginning…There was the Rebel | 2020 Honda Rebel 500 ABS Review
The first motorcycle you own is the most important motorcycle you will ever own. On that bike you will earn key motorcycling merit badges — learning proper throttle and clutch control, shifting, cornering techniques and brake application, to name a few. Those foundational riding skills need to be cultivated somewhere and it helps if they’re acquired on a bike as welcoming as the 2020 Honda Rebel 500 ABS.
The Honda Rebel line is an unsung hero of the motorcycling world. Originally launched in 1985 with the Rebel 250, the spritely little cruiser was virtually unchanged over its 32-year run on the market and quickly became one of the quintessential beginner bikes due to its durability, unintimidating power, low seat height and user-friendliness. For those reasons, it was the bike of choice for numerous basic riding courses, allowing countless would-be motorcyclists to receive their motorcycle endorsements.
Above all, it was cheap and built to take the harsh punishment that new riders dish out. Yes, the Rebel also helped riders earn other notable merit badges, such as learning the importance of fully extending your kickstand, or not overfilling your fuel tank and spraying gas everywhere.
In 2017, the Rebel line was significantly updated with the introduction of the Rebel 300 and 500, continuing the tradition of approachability and dependability for a new generation of riders. For model year 2020, several helpful updates come in the form of an assist-and-slip clutch, retuned suspension, LED lighting, a new instrument panel layout and a beefed-up seat. In many ways, these updates have enhanced the Rebel’s quality fit-and-finish.
The 2020 seat features additional and denser foam for comfort. We opted for the quilted custom seat at $64.95, which is functionally the same as the stock option.
Toss a leg over the Rebel 500 and you’re met with a comfortable, north-of-neutral riding position, narrow backswept handlebars and mid-mount footpegs. The ultra-low 27.2-inch seat height and lean chassis give the Rebel a petite stature, which has made it popular with shorter riders, since it allows them to firmly plant their feet on the ground. Honda also added more and denser foam to the saddle, improving comfort. Even at 5-foot 10-inches, I fit it comfortably. If you’re creeping into the 6-foot range, you may feel differently.
The round LCD instrument panel is updated with a gear position indicator, which is handy for riders of any skill level, though the LCD could be brighter as it’s difficult to read in direct sunlight. Those aren’t the only aesthetic changes — the Rebel line now features bright LED lighting from front to back and a smart-looking tail tidy. The headlight is also repositioned and our test unit is equipped with a snazzy accessory headlight cowl that’ll set you back $95.95.
Fit and finish is on point, especially when we consider the price.
Sitting at the heart of the Rebel 500 ABS is the playful 471cc liquid-cooled parallel-twin engine pilfered from Honda’s sporty CB500R. It offers performance that new or returning riders can sink their teeth into, without being overwhelmed or quickly tiring of it, thanks to its perfectly predictable torque curve and healthy pep. Aided by great throttle response, this plucky parallel twin will have you happily darting around surface streets and canyon roads, or twisting the grip on the freeway with the roll-on power left above 65 mph.
Some vibration can be felt if you wring the engine’s neck, but short shifting will hide all of it, and the rubber pads on the footpegs keep it from reaching your feet. Honda says the new assist-and-slip clutch reduces clutch pull by an impressive 30 percent, and its wide friction zone makes setting out from stops a snap. Combine that with the slick six-speed gearbox and shifting is effortless. Freshly minted riders will also appreciate the slipper function, which reduces wheel-hop should you downshift too aggressively.
The LCD instrument panel is updated with a gear position indicator but could be brighter.
Thanks to stiffer springs and a higher oil level in the non-adjustable fork, suspension dive under hard braking is a thing of the past and damping is much more controlled, allowing the 4.8-inches of travel to gobble up potholes nicely. The spring rate of the preload-adjustable twin shocks is also increased and nitrogen gas is used in the damper tubes to help with compliance. In practice, a minimal 3.8-inches of travel will keep the rear end of the bike composed over most road impurities, but hard-hits from expansion joints and sharp-edged potholes deliver a solid jolt.
At 418 pounds full of fluids, the Rebel 500 has a low center of gravity, making it feel light and nimble at any speed. It tips into corners with little input from the rider, and the mid-mount footpegs will accommodate a decent amount of lean angle before the peg-feelers touch down.
At $6,499 we think Honda should include adjustable clutch and brake levers to accommodate riders with smaller hands.
With its updated suspension, the Rebel can get sportier; push it too hard and you will introduce some instability, but it’s perfectly adequate for its intended audience. Toss in an extra $29.95 for the accessory fork boots to protect the exposed fork stanchions, which also kick it up a notch visually.
A single 296mm disc and two-piston floating Nissin caliper handle braking duties up front, accompanied by a single 240mm disc and single-piston Nissin caliper in the rear. There is plenty of braking power on tap and a linear pull up front, without an aggressive initial bite, which is great for new riders. However, feel is on the vague side. The rear brake has good feel and stopping power. A non-ABS model is available and will save you $400 at the till, but we strongly recommend anti-lock brakes, especially for anyone starting out.
Honda did a solid job of addressing some of the issues we had with the 2017 iteration of the Rebel 500, improving on a solid package for rider’s new to the saddle. The Rebel is undeniably friendly, fun, and will make a rider out of you yet. Here’s to another 32 rebellious years.
The detachable saddlebag ($105.95) and saddlebag bracket ($69.95) are worth the investment if you plan on using the Rebel 500 for commuting.
In the end I felt quite good with the bike and found a good rhythm. This morning I had some issues in braking, when the lever was coming back too far, so the first half of the session was dealing with that. In the afternoon it was wet so we were just step-by-step finding the conditions. We have never ridden here in the wet so we were just looking out for those slippery areas. I almost got caught out in the afternoon when Maximilian Scheib fell just in front of me – and first of all I want to say that I hope he is OK. I was catching him and he lost the rear on the exit of turn five. I was right there and I got in between the bike and him, so I was so lucky. After day one I feel like we are quite prepared and I have experience in wet and dry conditions now. We know what we are dealing with.
Jonathan Rea finished fifth fastest after one dry and one wet free practice session during the opening day of track action for round six Source: Jonathan Rea On Facebook
Triumph Motorcycles Australia has issued a recall for 928 motorcycles over an issue with the front brakes.
The affected vehicles may have experience the front brake pad detaching from the back plate, “resulting in reduced braking performance”, says the official recall notice issued through the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
“Reduced brake performance may result in a dangerous fall or collision, causing serious injury or death to the rider or other road users,” the notice says.
The affected bikes are:
Tiger 1200 Alpine Edition.
(2018-2020)
Tiger 1200 XR
Tiger 1200 XRT
Tiger 1200 XRx
Tiger 1200 XRx (Low Ride Height)
Tiger 1200 XCA
Tiger 1200 XCx
(2020)
Tiger 1200 – Alpine
Tiger 1200 – Desert
Triumph Street Triple RS
(2017-2021)
Street Triple RS
(2018-2020)
Speed Triple S and Speed Triple RS
VINs (vehicle identification numbers) of affected vehicles are listed at the end of this article.
Owners of affected motorcycles will be contacted by mail to arrange a time to bring their motorcycles to a Triumph dealer for the brake pads to be replaced free of charge.
Even though manufacturers and importers usually contact owners when a recall is issued, the bike may have been sold privately to a rider unknown to the company.
Therefore, Motorbike Writer publishes all motorcycle and scooter recalls as a service to all riders.
If you believe there is an endemic problem with your bike that should be recalled, contact the ACCC on 1300 302 502.
To check whether your motorcycle has been recalled, click on these sites:
