2020 MotoGP Jerez Day One Quotes

Marc Marquez – P1

“I’m happy again today. It is great to officially start the 2020 season and I felt really good from this morning, starting with the base we found on Wednesday. Then in the afternoon today we started to experiment a bit, trying a few ideas and using the time differently. I feel competitive, our opponents are fast but I’m feeling good. We had one small crash today because the track temperature is really high, making the track slippery. I went a bit wide and maybe I need to practice saving it with my elbow again, it’s just the second day back after a long break! But I was able to keep riding the bike, it was a really small crash.”

Maverick Vinales – P2

“It was a good day. The feeling that I have on the bike, and also with the team, is amazing. This morning it was unbelievably good, the bike was working fantastic! I‘m also happy, because this afternoon we worked so well. We found out many, mainly positive, things for the race. I‘m actually very enthusiastic, because in the last run I did some good lap times, which were done towards the end of the tyre‘s life, and I was still fast. For sure, we will still have to improve, but I feel ready. It‘s very important to qualify at the front tomorrow. Judging by the time attacks from this morning, the qualifying times are going to be fast, but our main focus remains the race. We found a good pace today in both the morning and the afternoon conditions, but the problem is that the temperature is so high – and this is a very demanding track, you are working all the time – so it‘s very tough. It‘s also very hard on the bike and the tyres, so it will be an interesting race. We have to keep working hard to improve, especially in the hot conditions in tomorrow‘s FP4.”

Cal Crutchlow – P3

“Today was not a bad day at all. We worked really well as a team and it’s nice to be back into a race weekend after waiting as long as we have to get back. We tested on Wednesday, but it was great to get out there for real this morning.  We set not too bad a lap time in the morning session, and then this afternoon we worked on the race-pace and race set-up of the bike and I think we have managed to improve that a little bit. We still have a fair amount of work to do tomorrow, however, to make sure we are ready for Sunday’s first Grand Prix. I can’t wait!”

Andrea Dovizioso – P4

“Today went well! I am pleased because we were able to take a step further than Wednesday’s test, and that was our main goal for the day. We got very close to the fastest riders, and we also have a good pace ahead of Sunday’s race. The GP this Sunday will be very hard, and I still don’t feel completely comfortable on the bike, but we have several aspects that we need to work on, and for sure, we have room for improvements. In general, I am satisfied with this first day.”

Joan Mir – P5

“The feeling was good, it’s great to be back riding properly! We did a really good job today and we were able to try a few things that we didn’t manage to do during the test day. We also spent some time today trying the front tyre options and checking which will be best for us on race day. At the moment it’s difficult to decide because the conditions are so tough. But anyway, the feeling with the bike is good and I’m ready for tomorrow.”

Jack Miller – P6

“I’m very happy, today was the first real day of the Championship. This afternoon I struggled a bit because of the wind and the heat. We worked a lot in the box with the team to try to understand how we can improve in some corners. It was a really positive first day and we have a good feeling with the bike since this morning.”

Alex Rins – P7

“I’m feeling confident with my pace and with the bike; in the morning I worked on lap times and then in the afternoon I worked on tyres. Now I feel as though I understand the limits with the used tyres. I’m happy because I tried the various options and it helped a lot to figure out how Sunday will be. For tomorrow I’ll be focusing on making sure I’m in Q2 and see what we can do from there.”

Iker Lecuona – P9

“I’m truly happy today. This morning, I started to work on the bike and improved a lot. Later on, I put a new tyre in and finished my first FP1 inside the top 10, so it’s really, really nice. I knew that it was difficult to do a fast lap in the afternoon, so I was working more for the race. I’m very satisfied, especially because I’m so close to the top, finishing just 0.364 seconds behind the fastest rider with 19 laps on the soft tyre. Overall, I’m really happy and I hope we can keep going this way tomorrow.”

Franco Morbidelli – P12

“It was a really good day for us; we’ve been consistent this morning and we’ve been fast this afternoon. I’m really happy with the overall performance that we have demonstrated today. We need to put everything together and our priority tomorrow is to get directly into Q2, before we think about which tyres to use for the race. Last year was a good race for us here and with the performance we’ve had so far I’m confident ahead of qualifying tomorrow.”

Valentino Rossi – P13

“It was a difficult day. This morning was already not fantastic, but this afternoon it got worse. I’m struggling with the rear grip because, unfortunately, we have a tyre temperature problem, and in this heat we are suffering a lot. In the morning it’s cooler, so that’s a bit better. In the afternoon we lose a lot, so I’m not very fast. We need to work, and we need to improve the bike’s balance to try to be more competitive. Sincerely, I don’t know how we will improve this, but we have to find something, because tomorrow morning it will be very important to try to stay in the top 10 and go straight into Q2.”

Takaaki Nakagami – P14

“It was quite a difficult day for us, especially in the morning because we didn’t put in any soft tyres – which most other riders did to get a lap time. We preferred to focus on race tyres, particularly in FP2 in the afternoon. Conditions were really tough. It is extremely hot, but there was also a lot of wind out on track, and so it was difficult to hold onto the bike in the session. Step by step we started to improve the feeling on the bike but we need to make a lot more improvements, especially in sector four. We are losing a bit there and I need more confidence on the bike there. On this track the last two sectors are so important and require a lot of confidence, so if you don’t have the lap time. We know which areas we need to improve in, so that’s a good thing. FP3 in the morning will be like a qualifying session and it’s going to be very hard to get through into Q2, but hopefully we will be able to manage it!”

Fabio Quartararo – P15

“I struggled in the morning practice, but in the afternoon we had a good setting on the bike and it felt great. The pace was good in the heat, which is really good as the race will be at more or less at the same time as we had FP2 today. We’ve come here with a new bike compared to last year, no running since pre-season testing and that’s why I struggled a lot this morning. We need to go step by step in making improvements, but I’m really looking forward to tomorrow where we can work on our time attack pace ahead of qualifying and I’m feeling confident.”

Aleix Espargaro – P16

“This was not a simple day. I had a lot of chattering this morning and it’s the first time this has happened with the 2020 RS-GP. We analysed the causes and, thanks to a change we made, I was able to get the feeling back in FP2. I didn’t use too many new tyres, so I can say that, after turning a lot of laps, our pace is not at all bad. Tomorrow morning, I’ll need to take a few risks in the first session to get into the top 10. I think I’ll be able to do that and I hope to find the same sensations as I did this afternoon.”

Alex Marquez – P17

“The first day was a positive, especially in the morning. It was like the first day of school again, you’re excited but a little bit nervous! We had a plan to push on the last exit after confirming some settings we found in the test. I made a 1’38.2 which was not bad – I was a second faster than the test. There are still some things to improve so I was pleased. In the second session I made a bit of a rookie mistake with the conditions changing, but physically I am fine. A good day of learning.”

Pecco Bagnaia – P18

“This morning during fp1 I didn’t change the tires, we preferred to focus on race pace because last year for me was very difficult to ride with old tires. During FP2 we were very fast both on time and pace and this was very important because the qualifying practice and the race will be in the same track conditions and we have to handle high temperatures. I’m happy because during FP2 despite the heat I could made a good chrono and I hasn’t got worse compared to FP1. We have to work, but in this moment I don’t have many changes to do. We are ready for tomorrow.”

Miguel Oliveira – P20

“It was a first good Friday for us. Of course, the position is not what we want and it doesn’t really reflect our work as we didn’t do any time attack in the morning or in the afternoon. I think our pace is much closer to the top guys than what the position shows. The team did a great job, we found some solutions to gain more grip and we are happy about today. Tomorrow we have our chance to go to the top 10, everything is very tight, but I think we can manage it.”

Danilo Petrucci – P21

“It was quite difficult to find the rhythm immediately after Wednesday’s crash! In this morning’s session, I didn’t feel completely well on the bike, but, in the afternoon, I started to regain the feeling with the Desmosedici GP despite the great heat. There are still several aspects that we need to improve, especially the race pace, but we have already managed to get closer to the firsts, and this makes me positive and confident for the rest of the weekend”.

Bradley Smith – P22

“This morning, we made a few obvious checks, but I am pleased with how the session went. I did my fast lap almost straight away. On the other hand, we struggled just a bit with the heat in the afternoon and we had to try the various combinations of the available tyre compounds. At the end of the day, I used the one that suited me best at the least ideal time and that had an impact on the final standings. In any case, the position does not reflect our potential and the feeling I have in the saddle. As a racer, everything is more frenetic than the tests and you have to take very quick decisions. I would have liked two 90-minute sessions!”

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Team Managers

Massimo Meregalli – Yamaha Team Director

“It‘s been a mixed first day of school for us. It‘s great to be back in action, but unfortunately also some of our problems from previous years with tyre degradation seem to have returned, especially with Valentino. We already gathered a lot of data during the test on Wednesday, but it‘s never enough, so today‘s sessions, especially the hotter FP2 – held at a similar time as the race – play a significant role in our preparations for Sunday. On the bright side, Maverick is in his element and has been since the last part of the pre-season. The new bike with his riding style makes a good package, and together they result in a positive outcome. He has always been very motivated, but this year we can clearly see that extra fire in his eyes. He is eager to try anything and everything, and his high level is a direct result of it. Valentino suffered more from the heat. He seems to lose feeling with the tyres after a couple of laps, and accordingly he then also struggles with the balance of his bike. We will work hard this evening and overnight to find solutions for both issues to make him feel more comfortable during FP3, when we will be trying out for a place in Q2, a crucial part of the GP weekend.”

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Round 2 – Jerez – Day One Report

After setting the fastest time in the cooler FP1 conditions at the Gran Premio Red Bull de España, Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) takes the opening Friday honours of 2020 as he remained fastest by the end of play – but it was far from an easy return to the top for the reigning Champion.

Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) was just 0.024 in arrears, and after having topped the last couple of tests, with Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) completing the top three less than a tenth off the top.

FP1 saw the action get underway as an eager Bradley Smith (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) roared out of pitlane as the first MotoGP bike out in an official race weekend session this year, and the morning session was the one that would count most on the timesheets for most of the grid.

Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) had to sit out the first 20 minutes of the session though, with the Frenchman given a penalty for training on “illegal” machinery – ie outside the regs – but by the end though the time attacks were underway full force, and it was Marquez who came out on top. With Viñales and Crutchlow so close, and Quartararo not yet having had the same running, the Jaws music need not start quite yet for the reigning Champion though.

In the afternoon it was Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) who proved the man to beat in FP2, but the times were a good eight tenths slower in a sweltering afternoon at the Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto. Quartararo was second in the more “race similar” conditions, and the only man to improve, with rookie Brad Binder putting in a stunner to put his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing machine inside the top three in the session and only a tenth off the top. FP2 also saw the first two race weekend crashes of the season: Marc Marquez and rookie teammate Alex Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), with both lowsiding out (separately) and unhurt.

Overall though, it’s Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) who takes fourth as the veteran Italian really cranked up the pace after a more anonymous day on the Wednesday test timesheets, looking strong despite being on the way back from a collarbone injury, with Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) turning the tables on more experienced teammate Alex Rins to complete the top five. Rins was seventh, just behind Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) as the Aussie stuck it in sixth.

Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) took eighth in an impressive first day, and he led a trio of KTMs in the top ten overall on Friday. Rookie Iker Lecuona (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) put in an awesome performance to end up only 0.002 off the more experienced Espargaro and take ninth, with the aforementioned Brad Binder, as well as ending FP2 in third, doing an impressive enough job with his FP1 time to take tenth overall.

Johann Zarco (Reale Avintia Racing) was P11 after a solid day, ahead of Morbidelli on the combined timesheets, with Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) next up in P13 on Friday. The ‘Doctor’ seemed to have a tougher time of it on Day 1, but remains the most recent winner for Yamaha at the track (from pole, in 2016) so he’ll be looking for more on Saturday. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) was fourteenth, with Quartararo ending the day in fifteenth and surely heading for a bounce back on Saturday.

Saturday begins at 1755 (AEST)) for MotoGP with FP3, which also welcomes in the riders’ last chance to move directly into Q2. With temperatures expected to be a little cooler in the morning, there could well be a big chance to improve – and the likes of Rossi and Quartararo will be top of the list for a time attack late in the session. Qualifying then begins at 2210 (AEST)

MotoGP Combined Practice Times

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Moto2

The second Moto2 Friday of the 2020 season belonged to Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46) at the Gran Premio Red Bull de España, the Italian topping the timesheets in FP1 and FP2 to lay down the gauntlet for his rivals. Thanks to his FP1 time, Jorge Navarro (HDR Heidrun Speed Up) sits P2 as the Spaniard splits the Sky Racing Team VR46 duo inside the top three, with Marco Bezzecchi third.

Much like it was in the MotoGP class, it was clear from the early stages that the Moto2 riders were going to struggle to better their FP1 times that were set in cooler track temperatures of the morning. Ground temperatures were well into the 50s for the intermediate class, but Marini looked as comfortable as he did in the morning session. Both he and teammate Bezzecchi looked strong in both sessions on Friday, and they worked in tandem for a brief period in FP2. It wasn’t quite such a straightforward afternoon for the man second overall as Navarro’s bike suffered some sort of issue and the Spaniard had to pull to the side of the track down the back straight, a slight disruption to his FP2 running. Nevertheless, Navarro was able to get back out and finish P6 in the session itself.

Championship leader Tetsuta Nagashima (Red Bull KTM Ajo) was another man to look comfortable across Friday’s action as he finished the day fourth, with Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP) completing the top five. Previous Jerez winner Sam Lowes (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) was sixth as he rejoins the field after injury, ahead of Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo). Fabio Di Giannantonio (HDR Heidrun Speed Up) took P8, with American rider Joe Roberts back in action to put his Tennor American Racing machine in ninth. Hafizh Syahrin (Inde Aspar Team Moto2) was P10 to make it three Speed Ups in the top ten.

Tom Lüthi (Liqui Moly Intact GP) was 11th despite a crash, with two-time Jerez winner Lorenzo Baldassarri (Flexbox HP 40) just behind him. Enea Bastianini (Italtrans Racing Team) and Somkiat Chantra (Honda Team Asia) lock out the fastest fourteen who are currently on for provisional Q2 entry.

Moto2 Combined Practice Times

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Moto3

Gabriel Rodrigo (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3) matched the scorching Friday sun with some scorching Friday pace at the Gran Premio Red Bull de España, with the Argentinean breaking the lap record in the morning and completing the full set by topping the timesheets in FP2 to end the day over half a second clear. Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) was second fastest overall, with John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) completing the top three only thousandths off the Spaniard in second.

It’s hot in July in Jerez, and that could be seen on the timesheets for much of the field as only a handful improved their laptimes in the afternoon. The top 12 – and Rodrigo’s record – remained unchanged in FP2, but there were only two crashers despite the hot pace overall: Ayumu Sasaki (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) in FP1 and 2019 Jerez winner Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) in FP2, riders ok.

Behind the near half second gap accrued by Rodrigo at the top though, the timesheets were incredibly tight. The thousandths separating Fernandez and McPhee were followed up by just another 0.063 back to Andrea Migno (Sky Racing Team VR46), with rookie and reigning FIM Moto3 Junior World Champion Jeremy Alcoba (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3) completing the top five by 0.024. Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46), Kaito Toba (Red Bull KTM Ajo), Qatar winner and therefore Championship leader Albert Arenas (Gaviota Aspar Team Moto3), Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing) and Tony Arbolino (Rivacold Snipers Team) locked out the top ten.

Sterilgarda Max Racing Team’s Romano Fenati put the new Husqvarna into a positive P11, only 0.003 off the top ten, and the Italian slotted in ahead of Valencia 2019 winner Sergio Garcia (Estrella Galicia 0,0). Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) was next up as the first on the timesheets to go quicker in the afternoon in P13 overall; his laptime in FP2 having put him second in that session. As it stands, Qatar podium finisher Ai Ogura (Honda Team Asia) holds the final provisional place in Q2 as he ended the day in fourteenth.

Moto3 Combined Practice Times

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MotoE

Despite only completing two laps in FP2 and suffering a crash at Turn 2, Eric Granado (Avintia Esponsorama Racing) took charge of the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup timesheets on Day 1. Only four riders improved in FP2 at the Gran Premio Red Bull de España in the hotter temperatures, with rookie Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP) and Niccolo Canepa (LCR E-Team) keeping their positions in the top three thanks to their FP1 efforts.

It was a good day of running as the first race and E-Pole of the year appear on the horizon, although unfortunately for Alessandro Zaccone (Trentino Gresini MotoE), the rookie has decided to sit out the weekend’s action after feeling the effects of his testing crash on Wednesday. The rest of the field, however, took the opportunity to do an E-Pole simulation on Friday afternoon in FP2, with time attacks coming in thick and fast to test out the conditions at a similar time of day to the qualifying session on Saturday afternoon.

Granado and fourth on the timesheets Xavier Simeon (LCR E-Team) did manage to go slightly better in FP2, as did Maria Herrera (Openbank Aspar Team) and rookie Jakub Kornfeil (WithU Motorsport) despite the scorching temperatures. However, that didn’t change the overall look of the combined timesheets as Granado simply increased his advantage slightly, with Aegerter second and Canepa third.

Xavier Simeon (LCR E-Team) was fourth overall, with rookie Jordi Torres (Pons Racing 40) making a big leap up the timesheets to complete the top five on Friday. Behind him came reigning Cup winner Matteo Ferrari (Trentino Gresini MotoE), with Niki Tuuli (Avant Ajo MotoE), Alex de Angelis (Octo Pramac MotoE), Matteo Casadei (Ongetta SIC58 Squadra Corse) and Mike Di Meglio (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) completing the top ten.

Australia’s Josh Hook was 13th quickest.

Josh Hook – P13

“Today was a bit more complicated for us, we still have some changes to make but I am very positive. We weren’t able to use the new tires, we have to save those for FP3 tomorrow. The bike is working well now, and I think the result doesn’t show the real progress we have made. But still we’re going in the right direction and I’m very confident about tomorrow.”

MotoE Combined Practice Times

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2020 Jerez MotoGP Schedule (AEST)

Source: MCNews.com.au