Tag Archives: Jaume Masia

Two recent milestones for Honda in Grand Prix racing

Jaume Masia makes Honda history in Teruel & Aragon


Jaume Masia has made history for Honda in more ways than one recently, becoming Honda’s 100th different Grand Prix winner at the Aragon GP, and a week later also claiming the manufacturer’s 800th GP win with his victory at the Teruel GP.  Masia joined names like Marc Marquez, Dani Pedrosa, Valentino Rossi, Tom Phillis and many other racing greats with his history making victories for Honda. They are some great milestones in what otherwise has been a challenging year in MotoGP without their wunderkind Marc Marquez on track working his unique brand of magic.

Jaume Masia celebrated Honda’s 800th GP win at Aragon and became Honda’s 100th different GP winner at Aragon

From Australia’s Tom Phillis at the 1961 Spanish GP to Jaume Masia in 2020 at the Teruel GP, 100 different Honda riders have amassed 800 Grand Prix wins between them. Honda are the first manufacturer to achieve 100 different winners across all Grand Prix classes, demonstrating ‘The Power of Dreams’. It was a dream which started in 1954 when Soichiro Honda, the founder of Honda, declared that Honda would race in the Isle of Man TT, aiming to become the world’s best and most successful motorcycle brand.

Masia, who is in his first year with the multiple-championship Leopard Racing Team, achieved his first Grand Prix win on a Honda with a spirited performance in Aragon. The young Spanish rider becomes the 100th different Honda winner after challenging for the win on multiple occasions this year. This is Masia’s second podium finish of the year aboard the Honda NSF250RW.

Jaume Masia

Of the 100 winners, 31 riders have achieved wins on Honda machinery in the premier class across the 500cc and MotoGP categories, with 309 wins between them.

Marc Marquez (56), Mick Doohan (54), Dani Pedrosa (54), Jim Redman (45) and Mike Hailwood (41) stand as the five most successful Honda riders across all classes in terms of victories.

Across the victories, there are a litany of iconic machines which have propelled these 100 riders to victory, the NSR500, RS125R and RS250RW have all achieved over 100 wins across their respective classes with legends such at Mick Doohan, Valentino Rossi, Wayne Gardner, Freddie Spencer, Daijiro Kato, Max Biaggi, Loris Capirossi and Hiroshi Aoyama taking victories and championships with them.

In the four-stroke era, the Honda RC211V saw ten different riders win in the premier class – the NSR500 at 16 different winners the only machine to achieve more varied premier class success.

Honda have achieved 62 world titles with 21 premier class Rider World Championships, 16 250cc World Championships, 18 125cc/Moto3 World Championships, six 350cc World Championships and one in the 50cc class.

Jaume Masia
Takahiro Hachigo – CEO Honda Motor Co

“I am proud of Honda’s 800th FIM World Championship Grand Prix victory. I am deeply grateful to the Honda fans worldwide for their contributions to, and unwavering support for Honda’s racing activities. I would also like to thank all of those before us for their passion and dedication to overcome the countless problems and lead us from 1959 to where we stand now. Honda sees this moment as a waypoint, and will continue to fight for victory. We look forward to your continued support.”

Tom Phillis – 1961 – Honda RC143 125cc twin-cylinder

Honda’s GP victory benchmarks

  • Honda’s 1st Grand Prix victory
    • Tom Phillis, 1961 Spanish 125cc GP, Honda RC143
  • Honda’s 100th Grand Prix victory
    • Luigi Taveri, 1966 Dutch 50cc TT, Honda RC116
  • Honda’s 200th Grand Prix victory
    • Jimmy Filice, 1988 US 250cc GP, Honda NSR250
  • Honda’s 300th Grand Prix victory
    • Alex Criville, 1992 Dutch 500cc TT, Honda NSR500
  • Honda’s 400th Grand Prix victory
    • Haruchika Aoki, 1996 Brazilian 125cc GP, Honda RS125R
  • Honda’s 500th Grand Prix victory
    • Valentino Rossi, 2001 Japanese 500cc GP, Honda NSR500
  • Honda’s 600th Grand Prix victory
    • Dani Pedrosa, 2005 Australian 250cc GP, Honda R250RW
  • Honda’s 700th Grand Prix victory
    • Marc Marquez, 2015 Indianapolis MotoGP, Honda RC213V
  • Honda’s 800th Grand Prix victory
    • Jaume Masia, 2020 Teruel Moto3, Honda NSF250RW

Note: Number of wins counted by Honda based on FIM records Moto2 class wins are not included. Moto3 class wins in 2012 are not included as Honda wins, in compliance with FIM regulations, as the registered constructor was FTR Honda (powered by the NSF250R engine).

Honda’s 100 different GP winners

Source: MCNews.com.au

Rins breaks through for win ahead of Alex Marquez | Fabio falters

2020 MotoGP Round Eleven – Aragon


2020 continues to serve up a stunner of a MotoGP season, and there have now been eight different premier class winners. In the Gran Premio Michelin de Aragon, it was Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) on the top step as the Suzuki rider took his first victory since Silverstone 2019, slicing up from tenth on the grid to fend off another late charge from rookie superstar Alex Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), who took second and the 850th premier class podium for Honda. Third place went to Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar), the number 36 back on the rostrum and the new Championship leader after a tough day at the office for Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT).

Fabio Quartararo had bounced back from two crashed on the weekend to secure pole position

MotoGP Race Report

Gran Premio Michelin de Aragon

As the lights went out, it was Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) who was off like a shot from second on the grid, the number 12 carving his way to the front immediately round the outside of Turn 2 as the Petronas Yamahas duelled behind, and Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) headed a bit wide.

Gran Premio Michelin de Aragon

Soon enough though, Viñales’ closest company came from Rins as the Suzuki rider sliced through from tenth to get past Morbidelli and Quartararo, homing in on the number 12 in the lead.

Maverick Vinales

Stalking the Monster Energy Yamaha for a couple of laps, Rins chose his moment at the final corner and took a tight, tight line to sweep up the inside for the lead, neatly done to take over at the front. Just behind, things were getting spicy as Mir had managed a two-for-one past the Petronas Yamahas with a similar move up into third, and Alex Marquez was on a charge.

Vinales, Mir, Marquez

Rins, Viñales, Mir… the trio at the front remained pretty close together as the cat and mouse began, with Marquez the man making serious gains. As the number 73 arrived on the scene, Mir seemingly decided enough was enough, slicing through on Viñales at the final corner. To compound Viñales’ chagrin, Marquez then made a stunner of a late dive past the Yamaha into Turn 1 too…

Rins, Morbidelli

Up ahead, Rins remained ahead but it was far from becoming a runaway win. As the laps ticked down, the number 42 retained the close company from team-mate Mir and Alex Marquez, but the next move wouldn’t threaten for the lead. With six to go, and again at the final corner, the number 73 Repsol Honda swooped past Mir to take over in second, Alex Marquez on for his second second place in a row. Or was he?

Once past, the Honda was closing. And not in thousandths or hundredths, but really reeling Rins in. Alex Marquez was over three tenths faster with four laps remaining, and looked seriously primed for a shot at the win. But Rins was holding station, and then a major warning came Marquez’ way at the final corner with two laps and a corner to go. The number 73 was out the seat as he squeezed on the gas and lot some ground, but he gathered it back up and set his sights back on the Suzuki.

Alex Rins, Alex Marquez and Joan Mir

Rins had a three tenth lead with two to go, and coming onto the last lap, it remained at 0.3 seconds. Marquez had to try and get close enough to get into the slipstream down the back straight, but Rins got his GSX-RR hooked up nicely and the Honda man wasn’t close enough to try his inside sweeping move. Despite the pressure, Rins made no mistakes. rising over the brow of the hill and making it to the line with two tenths in hand. The eighth winner in eight races and eighth of the season, back on the top step for the first time in over a year – and Marquez, despite losing out on the win, back on the podium for the second time in a week.

A very close finish and it looked as though Marquez might steal the win but Rins held on

Mir had to keep an eye out for Viñales on the final couple of laps, and Morbidelli had Nakagami for company in the battle for the top five. In the end, Mir came out on top in the fight for third but again, by only a couple of tenths, but it’s enough to see him take the title lead as Quartararo plummeted through the field. Viñales also made a big gain in points given that, coming home off the podium but the second Championship challenger over the line.

Nakagami kept up his 100% top 10 finish record in 2020 with a superb P5, the Honda rider managing to beat Morbidelli on the last lap for the honour of top Independent Team rider too. That’s the number 30’s second top five of the season.. and he’s only 29 points off Mir!

Nakagami

After a difficult weekend, Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) salvaged P7 on race day to sit closer to the top of the Championship than he did before the lights went out, top Borgo Panigale machine on Sunday and still in the hunt. Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol), after a tough start, was able to climb back up to P8. The two Ducatis of Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) and Johann Zarco (Esponsorama Racing) completed the top 10, not what either would have been expecting heading into the weekend.

Jack Miller was in the fight early on but eventually was reeled in by others as the race progressed

Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) led teammate Pol Espargaro across the line as the Austrian factory suffered a difficult Sunday taking P11 and P12, with Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) finishing just under a second from his younger brother in P13. Iker Lecuona (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) grabbed P14 to finish ahead of the final point scorer – Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team).

Petrucci and Quartararo

So where was Quartararo? The former points leader, after struggling with front tyre pressure, went from off the podium to fringes of the top ten to end up outside the points in P18. After a heroic pole position taken despite his big FP3 crash, the Frenchman had one of his toughest Sundays yet in the premier class… but he’ll be fired up to try and hit back next week. Mir now leads on 121 as Quartararo remains on 115, with Viñales third with 109. Dovizioso has 106, still very much in touch..

2020 Aragon MotoGP podium
1 Alex Rins -Team Suzuki Ecstar – Suzuki 41:54.391
2 Alex Marquez – Repsol Honda Team – Honda – +0.263
3 Joan Mir -Team Suzuki Ecstar – Suzuki +2.644
Alex Rins – P1

Incredible! Unbelievable! Sincerely, at the start I was so calm, and I was thinking ‘hmm maybe that’s a bad thing!’ I made a really good start, the first laps were really good, then when I was behind Maverick I was thinking, ‘Alex, you have a bit more so try to go, but slowly because otherwise you’ll ruin the rear tyre!’ I tried to manage the distance to the guys behind and it’s amazing. This is for all the fans that normally come here from the towns around here, and for all this amazing team, and my family, friends, girlfriend. Everybody! This is for you guys!”

Alex Rins

MotoGP is back on track for the Gran Premio Liqui Moly de Teruel this Friday.

MotoGP Race Results

Pos Rider Bike Time/Gap
1 Alex RINS Suzuki 41m54.391
2 Alex MARQUEZ Honda +0.263
3 Joan MIR Suzuki +2.644
4 Maverick VIÑALES Yamaha +2.88
5 Takaaki NAKAGAMI Honda +4.57
6 Franco MORBIDELLI Yamaha +4.756
7 Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati +8.639
8 Cal CRUTCHLOW Honda +8.913
9 Jack MILLER Ducati +9.39
10 Johann ZARCO Ducati +9.617
11 Brad BINDER KTM +13.2
12 Pol ESPARGARO KTM +13.689
13 Aleix ESPARGARO Aprilia +14.598
14 Iker LECUONA KTM +15.291
15 Danilo PETRUCCI Ducati +15.941
16 Miguel OLIVEIRA KTM +18.284
17 Stefan BRADL Honda +20.136
18 Fabio QUARTARARO Yamaha +21.498
19 Bradley SMITH Aprilia +25.3
20 Tito RABAT Ducati +25.558
Race winner Alex Rins and new series leader Joan Mir

MotoGP World Championship Standings

Pos Rider Bike Points
1 Joan MIR Suzuki 121
2 Fabio QUARTARARO Yamaha 115
3 Maverick VIÑALES Yamaha 109
4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati 106
5 Takaaki NAKAGAMI Honda 92
6 Franco MORBIDELLI Yamaha 87
7 Alex RINS Suzuki 85
8 Jack MILLER Ducati 82
9 Pol ESPARGARO KTM 77
10 Miguel OLIVEIRA KTM 69
11 Brad BINDER KTM 67
12 Alex MARQUEZ Honda 67
13 Danilo PETRUCCI Ducati 65
14 Valentino ROSSI Yamaha 58
15 Johann ZARCO Ducati 53
16 Francesco BAGNAIA Ducati 42
17 Aleix ESPARGARO Aprilia 27
18 Cal CRUTCHLOW Honda 21
19 Iker LECUONA KTM 20
20 Bradley SMITH Aprilia 11
21 Stefan BRADL Honda 8
22 Tito RABAT Ducati 8
23 Michele PIRRO Ducati 4

Moto2

A seismic shift in the fight to be crowned 2020 Moto2 World Champion took place at the Gran Premio Michelin Aragon Grand Prix, with Sam Lowes (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) and Enea Bastianini (Italtrans Racing Team) taking first and second – and Sky Racing Team VR46 teammates Luca Marini and Marco Bezzecchi both crashing out. That leaves Bastianini, who just beat Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) to second on the last lap, take over in the Championship lead, with Lowes’ 25 points for the win putting him just two off the top in the standings…

Sam Lowes

As the lights went out in Aragon, it was a super start from Bezzecchi as he took the holeshot from second on the grid, with Petronas Sprinta Racing’s Jake Dixon swooping through to third from row two. Early drama then struck as Jorge Navarro (MB Conveyors Speed Up) crashed at the opening corner following contact with Marcos Ramirez (Tennor American Racing), but the Spaniard thankfully walked away from a scary crash.

Then, polesitter Lowes ran slightly wide at Turn 12 from second and that allowed Fabio Di Giannantonio (MB Conveyors Speed Up) through after the Italian had sliced past Dixon, but Lowes hit back quick to set his sights Bezzecchi out front. Not long after that on Lap 3, the Championship then took its biggest twist yet as former points leader Luca Marini tucked the front through Turn 14 and slid out – leaving an open goal for those in the hunt to capitalise.

Teammate Bezzecchi would be the new man ahead in the standings if he could hold on to victory, but Lowes and Di Giannantonio were close. ‘Diggia’ made his move on Lowes with fourteen to go at MotorLand, but the three stayed close as Enea Bastianini edged ahead of Jake Dixon for the final place inside the top five just behind them.

Ten laps in, Di Giannantonio pounced on Bezzecchi for the lead at Turn 14. The pair were side-by-side down the long back straight but the Speed Up man was able to hold on as they went through the final corner. But then suddenly, into Turn 2 next time around, ‘Diggia’ was sliding out of the lead – leaving Bezzecchi and Lowes in a duel for the win.

By then, Martin was beginning to loom ominously in the background though, and Bastianini was just half a second off his rear wheel. With seven to go, the ‘Beast’ struck under the shadow of the MotorLand wall.

Martin wasn’t going to just sit and let Bastianini escape though, with the Red Bull KTM Ajo man immediately finding a response, but the number 33 had an answer too – back past on the brakes into Turn 8.

With five to go Bezzzecchi was still in control, half a second clear of Lowes. Three seconds further back Bastianini held third place, himself three tenths clear of Martin. The laps ticked by and the end drew nearer with Bezzecchi on course for victory, before another monumental moment in the World Championship chase suddenly took place. With just two laps remaining, Bezzecchi suddenly crashed out at Turn 2.

Lowes swooped through, and incredibly took the mantle as Championship leader too as Martin got himself in front of Bastianini. But onto the final lap, it was far from decided. Lowes crossed the line to take his first ever back to back wins, but the fight for second was close. It came down to the final sector on the final lap, with Bastianini putting in a clinical, ruthless and vital move to secure the extra four points to sit atop the Moto2™ standings.

Further back, Dixon well and truly bounced back from his Le Mans heartbreak by clinching a career-best finish in fourth. ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team’s Remy Gardner got the better of Ramirez and Hector Garzo (FlexBox HP 40) in the fight for the final place inside the top five. Tennor American Racing’s Joe Roberts took eighth, before Tetsuta Nagashima (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Simone Corsi (MV Agusta Forward Racing) rounded out the top ten.

Sam Lowes – P1

Bezzecchi’s crash was a shame near the end of the race, Diggia I felt like I had his pace… I’m sorry for them, they were stronger than me at a couple of points on the track which is something I can work on for next weekend. But overall I was there, I kept the pressure on, was able to benefit from their mistakes and back to back wins is good for me! It’s the first time for me to get back to back wins in Moto2, so I’m really really happy.”

Remy Gardner – P5

Qualifying was tough, and I got caught out, ending tenth on the grid. Not where I wanted to be, but I was happy with the rhythm and confident of a good race. I’m extremely happy to finish fifth. It was a big comeback from tenth on the grid and we completed our objective. We also moved up a spot in the championship. We need to keep working and hopefully we can do better. I want to thank the team, we continue to work really well together, and to everyone who is supporting me. We don’t have long to wait until the next race – I’m ready!”

2020 Aragon Moto2 podium
1 Sam Lowes – EG 0,0 Marc VDS – Kalex 39:33.202
2 Enea Bastianini – Italtrans Racing Team – Kalex +4.195
3 Jorge Martin – Red Bull KTM Ajo – Kalex +4.430

Moto2 Race Results

Pos Rider Bike Time/Gap
1 Sam LOWES Kalex 39m33.202
2 Enea BASTIANINI Kalex +4.195
3 Jorge MARTIN Kalex +4.340
4 Jake DIXON Kalex +9.298
5 Remy GARDNER Kalex +14.765
6 Marcos RAMIREZ Kalex +15.13
7 Hector GARZO Kalex +15.192
8 Joe ROBERTS Kalex +17.024
9 Tetsuta NAGASHIMA Kalex +19.000
10 Simone CORSI MV Agusta +20.206
11 Augusto FERNANDEZ Kalex +22.661
12 Thomas LUTHI Kalex +22.692
13 Edgar PONS Kalex +22.995
14 Stefano MANZI MV Agusta +23.301
15 Marcel SCHROTTER Kalex +23.989
16 Xavi VIERGE Kalex +26.747
17 Lorenzo DALLA PORTA Kalex +26.862
18 Nicolò BULEGA Kalex +27.686
19 Hafizh SYAHRIN Speed Up +27.761
20 Lorenzo BALDASSARRI Kalex +27.892
21 Bo BENDSNEYDER NTS +36.250
22 Andi Farid IZDIHAR Kalex +44.779
23 Somkiat CHANTRA Kalex +45.687
24 Xavi CARDELUS Speed Up +47.231
25 Kasma DANIEL Kalex +58.178
26 Piotr BIESIEKIRSKI NTS +1m05.154
27 Jorge NAVARRO Speed Up +3 Laps
Not Classified
DNF Marco BEZZECCHI Kalex 2 Laps
DNF Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO Speed Up 11 Laps
DNF Luca MARINI Kalex 19 Laps

Moto2 World Championship Standings

Pos

Rider Bike Points
1 Enea BASTIANINI Kalex 155
2 Sam LOWES Kalex 153
3 Luca MARINI Kalex 150
4 Marco BEZZECCHI Kalex 130
5 Jorge MARTIN Kalex 95
6 Tetsuta NAGASHIMA Kalex 79
7 Joe ROBERTS Kalex 74
8 Remy GARDNER Kalex 72
9 Thomas LUTHI Kalex 72
10 Marcel SCHROTTER Kalex 61
11 Aron CANET Speed Up 61
12 Xavi VIERGE Kalex 59
13 Augusto FERNANDEZ Kalex 54
14 Lorenzo BALDASSARRI Kalex 47
15 Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO Speed Up 45
16 Jorge NAVARRO Speed Up 41
17 Jake DIXON Kalex 35
18 Hector GARZO Kalex 34
19 Marcos RAMIREZ Kalex 25
20 Stefano MANZI MV Agusta 20
21 Hafizh SYAHRIN Speed Up 18
22 Nicolò BULEGA Kalex 17
23 Simone CORSI MV Agusta 14
24 Somkiat CHANTRA Kalex 10
25 Bo BENDSNEYDER NTS 5
26 Edgar PONS Kalex 5
27 Lorenzo DALLA PORTA Kalex 5
28 Dominique AEGERTER NTS 4

Moto3

Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing) threatened it last time out, but at MotorLand Aragon the Spaniard got the job done to perfection to take his first victory of the season and become the 100th different Grand Prix winner for Honda. After charging up from P17 on the grid, the man he just beat to the line was Darryn Binder (CIP – Green Power), the South African less than a tenth off, with polesitter Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) taking his first Grand Prix podium in third.

Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing)

Albert Arenas (Solunion Aspar Team Moto3) took the holeshot from pole, the Championship leader getting the jump on polesitter Fernandez – but not for long. The number 25 struck back quickly, before Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) also made short work of Arenas too. There was early drama hit for Gabriel Rodrigo (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3) as he crashed out, and not long after John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) and Alonso Lopez (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) were given their Long Laps to take within three.

At the front, a distinct group of four had broken away: Fernandez, Suzuki, Arenas and Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team), with Darryn Binder hunting them down and, not long after, joining the battle to make it a five-rider fight. Meanwhile, title challengers Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46) and Ai Ogura (Honda Team Asia) found themselves mired down in the fight for sixth – and not at the front of that freight train either.

As the five at the front fought it out, however, their pace started to come down and what had seemed an insurmountable gap was suddenly an awful lot smaller. The trio on their tail were Masia, McPhee – despite his Long Lap – and Jeremy Alcoba (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3). And then there were eight, and once on the scene, McPhee struck quickly to take Suzuki at the rear of the initial leaders to make it a full group battle.

Fernandez remained pretty steadfast in the lead until a mistake just onto Lap 14, when Binder swept through to capitalise immediately – followed by Arenas. And the number 75 took the lead not long after that as Fernandez was then forced to defend from Fenati for third. But war broke out at Turn 1 next time around, and just like that the number 25 was back in the hot seat and the whole group had shuffled.

At the start of the penultimate lap, McPhee headed a bit wide and dropped down to just ahead of Suzuki, who seemed to be struggling to hang in with the group, and Arenas also opened the door for Binder to go through. Masia was at the front of the train though and there he would remain – the man ahead onto the last lap.

That had already changed by Turn 2, however, as Fernandez took the baton back and Alcoba threatened in third. Arenas was fourth at that point before the title leader then ran wide on the exit of Turn 5, and then Alcoba and Masia got very close for comfort into Turn 8. Fernandez was still leading as they shuffled behind him though, with Binder round the outside of Alcoba at Turn 14 to have the inside line at Turn 15, grabbing P3 heading onto the back straight.

The podium three were the top three, but it was Fernandez, Masia, Binder still as the three opened the gas down the straight. Tucked into Fernandez’ slipstream though, Masia was the man on the move, able to reel Fernandez in and then take over at the front, with Binder also slipstreaming past the number 25. Coming over the crest of the hill, Masia held it to the line to earn his first victory with Leopard Racing from P17 on the grid – Honda’s 100th different Grand Prix winner.

Binder lost out by less than a tenth but earned his second podium of 2020, and Fernandez may have lost out on the win but the Spaniard bwas ecstatic to seal his maiden World Championship podium.

Fenati had another solid ride to take fourth as the Italian remains super consistent, with McPhee recovering well from his Long Lap and Turn 1 excursion to claim P5 – and important points for the Championship. Alcoba crossed the line P6 in the end, the rookie again impressing, with Arenas losing out on the last lap to finish P7 – just 0.396 from victory though. Suzuki lost touch in the latter stages but took eighth, still on the comeback to full strength.

Vietti never troubled the leading contenders in Aragon but finishes just a couple of places behind Arenas in P9, with Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) rounding out the top 10 as the Italian had Kaito Toba (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Tatay for company in P11 and P12 respectively. Ayumu Sasaki (Red Bull KTM Tech3) finished a lonely P13, the Japanese rider finishing six seconds ahead of struggling compatriot Ogura. It’s just two points picked up in Aragon for the man second in the Championship as Ogura slips to 13 behind Arenas. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech3) picked up the final point at the Aragon GP in P15.

Andrea Migno (Sky Racing Team VR46) and Maximilian Kofler (CIP Green Power) crashed out at MotorLand.

Another scintillating lightweight class encounter sees Masia become the 100th Honda rider to win a Grand Prix, Arenas extend his lead and Ogura continue searching for his earlier season magic.

Jaume Masia

For sure, I didn’t expect that rhythm. But I was thinking about not losing my confidence with the bike, the team worked a lot, but all weekend we struggled a lot with the setting unlike in Le Mans. I don’t know how I arrived at the group as Raul put in a high rhythm, he was really strong. But finally we arrived at the group, maybe we pushed the rear too much and used it too much, but finally with my bike on the straight I could overtake Raul.”

2020 Aragon Moto3 podium
1 Jaume Masia – Leopard Racing – Honda 37:45.009
2 Darryn Binder – CIP – Green Power – KTM +0.091
3 Raul Fernandez – Red Bull KTM Ajo – KTM +0.196

Moto3 Race Results

Pos Rider Bike Time/Gap
1 Jaume MASIA Honda 37m45.009
2 Darryn BINDER KTM +0.091
3 Raul FERNANDEZ KTM +0.196
4 Romano FENATI Husqvarna +0.327
5 John MCPHEE Honda +0.368
6 Jeremy ALCOBA Honda +0.385
7 Albert ARENAS KTM +0.396
8 Tatsuki SUZUKI Honda +1.933
9 Celestino VIETTI KTM +2.389
10 Dennis FOGGIA Honda +2.461
11 Kaito TOBA KTM +2.966
12 Carlos TATAY KTM +3.02
13 Ayumu SASAKI KTM +4.872
14 Ai OGURA Honda +10.949
15 Deniz ÖNCÜ KTM +10.979
16 Filip SALAC Honda +11.172
17 Alonso LOPEZ Husqvarna +13.861
18 Niccolò ANTONELLI Honda +19.761
19 Sergio GARCIA Honda +21.284
20 Yuki KUNII Honda +21.339
21 Riccardo ROSSI KTM +21.379
22 Jason DUPASQUIER KTM +21.44
23 Stefano NEPA KTM +21.52
24 Ryusei YAMANAKA Honda +36.57
25 Barry BALTUS KTM +36.628
26 Davide PIZZOLI KTM +36.676
27 Khairul Idham PAWI Honda +36.739
Not Classified
DNF Maximilian KOFLER KTM 2 Laps
DNF Andrea MIGNO KTM 11 Laps
Not Finished 1st Lap
DNF Gabriel RODRIGO Honda 0 Lap

Moto3 World Championship Standings

Pos Rider Bike Points
1 Albert ARENAS KTM 144
2 Ai OGURA Honda 131
3 Celestino VIETTI KTM 126
4 Tony ARBOLINO Honda 115
5 John MCPHEE Honda 109
6 Jaume MASIA Honda 108
7 Raul FERNANDEZ KTM 89
8 Tatsuki SUZUKI Honda 83
9 Darryn BINDER KTM 82
10 Gabriel RODRIGO Honda 77
11 Romano FENATI Husqvarna 70
12 Dennis FOGGIA Honda 69
13 Jeremy ALCOBA Honda 56
14 Andrea MIGNO KTM 47
15 Sergio GARCIA Honda 37
16 Niccolò ANTONELLI Honda 33
17 Stefano NEPA KTM 26
18 Kaito TOBA KTM 24
19 Ayumu SASAKI KTM 23
20 Deniz ÖNCÜ KTM 23
21 Filip SALAC Honda 20
22 Alonso LOPEZ Husqvarna 16
23 Carlos TATAY KTM 14
24 Ryusei YAMANAKA Honda 13
25 Riccardo ROSSI KTM 5


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

Source: MCNews.com.au

Misano II Friday wrap | Quotes | Results | All classes

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

Source: MCNews.com.au