MotoAmerica is proud to announce that two-time MotoAmerica Supersport Champion and four-time MotoAmerica Superbike race winner Garrett Gerloff has inked a deal that will see the young Texan competing in the 2020 World Superbike Championship aboard a GRT Yamaha YZF-R1.
“I want to start out by saying thank you to Yamaha Motor USA for everything that they’ve done for me, for signing me in the first place so many years ago and really having faith in me,” Gerloff said in a Yamaha Motor Europe release. “I wouldn’t be where I am now in my career without their help. I’m really excited to say that I’ll be continuing in the Yamaha family for 2020, this time with the GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team. I’m also really looking forward to representing America overseas. It’s something that I’ve always dreamed of doing and something that I’ve been preparing for, and I feel like I’m ready to do. I really appreciate Yamaha Europe giving me the opportunity to be that guy, to be one of the guys, to represent them and try to go get good results. I also want to say a big thanks to Ben Spies for really helping me out the past few months and getting my name out there and really pushing for me. I have a lot of goals that I really want to accomplish next year, and I know that with the team’s help and the Yamaha R1 that I’ll have a great opportunity of reaching them. I know this isn’t going to be easy, but I never give up. I’m ready to push myself and continue chasing my dream.”
Gerloff will be joined by Italian Federico Caricasulo on the two-rider team that is based in Italy. Caricasulo is currently second in the 2019 World Supersport Championship and is just eight points out of the championship points lead with one round remaining.
Gerloff won the 2016 and 2017 MotoAmerica Supersport titles before switching to the Superbike class in 2018. The 24-year-old Texan finished fifth in his rookie season in 2018 and followed that with a breakout year in 2019 that saw him win four Superbike races and earn 15 podiums en route to third in the championship.
“We are very happy to see Garrett get this opportunity to chase his dream,” said MotoAmerica President Wayne Rainey. “He had a great season in MotoAmerica this year and we think he’s picked the perfect time to show his talents to the rest of the world. He was fast all season, won four races and was in the championship battle until the very end. I think Garrett has an advantage in that our rules are in line with those of World Superbike so he can jump on a bike and just go race. When we put MotoAmerica together, we wanted to make sure that when our riders got the opportunity in the World Championship, they would be completely comfortable with the regulations, the technical rules and the procedures, so they just have to learn the racetracks. We know Garrett can do the job well and everyone at MotoAmerica wishes him the best of luck and we’re looking forward to following him in his first season of World Championship racing.”
Alpinestars continues to release limited edition Supertech R Boots. Ahead of the Japanese GP, Astars released its Motegi MotoGP Supertech R.
Begin Press Release:
MOTEGI, JAPAN – The Japanese MotoGP race weekend at the iconic Motegi circuit sees Alpinestars launch the ‘Motegi MotoGP’ Supertech R boot in celebration of Japanese culture and the country’s unrivalled passion for motorcycle racing. The ‘Motegi MotoGP’ Supertech R features an eye-catching white, black and red colorway, complete with a bold red and white ‘Land of the Rising Sun’ design in Japanese characters, allowing riders to stand out from the crowd every time they hit the road or track.
Alpinestars most iconic road riding boot worn by a roster of the fastest world champions past and present, the Supertech R features performance innovations, including a redesigned compound rubber sole, an ergonomically profiled shin plate and a redesigned front flex area – all of which enhance the podium winning performance of this premium race boot. The distinctive ‘Motegi MotoGP’ Limited Edition Supertech R will be worn by Alpinestars athletes Takaaki Nakagami and Ayumu Sasaki during the race weekend.
New factory teammates do battle in Monster Energy Cup thriller.
Image: Supplied.
The winning form of premier class rookie Adam Cianciarulo came as little surprise to new Monster Energy Kawasaki teammate Eli Tomac in the weekend’s Monster Energy Cup thriller.
Cianciarulo delivered an upset result by winning the overall during his 450 class debut in Las Vegas, overcoming defending cup champion Tomac following a race three showdown.
It was a spectacular way to decide the victory on Saturday night in the high-profile off-season affair, with Tomac opting to enter the ‘Joker Lane’ a lap prior to Cianciarulo, however, the rookie was able to remain composed for victory.
“We’ve only spent a handful of days with each other, but at the time in California I knew that we could easily end up in that situation because Adam’s been riding really fast there,” Tomac recalled post-race.
“I mean, we had a pace going there… that was gnarly and we both had our spots on the track, for sure. I tried to do something different because we were both going so fast, it was just like I couldn’t really make anything stick. Adam held that last lap together really well and I couldn’t get it done.”
The arrival of Cianciarulo to 450SX makes for one of the strongest factory team combinations in recent history at Monster Energy Kawasaki, with both expected to challenge for race wins and potentially the AMA Supercross title in 2020.
Australian entries confirmed for 2020 KTM Ultimate Race
Section: Competition
Arthur and Cheney top qualifying event in New South Wales.
Image: Supplied.
KTM hosted its second KTM Ultimate Race Qualifiers event in Stroud, New South Wales, on 18-19 October prior to the weekend’s Transmoto 8-Hour, where a selection of high-calibre adventure riders tried their hand at winning one of two elusive entries into the 2020 KTM Ultimate Race in Morocco.
In the end, following a spectacular two days of action – both on and off the bike – it was determined that Australia will be represented by Simon Arthur and Graham Cheney during next year’s KTM Ultimate Race at the Merzouga Rally.
Each country that hosts a KTM Adventure Rallye receives two positions in the KTM Ultimate Race, with Arthur and Cheney set to each receive a fully-supported ride, which includes flights, accommodation, entry fees and a KTM 790 Adventure R to compete aboard, with a full race service under the guidance of pro-level and factory-backed off-road racers.
This year’s KTM Ultimate Race Qualifiers was packed with capable riders on an assortment of KTM adventure machinery, however, both Arthur and Cheney were fittingly equipped with the recently-released KTM 790 Adventure R model.
One of the inaugural winners of the KTM Ultimate Race Qualifiers, Steve Robertson was also on-hand to share his experience from earlier this year in Morocco.
Commencing the qualifying event on Friday was a 250-kilometre navigation challenge, which took riders through a mixture of terrain including a 40-kilometre section on Stockton Beach that will prove incredibly valuable once Arthur and Cheney arrive in Morocco for the sand-filled Merzouga Rally.
The navigation test also included a series of waypoints where riders had to upload a photo of their bike to Instagram in particular places using correct hashtags as supplied by event organisers.
Saturday provided entertainment for the spectators on location at the Transmoto event, as riders in the KTM Ultimate Race Qualifiers had to complete a pass/fail bike-lift, wheel-change challenge and two timed special tests.
The top five riders were then announced, based on accumulative scores, and they put on a final show with a ‘hot lap’ special test of the entire 26-minute Transmoto track.
“KTM always puts on a good event and the prize for this is quite remarkable, to be able to go and compete in the KTM Ultimate Race and represent Australia,” said Arthur. “I’ve only had the KTM 790 Adventure R for a few weeks, but it handled the conditions so well and did the job perfectly – it’s a very versatile bike. What a chance this is to see a different part of the world in Morocco!
“I’m on a program to try and get to Dakar in 2021, so this is perfect for me and I’m really grateful. This has been made possible for me by three organisations in particular, which are Choice Suspension, Canberra Motorcycle Centre and APlus Towing – we put this together as a team and got the outcome that we were chasing, so it’s really exciting for all of us.”
Cheney added: “I’m stoked to be able to qualify for the KTM Ultimate Race, especially considering I only picked the KTM 790 Adventure R up right before the event and it was basically stock-standard.
“I was really impressed with it though, the bike was definitely competitive throughout the qualifiers and now I’m looking forward to this money-can’t-buy experience in Morocco next year. The goal for me was to remain consistent, flow as well as I could and minimise mistakes during the special tests, which all worked out and I can’t wait to get over there now.”
It was another successful KTM Ultimate Race Qualifiers operated by the Transmoto Events team in Stroud, with Arthur and Cheney the final duo selected to represent KTM and Australia during the 2020 KTM Ultimate Race in Morocco.
Motegi runner-up clinches Quartararo Rookie of the Year title
Section: Competition
Sixth MotoGP podium enough to seal honours with Petronas Yamaha SRT.
Image: Supplied.
A sixth podium of the 2019 MotoGP season at Twin Ring Motegi in Japan has secured Fabio Quartararo Rookie of the Year honours.
Petronas Yamaha SRT’s Quartararo rode a textbook race to finish in second position following a dual with world champion Marc Marquez for the victory.
“I’m delighted with the weekend, because the goal we set ourselves at the beginning of the season was to be best newcomer and we’ve already managed it,” Quartararo reflected. “We have 163 points, which is an amazing achievement considering we were targeting between 50 and 90.
“We’ve been a big surprise to everyone and it’s nice to be able to officially say that I’m Rookie of the Year. When I look back to last year when I was fighting for top 15 finishes in Moto2, I only think about how much I owe everyone at Petronas Yamaha SRT and Yamaha for putting their trust in me.
“I’ve done my maximum to help them believe in me, and together we’ve done an amazing job. We’re still fighting for good positions in the championship, but trying not to think about it too much, so we’ll take the remaining races as they come and see what happens.”
The French revelation also managed to extend his lead in the Independent classification to 38 points and moving up to sixth in the overall championship fight.
Brookes falls just shy of BSB title despite Brands Hatch dominance
Section: Competition
Australian finishes just five points shy of the championship.
Image: Supplied.
Australian Josh Brookes did everything he could in Brands Hatch’s Bennetts British Superbike Championship (BSB) finale to claim the title, however he fell just five points short after securing three race victories across the weekend.
The Be Wiser Ducati rider reduced what was a 28-point gap heading into the weekend, although teammate and WorldSBK-bound Scott Redding prevailed in the end to claim top honours.
Brookes, who started the season with a pair of DNFs, scored 18 podium finishes including 10 race wins throughout the championship.
“I came here with the objective of winning all three races and that’s exactly what I’ve done, so I can’t not be happy with how this weekend has gone, it’s ultimately elsewhere where I’ve lost out on the championship,” Brookes commented.
“A championship is judged on the whole year, not just one weekend and there are opportunities at every round to get points. There hasn’t been any time this year though where I don’t think I could have done better, but I can’t deny the fact I’m disappointed not to be returning in 2020 with the number one plate!
“I’m looking forward to next season and although Scott won’t be figuring, there’ll always be someone to step up and there’ll be plenty more challenges ahead.”
Reardon left rattled by Port Adelaide practice fall
Section: Competition
Factory Yamaha entry presses on for third in the main event.
Image: Foremost Media.
Multi-time champion Dan Reardon says he was left rattled throughout Port Adelaide’s second round of the Australian Supercross Championship after suffering a heavy fall in the opening laps of practice.
The CDR Yamaha Monster Energy rider was just one of many riders who were claimed by the challenging third rhythm lane, however the supercross specialist managed to escape injury and return to the circuit moments later.
Admitting the section had him second-guessing throughout the night show, Reardon still claimed Superpole and challenged for lead in the early stages of the main before finish locking out the podium in third.
“The fall in practice rattled me a little and that section had me second-guessing it most of the night,” said Reardon. “I tried to put it behind me, and I saw that nearly every rider was having some issues with it, but that’s part of racing supercross.
“The main event was good without being great. The first few laps, Justin and I went backward and forwards a couple of times, but Justin had a bit of speed on me in the whoops and was able to get by. He is world-class at whoops.
“Still, I will take a third and leave here in a pretty good position. The top three of us are only eight points apart and with each round coming, there are different formats and added US-based riders so anything can happen.”
Reardon sits third in the championship standings – equal second with teammate Luke Clout – as the series heads to Wollongong on 9 November for round three of the series.
WorldSBK-bound Redding lifts BSB crown at Brands Hatch
Section: Competition
Be Wiser Ducati entry earns British title in maiden campaign.
Image: Supplied.
Scott Redding has clinched the 2019 Bennetts British Superbike Championship (BSB) in a thrilling final round at Brands Hatch.
The Be Wiser Ducati rider managed to fend off teammate and Australian Josh Brookes at the final round, who reduced Redding’s comfortable gap by securing three race wins. However, the British contender was able to get the job done with a third in the final outing of the weekend.
In the end, the Ducati pilot finished five points ahead of Brookes in the championship standings, earning 11 race victories across the season.
“I’ve had a lot of emotion – super happy, super proud and it is good to pay back everyone who has supported me through all my years in GP and my first year here in BSB,” Redding explained.
“A lot of people doubted me to win the championship in my first year, I knew deep inside I could do it even though I broke my femur one month before the first test of the year, I didn’t let it hold me back.
“I had a tough season, a great season. The feeling to cross the line knowing that you did it. It didn’t really sink in until I got half way round the lap. I was like ‘you’ve done it, it was just one race’. That was the hard bit.
“It was my own doing to make a mistake, I was thinking the whole race ‘don’t make the mistake, don’t make the mistake’, so a big thank you to the PBM Be Wiser Ducati team, a big thank you to my management, my family, my fans.
“The BSB championship has been amazing, they’ve brought a lot of passion back into racing and I’ve had so much fun this year on and off track.”
The British ace has signed with Aruba.it Racing – Ducati to contest the Motul FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) in 2020.
Season remainder in limbo for Bopping as health issues continue
Section: Competition
Empire Kawasaki contender undergoing further scans this week.
Image: Foremost Media.
Lawson Bopping is contemplating cutting his Australian Supercross Championship campaign short as he continues to battle ongoing health issues.
Bopping faced the fatigue-related health problem in 2016 which prompted him to step away from racing, however the New South Welshman was thought to have overcome the issue upon making a comeback with Empire Kawasaki until it reemerged at the halfway mark of the season.
The number 70 has shown genuine speed amongst the front-runners in the supercross championship, qualifying fifth fastest at Port Adelaide on Saturday before finishing third in his heat.
The Kawasaki pilot is set to undergo further medical evaluation this week, and while it’s likely his season is over, Bopping is confident it’s not the end of his career.
“Right now, I’ve got chronic fatigue,” Bopping revealed to MotoOnline.com.au. “As soon as my heart rate goes up, I just hit a wall very quickly compared to how I used to be or anyone else. You have to be super fit to ride a dirt bike, and I don’t have the stamina to do it.
“I feel as though I definitely have the talent to run up front in Australia, but I’m rolling around at 50 percent out there. Basically, the chronic fatigue is cooking me. But this Tuesday I’ll see the doctor for more scans – it’s a cardiologist, so I’ll be running on a treadmill and that. Even with chronic fatigue, there’s no quick cure – you’ve just got to rest.”
The next stop on the Australian Supercross Championship calendar is scheduled on 9 November in Wollongong, New South Wales.
“It wasn’t an easy race. I was pushing from the beginning, the strategy was clear – I had to try to open a gap. I felt strong and with the team we had calculated a pace of 1’46 low but then I was able to ride in 1’45 high – good news for me but I had to slow down a little bit. I worked on riding as smooth as possible and I was able to open the gap to two seconds but in the final two laps we were getting a little low on fuel because Motegi is always very demanding. There was a little bit of pressure to win the Constructors Championship in Japan, but I love the pressure and it is great to win it here for Honda because everyone works so hard. All the Repsol Honda Team did a great job to find the best setting and strategy for this race.”
Marc Marquez
Fabio Quartararo – P2
“I’m delighted with the weekend because the goal we set ourselves at the beginning of the season was to be best newcomer and we’ve already managed it. We have 163 points, which is an amazing achievement considering we were targeting between 50 and 90. We’ve been a big surprise to everyone, and it’s nice to be able to officially say that I’m Rookie of the Year. When I look back to last year when I was fighting for top 15 finishes in Moto2, I only think about how much I owe everyone at Petronas Yamaha SRT and Yamaha for putting their trust in me. I’ve done my maximum to help them believe in me, and together we’ve done an amazing job. We’re still fighting for good positions in the championship but trying not to think about it too much, so we’ll take the remaining races as they come and see what happens.”
Fabio Quartararo
Andrea Dovizioso – P3
“At the end of the race my feeling with the bike was really excellent, so much so that we did our fastest lap on the penultimate lap. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to pass Quartararo, who I saw was in a bit of difficulty in the final stages, but I think I could have overtaken him if there had been one more lap. I’m quite disappointed with my first part of the race however, because despite having good grip we were unable to be fast enough. We’ll now have to analyze the situation in detail to understand what the problem was and be ready for the race at Phillip Island.”
Andrea Dovizioso
Maverick Vinales – P4
“Actually, for me it was a very positive race. At the start I did a lot of fighting with Cal and Dovi. I tried to overtake quickly, but it was very difficult. At the end I found a very good rhythm on the last laps, trying to fight for the podium with Dovi, but somehow I couldn’t overtake. We made the most of our bike in this race and we’ll try to do more in Australia. I will do my best in Phillip Island, I will try to push and start from the front row, I think that’s very important. If we had started from first row today, we might have been able to fight for the race. We need to keep working, we’re very close, we just need a little bit more, which we’ll find for sure. Phillip Island is a track I really like, but anyway I will go there with the same expectations as I had for here, trying to work very hard and to be on the podium again.”
Maverick Vinales chasing Dovi
Cal Crutchlow – P5
“Today was a good result for me and the team. We are happy this weekend, we qualified fifth and finished fifth with a strong race. I wish my pace would have been a little bit quicker in the early part of the race, but I had to manage the situation with the bike to make sure that I finished the race and I was pleased to be able to catch some riders in the end, have a good battle and finish fifth on the line. It was a good Grand Prix for Honda with Marc (Marquez) winning and me inside the top five and I want to congratulate HRC for clinching the Constructors’ Championship here today. After a tough weekend in Thailand, we’ve bounced back to be able to get a good result here today. I want to thank my team for their hard work and we now look forward to Phillip Island with some great memories from the past and some not such good memories. I also want to wish Taka well with his surgery and hope he recovers well and is back stronger than ever next season.”
Cal Crutchlow
Franco Morbidelli – P6
“It’s a good result, we showed a lot of strength this weekend, and hopefully, we can bring the potential that we had here into the next round in Australia. That said, I’m a bit disappointed because I was expecting more from the race, but I understood as soon as it started that I didn’t have the same grip as I had had all weekend. We still managed to get the sixth position, which is good considering the feelings I was having on the bike, especially towards the end of the race. The big positive from Motegi is the speed we showed, so we need to find a way now to carry it forward.”
Franco Morbidelli
Alex Rins – P7
“I lost out a lot off the start, I really made a bad get away. But it was like that and there was nothing I could do apart from try to recoup positions. I stayed calm and focused and I was able to improve and move up the order. I was fighting with Crutchlow a lot and I’m disappointed that I finished behind him, because I felt I had potential for Top 5 but in the end we ran out of laps. I’m pleased to hold onto 3rd place in the standings, and it has been fantastic to be in Japan. Thank you to Mr. Toshihiro Suzuki for being with us all weekend and giving us a lot of support.”
Alex Rins
Joan Mir – P8
“I’m really happy about my weekend in general, and my race. Although I didn’t improve my position compared with Thailand, I feel I have taken another step in terms of performance. All weekend I’ve felt good with the bike and I know I’m getting closer to the podium and the top guys. I lost a lot of time today while I tried to pass Petrucci and that was a shame because I felt I could’ve done even better and closed the others. Anyway, it’s been amazing to be here in Japan for the first time as a Suzuki rider and to ride in front of the fans, and especially the President.”
Joan Mir
Danilo Petrucci – P9
“I can’t be satisfied with my result, even though I fought a lot in the race. Unfortunately, I struggled a lot in the early laps with the front tyre, which was heating up too much, but when I managed to get it back down to the right temperature I started to lap with good times and I was fast in the final part of the race. Something’s still missing for me to get back and race at the top, but I feel that I’m getting back to being close to my level at the start of the season. It’s clear that we must, and we want to do better and luckily Australia is only in one weeks’ time.”
Danilo Petrucci
Jack Miller – P10
“Unfortunately after 7 laps, I started to have some problems with the rear grip and the situation got worse in the following laps. From that moment on I could only try to get to the finish line. It’s a shame because I got off to a good start and I thought I could follow Marc and Fabio to the end. We have to analyse the data and see what happened. I am disappointed and can’t wait to be in Australia.”
Jack Miller
Pol Espargaro – P11
“Not a great weekend but starting from 15th position and to finish 11th – almost in the top ten and four seconds from Jack [Miller] – is not too bad. We started well but then dropped back and it was hard to keep the pace. Not what we wanted but we’ll look to Phillip Island which is one of my favourite tracks and one of the best in the world. We were in the top ten all weekend there last year so let’s see if we can do the same and enjoy the race because the last few have been tough.”
Pol Espargaro
Miguel Oliveira – P12
“A fun race! It was a tough start for me, I couldn’t position myself very well in the first two corners so I lost a lot of time in the first laps. It took me a while to gain my pace but once I got a bit of speed I could manage to do a very good race and finish inside the points, which was again our target. At the end of the race, I felt much better than in Thailand, so physically it’s a good sign. I just hope to keep this good line and continue to work together with the team for the next race in Phillip Island.”
Miguel Oliveira
Pecco Bagnaia – P13
“I can’t be too satisfied with the result. It is clear that I would have expected more but it was not an easy weekend. However, I have brought home a few points for the standings. I had a lot of problems in acceleration losing precious tenths of a second, especially in the straight. I want to congratulate Fabio on winning the Rookie of the Year award.”
Pecco Bagnaia
Mika Kallio – P14
“If we take the whole weekend into account then I think it finished quite positively today. To fight for points was the minimum target and we managed that. We were not far from Pol and Miguel was part of the group. It was just a bit of a shame I could not find the way to fight against them. Maybe just by riding I can keep improving and step-by-step get closer; it was only my first race this season and I am getting closer to my teammate. Phillip Island will be a completely different track compared to here and hopefully with more grip.”
Mika Kallio
Takaaki Nakagami – P16
“Thanks to the Japanese fans who came to the Twin Ring Motegi, I really appreciated their support this weekend. I felt a lot of energy from the fans and did my best all weekend. Of course, thanks to my team as well, they did a great job and gave me great support for my injured shoulder. This is not what I expected for the performance here, but it was the reality with my injury. But I want to congratulate Honda for winning the Constructors’ World Championship here today. The season is now over for me and now it’s time for surgery and to recover well for the future. I hope we can come back really strong for next season and I’m already looking forward to the Sepang tests.”’
Takaaki Nakagami
Jorge Lorenzo – P17
“We made an improvement on the bike this weekend and my feeling was better. Today in the second part of the race I was able to enjoy riding the bike again and go much faster than at the start of the race. At the end we were closer to the front than any of the other races since my injury, a second from the fastest in the last laps. The problem was at the beginning, I couldn’t play with the bike as much as at the end and this is where we lost all our time. But towards the end I was able to little by little, brake later and go faster. With the pace at the end I could have been closer to the leader. Now we try to keep the momentum for Phillip Island.”
Jorge Lorenzo
Karel Abraham – P18
“It has been a difficult race although the meteorological conditions have been quite favorable. I had a problem at the beginning and I got last. I had some problems that made it more difficult to overtake riders, however I was able to overtake three. We have to improve in the first laps so we don’t waste much time. Finally, in this race there have been only been two crash which is rare and we were not able to win more positions. “
Karel Abraham
Hafizh Syahrin – P19
“It was a good race from lap one until lap 18 but after that I knew I would struggle to control. I’m really sorry for my team, as I wanted to stay with Nakagami. I passed him and he passed me back, so I believe we could have made a decent race. Overall, it’s not bad, but I’m very sorry for everybody that I didn’t manage to do better.”
Hafizh Syahrin
Sylvain Guintoli – P20
“This weekend has been good. I really enjoyed FP3 in the wet and I felt so good on the bike. During the race we focused on gaining as much useful information as possible, and everything went OK. After a difficult start I settled into a consistent rhythm. I’m pleased to have been with the team for this home GP.”
Valentino Rossi – DNF
“I had quite a bad start, not in the first corner but after that I was in the middle of the chaos and lost time. My pace wasn‘t good enough to gain positions fast. I managed to recover a few, but I wasn‘t very strong. On some laps my pace wasn‘t so bad, but everybody was fast, so that made it very difficult to challenge from behind. I haven‘t seen the data yet, but I think I made a small mistake at the end, in Turn 1, and I crashed. It was a difficult race.”
Valentino Rossi
Team Managers
Razlan Razali – Petronas SRT Team Principal
“For MotoGP it was a great race for both riders even if it was close for Fabio at the end with Dovizioso closing him down and a shame for Franco getting pipped on the line for fifth by Crutchlow. Nevertheless, Fabio took Rookie of the Year and we scored a lot of points in the teams championships. It’s slightly mixed feelings in Moto3, with John McPhee scoring good points and Ayumu Sasaki making strong progress but our hopes being for slightly better. Adam Norrodin did a great job in Moto2. His remit is to use this part-season as a learning experience and he took another step forward which is all we can ask. We head to Australia after a very good weekend overall and naturally pushing for more of the same!”
Fabio Quartararo
Wilzo Zeelenberg – Petronas SRT Team Manager
“It was a very successful weekend for us and it’s great to see Franco stepping up his game, even though it’s a pity that Cal [Crutchlow] beat him right on the finish line. He’s seen the light now, understanding how to ride this bike in the best way. It was another great podium for Fabio with second place, his third of the year and his sixth podium. We’re on a charge now with three races to go, and we can be proud of what we’ve accomplished. Nevertheless, there’s still more we want to achieve before the season is over.”
Fabio Quartararo
Massimo Meregalli – Yamaha MotoGP Team Director
“We had hoped for more in today’s race. Maverick lost a few positions on the busy opening lap and it took some time for him to recover them. Looking at the pace he had during the race, it cost him a podium. Anyway, he scored important points that allow him to be a serious contender for third place in the rider standings, which he can continue to fight for next weekend in Australia. Today definitely was worse for Valentino. He was already further down the starting grid than he would have liked, on the fourth row, and on top of that he had a difficult start. Later his race was ended by a small crash in Turn 1, four laps before the chequered flag. Luckily, he was uninjured. It was a weekend to forget for him, but we get to start with a clean slate on Friday at the Phillip Island circuit.”
Valentino Rossi
Ken Kawauchi – Suzuki Technical Manager
“Alex did a lot of overtakes today but in the end he had to settle for 7th place, it was a difficult race. Joan also did well today with another good result. Both riders had a lot of potential today, but they couldn’t quite get the finishes they wanted. Of course, we will work hard and try to find a way to improve and be ready for next weekend. Thanks also to Sylvain and the test team who have helped us here.”
Joan Mir
Davide Brivio – Suzuki Team Manager
“Alex and Joan did a good race. Today it was difficult to finish higher than they did, because starting from 11th and 12th on the grid made it tricky. But they both recovered well, and their pace was actually very good. We know we have to pace so we just need to try again next time. This result is consistent, and we’re pleased. Sylvain got a lot of information for us too. Thank you to everyone from the factory who has been visiting us and supporting us this weekend.”
Pol Espargaro and Mika Kallio
Mike Leitner, Red Bull KTM Team Manager
“The result of the race is not too bad with three riders in the points but we wanted one in the top ten. However, since the beginning of the weekend it was tricky to get to this stage. FP3 was wet and so was qualification and this did not help us to get set-up for the best performance. We will take the result and the points today. Everybody was pushing hard. Let’s go to Phillip Island and try again.”
Pol Espargaro
Hervé Poncharal – Red Bull KTM Tech3 Team Manager
“Altogether this has been a very positive weekend for the Red Bull KTM Tech3 team here in Japan. It was a tough weekend for everyone, cool temperature on Friday, rain and a damp track on Saturday meant difficult conditions to master, a dry Warm Up this morning and a bit of a gamble for tyre selection. We run soft-soft in Warm Up and we knew it was going to be a bit warmer in the afternoon, so clearly, we decided with the medium front and rear, which was something we never tested the whole weekend. We told Miguel to be a bit cautious in the beginning of the race and this is what he did. The start was ok, but the pace was a bit average on the first laps, but when he understood the tyres and pushed them to the right temperature, he had a really strong pace. He did some good overtaking. We were a bit scared about his should towards the end of the race, but he made his fastest laps at the end, he was catching the guys in front. I’m truly proud, he was finally catching Bagnaia, who is a tough contender in his rookie season. This was a strong race. There was only one DNF ahead of us, so I think we can be proud of this top 12. We are not so far behind Pol (Espargaro) and clearly, we improve together with KTM. I’m very happy about what all the team, KTM and Miguel have done. We were also very excited to see Hafizh fighting and passing Lorenzo and Abraham. For once, he was right behind Nakagami, catching him, but when he was about to pass him, he made a big mistake and that was the end of our hope. But I would like to thank him also, because maybe this is one of the best races of the year for him, he was fast, some laps quicker than Miguel and he didn’t get a great reward because of the single mistake he did towards the end, but this is still a positive weekend. Let’s pack now and fly to Australia, which will also going to be an interesting weekend, as the weather seems to be difficult to handle. We’re ready to pack, enjoy a good night and then it’s off to Down Under!”
Motegi MotoGP 2019
Massimo Rivola – Aprilia Racing CEO
“This is a difficult moment. I feel like I need to send a message, first and foremost to ourselves. After qualifying and warm up, expectations for the race were high. The start was good but we realised straight away that something wasn’t right. In fact, Aleix was unable to replicate the pace he had demonstrated in warm up. When he came back to the garage, he complained of a lack of power. We need to look into the cause. Andrea also crashed, but after a technical problem. These are problems that happened to both on new engines and it is our duty to figure out these problems.”
Piero Taramasso – Michelin
“We came here with very high hopes of setting some fast times and breaking some records, but the weather intervened and didn’t make that possible. We are not disappointed though because the different conditions gave us plenty of opportunities to see how the tyres performed as the asphalt changed. It was cold on Friday, so the choice was really to go with the soft and medium slicks only, then we had heavy rain on Saturday morning, which meant we were able to use the full wet tyres. Then as it dried all the riders started to switch to slicks, this showed the amount of grip our tyres supply in those conditions as the best times were just outside race lap-record pace and no-one crashed in such difficult circumstances. Today for the race the track was not in a good condition, as it was slightly warmer, but the humidity increased, making tyre choice complicated. In the end just the front and rear soft and medium slicks were chosen, but it showed they all worked as each one was on the podium, in three different configurations and on three varying manufacturers. Overall it has been a positive weekend despite the weather and now we must focus on Australia and the added challenge of a test within the race weekend.”
