Scott Redding will start from pole position for tomorrow’s opening Bennetts British Superbike Championship race at Donington Park after edging out his Be Wiser Ducati teammate Josh Brookes in Datatag Qualifying as the pair fight for the advantage in the Showdown.
Scott Redding – P1
“It’s always good to be on pole position. Q3 was quite good; I had to really push quite hard because Q1 and 2 I didn’t feel that great with the bike and the grip. I didn’t want to change too much because I know the base is not bad. Josh was stepping up the pace so I thought inside of me I have got more, so in the Q3 we just made a small little change and I kept working away at the lap time. I thought now I’ve just got to do what I really can do and put it on the line, and to get the pole position lap is obviously really good and sets us up for the races tomorrow.”
Scott Redding
Josh Brookes – P2
“We’ve done a good job today to take second, but the first two sectors are letting me down a bit Josh Brookesand haven’t had the speed to go with Scott. On the edge of the tyre through the high-speed stuff of Craner Curves, I’m losing a bit of time and not able to attack but through the twisty stuff at the end of the lap, the bike feels mint. We’ve a bit of work still to do with the settings but I think our race pace is good enough to make it two competitive races.”
Josh Brookes
The final stage of Datatag Qualifying began with Luke Mossey at the top, but it wasn’t long before Be Wiser Ducati’s Brookes had fired himself to the top of the times as the eight-minute session counted down rapidly.
Buildbase Suzuki’s Bradley Ray was then on a string of fast laps that saw him climb the order and grab the lead position, but just a moment later Redding had delivered the fastest lap of the weekend so far to claim his fifth qualifying pole position of the season as Brookes surged into second.
Ray completed the front row for tomorrow’s opening race, just ahead of Mossey who had his best qualifying performance of the season for OMG Racing Suzuki in fourth place to head the second row.
Christian Iddon led the Tyco BMW charge to start from the second row in fifth place with Luke Stapleford completing the top six on the second of the Buildbase Suzukis.
Showdown contender Tommy Bridewell was seventh fastest with the Oxford Racing Ducati team, holding off his Title Fighter rival Peter Hickman on the Smiths Racing BMW.
2019 British Superbikes Round 11 Donington Park Qualifying
Taylor Mackenzie impressed by claiming a place in Q3 on his debut for Tyco BMW, pushing his Showdown contending brother Tarran Mackenzie into tenth at the end of Q2. It was a tough session for the FS-3 Racing Kawasaki’s Danny Buchan, who was the sixth fastest of the Showdown six and will start 13th on the grid for tomorrow’s first race.
Bennetts British Superbikes Combined Qualification
Round 15 – Thailand, Buriram International Circuit
Despite a crash at the end of Q2 – a real rarity – Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) set a new lap record to qualify on pole position for the PTT Thailand Grand Prix, taking pole for the fourth time in his rookie season and becoming the youngest to do so. He also equals Jorge Lorenzo (2008) and Dani Pedrosa (2006) on number of rookie poles, with only Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) ahead of the three. Marquez was another crasher in Q2 in Thailand, however, and starts third, with Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) splitting the two record breakers to take second on the grid and make it a Yamaha 1-2.
Fabio Quartararo
After a rain-soaked morning, it was a dry afternoon but the weather had left Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team) marooned in Q1 after a tougher Friday and the Italian was on a mission to move through. That he did, with Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) joining the Mugello winner in the fight for pole.
Marc Marquez
That fight began with a Marquez vs Viñales vs Quartararo shootout and ultimately, that’s the way it would remain – although two of them would later improve. Early drama came from a crash for Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) at Turn 5, ‘The Doctor’ heading back to the pits for his other machine as the clock ticked down. And Viñales stayed out later than many, the Spaniard enjoying the track pretty much to himself for a couple of laps.
Marc Marquez
Then it was showtime and the final runs. Quartararo was on top and the rookie was soon back into the red challenging his own new record, but Marquez was on a charge too. As the clock ticked down though, the reining Champion couldn’t do anything about the rookie ahead of him as Quartararo did lower his time once again, and then drama hit for the number 93. He suffered another crash and suddenly slid out of the fight, pole position out of reach on the weekend where he has his first Championship point.
Maverick Vinales
Despite the crash for his key rival, Quartararo was still pushing, and the Frenchman would then end his session in much the same way, although he was similarly straight up on his feet and ok. That just left Viñales to charge for the front and the Misano polesitter did improve, but it was only enough for second as he punted Marquez down a position.
“I gave it my everything in qualifying, and it paid off. It’s nice to be able to make not one but two good laps, despite being a little bit over the limit at the end pushing for a third one. I’ve felt strong on the bike all weekend, everything is working really well, and I can’t wait to see what we can achieve tomorrow. The team have done an amazing job all weekend, and the result was as much for them as it was for me. We’ve got great race pace as well as time attack speed so I’m really looking forward to seeing what happens in the race.”
Fabio Quartararo
Maverick Vinales – P2
“The feeling is great, because considering our rhythm, and also on paper, we are in close contention for the victory. When it comes to one lap, we know our bike is good, so we profited from it again today. There are still some things to improve for the race. I’m feeling great on the bike, as I said, but we’re going to try to make another step tomorrow. Anyway, we are happy, we’re just one tenth from pole position and we’re getting many front rows these races, and that is important: to be consistent. It will help us improve and be better each race. I can see myself on the podium tomorrow, because on paper our rhythm is stronger than that of most of the others, but you never know. For sure, we’re going to fight for the victory from the first laps of the race.”
Maverick Vinales
Marc Marquez – P3
“Today was a very good day for us, apart from the small crash at the end of Qualifying. After the fall, physically I am OK. I have a little bit of pain but it’s no excuse for the race tomorrow. We have a very good pace and we kept working and pushing throughout the day for tomorrow’s important race. The crashes this weekend aren’t a problem, for tomorrow, we have good pace and we will treat it like any other race – aiming to fight for the podium and victory.”
Marc Marquez
Yamaha’s great weekend at Buriram continued as Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) took fourth to head up the second row, ahead of Petrucci, who put in a stellar performance in Q2 to start as top Ducati.
Franco Morbidelli – P4
“I’m happy about the result because to be on the front two rows was our target and we achieved it. I’m pleased with the pace we have as well, so warm-up in the morning will just be a case of improving a few elements and then making a good race. We’ve been fast in wet and dry conditions, feeling confident in both, and we’re ready to start now. I will try as always for the podium, but we might just be missing a little bit. If we can make some improvements in the areas we’ve identified, we can achieve it.”
Franco Morbidelli
Danilo Petrucci – P5
“Finally I was able to do a good qualifying session, despite the weather conditions this morning making it a bit difficult for us. We had to go through Q1, but I defended myself well and together with the team we did a great job. As I said yesterday, we have a good idea of the direction to work in and as a result I’m back amongst the grid positions where I should be. I’m very happy because I can see that things are beginning to function: I want to thank all the people who have been helping me, both in the racing department back in Bologna and in my team, and tomorrow I want to finish off the job we did today with a great result”.
Danilo Petrucci
It was close, however, with Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) just in sixth – and Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) not far behind either.
Jack Miller – P6
“I am satisfied with this result even though I have never been able to make a perfect lap. The boys were really strong so I have no regrets. The feeling is very good and if I have to be honest I am happier for what we did in the FP4. There is great confidence for tomorrow.”
Jack Miller
‘DesmoDovi’ starts the pivotal PTT Thailand Grand Prix from seventh on the grid, from where he’ll be hoping to launch through the pack quickly and take the challenge to Marquez. The Spaniard’s only rival for the crown must stop Marquez scoring two more points than him on Sunday is the fight is to roll on to Japan.
Andrea Dovizioso – P7
“My feeling with the bike is much better than yesterday and we were quite fast on used tyres, so I’ve got good sensations for tomorrow. Unfortunately, we were unable to get the best out of the new tyres in qualifying and so tomorrow I will start from the third row of the grid, but with a good start I think I can do a good race because it will be a long grand prix and there are a lot of us with a similar pace. We will decide on our strategy during the race, but we’ve been working well and I’m confident for tomorrow”.
Andrea Dovizioso
Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) had an impressive Saturday to take P8 on the grid and once again get the better of more veteran teammate Alex Rins, with Rins down in tenth and Valentino Rossi splitting the two Hamamatsu factory machines. The number 46 is another who will be looking for more on Sunday, not able to recover much ground on his second bike after the crash.
Joan Mir – P8
“I haven’t ridden here before, but I feel good. Since my injury the team and I have worked really hard to come back and finish the season in a positive way, and it looks like it’s starting to pay off. We have to work a bit harder in qualifying in the future, but I hope to be able to fight from 8th on the grid. Alex and I are close to each other on times, and let’s see if we can run together in the race.”
Joan Mir
Valentino Rossi – P9
“The crash is a shame. Maybe we could have started from a bit better position, because my pace in FP4 wasn’t too bad. Unfortunately, during the qualifying on the first tyre I made a mistake and I was a bit wide, I think, and then lost the front on the bumps and crashed. So I came back to the box and went out with the other bike, but I didn’t have the same tyres. It wasn’t the perfect situation, but I was able to set a 1’30.7s so I’ll start from the third row. We hope for good weather tomorrow morning, because we have to try something, also for the race. My pace is not so bad, but there are four or five riders that are very close, so we’ll see.”
Valentino Rossi
Alex Rins – P10
“I’m satisfied because I improved my lap time, but not by enough. I’m starting in 10th tomorrow and I’m a bit behind the top guys, but there are many over-taking opportunities at this track and it’s possible to make up a lot of positions. Although it won’t be easy because everybody is very close, and if you make a mistake you could lose a lot of places. Let’s see what I can do tomorrow!”
Alex Rins
Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) took P11 and only completed one run in Q2 to let his injured wrist have a bit of a break, although he’s positive about going the distance on Sunday. Brother Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) took P12 to make it all six manufacturers in Q2.
Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) was one surprise name to miss out, and the Brit starts 13th just ahead of teammate Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu).
Jorge Lorenzo was upbeat with how Saturday went in Thailand, despite being unable to improve his time from Friday for a spot in Q2 due to the weather. Setting his best lap time of the weekend, Lorenzo finished the Q1 session within a second of Petrucci and will start from 19th on the grid but believes he could have been at least a row higher had a mistake late in his flying lap not cost him several tenths.
Jorge Lorenzo – P19
“The rain didn’t create the best conditions for the afternoon as the track was more slippery. We had to change the setting to compensate for this and we weren’t able to close the distance from pole. Anyway, in Qualifying I went faster than the whole weekend but we had an issue in the final braking after running on the kerb in the fast corner before. This lost me a few tenths and I think without this I could have been 16th which would have been my best grid position since Assen. We keep working!”
Jorge Lorenzo
After a serious show of pace from the likes of Quartararo and Viñales on Saturday, Marquez has his work cut out to take the crown on race day in Thailand. Can he do it? Dovizioso will be one a charge to make sure he doesn’t.
Andrea Dovizioso
MotoGP Qualifying Results Thailand
Pos
Rider
Bike
Q
Time/Gap
1
Fabio QUARTARARO
YAMAHA
Q2
1m29.719
2
Maverick VIÑALES
YAMAHA
Q2
+0.106
3
Marc MARQUEZ
HONDA
Q2
+0.212
4
Franco MORBIDELLI
YAMAHA
Q2
+0.712
5
Danilo PETRUCCI
DUCATI
Q2
+0.803
6
Jack MILLER
DUCATI
Q2
+0.878
7
Andrea DOVIZIOSO
DUCATI
Q2
+0.973
8
Joan MIR
SUZUKI
Q2
+1.016
9
Valentino ROSSI
YAMAHA
Q2
+1.022
10
Alex RINS
SUZUKI
Q2
+1.059
11
Pol ESPARGARO
KTM
Q2
+1.346
12
Aleix ESPARGARO
APRILIA
Q2
+1.539
13
Cal CRUTCHLOW
HONDA
Q1
+0.284
14
Takaaki NAKAGAMI
HONDA
Q1
+0.703
15
Francesco BAGNAIA
DUCATI
Q1
+0.731
16
Andrea IANNONE
APRILIA
Q1
+0.743
17
Miguel OLIVEIRA
KTM
Q1
+0.814
18
Tito RABAT
DUCATI
Q1
+0.869
19
Jorge LORENZO
HONDA
Q1
+0.920
20
Karel ABRAHAM
DUCATI
Q1
+1.088
21
Mika KALLIO
KTM
Q1
+1.164
22
Hafizh SYAHRIN
KTM
Q1
+1.294
Moto2
Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) has qualified on pole for the PTT Thailand Grand Prix, pulling out all the stops to head the grid for the fifth time this season as the man second overall, Jorge Navarro (Beta Tools Speed Up), had a tough Saturday at the office outside the top 20. Tetsuta Nagashima (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) was second fastest as his impressive weekend continued, with reigning Moto3 World Champion Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) taking third for his first front row start in his rookie season in the intermediate class.
2019 Thailand Moto2 Qualifying results: 1 – Alex Marquez (SPA – Kalex) 1’35.297 2 – Tetsuta Nagashima (JPN – Kalex) +0.095 3 – Jorge Martin (SPA – KTM) +0.151
Saturday started with torrential conditions, dried out and then threatened again for Moto2™. Under cloudier skies, Andrea Locatelli (Italtrans Racing Team) set a new lap record in Q1 to head fellow Q2 graduates Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2), Marco Bezzecchi (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) and Marcel Schrötter (Dynavolt Intact GP), but more rain came down and put a spanner in the works for one title challenger.
Second in the Championship, Navarro was one of three riders who slid out, along with Mattia Pasini (Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2) and Joe Roberts (American Racing KTM), and although all riders were up and ok, it put a dent in their Saturday. Navarro will now start the PTT Thailand Grand Prix from outside the top 20 and will have his work cut out on Sunday.
Once into Q2 and the track dry again, Marquez put himself a cut above mid-session and wasn’t to be caught, despite having earlier crashed in FP3. Nagashima was within a tenth of the man leading the charge for the crown by the time the flag went out, however, and Martin, after a tougher rookie season so far, put in a stellar performance to take third and only a tenth and a half off the man who’s ruled the class this season.
Meanwhile on the second row, he may have been the fastest on Friday but Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46) had to settle for fourth on the grid, although he remains in a good position to try and repeat his 2018 rostrum finish at the track. Remy Gardner made it both ONEXOX TKKR SAG teammates inside the top five in P5, with title contender Augusto Fernandez (FlexBox HP 40) firing in a late lap to complete the second row.
Xavi Vierge (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) heads up Row 3, the Spaniard getting the better of Tom Lüthi (Dynavolt Intact GP) in eighth as the Swiss veteran prepares for his first Moto2™ race at Chang International Circuit, having been in the premier class last season. Nicolo Bulega (Sky Racing Team VR46) took P9. with Iker Lecuona (American Racing KTM) completing the top ten.
Enea Bastianini (Italtrans Racing Team) was P11 ahead of Aragon winner Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo), who had a tough day at the office, with home hero Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) losing ground on Saturday afternoon. Second quickest on Day 1, the Thai rider will line up in P13 – but expect a serious charge from him.
Marcel Schrötter and Andrea Locatelli complete the fastest fifteen in qualifying, ahead of Lowes, Bezzecchi and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Beta Tools Speed Up), who is having a difficult Thai GP so far.
Alex Marquez
Moto2 Qualifying Results Thailand
Pos
Rider
Bike
Q
Time/Gap
1
Alex MARQUEZ
KALEX
Q2
1m35.297
2
Tetsuta NAGASHIMA
KALEX
Q2
+0.095
3
Jorge MARTIN
KTM
Q2
+0.151
4
Luca MARINI
KALEX
Q2
+0.179
5
Remy GARDNER
KALEX
Q2
+0.197
6
Augusto FERNANDEZ
KALEX
Q2
+0.284
7
Xavi VIERGE
KALEX
Q2
+0.303
8
Thomas LUTHI
KALEX
Q2
+0.320
9
Nicolo BULEGA
KALEX
Q2
+0.337
10
Iker LECUONA
KTM
Q2
+0.389
11
Enea BASTIANINI
KALEX
Q2
+0.519
12
Brad BINDER
KTM
Q2
+0.520
13
Somkiat CHANTRA
KALEX
Q2
+0.638
14
Marcel SCHROTTER
KALEX
Q2
+0.672
15
Andrea LOCATELLI
KALEX
Q2
+0.684
16
Sam LOWES
KALEX
Q2
+0.759
17
Marco BEZZECCHI
KTM
Q2
+0.782
18
Fabio DI GIANNANTONI
SPEED UP
Q2
+1.062
19
Lorenzo BALDASSARRI ITA
KALEX
Q1
+0.333
20
Stefano MANZI
MV AGUSTA
Q1
+0.336
21
Jorge NAVARRO
SPEED UP
Q1
+0.347
22
Dominique AEGERTER SWI
MV AGUSTA
Q1
+0.551
23
Jesko RAFFIN
NTS
Q1
+0.649
24
Joe ROBERTS
KTM
Q1
+0.684
25
Bo BENDSNEYDER
NTS
Q1
+0.706
26
Mattia PASINI
KALEX
Q1
+0.808
27
Jake DIXON
KTM
Q1
+1.127
28
Philipp OETTL
KTM
Q1
+1.386
29
Dimas EKKY PRATAMA INA
KALEX
Q1
+1.411
30
Lukas TULOVIC
KTM
Q1
+1.927
31
Xavi CARDELUS
KTM
Q1
+1.951
32
Adam NORRODIN
KALEX
Q1
+2.077
Moto3
Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46) will start the PTT Thailand Grand Prix from his maiden pole position as the Italian pulled off a perfect final assault in Q2, pulling a tenth clear of the pack to become the 10th different polesitter since the opening race in Qatar – a record in a single Moto3 season, equalling 2016. He’s also the first rookie to start from pole in the class since Joan Mir at the 2016 Austrian GP, and will have Marcos Ramirez (Leopard Racing) and Albert Arenas (Gaviota Angel Nieto Team) for company on the front row.
2019 Thailand Moto3 Qualifying results: 1 – Celestino Vietti (ITA – KTM) 1’42.599 2 – Marcos Ramirez (SPA – Honda) +0.118 3 – Albert Arenas (SPA – KTM) +0.152
After an almighty downpour on Saturday morning, the track had dried out by the time the lightweight class headed out for Q1, with the sun back beating down on Buriram. In that first qualifying session it was Vietti who led the way, the Italian topping the session and joined in Q2 by John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing), Raul Fernandez (Gaviota Angel Nieto Team) and Filip Salač (Redox PrüstelGP). Rookie Ai Ogura (Honda Team Asia) was one man to lose out, a crash for the Aragon podium finisher seeing him end Q1 in tenth.
With the final 18 then back on track for Q2, the fight for pole was well and truly on. After the first runs it was Championship leader Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing) who sat on top, but that would all change in the last frantic dash as the timesheets took another shuffle and first Aron Canet (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team), then Arenas and then, finally, Vietti blasted to the top.
Behind the maiden polesitter, Ramirez slotted into second and pushed Arenas down to P3 as the two Spaniards complete the front row, with Kaito Toba (Honda Team Asia) impressing to head the second row as he continues his bounce back from injury. Alonso Lopez (Estrella Galicia 0,0) continued his better pace of late to go fifth fastest, with Canet pushed down to the outside of the second row. For the Championship challenger, however, it remains an impressive result as Canet missed the first Thai Grand Prix last year due to injury.
Friday’s fastest man, Andrea Migno (Mugen Race) heads up the third row ahead of Rodrigo, with Tony Arbolino (VNE Snipers) team taking ninth. Championship leader Dalla Porta was tenth quickest and will want to make some forward progress on race day, joined on the fourth row by Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) and Dennis Foggia (Sky Racing Team VR46), who took his maiden podium at Buriram last year.
John McPhee (Petronas Yamaha SRT) took P13, just ahead of Raul Fernandez and Makar Yurchenko (BOE Skull Rider Mugen Race). The two riders who were 14th and 15th in Q2, Filip Salač and teammate Jakub Kornfeil, both serve grid penalties and will start 27th and 25th respectively.
Ayumu Sasaki (Petronas Sprinta Racing) is another rider who was in Q2 with a penalty to serve and he’ll be penultimate on the grid, with only Riccardo Rossi (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3) behind him after the Italian was also given a back of the grid start. Darryn Binder (CIP – Green Power) takes his six-place grid penalty given at Aragon and starts 26th.
Quartararo edges Vinales and Marquez for Thailand MotoGP pole
Section: Competition
Australia’s Jack Miller to start from sixth as Gardner rides to Moto2 top five.
Image: Supplied.
Rookie wonder Fabio Quartararo claimed another pole position in the 2019 MotoGP World Championship at the PTT Thailand Grand Prix at Chang International Circuit.
After a titanic duel, it was Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) who got the better of Maverick Vinales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) and champion-elect, Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team).
The first times came in and it was a head-to-head duel for the outright lap record. Marc Marquez went top initially and was just a fraction away from the lap record, but it would be first blood drawn for Fabio Quartararo.
The Frenchman stormed on to be the first rider to complete a lap of the Chang International Circuit on a motorcycle in less than 90 seconds during a full-blooded race weekend. Marquez also went sub-90 seconds but was no match for Quartararo. Vinales was pushing hard and completed a long first stint and was third.
It was disaster for Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), as the nine-time world champion crashed unceremoniously at turn five, with the front-end tucking as he looked to make the apex. In a frantic hurry, ‘The Doctor’ returned to the pits and went straight back out on the second of his Yamaha M1 machines. After his first go at it, he was 10th.
Rossi wouldn’t be the only rider to bin it at turn five. As the field took to the circuit again, more history would reign down on the MotoGP grid, and high drama would provide one of the most exciting finishes to a session of the year.
Quartararo, not content with his lap record, went even quicker, blitzing his own lap record and securing a 1m29.719s on his seventh lap. This made it his fourth pole position of the season, a stunning achievement for the Independent team rider.
Drama awaited the rookie though, as he crashed at turn five. And he had reason to want to push for an even better lap record, as Vinales ended up just 0.106s behind his fellow Yamaha-man in second. Marquez was demoted to third and he wouldn’t get the chance of fighting back for pole either, as he too had already crashed at turn five.
Marquez would be third for the first time since Jerez, on a day when Quartararo headed a Yamaha 1-2 as well. Row two features another Yamaha, with the Japanese manufacturer securing three of their bikes inside the top four, something they achieved on Friday too.
Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) was right in the mix all the way through the session but ended up half a second back of the front row. Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team), fresh from Q1, was best Ducati in fifth place for his best qualifying result since Mugello, when he was third. Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) completes the second row.
It is a star-studded third row with no less than 11 world championships coming from there. Andrea Dovizioso’s (Ducati Team) ambitions of keeping his title hopes alive took a blow as he was only able to manage seventh.
Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) took his best qualifying slot since he was fifth at Assen. Rossi remounted and salvaged ninth and a third row start, while Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) completed the top 10.
In Moto2, Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) took a fifth pole position of the season and his fourth-consecutive front row, whilst Tetsuta Nagashima (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) and Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) joined the championship leader on the front row. Remy Gardner (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) qualified in P5.
Moto3 qualifying was as explosive as ever and it was Italian rising star Celestino Vietti (SKY Racing Team VR46) who took a career-first pole, ahead of Marcos Ramirez (Leopard Racing) and Albert Arenas (Gaviota Angel Nieto Team) who completed the front row.
Phillip Island ASBK Supersport pole position belongs to Toparis
Section: Competition
Close quarters for support categories as racing commences on Saturday.
Image: Russell Colvin.
Yamaha-mounted Tom Toparis has claimed the Motorsports TV Australian Supersport Championship pole position at Phillip Island’s sixth round of the 2019 season.
Toparis, who can potentially clinch the title tomorrow, was a full second clear of the field with a 1m35.449s lap-time, leading Nic Liminton (Yamaha) and Jack Passfield (Yamaha).
The second row features Oli Bayliss (Yamaha), Ty Lynch (Yamaha) and Broc Pearson (Yamaha), with seventh to 10th featuring Aidan Hayes (Yamaha), Richie Dibben (Suzuki), Jack Hyde (Yamaha) and Rhys Belling (Yamaha).
Winning race one of the YMI Supersport 300s was Senna Agius (Kawasaki), leading Yannis Shaw (Kawasaki) by 0.043s, with Seth Crump (KTM) completing the podium. The top 11 bikes finished within a second in a freight-train thriller.
This afternoon’s opening YMF R3 Cup race was even closer in the fight for victory as Locky Taylor edged out Max Stauffer by just 0.084s. John Lytras was third, this time with the top eight Yamahas all crossing the line in formation.
The tight racing didn’t end there, however, because Max Gibbons managed to take victory in the Oceania Junior Cup by 0.035s, ahead of Carter Thompson and Angus Grenfell. Again, 11 riders were within one second at only 0.624s.
Max Stauffer had been quickest in the morning session and chose not to take part in Q2 which saw him demoted to P2 on the grid by Locky Taylor after the Queenslander took pole with a 1m48.486s. Yannis Shaw rounded out the front row ahead of John Lytras.
YMI Australian Supersport 300
Max Stauffer was the early leader as the opening seven-lap bout of the weekend got underway at 1440 on Saturday afternoon and actually built up a small lead around the back of the circuit but was then slipstreamed down the chute by the chasing horde and shuffled back to sixth place as they headed in to turn one with Senna Agius the new race leader.
YMI Australian Supersport 300
The Kawasaki runners enjoying a hefty speed advantage down the main straight, Max Stauffer the slowest on the first lap at 180 km/h while Yannis Shaw on the Kawasaki clocked 204 km/h according to the Computime speed trap.
YMI Supersport 300 – Image by Rob Mott
Hunter Ford moved into the race lead early on lap three, then Luke Johnston took his turn before Senna Agius then moved through to the race lead and that duo went down the main straight side-by-side.
YMI Supersport 300 – Image by Rob Mott
As the race broached the halfway mark still only two-seconds covered the top 14 riders which suggested that racecraft over the final lap would be absolutely crucial. Laura Brown would have been in that mix but then went down at turn ten.
At the last lap board it was Senna Agius with his nose in front of Seth Crump, Hunter Ford and Luke Johnston but only a few turns laters Yannis Shaw had come from behind to move into the race lead.
Yannis Shaw in the lead – Rob Mott image
The order then shuffled many times through the latter half of that final lap but it was Senna Agius the victor over Yannis Shaw while Seth Crump rounded out the podium on the KTM RC390.
YMI Australian Supersport 300 Race One – Senna Agius the victor over Seth Crump and Yannis Shaw – Image by Rob Mott
Locky Taylor fourth ahead of Hunter Ford and Championship leader Max Stauffer.
Agius victory saw him pull ten-points back on Stauffer but the Kurri Kurri youngster still enjoys a 29-point championship lead.
Senna Agius the victor in YMI Australian Supersport 300 – Rob Mott Image
New best lap clinches Jones Phillip Island ASBK pole position
Section: Competition
Current championship leader qualifies in P1 for the fourth-consecutive round.
Image: Foremost Media.
DesmoSport Ducati’s Mike Jones has qualified on pole position for round six of the 2019 Motul Pirelli Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) at Phillip Island.
Jones set a scorching time of 1m31.995s in Q2, which was a new best lap for ASBK at the Victorian venue, and a fourth-straight pole for the current points-leader.
Joining Jones on the front row was Wayne Maxwell (Team Suzuki Ecstar), 0.326s in arrears, and privateer standout Matt Walters (Kawasaki) in a popular result for the New South Welshman.
Walters jumped to the top of the order in the late stages of the session with his personal best lap, however, Jones retaliated with two minutes remaining and that’s where he would remain.
Fourth and fifth places featured Daniel Falzon (Yamaha Racing Team) and defending champion Troy Herfoss (Penrite Honda Racing) respectively, the final pair in the 1m32s during qualifying this afternoon.
Starting out of P6 will be Cru Halliday (Yamaha Racing Team) after transferring through Q1, as Josh Waters (Team Suzuki Ecstar), Glenn Allerton (Maxima BMW), Bryan Staring (Kawasaki BCperformance) and Mark Chiodo (Penrite Honda Racing) were in positions seven through 10.
The 35-minute ASBK Timed Practice session here at Phillip Island this morning was a fairly busy affair as riders and their teams searched for extra milliseconds of speed ahead of tomorrow’s two 12-lap races.
Mike Jones changed a shock and some engine braking settings on the DesmoSport Ducati during the session as they honed the 1299 Panigale Final Edition. His best of 1m32.735s came halfway through the session but the Queenslander had also done a 1m32.745s on only his second flying lap, and a 1m32.896s on his 15th and final lap of the session.
New shock goes in the DesmoSport Ducati 1299 Panigale Final Edition
In contrast Wayne Maxwell and Ecstar Suzuki are obviously confident of their set-up as the #47 Suzuki only really turned in three flying laps. Also, of course, a tyre conservation strategy as Maxwell saves a front tyre for the Q2 session.
Wayne Maxwell – TBG Image
Those three laps by Maxwell though certainly sent a well loaded shot across the bows of the competition though. A 1m32.981s on his first, then a session topping 1m32.727s on his second, followed by a 1m33.149s on his third before he returned to the pits.
Troy Herfoss – TBG Image
Troy Herfoss put in nine-laps over the course of the 35-minute Timed Practice session to end that session third quickest.
Cessnock Kawasaki privateer Matt Walters was next quickest, 1m33.289s his fastest lap on a domestic Superbike around Phillip Island. The 26-year-old has recently shed 6kg and is now really starting to enjoy the latest model ZX-10R more than ever, remarking that he had not felt as comfortable on a Superbike since his long lost love that was his 2011 model.
Matt Walters – Image Rob Mott
Bryan Staring was fifth this morning ahead of Josh Waters, Daniel Falzon, Mark Chiodo and Glenn Allerton while Cru Halliday rounded out the top ten ahead of Damon Rees. Many of those riders only put in a few laps as once confident that their automatic promotion through to Q2 was achieved they chose to rest on their laurels and save their tyres.
Glenn Allerton – TBG Image
The new look Saturday format for 2019 sees Superbike competitors out for that aforementioned 35-minute ‘Timed Practice’ session. The times from that session then decided the ten riders that automatically qualified for the Q2 session. The riders from 10th back in the Timed Practice session then had to fight it out in a Q1 session, with the top three in that session then promoted into Q2, making for a final 12-rider tussle over the first four rows of the grid. A little like we see in MotoGP these days.
Cru Halliday – TBG Image
Q1
Cru Halliday predictably topped that Q1 session early on but on track action was stopped only a minutes into the session when a few Cape Barren Geese decided to wander on to the track, just after Siberia. It gets awfully messy if you meet one of these seven-kilogram geese at speed, let alone very dangerous.
Riders were back on track after a short delay but Aaron Morris was quickly out of the action after going down at turn eight.
Jamie Stauffer talking set-up with Adrian Monti
Jamie Stauffer moved up to second momentarily before being pushed back to third by Damon Rees. Cru Halliday improved his time to strengthen his hold on P1 with a 1m34.176s.
Alex Phillis – TBG Image
Alex Phillis put in a determined charge to try and break into that top three but couldn’t quite manage it, thus it was Halilday, Rees and Stauffer that went through to the Q2 session.
Q2
Mike Jones dropped in a 1m32.634s on his first flying lap to clearly signal his intentions and then immediately returned to the pits.
Wayne Maxwell and Bryan Staring – TBG Image
Wayne Maxwell put in a 1m32.889s before returning to the pits and halfway through the 15-minute session the top five were all in the pits while the order was Jones, Maxwell, Waters, Walters and Staring. Herfoss then promoted himself up to third in the order with six-minutes remaining, a 1m33.108s the time but he then went quicker again on his next lap to push up into P2 on a 1m32.860s. With four-minutes remaining all the other top runners were exiting pit-lane and lining up for their final time attack.
Daniel Falzon – TBG Image
Daniel Falzon and Mark Chiodo the first to improve but then Matt Walters gazumped them all with a 1m32.545s scorcher! What a lap from the Matt and dad team that is the Cessnock Kawsaki squad!
The Cessnock Kawasaki team… Matt Walters and dad Carl….
Mike Jones then dropped in a 1m31.995s to go P1, only a tenth away from the outright race lap record he set here earlier in the season on a ZX-10R.
Mike Jones – Pole Position – Image by Rob Mott
He was then marginally quicker again through all the splits on the next laps bar the last one, he lost a little time through the last sector and failed to improve further.
Mike Jones – Image Rob Mott
Wayne Maxwell then went P2 with a 1m32.321s to push Walters back to P3 as the chequered flag came out and that was it.
With pole position Mike Jones extends his championship lead by another crucial point and will line up alongside Wayne Maxwell and Matt Walters on the front row.
Not only three different brands 1-2-3, but five different brands across the top five, but six across the top eight with Glenn Allerton doing well today on his return from injury on the BMW S 1000 RR – Image by Rob Mott
Daniel Falzon heads the second row alongside Troy Herfoss and Cru Halliday.
Josh Waters – TBG Image
Josh Waters heads the third row alongside Glenn Allerton and Bryan Staring.
Glenn Allerton – TBG Image
Troy Bayliss had taken part in Friday Practice to gain more set-up time on the V4R Ducati but is not racing this weekend.
Cameo practice appearance from Bayliss at Phillip Island
Section: Competition
DesmoSport Ducati co-owner continues V4R development on ASBK weekend.
Image: Russell Colvin.
Triple world champion Troy Bayliss made a surprise return to the Motul Pirelli Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) on Friday at Phillip Island, continuing to develop the Panigale V4 R.
The DesmoSport Ducati co-owner was scheduled to contest the full season in 2019 until injuries sustained at the opening round prompted the team to draft in current points-leader Mike Jones.
Bayliss, 50, recently lined up in a Victorian state title round at Phillip Island with a strong performance alongside Jones – who continues to pilot the 1299 Panigale FE – and will be a starter in the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix support races later this month.
“It was nice to do a few laps on the V4 because I wanted to get a bit more time on it before the GP,” Bayliss told CycleOnline. “I’m still not going as well as I’d like to be on that, but honestly, we’re really focused on what we need to do with Mike to finish the job off this year – we have to concentrate on him.
“It’ll be nice to put the bike on track with a lot of people down here, in front of our sponsors and fans during the GP weekend. It’s going to be a really good event for us because we’ve got a hospitality down here as well, so it’ll be nice.”
At the conclusion of Friday’s ASBK sessions Bayliss was ninth quickest on combined times, his 1m34.116s coming in the morning’s first practice session. He wasn’t the lone V4 on track this weekend, with multiple ASBK champion Jamie Stauffer joining Craig McMartin Racing for the round.
Maxwell on top at Phillip Island ASBK following timed practice
Section: Competition
Runaway championship leader Toparis dominant in Supersport class so far.
Image: Russell Colvin.
Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Wayne Maxwell topped this morning’s timed practice session, leading into qualifying at Phillip Island’s penultimate round of the 2019 Motul Pirelli Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK).
Maxwell recorded a 1m32.727s lap-time in Kawasaki Superbike final practice, edging points-leader Mike Jones (DesmoSport Ducati) by 0.008s – the lone two riders beneath the 33s bracket today.
Defending champion Troy Herfoss (Penrite Honda Racing), who set a PB lap of the grand prix circuit on Friday, was third on the time-sheets, with the top five filled by top independent Matt Walters (Kawasaki) and Bryan Staring (Kawasaki BCperformance).
Also transferring directly through to Q2 this afternoon, the top nine riders included Josh Waters (Team Suzuki Ecstar), Daniel Falzon (Yamaha Racing Team), Mark Chiodo (Penrite Honda Racing) and Glenn Allerton (Maxima BMW).
Title challenger Cru Halliday (Yamaha Racing Team) was 10th on the charts at the conclusion of timed practice, meaning he will be forced to take part in Q1 this afternoon.
Fastest in Motorsports TV Supersport qualifying was Tom Toparis (Yamaha) at 1m35.613s ahead of Nic Liminton (Yamaha) and Jack Passfield (Yamaha), as Max Stauffer (Yamaha) led YMI Supersport 300 and the YMF R3 Cup.
Showdown Spoiler Irwin heads off Hickman at Donington Park Andrew Irwin snatched the top spot in the second Bennetts British Superbike Championship free practice at Donington Park for Honda Racing, setting his fastest time on the final lap of the afternoon session to steal the advantage from Peter Hickman at the chequered flag.
Andrew Irwin – Honda Racing
“Today’s been much better, to be honest. I’ve had a tough three rounds really, the past three haven’t been fantastic. It’s only Friday, don’t get me wrong, I’m not going to get carried away, but it gives you that little bit of confidence going into Saturday and Sunday so I’ll take that as a positive. The bike feels good in these conditions, the wet, dry, kind of mixed conditions. To be honest, it is always something that I’ve been horrendous in before, so it’s good we’ve taken a step forwards in that, and P1 is always a good day. I look forward to tomorrow and hopefully we can do a good job come Sunday.”
Andrew Irwin
The morning session had also taken place in mixed conditions, with Showdown contender Danny Buchan and FS3-Racing Kawasaki edging out Joe Francis by 0.159s.
Conditions looked set to be dry for the second 45-minute session. Just as it got underway, there was a brief shower but the conditions continued to improve and the times began to tumble. At the beginning, title contender Josh Brookes had set the initial pace from Christian Iddon before another of the Showdown protagonists, Tommy Bridewell, edged ahead.
Iddon though was on a run of laps and he went to the top for Tyco BMW, before Showdown contender Tarran Mackenzie fired the McAMS Yamaha ahead. The places again kept changing at the top with Iddon then Brookes trading blows.
As the Showdown contenders mixed it up, Taylor Mackenzie became the second Tyco BMW rider to have a spell at the top, before Brookes then pushed him back down the order. A flurry of activity in the closing minutes again saw a change, with Hickman hitting the top of the times as the chequered flag was shown, but Irwin was still on a flying lap and he had the edge by 0.203s.
Josh Brookes
Taylor Mackenzie held third place on his debut with the Tyco BMW team in the afternoon, holding off championship leader Scott Redding who had been running second earlier in the session, and Iddon who completed the top five.
Honda Racing’s Xavi Forés managed to move ahead of Brookes in the final moments of free practice two with Joe Francis again having an impressive session in eighth place for the Lloyd & Jones Bowker BMW team.
Ben Currie and Luke Mossey completed the top 10 with Showdown Title Fighters Tarran Mackenzie in 13th place and Bridewell ending the session 26th.
