Assen WorldSBK race one postponed as Bautista claims pole
Race one shifted to Sunday, Superpole race cancelled in The Netherlands.
Image: Supplied.
Following a snowstorm hitting the TT Circuit Assen early in the afternoon, race one of The Netherlands’ fourth stop on the 2019 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) has been postponed to Sunday, prompting the cancellation of the Superpole race.
Bautista will start from pole in both races after lodging a quick-time of 1m34.740s, edging home favourite Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Official) and Markus Reiterberger (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team).
Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Official) and Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team) closed out the top five, while reigning champion Jonothan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) was an uncharacteristic eighth.
In WorldSSP, Randy Krummenacher (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) claim pole in a red-flagged outing due to oil spilling onto the circuit, he’ll be joined on the front row by teammate Federico Caricasulo (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) and Raffaele De Rosa (MV AGUSTA Reparto Corse).
The WorldSSP300 class saw Indonesian talent Galang Hendra Pratama (Semakin Di Depan Biblion Motoxracing) top the timesheets to claim pole over Manuel Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) and Mika Perez (Scuderia Maranga Racing), as Australians Jack Hyde (2R Racing Team Kawasaki), Tom Edwards (ParkinGo Team Kawasaki), and Tom Bramich (Nutec – RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki) wound up in positions 16, 28, and 32 respectively.
“I’m happy to be on pole position but for tomorrow nothing is certain yet. Today we were fastest and got pole, but no one knows about race pace or tyres yet as we lost FP3. We will have to work well in Warm Up to make up for the time we sadly lost to the weather. After Warm Up we will know more but there are many people who could be in the fight.”
Marc Marquez
Valentino Rossi – P2
“It looks like, from the Argentina GP onwards, we’ve been going about it in the right way, and also this weekend we’ve been working well with the team. Today was a difficult day, because this morning we didn’t do the FP3 session. Still I feel comfortable with the bike, also in the half-and-half conditions of FP4, in which we usually tend to suffer. Today, the bike gave me better feedback, so I could push in a better way. In the qualifying I was strong. I’m very happy to start from the front row, because it’s very important for tomorrow. Now we wait to see what the conditions will be like for the race, and then we will try to make the right tyre choice.”
Valentino Rossi
Cal Crutchlow – P3
“Maybe it’s old age, with Valentino (Rossi) in second and me in third, maybe we’re coming back round again with age! I feel good, although I was not overly pleased with my lap, I lost the front three times in one lap. We changed the setting from yesterday, but because we didn’t have the morning session (FP3) we needed to use the qualifying as a little bit of a test and I lost the front in all the hairpin corners. I was angry with the lap because of myself as I pushed a lot in the braking zone. I’m happy enough though, nobody is anywhere near Marc (Marquez), you saw him in the damp session and he was two seconds clear. But we did a good job and the team is working very well. I’m happy with the team, happy with the bike, everything is going well and I look forward to tomorrow.”
Cal Crutchlow
Jack Miller – P4
“The wind during the Q2 was really strong and it was very difficult to make the perfect lap. All things considered we did a very positive qualifying and that’s why I’m satisfied. Tomorrow it won’t be easy to choose the tyres because we had not the possibility to make enough laps today. We are starting from a good position and there is a lot of confidence”.
Jack Miller
Pol Espargaro – P5
“It was a complicated day. Tricky in the morning then there was a lot of wind. Thanks in the end to Maverick [Viñales] who pushing in front of me and we could do a good lap-time. Just amazing. To get the time you needed to push to the limit and I was over it sometimes! But it worked and a good lap appeared on my dashboard. We have to be realistic tomorrow and I will enjoy the start, take a good rhythm and a good spot in the race and my group.”
Pol Espargaro
Maverick Vinales – P6
“It was really difficult today in qualifying. Honestly, I didn’t expect the wind would affect the bike’s behaviour so much, it was very difficult to turn in the corners and the bike was very aggressive, moving all the time. I couldn’t push, because I wasn’t feeling at my best. We hope to improve tomorrow and be better during the race. I had many scary moments during qualifying. We need to learn from today, so we won’t have the same problem on another windy day.”
Maverick Vinales
Alex Rins – P7
“I’m happy to start on the third row, and my race pace wasn’t bad. I think we’ve made a big improvement over the weekend and we’ll continue to push. Every time I go on track I give 100%, and that can bring varying results depending on the situation, but I’ll try to enjoy tomorrow and bring a lot of points home.”
Alex Rins
Danilo Petrucci – P8
“It’s been a rather unusual day. After missing FP3 and encountering tricky conditions in FP4, we were only able to ride on a dry track for qualifying,and we had to go ‘all in’ in Q1. I’m happy to have made it through, even though I’m sorry Andrea was left out. In Q2, I could have done a slightly faster lap, but we still have work to do to improve first and foremost in terms of pace. All in all, third row doesn’t compromise our chances to do well in the race and take home important points, so I’m confident ahead of tomorrow.”
Danilo Petrucci
Fabio Quartararo – P9
“It was a day of very complicated weather conditions. We went out for FP4 with wet tyres, but the track was partially dry in places, so it was difficult to understand the best way to ride. We started off with a full tank and were not very confident. Going into Q2 without 100% confidence is not ideal, but finishing ninth is a good result: It’s a spot on the third row, so I’m very happy with the work that we’ve done at this difficult circuit. I know that it is a very demanding track over 20 laps, but we have a good pace – not like the front-runners have, but we are well placed to fight for the Top 10 and to be the top rookie. The main thing is to enjoy the race.”
Fabio Quartararo
Franco Morbidelli – P10
“We could say that the cancellation of FP3 completely altered our plan for today. We tried something different with our setup in terms of weight distribution, but really I was only able to test it out in Q2 as that was the only fully dry session; the mixed conditions in FP4 didn’t allow us to draw any conclusions. It was good for us, but not for the feeling of the bike, because we couldn’t push it to the limit and it wasn’t a true demonstration of our potential. Unfortunately, I had to discover that it didn’t work as we expected in Q2. We finished tenth, which isn’t bad. The warmup will be very important for getting our feeling back and improving a little more. In the race, we will have to get a good start. Tomorrow it will be important to have the feeling I had yesterday -or better.”
Franco Morbidelli
Jorge Lorenzo – P11
“A challenging day today with the weather where we unfortunately lost some time. I was feeling strong in Q1 and pushed hard to get through then we had an issue in Q2 which upset our plan. The other bike had a different setting as we are trying a lot of different things so we couldn’t unlock our full potential. Tomorrow will be a physical race, it always is here.“
Jorge Lorenzo
Pecco Bagnaia – P12
“I honestly can’t explain the two crashes. All I know is that they were identical and that is why we need to see the data to understand what happened. The feeling was not the same as on Friday. I am still confident because this problem only occurs in two corners and in the rest of the circuit I feel very fast. I just hope that tomorrow there will be no strong wind”.
Pecco Bagnaia
Andrea Dovizioso – P13
“Today’s qualifying was quite tricky. Track conditions were very precarious, and we also struggled more than we expected in the faster corners due to the strong winds. It’s a shame we couldn’t get into Q2, because I’m sure we could have recovered some more positions on the grid, but we need to look forward anyway. Unfortunately, the weather hasn’t allowed us to work on our race setup today, but we know our potential. We want, and we can, bounce back. It’ll be essential to get a good start, then we’ll try, as usual, to bring home the best possible result.”
Andrea Dovizioso
Joan Mir – P14
“I’m in good shape and my speed is good. Today I was very close to Q2 but I missed out. Anyway I’m still happy with my pace, I’m not too far from the top. I’ll try to recover positions tomorrow in the race, and my goal is to learn about the riders around me and to get the best result possible.”
Joan Mir
Takaaki Nakagami – P15
“I think the weather made it really complicated for everybody. Yesterday we finished outside of the top 10 in P15, then FP3 was cancelled so we didn’t have any further chance to improve (ahead of qualifying). FP4 was in mixed conditions and at the end of the session we tested with slick tyres to prepare for Q1. Q1 was difficult for me and this strong wind didn’t help either. We struggled to make a lap time with the new tyres and it’s been hard so far this weekend. But qualifying is gone now, so we’re preparing for the race and I think race distance will suit us better than the qualifying lap. Of course we’re quite disappointed with our performance today and yesterday, but we’ll focus on tomorrow and stay strong to try and get a good result.”
Takaaki Nakagami
Aleix Espargaro – P16
“It was a bit of a strange day because of the weather. Before the qualifiers, we were only able to lap in the last part of FP4, so we’ll only have tomorrow morning to get the bike ready for the race. Considering our level in terms of pace, we can hope for a better race than the qualifiers and aim for the top ten, although it won’t be easy because we know that this is not a very friendly track for us.”
Aleix Espargaro
Andrea Iannone – P17
“Not a simple day. I particularly struggled in qualifying with the soft tyre. The balance of the bike changes a lot when the grip conditions change, and it makes a big difference here. We need to stay positive. Right now, getting to the point where we have a bike that is easier to ride is more important than the result. I am giving it my all, trying to ride as cleanly as I can, and I am sure that by working hard in every session, we will be able to improve the bike.”
Andrea Iannone
Miguel Oliveira – P18
“It has been a tough day. We started FP4 with half and half conditions, so finally we were lucky to have a dry session in Qualifying. It was difficult with the wind and the track not fully dry. We could confirm different things we tested on the bike to be able to start again tomorrow with a stronger pace. At least the position today was much better than yesterday. We are just outside of our target, but we keep calm for tomorrow, as we will have a very, very long race, physically demanding, so we will try to manage it the best.”
Miguel Oliveira
Johann Zarco – P19
“I hate starting from 19th position and to fight the bike, and it has been complicated to understand this and get better. I have to accept it at the moment. My team know we cannot get the solution right now. I have tried to adapt but I cannot change everything so it’s a difficult time.”
Johann Zarco
Hafizh Syahrin – P21
“Yesterday afternoon I had a really good feeling with the KTM, so we used the same setup in Qualifying, but I don’t understand why I didn’t have the same sensations, as I was struggling to stop and to turn the bike. To be honest, I’m a bit disappointed about this feeling, because I thought we could improve our time a bit more. To start in P21 is not, what I was wishing for, but we keep pushing and learning and try to push even more come race day. I aim to find a good pace in Warm Up and hope I can stay inside a good group of riders to do a strong race like in Argentina last time.”
In cold, windy conditions the 2019 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship continued to put on a phenomenal show at the Motul Dutch Round during their Tissot Superpole session.
Snowstorm hits Assen
Alvaro Bautista (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) sneaked pole position with a minute to go but big crashes involving Ryuichi Kiyonari (Moriwaki Althea Honda Team) and Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) at Turn 15 brought the red flags out and a premature end to the session.
Alvaro Bautista
Championship leader Alvaro Bautista was back up the sharp end of proceedings on Saturday, having endured a difficult opening day by his own standards. The Spaniard was a persistent top three runner throughout the session and maintained his front row starting record, placing on pole position for a third consecutive round.
Teammate Chaz Davies, who has never had a pole position or win at the TT Circuit Assen, featured inside the top ten for the entirety of the session, completing it in seventh position and without setting a fast time on the Superpole tyre.
Michael van der Mark enjoyed a positive Superpole session, finishing second at the end. The Dutch rider will look to add to his win tally from the front row, with his first front row starting place after Superpole since his only pole position in Thailand, back in 2016!
Michael van der Mark
It was a positive start to the session for Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) as he led the session for the most of the first half. Having suffered two big crashes on the opening day of action on Friday, it was a pleasant return to the front for the third-placed man in the championship. Lowes finished in fourth at the end of the session.
It was a fantastic session for the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team, as Tom Sykes and Markus Reiterberger continued their progress throughout the session. Before the red flag, Tom Sykes had been inside the top four but eventually slipped to sixth having not set a time with the Superpole tyre, whilst Markus Reiterberger bolted in a lap time for his best ever Superpole starting position of third – becoming the first German rider to start on the front row at Assen. It is BMW’s first front row at Assen since Troy Corser in third in 2010.
Tom Sykes
It was another difficult Tissot Superpole session for Kawasaki riders, as fifth was the best that Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) could manage. The British rider will be looking to mount the podium from the second row on his return to WorldSBK racing at TT Circuit Assen. His teammate Jonathan Rea was outside of the front row for the second consecutive round, with an eighth place – the red flag hindering his progress at the end. The reigning four-time WorldSBK Champion had beaten Bautista across all session leading up to Superpole, so expect a race charge from the Northern Irishman.
Once again there were two Independent team riders who made the top ten, with Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing) achieving his second consecutive ninth place start after the Tissot Superpole session. The Spaniard will be looking to remain inside the top ten during the races. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) completes the top ten but the Turkish rider was taken to the medical centre after his Turn 15 crash that brought a red flag out to the session.
Other notable positions included Leon Camier (Moriwaki Althea Honda Team) who was in 11th, whilst rookie Hector Barbera (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) was 14th, and Alessandro Delbianco (Althea MIE Racing Team) secured a career-best 15th. Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) was a shock down the order in 17th.
Following a snowstorm hitting the TT Circuit Assen early in the afternoon during the WorldSBK grid, Race 1 start had been delayed twice before being rescheduled at 11:00 AM on Sunday morning, to guarantee riders’ safety.
Snowstorm hits Assen
Pole position – Alvaro Bautista (ARUBA.IT Racing – DUCATI)
“On Friday we struggled a bit because we tried a different setup but I didn’t feel good on the bike, so we decided to go back to our standard setting. I didn’t make a good lap time in the Tissot Superpole, compared to the past rounds, but thanks to the red flag I was able to finish on pole position. What happened this afternoon, I’ve never seen it before in my career! It was snowing, and with these conditions, it was just too dangerous to race. Tomorrow we will have Race 1 and Race 2, and hopefully, the weather will improve for then”.
#NLDWorldSBK at TT Circuit Assen: Tissot Superpole: 1. Alvaro Bautista (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) 1’34.740 2. Michael Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) 1’34.822 3. Markus Reiterberger (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 1’34.828
P2 – Michael Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team)
“I am quite happy about the second position in the Tissot Superpole. I think it is the best qualifying I have ever done with the Yamaha and it was special to do it at my home round, but I am a bit disappointed because I felt that I could improve my lap time, but then we had the red flag. This afternoon I was ready to race, and it was frustrating that in the end, we had to postpone it. It’s freezing, but still, many fans were here to support me. We really wanted to race but since it was snowing it was the safest option to wait and then postpone it. It has been a strange day today”.
P3 – Markus Reiterberger (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
“Since the start of the weekend I have been feeling good on the bike, and I want to thank all my team for their help. I am starting to getting comfortable on the bike, and I know Assen very well, and I like this track a lot. My qualifying lap was not that good, but in the end, I was lucky that the session was red flagged. Starting from the front row is really important for the race. Let’s see what we will be able to do tomorrow”.
Superpole
Pos
No. Rider
Bike
Time
1
A. Bautista
Ducati Panigale V4 R
1’34.740
2
M. Van Der Mark
Yamaha YZF R1
1’34.822
3
M. Reiterberger
BMW S1000 RR
1’34.828
4
A. Lowes
Yamaha YZF R1
1’34.935
5
L. Haslam
Kawasaki ZX-10RR
1’35.086
6
T. Sykes
BMW S1000 RR
1’35.155
7
C. Davies
Ducati Panigale V4 R
1’35.288
8
J. Rea
Kawasaki ZX-10RR
1’35.530
9
T. Razgatlioglu
Kawasaki ZX-10RR
1’35.844
10
L. Camier
Honda CBR1000RR
1’35.920
11
J. Torres
Kawasaki ZX-10RR
1’36.076
12
S. Cortese
Yamaha YZF R1
1’36.175
13
E. Laverty
Ducati Panigale V4 R
1’36.222
14
A. Delbianco
Honda CBR1000RR
1’36.828
15
R. Kiyonari
Honda CBR1000RR
1’36.879
16
M. Melandri
Yamaha YZF R1
1’37.042
17
M. Rinaldi
Ducati Panigale V4 R
1’37.221
18
H. Barbera
Kawasaki ZX-10RR
1’37.283
WorldSSP
World Supersport took to the historic TT Circuit Assen for the fourth round of their championship season. It was yet another thrilling session for the class, with riders swapping back and forth throughout the session before Randy Krummenacher (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) took pole position. However, with just under 11 minutes to go, Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) had an engine blow up which led to fluid being dropped between Turn 13 and 15, with a red flag needing to be brought out.
Randy Krummenacher put a solid lap time in before the red flag came out and the weather turned inclement, cementing his position at the top of the time-sheets. Krummenacher takes his second pole position at Assen, with his first WorldSSP pole coming at the Dutch venue back in 2016.
Federico Caricasulo
Federico Caricasulo (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) joined his teammate on the front row for his fourth consecutive front row, whilst Raffaele De Rosa (MV AGUSTA Reparto Corse) completed the front row, despite crashing on Mahias’ fluids down at Turn 15.
#NLDWorldSBK WorldSSP at TT Circuit Assen: Tissot Superpole 1. Randy Krummenacher (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) 1’38.010 2. Federico Caricasulo (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) 1’38.115 3. Raffaele De Rosa (MV AGUSTA Reparto Corse) 1’38.521
The second row will comprise of Estonian-ace Hannes Soomer (MPM WILSport Racedays), as the Honda-mounted rider took his best Tissot Superpole qualifying position, whilst also being Estonia’s best starting position in WorldSSP. Fifth position belonged to Hikari Okubo (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), who also crashed on teammate Mahias’ spillage at Turn 15. Rounding out the second row is Jules Cluzel (GMT94 YAMAHA), who lies second in the championship.
Raffaele De Rosa
Row three comprises of Aragon pole-sitter Thomas Gradinger (Kallio Racing), who was just over a second behind Krummenacher. Lucas Mahias, despite his problems, finished in eighth, whilst fellow Frenchman Corentin Perolari (GMT94 YAMAHA) was ninth. Completing the top ten was Spanish rider, Isaac Viñales (Kallio Racing).
Pole position – Randy Krummenacher
“It was a really strange Superpole, and it was a pity because I couldn’t take full advantage of my bike. I was able to do just one flying lap, but it was enough to take the pole position. I am happy about it and I am really confident for tomorrow. My rivals are also very fast here and we don’t know which conditions we will find tomorrow. I will try to do a good race and just focus on my consistency”.
Randy Krummenacher
Pos
Rider
Rider
Time
1
R. Krummenacher
Yamaha YZF R6
1’38.010
2
F. Caricasulo
Yamaha YZF R6
1’38.115
3
R. De Rosa
MV Agusta F3 675
1’38.521
4
H. Soomer
Honda CBR600RR
1’38.664
5
H. Okubo
Kawasaki ZX-6R
1’38.724
6
J. Cluzel
Yamaha YZF R6
1’38.771
7
T. Gradinger
Yamaha YZF R6
1’39.054
8
L. Mahias
Kawasaki ZX-6R
1’39.264
9
C. Perolari
Yamaha YZF R6
1’39.295
10
I. Vinales
Yamaha YZF R6
1’39.333
11
A. Badovini
Kawasaki ZX-6R
1’39.394
12
R. Hartog
Kawasaki ZX-6R
1’39.455
13
G. Van Straalen
Kawasaki ZX-6R
1’39.608
14
J. Danilo
Honda CBR600RR
1’39.905
15
F. Fuligni
MV Agusta F3 675
1’39.939
16
K. Smith
Kawasaki ZX-6R
1’40.164
17
P. Sebestyen
Honda CBR600RR
1’40.470
18
L. Cresson
Yamaha YZF R6
1’40.545
19
J. Van Sikkelerus
Honda CBR600RR
1’40.710
20
W. Tessels
Yamaha YZF R6
1’40.752
21
D. Rubin
Yamaha YZF R6
1’41.117
22
C. Stange
Honda CBR600RR
1’41.281
23
A. Coppola
Honda CBR600RR
1’41.706
24
M. Herrera
Yamaha YZF R6
1’42.124
25
X. Navand
Yamaha YZF R6
1’42.943
Not Qualified
NQ
G. Matern
Kawasaki ZX-6R
1’45.426
NQ
N. Calero
Kawasaki ZX-6R
n/a
NQ
A. De Wintere
Yamaha YZF R6
n/a
World Supersport 300
Galang Hendra Pratama took the pole position in a flurry of activity in the middle of the session, in the optimum weather conditions as rain came and went through the 25-minute stint. Joining him on the front row, Aragon race winner Manuel Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) was second, looking to launch his attack for a second career victory from a good starting position. Completing the front row is Mika Perez (Scuderia Maranga Racing).
Manuel Gonzalez
Continuing to impress in the 2019 World Supersport 300 class was Hugo De Cancellis (Team Trasimeno), who was fourth. The Frenchman will be looking for another podium from the front of row two, whilst teammate Omar Bonoli vastly improved to fifth position on the grid, as the 17-year-old took his best qualifying position of the year. Completing the front row is the first rider from Group B, home-hero, Scott Deroue (Kawasaki MOTOPORT). He will be looking to put on a good show for his home fans.
Row three features Ukrainian rider Nick Kalinin from Group A (Nutec – RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki), who finished ahead of Jan-Ole Jahnig (KTM Freudenberg Junior Team) in eighth and then Borja Sanchez (Scuderia Maranga Racing) in ninth. Rounding out the top then was reigning champion, Ana Carrasco (Kawasaki Provec WorldSSP300).
Due to the severe weather conditions in the afternoon, WorldSSP300 Last Race Chance was cancelled.
Pole Position – Galang Hendra Pratama
“I am really happy! It was difficult to manage the tyres and find the grip but my team did such a great job, and they were able to solve the problem before the Tissot Superpole. Step by step we were able to find a good setup for the bike! Thank all my team and my Indonesian fans, my sponsors and family that always support me. For tomorrow I will keep concentrate and try to do my best.
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Australia’s Miller records fourth fastest time on Friday.
Image: Supplied.
Maverick Vinales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) has set the pace in practice at Circuit of the Americas’ third stop on the 2019 MotoGP World Championship calendar.
Upsetting the odds, Vinales denied reigning champion and six-time victor at the venue Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) for the top spot, the number 93 ultimately settling for second.
P3 was credited to Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) ahead of Australia’s Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) in fourth, while Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) completed the top five.
In Moto2, Marcel Schrotter (Dynavolt Intact GP) topped the category ahead of teammate Tom Luthi and Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS), as Australian contender Remy Gardner (SAG Racing Team) was 10th fastest, fresh from claiming a maiden podium two weeks ago.
The Moto3 class saw VNE Snipers’ Romano Fenati emerge fastest ahead of SIC58 Squadra Corse duo Tatsuki Suzuki and Niccolo Antonelli, who closed his advantage down to 0.275s at the last minute to end the day in second and third respectively.
Sykes fastest in Friday practice at Assen WorldSBK
Krummenacher and Gonzalez top WorldSSP and WorldSSP300 classes.
Image: Supplied.
BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team’s Tom Sykes has topped Friday practice at Assen’s fourth round of the 2019 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) in The Netherlands.
Just 0.031s separated the top five, however it was Sykes who lodged a quick-time of 1m35.414s, narrowly edging out Kawasaki Racing Team duo Jonathan Rea and Leon Haslam.
Markus Reiterberger (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was fourth ahead of home favourite Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Official, as championship leader Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was sixth.
In WorldSSP, Randy Krummenacher (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) set the pace ahead of teammate Federico Caricasulo, who was less than a tenth behind, while Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) concluded the top three.
The WorldSSP300 class saw round one winner Manuel Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) recorded the fastest time over Robert Schotman (Kawasaki Motoport) and Scott Deroue (Kawasaki Motoport), as Australians Tom Edwards (ParkinGo Team Kawasaki), Tom Bramich (Nutec – RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki) and Jack Hyde (2R Racing Team Kawasaki) wound up in positions nine, 29, and 42 respectively.
While most riders were realpolitik as usual, Aprilia Aleix Espargaro broke ranks to call the COTA surface a ‘disaster’ and ‘dangerous’. The Spaniard was 14th quickest but let loose after the session, saying just what he thought about the Circuit of The Americas.
Aleix Espargaro – P14
“The asphalt is a disaster. It is very bumpy. On the corners it can be managed with difficulty, but the real problem is on the straight where, at more than three hundred km/h, you risk losing control of the bike. It is really very dangerous. This is MotoGP, not motocross. Our problem is that we are unable to get the most out of the new tyre. I feel like I am in great shape and I also have a good race pace. We know that this is certainly not the best circuit for us. I give it my all, riding aggressively, but we are unable to exploit the grip of the new tyre. With used tyres, we are always around sixth or seventh place, but when we all put on the tyre to do the time, we lose a lot of positions.”
Aleix Espargaro
Most other riders kept their criticisms a little more private and got on with the job and after the two sessions less than a second split the top 12 MotoGP riders.
Marc Marquez’s love affair with the Circuit of the Americas showed no signs of stopping as the six-time winner led Free Practice 1 from his first fast lap. The pattern continued into Free Practice 2 as Marquez improved his lap time on just his second flying lap. With the track at 41°C and the sky clear above, Marquez produced a 2’03.901 to end the day as the second fastest rider in Austin after a tense final five minutes of on track action that saw Marquez bettered by countryman Maverick Vinales.
Maverick Vinales – P1
“I think today it was very important to work on the basic set-up, because in Argentina we misunderstood some things. I think we worked quite well here today. I tried to be very competitive, especially on the first laps, but we still have to improve. We have to be more precise in the first laps and I need a little bit more grip, especially on the rear, because I still didn‘t feel that I‘m at my best. It’s important to be at the top today, because I think tomorrow it‘s going to rain, and we need to start at the front. The track is very bumpy. It was funny, when I was pushing I made a big lateral slide, but honestly I was lucky I didn‘t make a big highside. For sure, I‘m expecting to be fast in qualifying. In Valencia I finished at the top in the wet. It‘s true that I also crashed, but I was one of the fastest on the track. I have a good feeling, and when you have a good feeling it doesn‘t matter what the conditions are like.”
Maverick Vinales blasts paste under the #69 painted on the hill at COTA
Marc Marquez – P2
“Today was not a straight forward day, the circuit has changed a lot since last year and it’s bumpy so we had to adapt to this. We also had some other areas to work on and some things to try to improve our pace. The rhythm and the pace is there so we are happy and we even tried the soft rear to get a good lap. Overall it was a productive day and we did what we needed to. Of course this weekend we also have Nicky Hayden in our minds, remembering a great champion.”
Marc Marquez
Valentino Rossi – P3
“Today wasn’t so bad, especially the third position is very good. I did a good lap, and this is very important in order to stay in the top-10. We have some problems with the pace, I’m not fantastic on the race tyre. We have to work on the balance of the bike, but for a first day it’s quite positive. The weather forecast for tomorrow is grim, but we’re hoping it’s wrong. Maybe the weather will be good tomorrow, but if it rains we will all start from zero again. We’ll need to try to understand the conditions and we need to find a good setting for the wet, but anyway we hope to have a dry race on Sunday.”
Valentino Rossi
Jack Miller – P4
“Finishing in Top 10 is always the main goal on friday. That’s why I can say I’m satisfied also because the weather tomorrow could be a factor for the direct qualification to Q2. The bike is working very well and I feel comfortable. In the afternoon I had some difficulties because of the wind but the balance of the day is very positive”.
Jack Miller
Cal Crutchlow – P5
“Today was a good day, we’re happy with the feelings on the bike. It’s really nice to be riding here at the Circuit of the Americas despite the track being in very poor condition. We look forward to trying some different settings on the bike tomorrow and qualifying, but at the moment I feel very good with the team and the bike.”
Cal Crutchlow
Alex Rins – P6
“I lost a bit of time stuck behind another rider, but I’m still quite satisfied with my lap times today, and I was fastest in Sector 1. We’ve worked well today and we tried a few different tyre combinations. Now I’m thinking about the race, it seems that I could already be in Q2 due to my time in FP2, which would help a lot.”
Alex Rins
Franco Morbidelli – P8
“Today was a tough day because we had some small problems that I think slowed down our progress. Even so, we were able to be get into the Top 10 with only one quick lap at the end, which is a good result. I need to put in more kilometres here with this bike, because I feel like I haven’t done enough laps in a row to understand the track fully. We have to keep working because we still have room for improvement. The difficulty we encountered today were the bumps, of which there are a lot. Towards the end of the day we found a good line and we are going to continue working on that tomorrow. We’ll see what happens and if today’s time is enough to qualify for Q2.”
Franco Morbidelli
Fabio Quartararo – P9
“We are not officially into Q2 yet, but today the most important thing was to finish in the Top 10 because we know that tomorrow it is likely to rain. I made some mistakes on my two fastest laps, so I’m pretty happy because we only had one tyre to set our flying lap. It’s very good to finish in the Top 10 on the first day here in Austin. This circuit is very physical, but I felt ok on the bike. I think it’s one of the most demanding circuits of the year and we know it’s a good test of our fitness, although I think we’re in pretty good shape. We will see in the race, but it is a hard circuit.”
Fabio Quartararo
Pecco Bagnaia – P10
“I’m happy because this morning I had a lot of trouble riding over the many bumps of the circuit. We worked well on the setup and the feeling improved a lot in the afternoon. I was quick in the time attack but especially in the race pace with used tyres. It’s a very difficult track for me and that’s why I’m very satisfied”.
Pecco Bagnaia
Andrea Dovizioso – P11
“We knew we would have struggled a bit more than usual on this track but, all in all, we’ve been competitive enough with a race setup. This afternoon, in particular, our pace was decent. In retrospect, I think we didn’t choose the best front tyre for the final time attack in FP2. I couldn’t put together the lap that I wanted, and it’s a shame because tomorrow it’ll probably rain. Looking at the positives, going through Q1 could represent an advantage to have more feeling on the wet in Q2. We’ll have to see what the weather is like tomorrow. Conditions may make a big difference in terms of grid positions and, consequently, the race itself: we’ll have to be ready for all scenarios.”
Andrea Dovizioso
Joan Mir – P12
“I’m really happy overall because I made big improvement from the morning to the afternoon. I missed out on using a second set of soft tyres to try and push for a fast lap and get into the Top 10 today, but apart from that I feel confident and ready to build on my time further tomorrow.”
Joan Mir
Danilo Petrucci – P13
“We were able to improve quite a bit throughout the day, but I still don’t have the right confidence. Despite feeling more at ease in FP2, we couldn’t seize the top 10 in the final minutes, which somewhat complicates our plans for tomorrow because the forecast says it’s going to rain. We don’t have one big issue to solve, and this makes the work on the setup a bit tricky. We need to improve in terms of grip and stability to be more consistent. I can’t say I’m satisfied with our position, but we still have ideas to try and I’m confident we’ll be able to make progress tomorrow.”
Danilo Petrucci
Takaaki Nakagami – P15
“We really struggled here on the first day in America, during FP1 we were not so competitive throughout the session. In FP2 we improved little by little, but we have work to do ahead of tomorrow. The gap (to the front of the field) is not huge, but it’s all about small details as this track is 20 corners and it’s impossible not to make any mistakes on a lap. But I feel we are improving and we understand where we are losing time, so we’ll keep focused and work hard tomorrow. The weather forecast is not great, but we’ll try our best.”
Takaaki Nakagami
Jorge Lorenzo – P16
“A tricky day today. First of all the track is very bumpy for everyone and we need to improve a little bit to handle this. The circuit for me personally is always very difficult so it is quite complicated but we won’t give up. We’re trying many things to improve the bike and still perfecting the ergonomics to feel comfortable when changing direction. It was very special to have the ceremony for Nicky today, we all miss him a lot.”
Jorge Lorenzo
Andrea Iannone – P18
“The positive side of today is that we assessed the various tyre choices for the race, identifying the ones that seem to work better. This morning, we were rather competitive, whereas in the second session, we were unable to exploit the soft tyres on the flying lap and that kept us from improving. We need to maintain our concentration and stay calm, because getting the most out of the technical package we have available to us is fundamental.”
Andrea Iannone
MotoGP rookie Miguel Oliveira had to learn one of the most demanding tracks in the calendar in Free Practice one this morning, the Portuguese rider lowered his fastest lap from FP1 to FP2 by strong 1.759 seconds. At the same time, Hafizh Syahrin made some huge steps forward from the first to the second session, improving by impressive 2.488 seconds to complete day one just 0.574 seconds behind his teammate. Both Red Bull KTM Tech3 riders are eager to find their way closer to the front.
Miguel Oliveira – P21
“It has been a difficult day to learn the track with the new bike, as COTA is a quite tricky circuit and it takes some time for me to understand how to ride and also how the bike can help me to ride the track better. At this moment, we are for sure not happy with the result we did today, but we need to learn and to understand that it’s maybe normal to suffer a bit more for the first time here. We just work hard as always to get the best result tomorrow. In Qualifying the weather is going to be critical, but we will manage it at our best.”
Miguel Oliveira
Hafizh Syahrin – P22
“We made a huge improvement on the time. This morning it was difficult for me, because the track was very bumpy and I didn’t have confidence while braking as the bike was moving a lot. But we made some changes and in the afternoon, I felt really good. We still miss something for the turning. I was already talking about it with the team, so we know where to work on for tomorrow, although it might rain, which can be good for us to learn to ride the bike in these conditions. In the beginning of the weekend we always start a bit behind, because we were on this track for the first time with the bike, so we needed to collect some data first, which we used in FP2 to step ahead. We keep working hard and pushing 110 percent.”
Hafizh Syahrin
2019 Cota MotoGP Friday Practice Combined Times
VINALES Maverick 12 SPA Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP 2’03.857
MARQUEZ Marc 93 SPA Repsol Honda Team 0.044
ROSSI Valentino 46 ITA Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP 0.146
MILLER Jack 43 AUS Pramac Racing Ducati 0.148
CRUTCHLOW Cal 35 GBR LCR Honda 0.261
RINS Alex 42 SPA Team Suzuki Ecstar 0.496
ESPARGARO Pol 44 SPA Red Bull KTM Factory .507
MORBIDELLI Franco 21 ITA Petronas Yamaha SRT 0.691
QUARTARARO Fabio 20 FRA Petronas Yamaha SRT 0.732
BAGNAIA Francesco 63 ITA Pramac Racing Ducati 0.733
DOVIZIOSO Andrea 4 ITA Mission Winnow Ducati 0.857
MIR Joan 36 SPA Team Suzuki Ecstar 0.994
PETRUCCI Danilo 9 ITA Mission Winnow Ducati 1.049
ESPARGARO Aleix 41 SPA Aprilia Racing Team Gresini 1.096
NAKAGAMI Takaaki 30 JPN LCR Honda 1.163
LORENZO Jorge 99 SPA Repsol Honda Team 1.312
ZARCO Johann 5 FRA Red Bull KTM Factory 1.634
IANNONE Andrea 29 ITA Aprilia Racing Team Gresini 2.098
ABRAHAM Karel 17 CZE Reale Avintia Racing Ducati 2.305
RABAT Tito 53 SPA Reale Avintia Racing Ducati 2.347
A freezing cold and windy Assen played host to a close session that saw the top five riders covered by just 0.031s, Tom Sykes taking the BMW to finish the opening day at the TT Circuit Assen on top!
Tom Sykes – P1
“I am looking forward to this weekend especially if it’s going to stay dry, I feel if the rain comes there could be a lot of trouble with the temperatures and the rain tyre. Having said that the whole of the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team are working really well, we have done a lot with the BMW S 1000 RR and got off to a steady start doing a few things in this morning’s FP1 and FP2 sessions. We now feel we have a strong pace in these conditions. Tomorrow we will look to refine our setting further, however we will keep an eye on the conditions during tomorrow’s 9am start… that being said I am looking forward to the races, I enjoy Assen and the layout of the track is fantastic so I hope we can convert this speed into some results.”
Tom Sykes
Having led the session in FP1, Kawasaki’s were on form at the famed Dutch venue. It was the reigning four-time WorldSBK Champion Jonathan Rea who consolidated a positive opening day with a second place as Friday concluded. The Ulsterman setting multiple fast times and eventually toppling his teammate. Rea will be hoping to continue his search for his first race win of the season.
Jonathan Rea – P2
“A very positive day to be honest. We have changed the bike set-up a little bit and gone back in a different direction from what we had been in the winter tests and the first few rounds. I have gained a little bit of agility on the bike set-up and I am able to do things a little bit differently. The bike is turning better in the longer corners and I am able to make the difference, so the window is a little bit bigger. With such a big change, step-by-step, I need to adapt a little bit more. Of course it is a learning process and I feel quite good, but here the temperatures are so low that it is important for us to analyse both the SC0 and SC1 option rear tyres for tomorrow. We need to understand exactly where the crossover in performance is, if any. Then we can find our race set-up. I feel quite positive after the work we have done today and we understand where we need to improve for tomorrow.”
Jonathan Rea
Leon Haslam returned to the TT Circuit Assen in The Netherlands with a fine third place. The ‘Pocket Rocket’ will be hoping to return to the podium for the first time since Australia.
Leon Haslam – P3
“I am really happy because I did not expect to be third quickest. Our plan was to do this morning with a hard tyre and this afternoon with a soft tyre and we did over race distance in both sessions. So to just use two tyres over the whole day I am really happy. Always Assen is close, one tenth here, one tenth there, and the race is always a close battle. There are a few areas I want to improve in still but so far so good. The biggest thing is to keep the tyre temperature up. Normally in these conditions the SC0 would never last but the new bigger profile tyre is lasting just unbelievably.”
Leon Haslam
Markus Reiterberger was one of the revelations on Friday, lapping multiple consistent times and eventually placing fourth overall. Reiterberger looking to improve on a best Superpole result of sixth, achieved in Sepang 2016.
Markus Reiterberger – P4
“First of all I have done many laps around Assen. My first impression of the bike was not the best and we put this down to the rear tyre, despite this feeling we were still able to put ourselves into the top 6 during FP1 so we have to be happy about that. Going into the second session we didn’t expect too much with the results but we continued with some changes to the chassis and the electronics. I again struggled with the rear during the early stages of FP2 so we made a change of tyre to the SC1, this immediately changed the setting of the bike which was good step for me and I could consistently lap 1’35.00/1’36.00 times and finished the day in P4. I am happy with the setting change we made from today’s second outing, I hope we can continue this into tomorrow’s qualifying and race.”
Markus Reiterberger
In what was one of the closest sessions in recent WorldSBK memory, home-hero Michael van der Mark completed the session in fifth position, just 0.031s behind session leader Tom Sykes. The Dutchman was looking to put on a good show in front of a loyal home crowd and goes into Saturday full of confidence.
Michael van der Mark – P5
“It’s not ideal to be riding in such cold conditions as we had here today, not just for us but also for the tyres. It means you have to be a bit careful the first few laps but, overall, I’m quite happy with today. This morning I felt good on the bike and, on the last run, I improved my lap time a lot and it was clear what we needed to improve for the second session this afternoon. We made some changes to the bike for FP2, but this didn’t bring the improvement we were expecting, so we reverted back to a set-up closer to the one we ran this morning and I immediately felt better. I was struggling a little on corner exit, as the bike wanted to wheelie out of the turns, so we’ll need to look at that during FP3 tomorrow. The times are very close and I was able to put together some consistent laps, so I’m happy enough with the first day here in Assen.”
Michael van der Mark
It wasn’t an all-conquering opening day for ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati team, who struggled throughout the session. Alvaro Bautista languished for the majority of FP2, in the pits with his crew hard at work, implementing the settings needed to challenge at the front. The championship leader finished the session in sixth, with a flurry of fast laps towards the end of FP2.
Álvaro Bautista – P6
“Today was a bit of an unusual day. The temperatures were very low and we used a slightly different setting from the last races to try and be quick right from the start. Maybe it was because the track was too cold, but I wasn’t able to improve the way I wanted during the first session. In the afternoon session, after a few laps, we decided to go back to the set-up used in the last races. The mechanics were very quick to carry out the modifications required and the feeling with the bike improved immediately. Basically in two practice sessions, we only lapped without any problems for the last ten minutes. These things happen sometimes, but luckily we were able to finish the day with a good feeling. The times are all close together, but I think we’ve found the right direction for the weekend.”
Álvaro Bautista
Chaz Davies had a small crash at Turn 5, soon remounting but returning to the pits. The Welshman, who is looking to continue his search for a third podium of the season, finished the session in ninth position, ahead of his teammate for most of the session.
Chaz Davies – P7
“It wasn’t so bad today and the lap times were really close. We are in ninth place but only 0.4s away from the top and I felt like there is more on the table. I had a really small crash, because I’m struggling to do what I want in Turn 5; it’s quite cold and I don’t have full confidence there. As soon as I went on the track this morning, my Panigale V4 R was working pretty good so I’m reasonably happy and at the end of the day we definitely found our base set-up. I have a lot more confidence with the front of the bike, which has probably gone up from 60 to 90%, and I’m much happier than what I was in the early rounds of the season.”
Chaz Davies
Yamaha’s Alex Lowes suffered another crash in FP2 and finished his first day at Assen in tenth.
Alex Lowes – P10
“The track conditions today were really cold, which isn’t something we were expecting coming into this weekend, but it wasn’t too bad. This afternoon I stayed on the used tyres and did a long run, almost race distance, but then the front tyre wear towards the end was quite severe. I tried to keep going until the end, to give us more information but in hindsight, maybe I should have come in a lap earlier because I lost the front on the bump into turn one and crashed. If I’d have come in for new tyres then I felt like I’d have been quite strong at the end. Now we need to work out why we’re getting excessive tyre wear, so that’s what we’ll be focusing on tomorrow.”
Alex Lowes
Two Independent team riders once again squeezed into the top ten, with Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) in seventh, just 0.140s from the leading time by Sykes. One position behind the Turkish rider, Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) was one of the biggest improvers and finished in eighth, as second Yamaha rider too.
Sandro Cortese – P8
“I’m a little bit more relaxed after FP2, because this morning was a bit of a disaster for me. When I started FP1 it was like I’d forgotten how to ride a bike in the one week since Aragon! For the first time ever, I didn’t have a feeling for the bike but, obviously it was very cold this morning. We made some big changes on the bike to try and improve and we continued with this in the afternoon, but then we made the decision to go back to the base set-up we’ve used over the last three races, with positive results. This is how we need to work, rather than looking at what the other Yamaha riders are doing, as they are so completely different. I’m happy that we remained calm, stayed focused and made some good progression this afternoon. Of course, we are still missing a bit but if we look at the gap this morning, which was almost 2.5 seconds, and then compare it to the 0.2 seconds we’re missing now, I think we can be happy with the job we did. Now we just need to continue in this way.”
Sandro Cortese
It was another difficult day for Melandri, with the GRT Yamaha rider again struggling to find a set-up on his R1 with which he was comfortable and that would allow him to rediscover the form that saw him finish on the podium at the opening round in Australia. Melandri and his crew will analyse the situation further overnight, in a bid to find an improvement ahead of FP3 tomorrow morning.
Marco Melandri – P14
“It was one more difficult day for me here in Assen. I’m still struggling with the same issue I had on the first day with the R1; I am trying to adapt my riding style and move my position on the bike to try and improve things, but it just seems to get worse. It’s difficult because we can’t go the way I’d like to with the set-up and, in the cold conditions we experienced today, the problem is even worse. The biggest issue is that, right now, I have no confidence and that means I can’t push as hard as I need to.”
Marco Melandri
In what was a phenomenally tight session, the leading 12 riders were covered by just 0.821s, with four Independent riders inside that gap.
The number 69 is synonymous with the late, great Nicky Hayden, and it will now forever remain that way after the 2006 MotoGP World Champion’s number was retired from the premier class of Grand Prix racing at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.
FIM President Jorge Viegas (L) and Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta (R) present Hayden’s father, Earl, with a commemorative number 69
It was an emotional occasion as FIM President Jorge Viegas and Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta headed the ceremony, with Hayden’s father Earl and brother Tommy joining them on stage to share some words about the retirement of the number and the late Champion – as well as the significance of the number 69 to the whole Hayden family, as it has a history stretching back more than two generations.
MotoGP Legend Freddie Spencer with Hayden’s father, Earl
The room was packed to the brim, with Hayden’s family and his fiancée Jackie Marin joined by friends, former rivals and former teammates to celebrate the achievements and honour the legacy of one of the paddock’s true greats.
Nicky Hayden’s family with his 2006 Championship winning machine
Hayden won three Grands Prix, took 28 podiums and won the World Championship in 2006 during the course of his time in MotoGP and was often given the moniker ‘the nicest man in Grand Prix racing’.
Riders including Marquez, Lorenzo, Crutchlow, Nakagami and Rabat were in attendance
In addition, upon his departure from the paddock at the end of 2015, the ‘Kentucky Kid’ was named a MotoGP Legend before his move to WorldSBK – where he also took the number 69 to the top step of the podium.
Touching ceremony
Tommy Hayden spoke on behalf of the Hayden family
“First of all I’d just like to thank everyone for joining us here, everyone who’s showed up to celebrate this special occasion with us. For sure we’d like to thank Carmelo and all of Dorna for this event and for all their support pretty much since Nicky’s accident they’ve gone way out of their way in every way you can imagine. Nicky loved MotoGP and I think he loved it for a reason, because there are a lot of good people there – starting at the top, and we want to thank everyone for everything. Nicky had a lot of success on track but I think we all agree he made just as big an impact off track. In everyone’s lives; those of his friends and family and all of his fans. That’s something that, as a family, we’re most proud of.
L-R: FIM President Jorge Viegas, Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta, Hayden’s father, Earl, and brother Tommy
“The number 69 is a special number in our family. Before my brothers and sisters were even born, my dad raced with that number and there were other family members even before us my dad helped and supported who always raced with the number 69. My sister raced when she was younger, my brother Roger, myself, always raced with the number 69 throughout our childhood years and growing up racing. Nicky carried the number through his whole career, it’s very special and like I said it has a lot of meaning so to have it retired from MotoGP, the pinnacle of the sport, as you can imagine…it means a lot to us. So again I would just like to thank everyone for coming out, all your support and for helping us to keep Nicky’s legacy alive.”
FIM President Jorge Viegas (L) with Hayden’s family, Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta (centre) and fiancée Jackie Marin
“It’s a great pleasure to have Nicky’s family here, since we lost him we’ve thought this is something we must do,” said Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta. “We were talking about when we made Nicky a Legend in Valencia, and this time, since we lost Nicky in Italy, we were thinking we must do something because he was something special for all of us during his time with us. He touched everything here, his relationship with all of us was fantastic. We talked about that, we talked to the FIM, and for us to have the honour to retire the number 69 is something very important and I’m very proud to do it today. It’s a great honour for the Championship to have someone such as Nicky as part of our history.”
That he is, and forever will be
Nicky Hayden – Image by GeeBeeNicky Hayden (2006)2006 MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden passed away on May 22 from injuries sustained in a cycling accident in Italy.| Photo: Brian J. Nelson
Andria Yu, the former Front Page Editor at USA Today, traded one dream job for another when she left her prestigious post at the widest-circulated daily paper in the country in order to become the director of communications at the Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC).
Yu worked for The Baltimore Sun as copy editor and then make-up page editor before joining the staff of USA Today, ultimately working with other editors, reporters, and designers to lay out the front page and decide which stories to run in the news section.
“In my 18-year career as a journalist, I mostly worked nights and weekends,” Yu says. “Oh, and holidays too. But really that didn’t bother me too much. Journalists do what they do because of their passion for journalism.”
But journalism wasn’t Yu’s only passion.
One summer during high school, Yu’s parents sent her to Taiwan to learn more about her Chinese heritage. She ended up on the back of a scooter, falling in love with the feeling of being on two wheels. It was a feeling she’d never forget.
“I [learned to ride] when I was 23 and working at The Baltimore Sun. I didn’t know anyone who rode. No one in my family rides, and I didn’t have friends who rode, so when I finally had the time and money to learn, I thought the prudent thing to do would be to take the ‘official’ class provided by the state of Maryland. Back then, I didn’t even know about the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF).”
During her time at USA Today, Yu commuted on her motorcycle everyday—50 miles each way. Her colleagues all knew of her love for two wheels, so in 2012, when the MotoGP circus came to Indianapolis, the motorsports editor sent her on assignment. It was the first time she had the chance to combine her vocation and her avocation.
“Although I was writing the story for USA Today, it wasn’t what I was paid to do. So I had to do everything on my own time. I came in before my shift started to make calls and do interviews, and used vacation days to ride my BMW F800ST to the race. I even paid my own way!”
The same year, she was invited to the International Motorcycle Show in Washington, D.C. by Ty van Hooydonk, vice president of communications at the MIC.
“He talked to me about motorcycles.org, the MIC, and gave me a real insider’s tour of the motorcycles. I remember thinking then, ‘Dang, what a cool job this guy has!’ ”
Four years later, van Hooydonk offered her a job. Although she initially struggled to trade journalism for public relations, ultimately the MIC’s mission won her over.
“The messages the MIC puts out were messages that I personally believed: ‘Riding motorcycles is fun! Get proper training! Wear proper gear for every ride.’ And in many ways, I had always been telling this to my friends and neighbors anyway. Now I get paid to do it!
“The great thing about this job is that each day is different,” Yu says. “One day I’ll pitch cool stories to writers and editors, another day I’ll be leading an MSF Basic RiderCourse or working with media at the MSF DirtBike School. Some weeks I host rides to Death Valley, and others I’m working with our government relations team on ways to promote access to trails and public lands.
“The most rewarding thing is seeing the smiles on people’s faces when they get into motorcycling—it’s fun, it’s transportation, it’s bonding with friends and family. I know it sounds hokey, but it’s true.”
If you’re interested in learning more about the MIC’s work, visit motorcycles.org, and be sure to subscribe to RideReport, a weekly email newsletter. Yu says: “It’s free and available to everyone! And, yes, I help put that together so I still get to put my editing skills to use!”
