Tag Archives: Mugello

Vinales and Marquez on the cat-mouse game | MotoGP Qualifying quotes

2021 MotoGP Round Six Mugello


Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) put in a stunner for pole position at the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley, the Frenchman reporting it was one of his best ever laps as he broke the all-time lap record at Mugello with a 1:45.187.

Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) was his closest challenger on the final push but was forced to settle for second, with Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) taking third in a last lunge; once again top Independent Team rider.

That means it’s the Championship top three on the front row on Sunday… with back to-back winner Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) looking for a good launch from fifth.

2021 Mugello MotoGP MotoGP front row
1 Fabio Quartararo – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP – Yamaha – 1:45.187
2 Francesco Bagnaia – Ducati Lenovo Team – Ducati – +0.230
3 Johann Zarco – Pramac Racing – Ducati – +0.245

Fabio Quartararo – P1

“This was probably the best lap I have ever done in my life. This is the type of track where you can really feel the adrenaline. I was on the limit everywhere. In the first sector, I was moving all the time, but I just said ’I‘m going to send it‘. I really wanted to do the fastest lap today, and it worked. I‘m actually really looking forward to seeing the onboard lap, because for sure it will look amazing. Today was a good day. I really wanted this pole position, because I know it‘s important for us for the race. I enjoyed that lap. I want to dedicate this pole to Jason Dupasquier, who had a really bad crash earlier today. I hope that he‘s okay. I‘m praying for him and his family.”

Fabio Quartararo
Francesco Bagnaia – P2

“It’s been a very positive day, so I’m happy. Traffic hindered me in qualifying, but luckily, I set my best time towards the end of the session. Finally, we will start at the front: in FP4, I was able to keep a consistent and fast pace, so I’m expecting to have a good race tomorrow”.

Francesco Bagnaia
Johann Zarco – P3

“I am very happy, to begin on the front row is always an advantage. The feeling has improved compared to yesterday, but I believe that tomorrow in the rave we will see the potential.”

Johann Zarco
Aleix Espargaro – P4

“This was a demanding day for me. We missed going straight through to Q2 this morning due to a problem and that forced me to do an extra session, which is certainly not ideal for the situation with my arm. Then, the bad accident in Moto3 shook me up. I am a father and certain things strike me particularly hard. In any case, I was able to refocus well enough to go through Q1 and do two great laps in Q2 as well. Taking the Aprilia this high here in Mugello is a source of great satisfaction for me. I am extremely satisfied with my performance in all conditions. It will be a difficult race tomorrow. I’ll most probably have to grit my teeth and we’ll have to manage rear tyre wear. But I won’t rule out any result.”

Aleix Espargaro
Jack Miller – P5

“I’m happy with today’s result. Starting from the second row, we know we can fight at the front if we get a good start. For sure, we could have done better today, but on my good lap, I made a few mistakes in the third sector, which seems to be my Achilles heel at the moment. Anyway, I’m satisfied with how things went: we have a good pace, and I feel comfortable with the race tyre, so I’m confident for tomorrow”.

Jack Miller
Brad Binder – P6

“I felt fast and I’m really happy to qualify 6th. I’ve been missing a decent qualification this season so far. The weekend has been going well and when I put in a soft tire I always seem to be able to find a decent lap-time. I couldn’t quite make the perfect lap today but I’m excited with the speed I have and to see what we can do in the race.”

Brad Binder
Miguel Oliveira – P7

“Our best qualification of 2021 so far and although I missed the second row by fractions of a second I have to be happy. Together with the team we have put together a very solid weekend up until this point so I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s race.”

Miguel Oliveira
Alex Rins – P8

“I’ve been feeling strong with the bike all weekend, so I hoped I might be higher up the grid, but anyway I think it’s OK starting from 8th. The FP3 and FP4 sessions were really good but qualifying was harder. My target tomorrow will be to get a good start and get involved in the front pack. I think my one lap pace is good, and so is my race pace, but there are a lot of strong riders out there and I think it could be a very intense race. We might lose out a bit on the straight, but around the corners we will be strong.”

Alex Rins
Joan Mir – P9

“I gave 100% today and overall my pace was good, so I feel quite positive. We tried something different with the settings in FP4 and it didn’t make as much of a difference as I’d hoped, so we still have margin to improve. But the third row and 9th isn’t a bad position to start tomorrow’s GP, and I was glad to get direct passage to Q2. For sure it will be a great fight here at Mugello and I will give my best, so let’s see where we are when the chequered flag comes out.”

Joan Mir
Franco Morbidelli – P10

“Today I couldn’t be on top, we tried our best but ultimately it was not possible. This morning we had good speed, but we were not able to replicate it in the afternoon. We need to check why because I thought we would be able to do what we had done in FP3, or maybe even improve. We didn’t manage it and I am tenth, which is not the best. We knew that the race here would be tough, but now it is going to be that bit harder. We will regroup tonight, try to find some more speed and then see what we can do in the race. It is tough in MotoGP at the moment and you need to nail everything to be on top.”

Franco Morbidelli
Marc Marquez – P11

“This morning I felt quite good and I was able to ride well but in the afternoon I started to struggle more with my physical condition. In Q1 I knew I had to follow someone because this was the only chance I had to do some quick laps and I was not expecting to make it into Q2 but the lap was good. I saw Viñales after the session and we spoke about it and I apologised. The stress and effort of these laps meant I couldn’t ride how I wanted to in Q2, but it was still a good day overall. I know I won’t be able to ride the race how I want but we will do what we can. But the main point of today is that hopefully Jason in Moto3 is alright, we are all thinking about him.”

Marc Marquez was resolute in his quest to tail Vinales throughout the qualifying session
Pol Espargaro – P12

“Today was better than Friday but it is not what we are looking for. We were able to improve our rear grip a lot, which is very good because this is one area we have been working to improve. But I made a wrong decision with the front tyre, and it made the change of directions very tough in Qualifying. I was happy with the medium front in the morning, but I chose the hard because of the temperature and in hindsight I should have followed what we had done before but it’s my mistake. Maybe with a perfect lap we could have gained another row. Tomorrow is the race and it’s time to put everything out on track. My best wishes go out to Jason, I hope that he can come back soon.”

Pol Espargaro
Maverick Vinales – P13

“We need to try to understand our situation and build it up step by step. We have lost our way a bit since Qatar. We had a shiny moment in Le Mans, but because of the rain we couldn’t shine enough. We will try to do better tomorrow. We have to build up the bike again. We had a good bike in Qatar, and we need to accomplish that again. There I was strong, and I understood my strong points. Basically, here I struggle a lot with the front tyre, and we still need to work on it. During Q1 I wanted to go out alone, because I think that’s when we are at our fastest. But they just kept following me. It is the way it is. We just need to focus on tomorrow and be stronger.”

Marquez chose to follow Vinales no matter what the Yamaha man did
Enea Bastianini – P14

“This morning, in the third free practice we were fast enough, but then we made life a little bit difficult for ourselves. In the fourth practice we came back from the base of how we started this morning, and we were strong, so I was happy. In qualifying I could have done much better, but unfortunately, I caught another rider on my fastest lap and then I didn’t have time to do another lap. Anyway, we are close, and we will be able to fight. The goal will be to fight for the TOP-5.”

Enea Bastianini
Takaaki Nakagami – P15

“We are a little bit disappointed about our qualifying today because we definitely had good speed and good potential to have got through to Q2, but I had a small mistake in the last minutes and I was not able to put everything together. I’m sorry for my team, but the good thing in FP4 was that we had such good pace and the feeling on the bike was very good. Of course, we start from P15 which is not the best position, but we have good pace and a good bike. I’ll do my best. The most important thing is to try and make a good start. The beginning of the race will be the key point for me, so let’s do it and try to overtake as much as possible.”

Michele Pirro – P16

“I am disappointed because we had higher potential than what we showed. It’s a shame because we were only needed slightly more, but tomorrow we will try to do as well as possible.”

Luca Marini – P17

“I’m not happy at all with today’s qualifying, I expected to be faster and be ahead. For sure we were missing something, compared to yesterday we didn’t make many changes to the bike and I was struggling especially with the rear grip. We are studying the data and we are still working to find something for the warm up. For the race I’m still evaluating which tire to use, in FP4 I tried the hard front, but I had some problems. We will probably opt for the M/M tire, although we will have to manage the tires life in long runs.”

Luca Marini
Danilo Petrucci – P18

“I have to admit, that I’m not happy about this Qualifying. I couldn’t really use all the potential of the bike, but I’m quite satisfied with my pace in Free Practice 4. As there was a huge accident before our session, I think it’s not the right time to speak too much about results.”

Valentino Rossi – P19

“We hoped that we could be stronger for qualifying, like we saw at Le Mans, but it was not to be. I improved my pace, the feeling on the bike was better and the time attack this morning was not too bad, but the problem now is that everyone in MotoGP is very fast and the times are very close, which means that with my lap I am 19th on the grid. The race is going to be a difficult one for us, we know that Mugello can be a really tough track, so we need to try between now and then to find some more tenths around here. We will still be looking to have the best race possible tomorrow.”

Valentino Rossi
Iker Lecuona – P20

“It was a very difficult day. I’m still struggling a lot. We tried many things with the base setting and I tried to improve my riding style, I think I improved, especially with my lines. Yet, we are still facing a difficult time. I’m fighting, and I stay optimistic that we can come back tomorrow in the race and at least fight for some points. But for the moment, we need to work hard.”

Lorenzo Savadori – P21

“I’m happy with the way the day went, but at the same time, I was disappointed by the qualifiers, especially because my fastest lap was cancelled and, quite honestly, I couldn’t say why. The positive side is that, on a track I had never tackled on a MotoGP bike, I was still able to reduce the gap behind the leaders, and we’re talking about riders who are going extremely fast. Including my teammate, Alex, who was extraordinary again today, which gives me the confidence that I can still improve astride the RS-GP.”

Álex Márquez – P22

“It wasn’t a good day because of the position but the feeling with the bike improved. In the qualifying, we weren’t able to put together a good lap, I made two mistakes and I wasn’t fast enough. The positive thing is that in FP4 we were not bad and with a used tyre I was able to make a 47.5, so that was good. We need to keep working and looking forward altogether as a team to build up good confidence.”


MotoGP Q1 Report

After a crash in the latter stages of FP3, Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) found himself down in Q1 and early on, the Spaniard showed his frustration to Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) as the two ended up on the same bit of track and the Spaniard on a fast lap. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) then tried to follow the number 12 for a tow despite Viñales’ remonstrations, and it worked as Viñales improved and Marquez even more so tucked in behind.

That put Marquez as the rider leading the way, and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) managed to push Viñales down to third and outside the graduation zone. The Yamaha rider was then on course to top the session on his final lap, but he rolled out of it despite red sectors and that leaves him down in P13 on the grid as Marc Marquez and Aleix Espargaro moved through.

MotoGP Q2 Report

Q2 fired up not long after and Quartararo was the man to beat by seven minutes in, the Frenchman on top after the first runs. Heading back out for their final shot at pole, it was again the number 20 setting the timing screens alight too. Nearly half a second clear after his final lap, the Championship leader then had to wait it out to see if anyone could better his best…

Aleix Espargaro was second at the time, with Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) in third as KTM continued to impress. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) kept that rolling too as he then split the two for a provisional third.

There was more to come. With Yamaha having been mighty through most the track but Ducati often enjoying the edge in the final sector, Bagnaia, Zarco and Miller seemed on course to challenge Quartararo half way round each of their laps. But at the next timing point it seemed the polesitter was set as Bagnaia dropped some tenths, then Miller and then Zarco, with too much left to make up on the Frenchman over the latter half of the lap. Still, given Quartararo’s advantage, the front row remained very much up for grabs and Bagnaia was first to take it, moving into second and cutting the advantage to only a couple of tenths.

What could Miller do? It was a solid effort but not enough to challenge his teammate, and the Austrlian could only manage fifth as he crossed the line. Zarco was tucked in right behind him, however, and the Pramac Racing rider shot from last in the session to third.

The Grid

Quartararo therefore starts the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley from pole, with Bagnaia and Zarco alongside. Aleix Espargaro improved on his final effort but just misses out on the front row and will instead head the second for Aprilia on home turf.

Miller joins him there in the middle of Row 2, and with the Ducatis’ starts so far this season could still be in with a chance at the holeshot, even from there. Binder wasn’t able to quite improve on his final effort but he completes the second row in more fantastic form from KTM, who also equalled the all-time top speed record in MotoGP on Saturday morning with Binder. The South African has also never ridden in MotoGP before at this track, as the last visit was in 2019.

KTM teammate Oliveira also impressed as he takes seventh to head up Row 3, with both Suzukis alongside. Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) is eighth and teammate and reigning Champion Joan Mir in ninth, the former showing good speed all weekend and the latter making it into Q2 directly for only the second time in 2021 – so it’s a little less work to do on race day.

Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) takes tenth, ahead of Marc Marquez and the his Respol Honda teammate Pol Espargaro.

Viñales is next up in P13, ahead of an impressive step forward on Saturday for top rookie Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama) in 14th. He pipped Takaaki Nakagami as the Japanese rider lost out in Q1, set to start 15th.

Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) had a tough qualifying, the ‘Doctor’ set to start P19.

MotoGP Combined Qualifying

Pos Rider Bike Q Time/Gap
1 Fabio QUARTARARO YAMAHA Q2 145.187
2 Francesco BAGNAIA DUCATI Q2 +0.230
3 Johann ZARCO DUCATI Q2 +0.245
4 Aleix ESPARGARO APRILIA Q2 +0.351
5 Jack MILLER DUCATI Q2 +0.411
6 Brad BINDER KTM Q2 +0.556
7 Miguel OLIVEIRA KTM Q2 +0.558
8 Alex RINS SUZUKI Q2 +0.809
9 Joan MIR SUZUKI Q2 +0.889
10 Franco MORBIDELLI YAMAHA Q2 +0.897
11 Marc MARQUEZ HONDA Q2 +0.938
12 Pol ESPARGARO HONDA Q2 +1.206
13 Maverick VIÑALES YAMAHA Q1 (*) 0.121
14 Enea BASTIANINI DUCATI Q1 (*) 0.205
15 Takaaki NAKAGAMI HONDA Q1 (*) 0.271
16 Michele PIRRO DUCATI Q1 (*) 0.378
17 Luca MARINI DUCATI Q1 (* )0.557
18 Danilo PETRUCCI KTM Q1 (*) 0.624
19 Valentino ROSSI YAMAHA Q1 (*) 0.846
20 Iker LECUONA KTM Q1 (*) 1.160
21 Lorenzo SAVADORI APRILIA Q1 (*) 1.222
22 Alex MARQUEZ HONDA Q1 (*) 1.292

MotoGP Championship

Pos Rider Bike Points
1 Fabio QUARTARARO Yamaha 80
2 Francesco BAGNAIA Ducati 79
3 Johann ZARCO Ducati 68
4 Jack MILLER Ducati 64
5 Maverick VIÑALES Yamaha 56

Moto2

After taking his maiden pole at Le Mans, Moto2 rookie Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) has done it again and with a new lap record at Mugello, despite rain threatening for the intermediate class. A few drops fell here and there but Fernandez nevertheless bettered the previous best, with Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) in second and Jorge Navarro (MB Conveyors Speed Up), just like on Friday, the closest challenger to the two title contenders.

Q1

The star of Q1 was most definitely Fermin Aldeguer (MB Conveyors Speed Up) and not just because he was fastest, but because it’s his first weekend on a Triumph-powered Moto2 machine, his first race weekend at Mugello and his first World Championship appearance. The 16-year-old moved through to Q2 on first asking, and was joined by Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia), Marcos Ramirez (American Racing) and Bo Bendsneyder (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team).

Q2

Despite drops of rain coming down at parts of the track, the stage remained set, somehow, for Fernandez to shine. Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team) was the first fastest rider out there, but it only lasted seconds as Fernandez hit back. From there Marco Bezzecchi (Sky Racing Team VR46) and Championship leader Remy Gardner (Red Bull KTM Ajo) had brief stints fastest, but Lowes was the man able to depose and hold onto provisional pole the longest.

Not until the end of the session, however. Fernandez was on a roll and the rookie then slammed in his new lap record, looking to go even faster after that. But the raindrops saw some laps slip away, and it’s his 1:50.723 that becomes the fastest ever Moto2 lap of Mugello. Lowes takes second as he and the Spaniard continue their duel this weekend, with Navarro, once again, the closest on the chase.

2021 Mugello Moto2 Qualifying
1 Raul Fernandez – Red Bull KTM Ajo – Kalex – 1:50.723
2 Sam Lowes – Elf Marc VDS Racing Team – Kalex – +0.267
3 Jorge Navarro – MB Conveyors Speed Up – Bocoscuro – +0.374

The Moto2 Grid

Fernandez and Lowes launch from P1 and P2 respectively, with Navarro locking out the front row in a near mirror of the Friday timesheets. Gardner heads Row 2 ahead of home hero Fabio Di Giannantonio (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2), with Tony Arbolino’s (Liqui Moly Intact GP) form going nowhere as the rookie takes sixth.

Marco Bezzecchi will want more from Sunday as he heads up the third row of the grid in P7, ahead of Xavi Vierge (Petronas Sprinta Racing) and Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP). Joe Roberts will be another who expected more from Saturday as he’ll start 10th.

Roberts’ teammate Lorenzo Dalla Porta takes an impressive step forward to 11th, ahead of Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia), Augusto Fernandez (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team), Ramirez and Aldeguer, who starts his first ever Moto2 World Championship race from 15th.

Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo)

Moto2 Combined Quallifying

Pos Rider Bike Q Time/Gap
1 Raul FERNANDEZ KALEX Q2 1m50.723
2 Sam LOWES KALEX Q2 +0.267
3 Jorge NAVARRO BOSCOSCURO Q2 +0.374
4 Remy GARDNER KALEX Q2 +0.583
5 Fabio DI GIANNANTONI KALEX Q2 +0.632
6 Tony ARBOLINO KALEX Q2 +0.725
7 Marco BEZZECCHI KALEX Q2 +0.739
8 Xavi VIERGE KALEX Q2 +0.774
9 Marcel SCHROTTER KALEX Q2 +0.781
10 Joe ROBERTS KALEX Q2 +0.818
11 Lorenzo DALLA PORTA KALEX Q2 +1.070
12 Ai OGURA KALEX Q2 +1.161
13 Augusto FERNANDEZ KALEX Q2 +1.194
14 Marcos RAMIREZ KALEX Q2 +1.343
15 Fermín ALDEGUER BOSCOSCURO Q2 +1.468
16 Bo BENDSNEYDER KALEX Q2 +1.757
17 Aron CANET BOSCOSCURO Q2 +2.214
18 Somkiat CHANTRA KALEX Q2 +2.804
19 Hector GARZO KALEX Q1 (*) 0.450
20 Hafizh SYAHRIN NTS Q1 (*) 0.577
21 Simone CORSI MV AGUSTA Q1 (*) 0.593
22 Jake DIXON KALEX Q1 (*) 0.658
23 Stefano MANZI KALEX Q1 (*) 0.672
24 Nicolò BULEGA KALEX Q1 (*) 0.745
25 Lorenzo BALDASSARRI MV AGUSTA Q1 (*) 1.153
26 Cameron BEAUBIER KALEX Q1 (*) 1.298
27 Celestino VIETTI KALEX Q1 (*) 1.401
28 Thomas LUTHI KALEX Q1 (*) 1.420
29 Barry BALTUS NTS Q1 (*) 1.854
30 Albert ARENAS BOSCOSCURO Q1 (*) 2.856
31 Tommaso MARCON MV AGUSTA Q1 (*) 2.939

Moto2 Championship

Pos Rider Bike Points
1 Remy GARDNER Kalex 89
2 Raul FERNANDEZ Kalex 88
3 Marco BEZZECCHI Kalex 72
4 Sam LOWES Kalex 66
5 Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO Kalex 60

Moto3

Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) went from Q1 to pole in qualifying at the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley, pulling out more than half a second ahead of Championship leader and rookie Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo), Nevertheless that’s Acosta’s first front row after he also came through Q1, with Gabriel Rodrigo (Indonesian Racing Gresini Moto3) third fastest.

Q1

Suzuki was fastest after the first runs and beat his own best to top the session, with Kaito Toba (CIP Green Power) taking second in the session and Acosta getting more to grips with Mugello to take third. Veteran Italian Niccolo Antonelli (Avintia Esponsorama Moto3) was fourth, moving through to fight for pole.

Q2

Acosta led the way early before Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech3) took over, and Jeremy Alcoba (Indonesian Racing Gresini Moto3) was the next man on top. Rodrigo came to the fore with some more impressive one-lap pace and held provisional pole before the final push, but as the clock ticked down there remained some fast riders about to play their cards.

Together on track, both Acosta and Suzuki were on to take over. And over the line, the Spaniard briefly – very briefly – flashed up to first, but as Suzuki slammed over the line the goalposts changed. Over half a second clear, he was a single thousandth off the 1:55s.

The session the concluded with a serious incident involving Jason Dupasquier (CarXpert PrüstelGP), Ayumu Sasaki (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) and Jeremy Alcoba. Dupasquier was attended to on track before being airlifted to hospital in Florence. Sasaki and Alcoba are both ok.

2021 Mugello Moto3 qualifying top three
1 Tatsuki Suzuki – SIC58 Squadra Corse – Honda – 1:56.001
2 Pedro Acosta – Red Bull KTM Ajo – KTM – +0.596
3 Gabriel Rodrigo – Indonesian Racing Gresini Moto3 – Honda – +0.684

The Moto3 Grid

Suzuki lines up from pole with Championship leader Acosta alongside, the Spaniard looking to extend his already record-breaking points advantage even further. Rodrigo will be aiming for his second podium with his second front row start of the year.

Pedroa Acosta

Dennis Foggia’s (Leopard Racing) Mugello form continues as he heads up Row 2, with Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Alcoba joining him on the second row in fifth and sixth respectively. A veteran third row sees Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team), Antonelli and John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) in seventh, eighth and ninth, with Sasaki completing the top ten.

Le Mans winner Sergio Garcia (Valresa GASGAS Aspar Team) was 14th quickest ahead of Darryn Binder (Petronas Sprinta Racing) and 2019 winner at Mugello Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team), all of whom will be looking to move forward on Sunday.

Moto3 Combined Qualifying

Pos Rider Bike Q Time/Gap
1 Tatsuki SUZUKI HONDA Q2 1m56.001
2 Pedro ACOSTA KTM Q2 +0.596
3 Gabriel RODRIGO HONDA Q2 +0.684
4 Dennis FOGGIA HONDA Q2 +0.979
5 Jaume MASIA KTM Q2 +0.984
6 Jeremy ALCOBA HONDA Q2 +1.106
7 Romano FENATI HUSQVARNA Q2 +1.109
8 Niccolò ANTONELLI KTM Q2 +1.136
9 John MCPHEE HONDA Q2 +1.151
10 Ayumu SASAKI KTM Q2 +1.205
11 Jason DUPASQUIER KTM Q2 +1.212
12 Kaito TOBA KTM Q2 +1.297
13 Deniz ÖNCÜ KTM Q2 +1.573
14 Stefano NEPA KTM Q2 +1.775
15 Sergio GARCIA GASGAS Q2 +2.455
16 Darryn BINDER HONDA Q2 +2.471
17 Andrea MIGNO HONDA Q2 +5.175
18 Filip SALAC HONDA Q2 +5.324
19 Alberto SURRA KTM Q1 (*) 0.823
20 Xavier ARTIGAS HONDA Q1 (*) 0.919
21 Riccardo ROSSI KTM Q1 (*) 0.957
22 Andi Farid IZDIHAR HONDA Q1 (*) 1.089
23 Elia BARTOLINI KTM Q1 (*) 1.102
24 Lorenzo FELLON HONDA Q1 (*) 1.263
25 Ryusei YAMANAKA KTM Q1 (*) 1.405
26 Adrian FERNANDEZ HUSQVARNA Q1 (*) 1.415
27 Carlos TATAY KTM Q1 (*) 1.577
28 Maximilian KOFLER KTM Q1 (*) 2.344
29 Izan GUEVARA GASGAS Q1 (*) 3.959
30 Takuma MATSUYAMA HONDA FP3 2.144

Moto3 Championship

Pos Rider Bike Points
1 Pedro ACOSTA KTM 95
2 Niccolò ANTONELLI KTM 44
3 Andrea MIGNO Honda 42
4 Romano FENATI Husqvarna 40
5 Jaume MASIA KTM 39

Source: MCNews.com.au

Rossi to revisit glorious Mugello memories

2021 MotoGP Round Six Mugello


This weekend will see Franco Morbidelli and Valentino Rossi on home turf as they enjoy the familiar surroundings of Mugello for the Gran Premio d’Italia.

Valentino Rossi will be aiming to show the actual amount of progress made at the Jerez Test, as the constantly changing conditions at Le Mans last time out did not allow the Italian to show his true potential.

Valentino Rossi 300th start cake
Valentino Rossi 300th start cake at Mugello in 2014 – Rossi now has over 420 race starts to his name and leads the all time start list by a considerable margin

The ItalianGP holds many good memories for Rossi and he has a history of good results at the Mugello circuit, including seven consecutive wins (2002-2008) and 11 podiums in the MotoGP class.

Valentino Rossi's last win at Mugello in 2008 - Previously he had claimed seven successive victories in MotoGP at Mugello.
Valentino Rossi’s last win at Mugello in 2008 – Previously he had claimed seven successive victories in MotoGP at Mugello but now it has been a long time between drinks for Rossi at his home GP – Image by AJRN

Hoping that he can create some more happy memories at the circuit this weekend, Valentino will also be aiming to come away from his home Grand Prix with a good haul of points to move him higher than his current 19th place (nine points).

Valentino Rossi

I was able to fight for better positions and be within the top-ten at Le Mans, but we suffered in the mixed conditions on Sunday. I felt better with the bike as well, so it was a shame it was a confusing race like that. Hopefully the weather will be more consistent this weekend at Mugello and we will be able to confirm the improvements from the Jerez Test. It is a fantastic track and fortunately I have many good memories there. It is always special so I’m really looking forward to being there next, although it is a shame that there will be no fans at the circuit because they are always great there and give us a lot of support. It is always nice to see them in the grandstands. It is a great track, the Italian Grand Prix so we just look forward to being there.”

The Rossi fans will not have been dulled by his recent lack of results but the yellow horde will not be at the circuit to cheer their hero on this weekend

Petronas SRT team-mate Franco Morbidelli will also be hoping that this is the year that he finally has some good luck at Mugello in the MotoGP class, after failing to finish the most recent edition in 2019. Although the Italian is yet to step on the ItalianGP podium, he narrowly missed out when competing in Moto2 four years ago, he did start the 2017 Moto2 race from pole and it was the track that saw him directly through to Q2 for the first time in MotoGP in 2018. Despite there being no fans in the grandstands, Franco will still be aiming to put a good show on for his home fans this weekend. Morbidelli currently sits eighth in the world championship with 33 points.

Franco Morbidelli

I’m hoping to arrive at Mugello this weekend in the best shape possible, after receiving some treatment for my knee. I love Mugello; it is a great track, full of history and I have some great memories there. The feeling I have when riding there is a little different compared to the other tracks. It’s wonderful to be going back racing at Mugello, after no round last year, but it won’t be a normal one as we won’t have the fans at the track cheering us on. I don’t know what to expect, but I’m looking forward to going back and I hope that our bike continues to go well there and we will see what happens.”

Franco Morbidelli

MotoGP Championship top five:

Pos Rider Bike Points
1 Fabio QUARTARARO Yamaha 80
2 Francesco BAGNAIA Ducati 79
3 Johann ZARCO Ducati 68
4 Jack MILLER Ducati 64
5 Maverick VIÑALES Yamaha 56

Moto2 Championship top five

Pos Rider Bike Points
1 Remy GARDNER Kalex 89
2 Raul FERNANDEZ Kalex 88
3 Marco BEZZECCHI Kalex 72
4 Sam LOWES Kalex 66
5 Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO Kalex 60

Moto3 Championship top five:

Pos Rider Bike Points
1 Pedro ACOSTA KTM 95
2 Niccolò ANTONELLI KTM 44
3 Andrea MIGNO Honda 42
4 Romano FENATI Husqvarna 40
5 Jaume MASIA KTM 39

Source: MCNews.com.au

MotoGP hits Mugello this weekend | Preview | Schedule

2021 MotoGP Round Six Mugello


Following the previous round which took place under the constantly changing weather conditions of Le Mans, the MotoGP paddock are now heading south and hoping for more predictable weather at another iconic race circuit – the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello in Italy, for the Gran Premio D’Italia Oakley.

Located in the beautiful Tuscan countryside near to Florence, the 5,245m (3.259 miles) Mugello circuit comprises nine right-hand corners and six left-handers, along with a high-speed 1,141m (.709 miles) straight. The all-time lap record is held by Marc Marquez and dates from the last race here in 2019, while the all-time top speed record of 356.7 km/h is held by Andrea Dovizioso, also set in 2019.

This complex circuit is one of the fastest and most demanding of the year, where the tyres will have to handle hard acceleration and heavy braking zones, combined with off-camber corners and medium-severity asphalt, all of which place very specific demands on the tyres.

Mugello Map and Tyre Statistics MotoGP 2016
Mugello Map

Ducati head to their home turf on the back of two 1-2s in a row, with Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) on the top step in both and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) and Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) taking a second place apiece, make quite a statement. The three are all in the top four in the standings too – something Ducati have never had before – and Bagnaia is only a point off the lead. That would be enough to grab some attention in itself but the next track up, unfortunately for the rest, is also the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello.

Jack Miller and Team Ducati celebrating Le Mans victory

The Italian venue is a rider and fan favourite for a reason, a stunning enough landmark in itself even before adding the spectacle of one of MotoGP’s most golden of eras carving its way through the Tuscan hills. Fast, flowing and fast becoming a place synonymous with Ducati glory, yes it’s home turf. But it’s also somewhere Borgo Panigale machinery has won the last three editions and been on the podium since 2015.

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Petrucci Dovizioso Marquez Close
MotoGP Results Mugello 2019
1 – Danilo Petrucci (ITA – Ducati) 41’33.794
2 – Marc Marquez (SPA – Honda) +0.043
3 – Andrea Dovizioso (ITA – Ducati) +0.338

The favourite to keep the roll going must be Miller. With his win in Le Mans in tough conditions, and that despite two Long Lap penalties, he followed up his Jerez stunner in style and it seems safe to say the Australian will now read the stats about Mugello with glee rather than pressure. Miller is a key architect of the momentum behind the manufacturer and the monkey some saw on his back after the first three rounds of the season is nowhere in sight now, whichever way you want to spin it. Can he make it three in a row? Or can his teammate fight back?

Miller definitely back in the good graces of Ducati after a difficult first opening few rounds of 2021

Bagnaia has been impressive in 2021 and led the standings for the first time just before Le Mans, with speed at every venue and few mistakes to go with it. With less premier class experience than Miller, he could have been forgiven for a few too. His French GP was a solid statement of intent, however, as the Italian somehow found himself down in 19th just after the start… then rode back through to fourth in conditions that caught out the very best, and again, like Miller, despite two Long Lap Penalties. If there was a day to lose your head, it was leading the Championship and sinking to the bottom of the top 20 early doors. But he didn’t.

Pecco Bagnaia was second in both Portugal and Spain. This is the team celebrating at Portimao

And what about Zarco? The Frenchman hunted down another podium and moved back up to third overall, so what does he have in the locker? A Pramac win on home turf would be a popular one and the number 5, like Bagnaia, hasn’t yet tasted the top step in the premier class although he’s been close. His teammate this weekend could also be one to watch complicating the lives of a few riders who could find themselves on the cusp of Q2 too as Michele Pirro steps in to replace the injured Jorge Martin. Pirro knows both track and machine, and has impressed aplenty on wildcards.

Johann Zarco and Fabio Quartararo on the podium at home last time out

All that said, it’s far from a foregone conclusion that Ducati will take their fourth Mugello win in a row. Three in the top four they may have, but it’s Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) back on top – and the Frenchman’s there despite his tough plummet down the order after arm pump in Jerez. He took a well-earned home podium at Le Mans despite coming back from surgery, and before Ducati started to assert their dominance at Mugello it was Yamaha territory. Jorge Lorenzo took the most recent wins but Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) was on the podium in 2018 and Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) the year before that. With a dry, less chaotic weekend hopefully ahead, what can they – and Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) – do?

Dry and less chaotic will likely be a hope for Team Suzuki Ecstar too. A double DNF in France saw reigning Champion Joan Mir fall outside the top five in the standings, and left teammate Alex Rins with an even bigger hill to climb to get back into real contention. The Hamamatsu factory have form at Mugello though, with Rins only two tenths off the podium in 2019 as he hung on to the Marquez-Ducati fight and almost managed to ruin the party for all of them. The Suzuki works well around the majority of the venue and Rins will be out to show that and bounce back, as will Mir – but the reigning Champion also has a fair bit less experience of the track on premier class machinery, with MotoGP having not visited Mugello last year.

Suzuki’s MotoGP Championship defence has not got off to a good start in 2021

Aprilia are another who, like Ducati, will be both optimistic and riding on home turf. The Noale factory have taken a big step forward in 2021 and their bike should prove a good fit for Mugello. It may have been heartbreak at Le Mans but Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) just keeps impressing, and teammate Lorenzo Savadori was a serious threat in the damp. Can he take another step forward, and can Aleix Espargaro pick up where he left off? Aprilia also have Andrea Dovizioso confirmed as doing more testing throughout the season, whose record at Mugello is one of the best in recent years. He’s also already ridden the RS-GP there, although the weather didn’t play ball…

Mugello, meanwhile, was also a place where Honda really hammered home their top speed gains in 2019 as Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) went toe to toe with the Bologna bullets and was absolutely not left in the dust. Marquez’ win in 2014 at the track is the only non-Ducati win for a rider still on the grid since then too, and his 2019 battle at the front against the factory Ducati duo at the time was a stunner. The French GP saw flag-to-flag master Marquez make an uncharacteristic mistake and crash out, but there were more flashes of his former self as his comeback continues. What can he do?

We are seeing glimpses of the bravery and skill that made Marc Marquez an eight-time World Champion. Will Mugello be where he pulls it altogether and gets back on the podium…?

LCR Honda Idemitsu’s Takaaki Nakagami and LCR Honda Castrol teammate Alex Marquez both took solid results in France too after a tougher start to the season, and Nakagami equalled his best ever result in Jerez just before that. Alex Marquez won at Mugello in Moto2 last time he rode there as well, although this is his first taste of it in the premier class. Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) was also gaining ground in France, so they can’t be counted out of the increasingly tough fight for Q2 and more.

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Petrucci Marquez Dovizioso Podium
The last time MotoGP visited Mugello it was Danilo Petrucci that took top honours

That also goes for KTM. It’s been a tougher start to the season but Danilo Petrucci (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) equalled the best result of the Austrian factory’s year so far at Le Mans, and he knows the top step at Mugello, although in red. Teammate Iker Lecuona also impressed in France, so can both start to cut the gap to Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Brad Binder and Miguel Oliveira? There have been flashes of speed from them since Binder’s fifth in Portugal, but it’s not all come together on race day for either since. Binder and Lecuona have also not yet ridden at Mugello in MotoGP though, so that could also factor in to the weekend. Can KTM push back towards the bigger points hauls? Let’s see what Tech3 KTM boss Herve Poncharal has to say.

Hervé Poncharal – Tech3 KTM Team Manager

“After the great Le Mans result for the team, it’s now time to head to beautiful Mugello, which is a track I believe the whole paddock loves. Danilo was the last MotoGP winner in Le Mans under rainy conditions and we did a good result there. I would like to remember that Danilo was also very last MotoGP winner in Mugello on the dry last time we raced there in 2019. So, hopefully he’s got good memories!

“This is a track he likes and he goes fast, which is obvious, as he won the last race out there. Of course, it’s going to be very interesting to see, what he can do on a different bike and how he evaluates the KTM compared to what he was riding in 2019. All the team and Danilo have some great memories of the Italian GP and being Italian, he will of course hope to be able to shine at home.

“Regarding Iker, it’s a bit of the same story because although he never rode a MotoGP bike in Mugello and he is not last MotoGP winner, he is still coming from a very strong weekend in Le Mans, where in both, dry and wet conditions, he was very competitive. Clearly, Iker made a step in his ridings and his confidence since the Monday test after Jerez and we believe that he will also arrive in Mugello with a positive frame of mind and willing to try to be one more time in top 10, which is his target at moment.

“Mugello is a very beautiful circuit, but also very demanding, where you have almost everything coming together on one fast lap; engine, acceleration, stability on braking, corner speed, fast chicanes… If we manage to deliver a decent performance there, I believe we will be able to understand our bike even more. We just can’t wait to arrive there after we haven’t been racing in Mugello with KTM for a long time. I guess everyone inside the KTM family is eager to see where we stand compared there to our competitors.”

Danilo Petrucci has won with Ducati at Mugello but is yet to gel with the KTM

Tuscany is one of the world’s most emblematic destinations, and MotoGP is lucky enough to have Mugello nestled right in the middle. The paddock returns to the venue in 2021 looking quite different to the last time we were there, but the track remains the same stunner for man and machine.

MotoGP Championship top five:

Pos Rider Bike Points
1 Fabio QUARTARARO Yamaha 80
2 Francesco BAGNAIA Ducati 79
3 Johann ZARCO Ducati 68
4 Jack MILLER Ducati 64
5 Maverick VIÑALES Yamaha 56

Moto2

After another stunner from Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo), the Moto2 rookie is now just a single point behind his veteran teammate atop the Moto2 standings as the paddock heads for Mugello. But given its absence on the 2020 calendar, the Tuscan venue is one where Fernandez has quite a few fewer laps than his rivals: he’s only raced there as a Moto3 rookie in 2019. The Spaniard came home 11th, however… already proving his CV as a fast learner. So will he be leading from the front or playing catch up this time round?

His team-mate Remy Gardner will be pushing to make sure it’s the latter. The Australian is on a supreme run of form stretching back to even before the start of 2021, and that’s exactly how he finds himself at the top of the table. With his rookie teammate proving such a force to be reckoned with, already winning two races, Gardner knows he has to strike when Fernandez is on the back foot and take the maximum points when he isn’t. So far so good on both counts, but Mugello will be another test of his so far exemplary judgments on Sundays.

Remy Gardner is on top of the Moto2 standings and is riding with great maturity this season

Waiting in the wings there are two riders with even more motivation at this particular racetrack, however: Marco Bezzecchi (Sky Racing Team VR46) and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2). The former is on a podium run and the latter already a race winner this year, but both will want victory on home turf. Bezzecchi hasn’t had all the pieces come together perfectly so far this year but is proving super consistent since we left Qatar, whereas Diggia is somewhat the opposite. The Gresini rider created himself a new postcode in the lead at Jerez to win his first Moto2 race in style, adding to a podium first time out in 2021, but in the other three races it’s been up and down. Can the home heroes make a push for the front again?

For Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) meanwhile, it’ll be a different challenge. The Brit bounced back well from a DNF in Portugal and said it was important to do so, with no OTT heroics and solid points. That will likely be the mission as he aims to hit back at Mugello following a crash in France: take points. Get on or near the podium. Claw back a little deficit. But the Brit is also one of the fastest men in the intermediate class on any given Sunday, so he can’t be counted out.

Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team)

The next two riders in the standings likely have similar goals though: Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team) crashed from the front in France and Aron Canet (Kipin Energy Aspar Team) earlier than that, although they’re holding on as the next two in the standings after the fastest five so far this season. What can they do? Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP) is now equal on points with Canet too, and the German will want to build momentum after a solid result.

Recent Mugello history also says Augusto Fernandez (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) could be up there in the top five again, and he’ll want some redemption after Le Mans followed some good steps forward, but speaking of… the king of those in France must surely be Tony Arbolino (Liqui Moly Intact GP). Le Mans was a stunner from the rookie Italian, so has he got more in the locker at Mugello on home turf?

Gardner has the consistency and the experience. Raul Fernandez is a fast learner. Bezzecchia and Diggia want some home turf glory, and Sam Lowes needs some good points. Who’ll come out on top?


Moto2 Championship top five:

Pos Rider Bike Points
1 Remy GARDNER Kalex 89
2 Raul FERNANDEZ Kalex 88
3 Marco BEZZECCHI Kalex 72
4 Sam LOWES Kalex 66
5 Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO Kalex 60

Moto3

The course of a Moto3 race rarely did run smooth, but Le Mans was even more drama than normal. With Sergio Garcia (Valresa GASGAS Aspar Team) taking his first win of the year, second overall and first for GASGAS, it was a different face on the top step to the one we’d become accustomed to seeing in 2021. But Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo), despite taking a tumble in the difficult conditions, still got back on and took a good haul of points – and finished far ahead of those who’d previously been his closest challengers to boot. The result? An even bigger Championship lead.

Sergio Garcia

For the veterans on his tail – Garcia, and Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team), Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) and Niccolo Antonelli (Avintia Esponsorama Moto3) – the good news is the experience they all have at Mugello, and for the most part, their CVs there too. The Italians will also be fired up on home turf as we return to the track for the first time since 2019. The slightly worse news is that, unlike Le Mans, Acosta does actually have a track record at Mugello: a second place in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies race at the venue in 2019, the year he came runner up overall before going on to annihilate the competition last season. So it’s new turf on his Red Bull KTM Ajo machine… but it’s not a shot in the dark.

The Italians will be gunning hard though, as will Garcia after a good shot of confidence from his win in France. Filip Salač (Rivacold Snipers Team) too, and home hero Riccardo Rossi (BOE Owlride) after their first podiums. Both will be wanting more good points. Ayumu Sasaki (Red Bull KTM Tech3) remained on his consistent roll of top finishes too despite the different conditions in France, and John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) got some good points on the board just ahead of his former teammate. Adrian Fernandez (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) and fellow rookie Xavier Artigas (Leopard Racing) also took their best finishes of the season so far, and confidence goes a long way.

Darryn Binder

Darryn Binder (Petronas Sprinta Racing), meanwhile, will be on an opposite mission: bouncing back. After the South African got skittled out at Jerez through no fault of his own, a crash in France put paid to solid points and he’s now down in eighth overall. Can he fight back before summer break and get back into the upper echelons of the Championship? He’ll be aiming to start that at Mugello.

The kilometre-long straight at the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello always provides one of the greatest Moto3 spectacles of the season.


Moto3 Championship top five:

Pos Rider Bike Points
1 Pedro ACOSTA KTM 95
2 Niccolò ANTONELLI KTM 44
3 Andrea MIGNO Honda 42
4 Romano FENATI Husqvarna 40
5 Jaume MASIA KTM 39

Source: MCNews.com.au

MotoGP Riders & Team Managers reflect on Mugello MotoGP

2019 MotoGP
Round Six – Mugello
MotoGP Rider Quotes


Danilo Petrucci – P1

“I really wanted this victory and when I realized the pace at the front wasn’t too fierce and I was able to manage my rhythm in the leading group, I told myself it was the right time to go for it. I tried to control the race by staying in the lead to avoid the risk of losing too many positions in the battle, dictating the pace to preserve the energies and the tyres for the final rush. I was a bit worried about the slipstream as we entered the final lap, but I managed to brake really deep and find a small gap between Andrea and Marc to retake the lead, then I simply pushed as hard as I could until the checkered flag. A good chunk of this win came thanks to Andrea, who took me under his wing this winter and gave so many precious tips. Now we’ll keep fighting together for the championship.”

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Petrucci Selfie
Danilo Petrucci took his first MotoGP victory

Marc Marquez – P2

“Today was time to defend, and we did it in the best way we could because usually this is not one of our best circuits. I stayed calm and waited to try something in the last lap. I was able to try but I missed the apex on the first corner and then both Ducati overtook me. Petrucci rode very well at the front today, congratulations to him. My goal was to finish in front of Dovizioso and Rins and we did this so I’m happy. Also congratulations to my brother Alex, he had a great race today too. As always, thanks to the Repsol Honda Team as they have worked hard to allow us to fight for victory here.”

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Petrucci Marquez Dovizioso
Marc Marquez, Danilo Petrucci, Andrea Dovizioso

Andrea Dovizioso – P3

“It’s been a really exciting race, as it’s often the case here at Mugello. Until the very last lap, everything went to plan. I got off to a great start and I put myself in a good position to manage the tyres, staying always within the top three despite the many overtakes in the leading group. My plan was to seize the lead at the beginning of the last lap, but I had to pick up the bike out of turn one to avoid contact and I lost positions and points. I’m a bit disappointed because of that, but also very happy for Danilo, who really deserved this win. It would have been better to score a one-two finish, but Márquez was very competitive also here. As for us, we struggled a bit early on in the weekend but once again we managed to stay in contention until the very end during the race. We want more and we’ll keep working to improve.”

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Petrucci Dovizioso Marquez Close
Petrucci, Dovizioso, Marquez

Alex Rins – P4

“I don’t think I could have had a better result with a better grid position, I recovered a lot of places on the first lap, but I was losing a lot of time on the straight. We knew it would be a tricky part of the track for us, and it’s a bit of a pity. But I gave 100% and pushed really hard, I tried to pass Dovizioso on the last corner, but he had a bit more traction than me. Anyway, I’m happy with this 4th and it all helps with the championship!”

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Rins Petrucci
Alex Rins

Takaaki Nakagami – P5

“It was an amazing day and an amazing race. I was really strong from the start and I know that this is a weak point for me. In all the races after a couple of laps I’ve dropped positions and then fight back in the middle and at the end. But today, I was really strong at the beginning of the race and then tried to keep the position. At the end I knew that (Maverick) Vinales was really pushing hard, but I never gave up and fought hard. It’s the best result for me, I was the second Honda and fifth place is amazing. I didn’t expect it, it’s a fantastic weekend for me and I want to thank the team who did a really great job all weekend, the bike worked really well.”

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Nakagami
Takaaki Nakagami

Maverick Vinales – P6

“Today I struggled a lot. I had no feeling with the bike during the race and the tyres were very slippery. I tried to push in the correct way and manage the tyres in the best way I could, but anyway it wasn’t enough. I don’t think we should be on the level of getting sixth places, we need to push more. I really don’t know what to expect for Montmeló. For sure, during the practices we can be there, but in the race it’s a different story. Our bike suffers a lot when we don’t have grip. So, we need to keep working to see if we can improve the feeling and take steps forward.”

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Vinales Mir Rossi
Maverick Vinales

Michele Pirro – P7

“The most important thing is that we won again at Mugello, for the third time in a row, because we couldn’t take it for granted. As for me, I’m a bit disappointed because today during the race my Desmosedici GP was really competitive, but unfortunately I faced an issue with my forearm in the early laps, which slowed me down. Then, I simply tried to stay calm and I managed to climb back to seventh. I want to thank Ducati because, after last year’s big crash on this track, we’ve done a great job together and I’m confident I’ll be back to top form soon.”

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Pirro
Michele Pirro

Cal Crutchlow – P8

“Today was a very difficult day, quite possibly my worst race of the season. Again I was in the front group, but then got dropped from the front group which has not normally happened to me in previous years. I had a bad feeling with the bike when I was changing direction, which was happening all weekend, and I was not able to be competitive in that area. Then with about 14 laps remaining I felt a big drop in the rear tyre and was unable to keep my pace throughout the rest of the race. After the race we assessed the situation with the team and Michelin and found an unusual rubber wear on the rear tyre. So we’ll continue to evaluate it and I’m sure Michelin will investigate why this happened. I’m pleased to finish and get some points on a tough day, but that’s not where I need to finish at all.”

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Start Marquez Crutchlow Miller
Mugello MotoGP 2019

Pol Espargaro – P9

“We knew our position would be around 7-10 and we were not expecting these temperatures. With the Medium tyre we were in a very low grip situation and we knew our job would be a little bit harder. I was fighting a lot at the beginning of the race with [Franco] Morbidelli, [Alex] Rins even and [Fabio] Quartararo. It was hard, hot and with many changes of direction. It was a physical track and we saw many riders by the end were dropping and we could keep our pace. Anyway we were fourteen seconds faster in our total race time in 2018 and in the end I think we can be happy.”

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Pol Espargaro
Pol Espargaro

Fabio Quartararo – P10

“I struggled right from the beginning. My start wasn’t bad, but I did a small wheelie that made me lose several positions. As the race progressed, the front tyre pressure increased a lot and unfortunately I couldn’t find a good feeling with the front. Our pace during the weekend was good, but we couldn’t get a great result. The goal is to be the best rookie, and today we achieved that. I don’t want to rush and I want to go step-by-step. Now we are going to Barcelona, which is one of my favourite circuits and I can’t wait to ride there with a MotoGP bike.”

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Quartararo
Fabio Quartararo

Aleix Espargaro – P11

“I started well, but unfortunately, during the first lap Zarco made some pretty bold contact, causing me to lose time. In terms of pace, I had plenty to battle with Pol and Pirro in the top 10, but despite feeling very good today, I struggled to overtake. It’s a pity. Without the initial contact, a top-ten finish would most certainly have been within our potential. The conditions were demanding today. It was very hot and there wasn’t much grip and, considering our starting position, the 20-second gap behind the leader is a good result.”

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Aleix Espargaro
Aleix Espargaro

Joan Mir – P12

“I’m glad to pick up some points today, even if it wasn’t in the position that I wanted or that I felt I could achieve with my potential this weekend. The touch between Valentino and I cost me around seven seconds, and that’s what prevented me from getting a Top 10 finish. Anyway, I want to thank the team for all the great work done this weekend, I feel good and I know the results will come.”

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Mir Rossi
Joan Mir, Valentino Rossi

Jorge Lorenzo – P13

“Today was more or less what we expected. I didn’t have the pace and wasn’t as comfortable on the bike to be more competitive. We made a change in the Warm Up and it improved some areas. Not better or worse than we expected but neither myself nor Honda give up on making progress and finding a solution together. Now I will go to Japan to work with Honda on some improvements to come back stronger.”

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Lorenzo Rossi
Jorge Lorenzo

Karel Abraham – P14

”To be honest the race was almost what I expected. I knew that we are capable to fight for the point today I knew we were strong same as Le Mans but it didn´t work. But I know also very well that the conditions changed for the race today, the track was hot, the air was hot this means it will be a lot more difficult for the tyres, for the bike but also for the rider. For me especially because I do not like hot conditions. After the start of the race it was not very good in identity very well with the tyres, because the front and the rear was slaiding quite a lot. But after a 4 laps I took the confidence and the bike work better. And I stay to overtake everybody. The race was very hard. I knew my tyres were dropping specially in the end but I could see everybody stay was dropping because I start to catch the otherones. So I was very good finally we made 2 points I think we deserve because we work really hard all weekend. And all my team we deserve the points, thank you very much to everyone. I´m super happy we ended finally the weekend like this.”

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Karel Abraham
Karel Abraham

Andrea Iannone – P15

“I am rather satisfied, especially with the pace in the early part of the race. Starting so far behind, I was able to battle and make up a lot of ground, even on Aleix who is certainly my point of reference. Unfortunately, on the final laps with Mir and Zarco, we held one another up, losing time and also letting those who were behind us get close. This was clearly not the Mugello I expected, but our goal is long-term – to get to know the bike better and better and to develop it.”

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Andrea Iannone
Andrea Iannone

Johann Zarco – P16

“I wanted a bit more consistency so I chose the Soft tyre but by the end it was finished. I wanted to be able to fight at the beginning and understand what my opponents can do better than me or not. I was able to get some good information even though I suffered at the end of the race and I finished slowly. We know we are suffering and I must wait to have some new things on the bike. I know I need to change my style but even by trying to do this I have the same limits as before. We can only get better from here and now I have six months experience. I think the team has good information for the way to work.”

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Zarco
Johann Zarco

Miguel Oliveira – P17

“It was a tough race in the beginning and hard to manage the bike with the full fuel tank. Then I started to find my pace and it was quite OK. The last five laps where very difficult again as I was missing grip and I could not manage to attack the points scoring positions. But, in general, the gap to the front was not too big and also the one to Pol was not huge. After the tough weekend, I think we didn’t expect to be so competitive in the race, so it was positive.”

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Oliveira
Miguel Oliveira

Jack Miller – DNF

“It was a very exciting race. I was with the front group and it was a fantastic battle. The feeling with the bike was very good and I started to push after seeing Petrucci and Marquez trying to make the gap. I tried to overtake Rins but then I crashed.”

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Miller Rins Quarataro Pol Espargaro
Jack Miller

Pecco Bagnaia – DNF

“It’s a shame we couldn’t finish the race. Our goal was to stay in the Top 10 and the race pace was very good. I am still satisfied because in the last three races we have made great steps forward. We’ll try again in Barcelona.”

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Crutchlow Bagnaia
Pecco Bagnaia chasing Cal Crutchlow

Valentino Rossi – DNF

“It was a very difficult weekend, because I was always very slow. We expected to be more competitive, so it was difficult to manage. We also made some mistakes in the practice: I made a mistake in FP3 and because of it I started very far towards the back of the grid. In the race, my pace wasn’t fantastic. I tried to overtake Mir, but he tried to defend his position, and unfortunately we touched. Luckily, we didn’t crash, but we went onto the gravel. After that I tried to push to recover and I lost the front and crashed, so it’s a bad end to a difficult weekend, especially since it’s in Mugello. But that’s the way it is. We will try to do better.”

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Rossi Lorenzo Espargaro
Valentino Rossi

Franco Morbidelli – DNF

“I had a good start for the first few metres, but then I lost a lot of ground for some reason. After that I started to recover, and little-by-little I felt faster. However, on the sixth lap I made a mistake on the last corner and I lost the front end. It was a shame because I was going fast, and I think I could have fought for a place in the top five. It’s been a good weekend in any case. We suffered on Friday but we were fast on Saturday, and at least over the first five or six laps today we showed great potential. I’m looking forward to the Catalan GP.”

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Morbidelli
Franco Morbidelli

Hafizh Syahrin – DNF

“I felt very good with the bike in the beginning of the race but in Turn 9 I had a huge low side and was lucky to save this. I tried to push again but couldn’t find the same feeling as in the beginning. I wanted to do more laps but with this feeling it was impossible not to go down, so I decided to retire. It’s a pity, especially because I’m convinced that we could have scored points here but sometimes this just happens. Even if this was not our day and I’m truly sorry for everybody, we keep working hard for the next race. Barcelona is my favourite track, so I will for sure give more than 100 percent again.”

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Petrucci Ducati
Ducati celebrate Petrucci’s success at Mugello

Tito Rabat – DNF

”Happy because we have found the way with the bike, because we can be competitive and fight with the best but frustrated by the problem today. Now we just have to think about Montmeló.”

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Tito Rabat
Tito Rabat

MotoGP Team Managers

Claudio Domenicali – CEO of Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A.

“Winning is always fantastic, but to do it here at Mugello really has a special meaning. It’s our home race, and on this wonderful track we can always count on the support of so many people from our company and thousands of passionate ducatisti. Until a few laps to go, we had as many as four bikes fighting for top positions. Danilo probably had a bit of an edge today, but both our factory riders fought for the win until the very last inch and I believe that Andrea deserves part of the credit for this victory, as he was the first to highlight Danilo’s potential and he took him under his wing, doing a really excellent job.”

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Petrucci Ducati Team Domenicali
Ducati celebrate Petrucci’s success at Mugello

Luigi Dall’Igna – Ducati Corse General Manager

“We all must be proud of the work done, because winning three times in a row at Mugello, in front of so many Ducati fans, is a dream come true. Danilo was really phenomenal, he rode a fantastic last lap, with an incredible pass at the beginning, and I’m really happy he took his maiden MotoGP win at his home race. I’m sorry for Andrea, who couldn’t pass Márquez back before the checkered flag, but he rode a fantastic race as well and a podium is always a great result. I want to congratulate myself with all three of them, because they really put on a show.”

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Ducati Corse
Ducati celebrate Petrucci’s success at Mugello

Ken Kawauchi – Suzuki Technical Manager

“Alex did an excellent job considering the grid position yesterday, he put together a great race. I want to apologise to him because it was hard to keep up with the others on the long straight, we have improved the bike and we will continue to work hard for this. Joan picked up some points today and he did a very good race, without the runoff it could have been even better, so we’re happy with the work he did today.”

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Petrucci Marquez Crowd
Petrucci, Marquez, Dovizioso, Rins

Davide Brivio – Suzuki Team Manager

“Alex did a really great race, recovering so well from 13th position on the grid. We’re slightly disappointed for him, because he did everything he could, and it was not enough to stay right with the others. But we know how competitive we are, and there are some other circuits which will suit us better. Anyway, we’re really pleased with this 4th place. Joan started from 20th and he did a great job, getting into points scoring positions, until he had the coming together with Valentino which cost him a lot. But he did so well to recover 12th place. It’s been positive for both riders today.”

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Petrucci Marquez Dovizioso Rins Crowd
Petrucci, Marquez, Dovizioso, Rins

Mike Leitner – Red Bull KTM Team Manager

“A top ten was the target for us and we achieved that here with Pol, which was very good. A positive point was that the bike had good potential all weekend. Mugello and Barcelona have been difficult tracks for us in the past and with our current package, so to make the top ten so far is very good. With Johann we made some improvement on Friday but he crashed on Saturday and took a gamble with tyre choice for the race, and the Soft rear could not stay until the end. We’ll be looking forward to trying for another top ten in Catalunya.”

Massimo Meregalli – Yamaha MotoGP Team Director

“Naturally we are very disappointed. We knew this weekend was going to be really difficult, but we had higher hopes for our team‘s home GP than the results we got today. We have to give credit to Maverick though. His start was far from ideal, but he fought his way back to sixth, which was realistically the best could do, considering his race pace. Valentino had a nightmare of a day… It was going to be hard starting from 18th on the grid, but the incidents on track ended his race. All in all, it’s a GP to forget for him. We as a team, however, will be doing the opposite: we have to learn from this and find something for the next race in Catalunya in two weeks‘ time.”

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Rossi Iannone
Valentino Rossi, Andrea Iannone

Hervé Poncharal – Red Bull KTM Team Manager

“To finish a weekend without a point, is always a disappointment, because this is a reward for the hard work of the whole team and the riders. But still I believe, we did a good weekend. We were quite competitive in the race. Hafizh had a big moment and that was a real shame, because until then, that was for sure the best start of the year for him and he could have been fighting for points, but unfortunately lost the front, he tried to stay on track, but was close to crash. He aimed to carry on a bit more, but lost the front a few more times and I understand his idea that is was safer to come in, but it was a huge disappointment as it was by far the best Hafizh we saw since the beginning of the year. Miguel was lapping really consistently. We knew he would be strong all race long, because I think the tyre choice was the best one. We passed quite a few guys, including Johann Zarco and for a part of the race, we were in the points, but unfortunately Abraham was a bit quicker in the end and passed us, which didn’t allow us to score that point, that would have been a decent end to a quite constructive weekend. Nevertheless, we have to remember that the Warm Up crash didn’t help, so for sure, in the early part of the race Miguel was a bit cautious. He’s got a small injury on a finger of his left hand. Ok, this is not, what we want to do, but we were not too far. We saw that Pol Espargaro could finish in front of some top factory guys, so we need to keep on working. Today we finished second of the KTM MotoGP department. Overall, we have mixed feelings, but let’s take the positive ones, gather all the information we have and get more confidence and head to Barcelona with a good feeling, where hopefully we can score points with both of our guys.”

Razlan Razali – Petronas SRT Team Principal

“In MotoGP we have mixed feelings about the race today. Franco Morbidelli was doing very well, until he crashed, but we are happy with his performance. We’re also happy with the tenth position for Fabio Quartararo, because the goal for him is still to be the best rookie in the class. Clearly we weren’t able to match the fastest bikes on the straight today, but we move on and take the positives. We have learned a lot and we have seen our two riders riding with the frontrunners. Now we have to prepare for Catalonia.”

Wilco Zeelenberg – Petronas SRT Team Manager

“We’ve learned a lot from today’s race. In this World Championship there are at least 15 riders who can fight for the podium. In practice we are clearly part of that group, but we have to be realistic. We finished tenth with Fabio and Franco crashed. We were in the group, but we weren’t able to fight until the end. It’s good to have picked up points and I think we showed good performance in practice, but we must improve in the race.”

Piero Taramasso – Michelin

“Today was a fantastic spectacle to what has been both a very tough, but also extremely rewarding weekend. The whole array of tyres were used in the practices and five of the compounds were raced today. The track was in poor condition compared to last year, but the tyres all worked well and we had some very fast lap-times, plus a new outright lap-record, the fastest speed from a MotoGP bike and the race was 10-seconds quicker than last year. We have learned a lot though and will need to look at how the tyres behaved in the race and reassess the compounds for next season to take into account the extra abrasiveness. Overall we are very pleased and now we head to Catalunya for another important race and a test on the Monday where we will be trying some tyres for 2020.”

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Start Crutchlow
Mugello MotoGP 2019

Pos. Rider Bike Time/Gap
1 Danilo Petrucci Ducati 41’33.794
2 Marc Marquez Honda 0.043
3 Andrea Dovizioso Ducati 0.338
4 Alex Rins Suzuki 0.535
5 Takaaki Nakagami Honda 6.535
6 Maverick Viñales Yamaha 7.481
7 Michele Pirro Ducati 13.288
8 Cal Crutchlow Honda 13.937
9 Pol Espargaro KTM 16.533
10 Fabio Quartararo Yamaha 17.994
11 Aleix Espargaro Aprilia 20.523
12 Joan Mir Suzuki 20.544
13 Jorge Lorenzo Honda 20.813
14 Karel Abraham Ducati 27.298
15 Andrea Iannone Aprilia 28.051
16 Miguel Oliveira KTM 30.101
17 Johann Zarco KTM 41.857
Not Classified
DNF Jack Miller Ducati 8 Laps
DNF Francesco Bagnaia Ducati 12 Laps
DNF Hafizh Syahrin KTM 14 Laps
DNF Valentino Rossi Yamaha 16 Laps
DNF Franco Morbidelli Yamaha 18 Laps
Not Finished 1st Lap
DNF Tito Rabat Ducati 0 Lap

Source: MCNews.com.au

Mugello turns on the magic for MotoGP | What a race!

2019 MotoGP
Round Six – Mugello
MotoGP Race Results / Report


There’s a new Grand Prix winner in town: Danilo Petrucci (Mission Winnow Ducati), on his 124th start in the premier class, has taken to the top step for the first time after a near-perfect performance to give Ducati their third win in a row at Mugello, holding off reigning Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) to cross the line just 0.043 clear at the chequered flag.

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Pirro Celebrate
Danilo Petrucci took his first MotoGP victory

Mugello MotoGP Race Report

It was Marquez who took the holeshot from pole, but the headline-grabber as the lights went out was Dovizioso as the Italian shot off the line from P9 with a perfect start and was into a stunning third – behind Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) – into Turn 1.

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Start Marquez Miller Crutchlow Bagnaia
Marquez leads Miller, Crutchlow and Bagnaia

Petrucci dropped to fifth, the two Petronas Yamaha SRTs of Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli also lost out, and Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) moved up.

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Start Crutchlow Morbidelli Petrucci
Cal Crutchlow

Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) was also on the move, threading his way into the fight at the front after starting in 13th. At the front though, it only took one lap for Dovizioso and Petrucci to tag onto the back of Marquez as they swooped through on Crutchlow in quick succession.

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Miller Petrucci Rins
Miller and Petrucci

The question was, could the reigning Champion bolt? And the answer was no. It remained a train of riders at the front, with nine within two seconds, but home eyes were also trained elsewhere as Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) ran on, as did rookie Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar), and the two were forced into a quick trip across the gravel – rejoining at the back.

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Mir Rossi
Joan Mir, Valentino Rossi

The race was on and Mir would recover for points, but it ended early for the ‘Doctor’ as he then slid out of contention at Turn 9 – a tough end to a tough weekend.

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Mir Rossi
Joan Mir, Valentino Rossi

Back at the front though, the fight was feisty and slowly but surely, a front quintet of Petrucci, Marquez, Dovizioso, Miller and Rins were able to pull away. Drama then hit Miller though as he suddenly crashed out – not long after teammate Francesco Bagnaia had done the same – and then there were four.

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Petrucci Dovizioso Rins Marquez Miller
Petrucci, Dovizioso, Rins, Marquez, Miller

That was how it would remain, with Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) the next man down the road but the Japanese rider unable to close in. With five laps to go there was nothing between the foursome, and despite the chopping and changing, it was Petrucci who’d been at the front since Lap 11 to assert some authority on his charge at the win – with ‘DesmoDovi’ then taking over from Marquez in second.

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Petrucci Dovizioso Marquez Rins Front
Petrucci, Dovizioso, Marquez, Rins

Sure enough, the number 04 struck against his teammate at Turn 1 with four to go, but he couldn’t pull away – and Petrucci soon hit back. He held on in the lead next time around into San Donato too, and again, until the high speed chess game arrived at the final lap.

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Petrucci Dovi Marquez Rins Miller Crutchlow Bagnaia
Petrucci, Dovizioso, Marquez

Dovizioso slipstreamed past his team-mate on the final full speed dash down the straight, but Marquez did one better and managed to take both, the Honda man ahead into Turn 1 for the final time. But he headed a little wide and Dovizioso took the inside line – but he was wide as well.

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Petrucci Dovizioso Marquez Close
Petrucci, Dovizioso, Marquez

Enter Petrucci, with the number 9 spotting the gap and slicing past both as Dovi had to then sit up and cede second to Marquez.

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Petrucci Dovizioso Marquez Close
Petrucci, Dovizioso, Marquez

The task for ‘Petrux’ was then easier said than done: defend the lead of his first home Grand Prix in factory colours from the most notorious last lap lunger. But that’s what he did.

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Petrucci Marquez Dovizioso Rins LHF
Petrucci, Marquez, Dovizioso, Rins

He needed the lap of his life and that’s exactly what he delivered, just out of reach of Marquez and emerging from the final corner still ahead as Dovi tried to find a way past Marquez. But there wasn’t one, and the Turn 1 shuffle would prove decisive as Petrucci escaped Marquez who escaped Dovi on the run to the line – and the number 04 Ducati even came under threat from Rins into the final corner.

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Petrucci Marquez Dovizioso Rins RHF
Petrucci, Marquez, Dovizioso, Rins

But the Suzuki man couldn’t stick with the Borgo Panigale power, and one of the races of the season saw Petrucci make some history, Marquez gaining a little ground in the Championship and Dovizioso forced to settle for third on his 300th Grand Prix start. For all his help and support, however, Petrucci did dedicate the win to his compatriot.

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Petrucci Selfie
Danilo Petrucci took his first MotoGP victory

Behind Rins’ stellar ride to fourth, Nakagami pulled out an ace on race day to take his best ever premier class finish as he completed the top five – and as top Independent Team rider to boot.

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Vinales Mir Pirro
Vinales, Mir, Pirro

Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) gained some ground late on to claim sixth, with wildcard Michele Pirro (Mission Winnow Ducati) a late mover as well as he came home seventh. Crutchlow slipped to eighth, with Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) taking P9 after another impressive weekend that included KTM’s highest finish in a Free Practice session and direct entry into Q2.

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Pol Espargaro
Pol Espargaro

Fabio Quartararo, who lost out after his stunning qualifying session, crossed the line tenth but once again took home a good little haul of points to keep his supreme run in the fight for Rookie of the Year, with Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) taking P11 on Noale factory home turf. Mir recovered to 12th and got past Jorge Lorenzo (Repsol Honda Team), with Karel Abraham (Reale Avintia Racing) and Andrea Iannone (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) completing the points.

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Lorenzo Zarco
Jorge Lorenzo, Johann Zarco

That’s it from the stunning Mugello, with Petrucci now a Grand Prix winner and arriving into the next race with his place in the Ducati history books secured.

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Ducati Corse
Ducati celebrate Petrucci’s success at Mugello

The mission now for the Mission Winnow Ducati teammates? Stop Marquez. But it’s the reigning Champion’s turf up next and he arrives 12 points clear…don’t miss the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya in two weeks.

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Podium Petrucci Marquez Dovizioso
MotoGP Results Mugello 2019
1 – Danilo Petrucci (ITA – Ducati) 41’33.794
2 – Marc Marquez (SPA – Honda) +0.043
3 – Andrea Dovizioso (ITA – Ducati) +0.338

Mugello MotoGP Race Results

Pos. Rider Bike Time/Gap
1 Danilo Petrucci Ducati 41’33.794
2 Marc Marquez Honda 0.043
3 Andrea Dovizioso Ducati 0.338
4 Alex Rins Suzuki 0.535
5 Takaaki Nakagami Honda 6.535
6 Maverick Viñales Yamaha 7.481
7 Michele Pirro Ducati 13.288
8 Cal Crutchlow Honda 13.937
9 Pol Espargaro KTM 16.533
10 Fabio Quartararo Yamaha 17.994
11 Aleix Espargaro Aprilia 20.523
12 Joan Mir Suzuki 20.544
13 Jorge Lorenzo Honda 20.813
14 Karel Abraham Ducati 27.298
15 Andrea Iannone Aprilia 28.051
16 Miguel Oliveira KTM 30.101
17 Johann Zarco KTM 41.857
Not Classified
DNF Jack Miller Ducati 8 Laps
DNF Francesco Bagnaia Ducati 12 Laps
DNF Hafizh Syahrin KTM 14 Laps
DNF Valentino Rossi Yamaha 16 Laps
DNF Franco Morbidelli Yamaha 18 Laps
Not Finished 1st Lap
DNF Tito Rabat Ducati 0 Lap

Moto2 Race Results / Report

Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) took back-to-back wins in the intermediate class for the first time in Mugello, with the Spaniard repeating his Le Mans pace to pull away into clear air in the lead and leave Italy only two points off the Championship lead. Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46) put in an impressive performance on home turf to take his first podium of the season in second, with Tom Lüthi (Dynavolt Intact GP) completing the podium.

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Moto Alex Marquez
Alex Marquez

It was Lüthi who took the holeshot from second on the grid, with he and teammate Marcel Schrötter taking control of the first few laps and trying to make a break for it. And that they did, initially, but after five laps Marquez, from third on the grid, was homing in and bringing Marini and Jorge Navarro (MB Conveyors Speed Up) along for the ride. The number 73 didn’t waste time getting past Schrötter, and Marini then duelled the German before making it stick.

That had given Lüthi and Marquez the chance to make a small break for it, just under a second clear, but Marquez had his eyes on the lead. Nine laps down, Marquez made it a Mugello classic as he slipstreamed Lüthi down the start finish straight and took over at the front at Turn 1.

From there he never looked back, pulling clear of those on the chase as Marini edged closer to Lüthi and eyed a move. Once past though, the clock was running out for the Italian and he couldn’t match Marquez, with the French GP winner crossing the line in clear air for another dominant win. For Marini though it marks a return to the podium for the first time this season, and the Sky Racing Team VR46 rider also said it marked a big turnaround in how he felt on the bike. Lüthi, ever-consistent, completed the podium to make it three riders now within four points at the top of the Championship.

The man still at the top of those standings despite a more difficult home Grand Prix than likely expected, Lorenzo Baldassarri (Flexbox HP 40), put together a brilliant recovery to move through from the fifth row to P4 by the flag. His teammate, Augusto Fernandez, was three tenths behind in fifth place, ahead of Italtrans Racing Team’s Enea Bastianini in sixth, a career best finish in Moto2 as he came home top rookie. Navarro and Schrötter eventually slipped back to seventh and eighth respectively, with Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) and Fabio Di Giannantonio (MB Conveyors Speed Up) rounded out the top ten despite the Italian being involved in some first lap drama and heading a little wide early on.

2017 winner Mattia Pasini (Petronas Sprinta Racing) took P12, with the points completed by Xavi Vierge (EG 0,0 Marc VDS), Remy Gardner and teammate Tetsuta Nagashima (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team), and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo).

That’s all she wrote at Mugello in the intermediate class, and it’s Marquez on a roll as we next head to his home round at Catalunya. Can he take over at the top on home turf and take the points lead from Baldassarri for the first time all year? Find out on June 9th.

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Moto Marini Marquez Lüthi
Mugello Moto2 Results 2019
1 – Alex Marquez (SPA – Kalex) 39’31.262
2 – Luca Marini (ITA – Kalex) +1.928
3 – Tom Lüthi (SWI – Kalex) +2.242

Moto2 Race Results

Pos. Rider Bike Time/Gap
1 Alex Marquez Kalex 39’31.262
2 Luca Marini Kalex 1.928
3 Thomas Luthi Kalex 2.242
4 Lorenzo Baldassarri Kalex 3.653
5 Augusto Fernandez Kalex 3.973
6 Enea Bastianini Kalex 3.985
7 Jorge Navarro Speed Up 4.986
8 Marcel Schrotter Kalex 6.215
9 Sam Lowes Kalex 11.466
10 Fabio Di Giannantonio Speed Up 13.05
11 Mattia Pasini Kalex 13.934
12 Xavi Vierge Kalex 17.176
13 Remy Gardner Kalex 19.894
14 Tetsuta Nagashima Kalex 20.055
15 Brad Binder KTM 20.591
16 Jorge Martin KTM 20.672
17 Dominique Aegerter MV Agusta 24.081
18 Andrea Locatelli Kalex 26.677
19 Bo Bendsneyder NTS 36.831
20 Lukas Tulovic KTM 41.874
21 Philipp Oettl KTM 44.611
22 Steven Odendaal NTS 45.131
23 Marco Bezzecchi KTM 45.136
24 Dimas Ekky Pratama Kalex +1’01.819
25 Xavi Cardelus KTM +1’40.942
Not Classified
DNF Joe Roberts KTM 6 Laps
DNF Jake Dixon KTM 11 Laps
DNF Simone Corsi Kalex 13 Laps
DNF Nicolo Bulega Kalex 14 Laps
DNF Stefano Manzi MV Agusta 14 Laps
DNF Teppei Nagoe Kalex 17 Laps
Not Finished 1st Lap
DNF Iker Lecuona KTM 0 Lap

Moto3 Race Results / Report

There’s no place like home and in front of the loud, proud and partisan crowd at Mugello, polesitter Tony Arbolino (VNE Snipers) pitched it to perfection to pip compatriot Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing) to the line in the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley, winning his first Grand Prix by just 0.029 in a classic Moto3 melee. Behind the home duo, Jaume Masia (Bester Capital Dubai) left it late to make his charge for the front, completing the podium in third and still within hundredths of the win.

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Moto Tony Arbolino
Tony Arbolino (VNE Snipers)

Gabriel Rodrigo (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3) got the best start off the front row, but Arbolino was quick to hit back and the Italian took over at the front through Turn 1 as Rodrigo headed a bit wide and the battle began. One serious mover off the start proved John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) as the Brit shot up from 17th on the grid into the top five, but as is always the case at Mugello it was a group affair at the front.

Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse), Rodrigo, Dalla Porta, McPhee and Arbolino were the key names at the sharp end as the squabbling began, but there was early heartbreak for one not long after as Rodrigo crashed out. That created a bit of breathing space for Dalla Porta, Arbolino and Suzuki but it didn’t take long for it to re-form into a group.

With 14 laps to go, Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) was the man on the move. Starting down in P18 after having his fastest Q2 lap cancelled on Saturday, the Italian had crossed the line at the end of Lap 1 even further down the order in P21. But lap by lap he moved forward, set a fastest lap and was the man leading the second group before breaking away from it and catching those ahead. At the same time, it looked like Dalla Porta had managed to break away in the lead although it wasn’t for long.Ttwo laps later Arbolino had reeled him in and it was game on with 18 riders in the freight train at the front.

Home heartbreak then hit for Migno and Romano Fenati (VNE Snipers) as they crashed out the group, before Kaito Toba (Honda Team Asia) also went down and took Ayumu Sasaki (Petronas Sprinta Racing) with him. With three laps to go the front group had been whittled down further as eight riders broke free: Dalla Porta, Arbolino, Antonelli, McPhee, Dennis Foggia (Sky Racing Team VR46), Suzuki, Masia and Aron Canet (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team), and the action ratcheted up a notch once again.

Masia made his serious lunge for the front at Turn 1 on the final lap, surging through to challenge for the lead from third but the man who’d led for much of the race – Dalla Porta – was ready to fight for it and reasserted his authority. But by the final sector Arbolino was clear of Masia too, and from there it was a classic Mugello drag to the line…

Pulling out just at the right time and side by side with Dalla Porta on the blast to the chequered flag, it was incredibly close but Arbolino just managed to edge ahead– ‘just’ translating into 0.29 on the timesheets. Masia took third just 0.078 back, with Antonelli gaining an incredible 14 places on his grid position to cross the line in P4 at his home Grand Prix and put in some serious damage limitation in the Championship.

Foggia completed the top five ahead of McPhee, with points leader Aron Canet losing some ground in the standings as he crossed the line in P7, ahead of Suzuki by the flag. Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46) was top rookie and took ninth, ahead of Darryn Binder as the South African was one to lose out big when crashes shuffled the group.

Raul Fernandez (Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team) took P11, beating teammate Albert Arenas and Sergio Garcia (Estrella Galicia 0,0) in a three-way fight, with Jakub Kornfeil (Redox PrüstelGP) and Makar Yurchenko (BOE Skull Rider Mugen Race) completing the points.

Moto3 return at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in two weeks – will Canet keep the reins on home turf or will it be all change again? Six different winners in a row is the record so far in 2019…and it’s 11 stretching back to the flyaways last season.

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Race Moto Dalla Porta Arbolino Masia
Mugello Moto3 Results 2019
1 – Tony Arbolino (ITA – Honda) 39’29.874
2 – Lorenzo Dalla Porta (ITA – Honda) +0.029
3 – Jaume Masia (SPA – KTM) +0.078

Moto3 Race Results

Pos Rider Bike Time/Gap
1 Tony Arbolino Honda 39’29.874
2 Lorenzo Dalla Porta Honda +0.029
3 Jaume Masia KTM +0.078
4 Niccolò Antonelli Honda +0.156
5 Dennis Foggia KTM +0.267
6 John Mcphee Honda +0.403
7 Aron Canet KTM +0.559
8 Tatsuki Suzuki Honda +0.595
9 Celestino Vietti KTM +1.566
10 Darryn Binder KTM +1.597
11 Raul Fernandez KTM +2.519
12 Albert Arenas KTM +2.554
13 Sergio Garcia Honda +2.578
14 Jakub Kornfeil KTM +22.830
15 Makar Yurchenko KTM +26.669
16 Gerry Salim Honda +26.745
17 Ryusei Yamanaka Honda +26.777
18 Can Oncu KTM +26.779
19 Vicente Perez KTM +26.873
20 Filip Salac KTM +29.782
21 Riccardo Rossi Honda +51.331
Not Classified
DNF Ayumu Sasaki Honda 4 Laps
DNF Kaito Toba Honda 4 Laps
DNF Andrea Migno KTM 5 Laps
DNF Romano Fenati Honda 5 Laps
DNF Marcos Ramirez Honda 9 Laps
DNF Tom Booth-Amos KTM 11 Laps
DNF Alonso Lopez Honda 13 Laps
DNF Kevin Zannoni TM 13 Laps
DNF Gabriel Rodrigo Honda 17 Laps
DNF Kazuki Masaki KTM 18 Laps

Source: MCNews.com.au

Maximum aggression from Marquez for Mugello pole

2019 MotoGP
Round Six – Mugello
Qualifying Results / Report

MotoGP Rnd Mugello QP Marquez
Marc Marquez

Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) played qualifying to perfection in the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley as the reigning Champion struck late to take his second pole position at Mugello and reassert some authority over ever-impressive rookie Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT), setting a new lap record in the process.

Nevertheless, Frenchman Quartararo will start his first premier class race at Mugello from second as both top Yamaha and top Independent Team rider, with Danilo Petrucci (Mission Winnow Ducati) completing the front row and flying the tricolore after a difficult day for a couple of his compatriots on home turf.

MotoGP Rnd Mugello QP Quartararo Marquez Petrucci
Mugello 2019 Qualifying
1 – Marc Marquez (SPA – Honda) 1’45.519
2 – Fabio Quartararo* (FRA – Yamaha) +0.214
3 – Danilo Petrucci (ITA – Ducati) +0.362

Marc Marquez – P1

“It was a difficult Qualifying because it was different to other races and a bit hard to find space. With the first tyre I was ready to attack straight away but then Dovi slowed down so I overtook him and I lost some time there. Pirro was also trying to follow me for the slipstream so tactics were needed. With the second tyre we just followed our strategy and I found a good space with slipstream and I calculated the space to Dovi perfectly. The pole position is important but the most important part is being on the front row. There are a lot of opponents for tomorrow’s race!”

MotoGP Rnd Mugello QP Marquez
Marc Marquez

Fabio Quartararo – P2

“It was an incredible qualifying session! When I set a 1:45, I thought it was a very fast lap, but then I was able to repeat it. On my last lap I tried everything but I made some small mistakes. Nevertheless, we managed to finish on the front row. We feel really good with the bike, I’m very happy and our race pace is great. Tyre choice will be critical tomorrow. I love this circuit and I enjoy it a lot on a MotoGP bike. The bike corners very well and I feel very strong. I can’t wait.”

MotoGP Rnd Mugello QP Fabio Quartararo
Fabio Quartararo

Danilo Petrucci – P3

“I’m very happy for this first row, because it was really important for us to make the most of our potential even during qualifying after posting the provisional new best lap in the morning. Before going out on track for Q2, my goal was to do a 1:45.8 and take first row, which is what actually happened, even though someone was able to do slightly better. I expect a tough race tomorrow, because I’m still not 100 percent fit due to a cold. After some laps I feel fatigued, but our pace seems competitive and the support of all the ducatisti in the grandstands will surely give me extra energy. It’ll be crucial to have a good start, then we’ll try to play our cards wisely.”

MotoGP Rnd Mugello QP Danilo Petrucci
Danilo Petrucci

It was a star-studded Q1 to begin deciding the grid, with Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), Andrea Dovizioso (Mission Winnow Ducati) and Jorge Lorenzo (Repsol Honda Team) all fighting it out to move through, and it was a nail-biter of a finale – for Dovizioso at least. On his final flying lap it was all or nothing for the 2017 Mugello winner, but he made it count to top wildcard and teammate Michele Pirro by just thousandths – knocking out Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar), who therefore starts 13th.

But that’s better reading than it is for Lorenzo and Rossi, who line up in P17 and P18 respectively after not making it out of Q1 – 13 premier class wins at Mugello on Row 6.


Jorge Lorenzo – P17

“We tried to improve the bike but we’re still missing that last piece or step and I’m struggling more than normal. Honda and myself are working hard together to find a solution to make me more comfortable on the bike but of course the rules limit what we can do. Tomorrow we will see what happens at this physical track.”

MotoGP Rnd Mugello QP Jorge Lorenzo
Jorge Lorenzo

Valentino Rossi – P18

“This morning was quite a good practice. At the end I was on a good lap to get inside the top-10, but unfortunately I made a mistake in the last corner, and after that I had to go to Q1. In the afternoon, in FP4, I used a used tyre but, sincerely, I wasn’t very fast, so that’s when I realised it would be difficult to try to get into Q2. In Q1 we waited a bit and I took the chequered flag at the end. But anyway, I was too slow to get into Q2, unfortunately. Tomorrow we will try something different, because today – though we already improved the pace a lot compared to yesterday – it’s not enough. So in tomorrow’s Warm Up it will be very interesting to try to find something better. After that, the race will be hard, because I will start far towards the back and my pace is not fantastic. We need to stay concentrated, give the maximum, and try to take some points.”

MotoGP Rnd Mugello QP Valentino Rossi Helmet
Valentino Rossi

In Q2 then, Dovizioso had another shot – but it was Marquez who was back in the driving seat. After getting followed by Pirro the reigning Champion decided to turn the tables on Ducati in the latter half of the session and actually followed key rival Dovizioso on what would turn out to be his record-breaking pole lap – getting a good tow from the Borgo Panigale machine as the flag came out and able to depose Quartararo. The Frenchman topped FP4 but couldn’t quite eke out those final two tenths, and he didn’t get a tow to the line…

Petrucci then is the sole home hero on the front row, and he’s had some serious pace all weekend. Searching for his first win and with previous podium experience at the venue, he could be one to watch and will be joining Quartararo on the mission to overtake Marquez off the line and convert pace into podium.

Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) heads an all-Independent Team Row 2 ahead of Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) and Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol), with Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) in P7 and Friday’s fastest, rookie Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing), having a solid qualifying in P8 – just ahead of Dovizioso, who enjoyed a less solid day at the office. ‘DesmoDovi’ will need quite a start to try and get in the fight at the front from the off on Sunday – and it’s his 300th Grand Prix.


Franco Morbidelli – P4

“I’m very happy with our performance today; I didn’t expect to be that fast. I had a good feeling in FP4, although not so much in our first time attack in Q2. I felt better in the second run and I was able to set a 1:45.9, which is a good time at this circuit. It’s a good starting position for tomorrow. Tyre management will be very difficult in the race. We have to study the choice of compounds well tonight and we must take care of the tyres very well during the race. I’m eager to race in front of the Italian fans and give them a good result.”

MotoGP Rnd Mugello QP Franco Morbidelli
Franco Morbidelli

Jack Miller – P5

“I am quite satisfied also because the race pace is positive. We have also worked hard on the tyres and we have taken important data in view of tomorrow’s choice. In qualifying I was expecting a bit more but the second row is not bad”.

Cal Crutchlow – P6

“I feel good actually and definitely a lot better than I did yesterday. We decided to focus our work on one bike and one setting which was good, because we could adjust small things from there. I wanted to be a bit quicker, and down into the 1’45s because that would have been there. We’re half a second behind Marquez in qualifying, but with the tow he got he probably picked up four-tenths, so we’re right there. I’m quite pleased with my qualifying lap because I did it all alone and it felt good. We threw everything at it with the package we have, which hasn’t felt the best. We’re working hard and the LCR Honda Castrol team are working great, getting the information we need to improve the bike. Overall, it’s good. It’s probably going to be a tyre war tomorrow, and hopefully we’ll make the right choices.”

MotoGP Rnd Mugello QP Cal Crutchlow
Cal Crutchlow

Maverick Vinales – P7

“My pace is really good, but starting from seventh is always very difficult, very tough. We’re going to try to make a good start and ride some good first laps, which we have been working really hard on this weekend. Anyway, the race is always different, so then we will see where we are. The bike is moving a lot, I’m fighting it every lap. But anyway, luckily I’m physically really fit. I think I can arrive at the end of the race in a good condition. It’s going to be a tough and long race, with many bikes and overtakes, so we have to be smart and also manage the tyres.”

MotoGP Rnd Mugello QP Maverick Vinales
Maverick Vinales

Pecco Bagnaia – P8

“We are improving and this is a very important fact. I really enjoyed the set up we did. The goal is to finish the race and try to take the Top 10. I can say that we are competitive and for tomorrow there is a lot of confidence”.

Andrea Dovizioso – P9

“We’re competitive in terms of race pace but unfortunately today we struggled on the single lap, which slightly complicated our plans but also helped us understand how to improve the setup of my Desmosedici GP during FP4, as shown by the good lap time posted to get through Q1. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to push to the limit in Q2 because of the traffic, which made it very difficult to put a clean lap together even though second row was within our reach. Tomorrow we’ll have to recover positions and keep a strong pace from the very start. Given the track conditions, it’ll be crucial to pick the right tyres for the race, then we’ll be able to fight.”

MotoGP Rnd Mugello QP Andrea Dovizioso
Andrea Dovizioso

Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) locks out the top ten, ahead of Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) after another automatic graduation to Q2 for the impressive Spaniard. Pirro slots into 12th as he starts his 100th GP, just ahead of the aforementioned Rins – one of many big names looking to launch forward quick style when the lights go out.


Takaaki Nakagami – P10

“Of course I’m really happy about the second day today because we have improved a lot from yesterday. During qualifying I was a little bit disappointed with what happened in sector four on the last lap. I hit the bumps and couldn’t hold on to the bike, so I lost a bit of time. Despite this, I was still able to improve on my best lap of the weekend. I’m a bit disappointed to drop to tenth on the grid, which is the fourth row. On the other hand, I’m really happy with my feeling on the bike. I am strong, especially in the middle two sectors on the track and everything is working well on the bike. For the race the tyre situation is quite clear for us, and so hopefully we will get a good start. I might not be fastest in terms of top speed, but I think we can be strong in the whole race. The main thing is not to give up, and I will do my best to bring home a good result for my LCR Honda Idemitsu Team”.

MotoGP Rnd Mugello QP Nakagami
Takaaki Nakagami

Pol Espargaro – P11

“I’m more than satisfied. The lap-time we did this morning was outstanding and I feel super-proud of what we are doing. I wanted to do better in the afternoon but if there is a small change then we pay for it quite hard. It was quite windy in some parts of the track in the afternoon and with the change of direction I could not move the bike. I was hitting T1 even faster than the morning lap but I was losing it through T2, 3, 4: more than four tenths of a second there. Honestly though I am super-happy and looking forward to tomorrow because I think we have better pace than what we are showing. It will be a fun race.”

MotoGP Rnd Mugello QP Pol Espargaro
Pol Espargaro

Michele Pirro – P12

“I’m quite happy because I was able to do a 1:46.2 in Q1, which is my personal best here at Mugello, and both Dovizioso and I were able to make it through and be in Q2, preceding some tough rivals. Unfortunately, in Q2, the ‘waiting’ game with other riders made me lose a bit of focus and I wasn’t able to post a really quick lap time as I made some mistakes. I’m sorry because, with two new soft rear tyres, I could have possibly posted a high 1:45 and start much closer to the front, but I’m also confident ahead of the race and I hope all Ducati riders can be in the mix. We all work together to be protagonists here at Mugello.”

MotoGP Rnd Mugello QP Michele Pirro
Michele Pirro

Alex Rins – P13

“I lost some confidence after my crash, but I recovered it in the later sessions. For the final lap of Q1, I exited the pits at the same time as Rossi, he was behind me on the time sheets and I thought he would be pushing, so I intended to stay behind him on the track as it’s always easier here with a tow. But in the end the lap got messed up and I just lost out on Q2. Tomorrow I’ll try to put together a good race, there are many competitive riders at the front, and I’ll push hard to be up with them.”

MotoGP Rnd Mugello QP Alex Rins
Alex Rins

Aleix Espargaro – P15

“I think that getting below the 1’47 mark is a good result for the level we are at today. I certainly can’t be satisfied with the final position, but I did a good lap in a time that nobody has ever done with this bike, so I feel like I did as much as possible.In terms of top speed, we do not have big problems, but we are struggling too much in acceleration. I think I have a bit better race pace than I had at Le Mans, but it will be a very difficult race, with the heat and on a very difficult track.”

MotoGP Rnd Mugello QP Aleix Espargaro
Aleix Espargaro

Mugello is always an incredible event, but with such a tantalising grid and a mix of searing ambition and veteran experience on every row, 2019 will surely be something special.

2019 Mugello MotoGP Qualifying Results

Pos Rider Q Time Gap
1 M Marquez Q2 1’45.519 0.000
2 F Quartararo Q2 1’45.733 0.214
3 D Petrucci Q2 1’45.881 0.362
4 F Morbidelli Q2 1’45.959 0.440
5 J Miller Q2 1’46.029 0.510
6 C Crutchlow Q2 1’46.079 0.560
7 M Viñales Q2 1’46.181 0.662
8 F Bagnaia Q2 1’46.260 0.741
9 A Dovizioso Q2 1’46.293 0.774
10 T Nakagami Q2 1’46.387 0.868
11 P Espargaro Q2 1’46.433 0.914
12 M Pirro Q2 1’46.638 1.119
13 A Rins Q1 1’46.539 (*) 0.261
14 T Rabat Q1 1’46.678 (*) 0.400
15 A Espargaro Q1 1’46.899 (*) 0.621
16 K Abraham Q1 1’47.028 (*) 0.750
17 J  Lorenzo Q1 1’47.135 (*) 0.857
18 V Rossi Q1 1’47.184 (*) 0.906
19 J Zarco Q1 1’47.394 (*) 1.116
20 J Mir Q1 1’47.519 (*) 1.241
21 H Syahrin Q1 1’48.222 (*) 1.944
22 M Oliveira Q1 1’48.235 (*) 1.957
23 A Iannone Q1 1’48.303 (*) 2.025

Moto2

Marcel Schrötter (Dynavolt Intact GP) heads up the Moto2 grid at the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley after another record-breaking day, with the German taking his third career pole position by an infinitesimal 0.040 ahead of teammate Tom Lüthi. Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) completes the front row, qualifying in the same P3 from which he took his first win of the year last time out and the third man of six to break the previous lap record. Championship leader Lorenzo Baldassarri (Flexbox HP 40), meanwhile, had a difficult day at the office and will start his home Grand Prix from P15.

MotoGP Rnd Mugello QP Moto L R Lüthi Schrötter Marquez
Mugello Moto2 2019 Qualifying
1 – Marcel Schrötter (GER – Kalex) 1:51.129
2 – Tom Lüthi (SWI – Kalex) +0.040
3 – Alex Marquez (SPA – Kalex) +0.217

Baldassarri was also one of four riders who moved through from Q1, with the Italian graduating just behind rookie Jorge Martin (Red Bull Ajo KTM) and Xavi Vierge (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) but marginally ahead of compatriot Nicolo Bulega (Sky Racing Team VR46) as a few famous faces had initially failed to make the cut in the morning.

Bulega would go on to play a big role in the final grid, however, and he heads up Row 2 after his best qualifying in the class. He’s the top home rider and ahead of man of the moment Jorge Navarro (MB Conveyors Speed Up), with Friday’s fastest man, Luca Marini, making it both Sky Racing Team VR46 bikes on the second row as he ended the session in P6.

Tetsuta Nagashima (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) got the better of Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) to take P7, with the Brit down in eighth after a crash in FP3. Augusto Fernandez (Flexbox HP 40) is in ninth after he topped FP3 but failed to repeat the feat in the afternoon, with Remy Gardner (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) completing the top ten despite still recovering from a broken collarbone.

Baldassarri down in P15 will be one to watch on race day as he pushes to come back through the back, as will Mattia Pasini (Petronas Sprinta Racing) down in P18 – can the Championship leader and the 2017 Mugello winner strike back on Sunday?

2019 Mugello Moto2 Qualifying Results

Pos Rider Q Time Gap
1 Marcel Schrotter Q2 1’51.129 0.000
2 Thomas Luthi Q2 1’51.169 0.040
3 Alex Marquez Q2 1’51.346 0.217
4 Nicolo Bulega Q2 1’51.401 0.272
5 Jorge Navarro Q2 1’51.470 0.341
6 Luca Marini Q2 1’51.484 0.355
7 Tetsuta Nagashima Q2 1’51.640 0.511
8 Sam Lowes Q2 1’51.692 0.563
9 Augusto Fernandez Q2 1’51.697 0.568
10 Remy Gardner Q2 1’51.724 0.595
11 Enea Bastianini Q2 1’51.728 0.599
12 Jorge Martin Q2 1’51.776 0.647
13 Simone Corsi Q2 1’51.798 0.669
14 Fabio Di Giannantoni Q2 1’51.920 0.791
15 Lorenzo Baldassarri Q2 1’51.976 0.847
16 Andrea Locatelli Q2 1’52.015 0.886
17 Xavi Vierge Q2 1’52.055 0.926
18 Mattia Pasini Q2 1’52.416 1.287
19 Brad Binder Q1 1’52.025 (*) 0.366
20 Bo Bendsneyder Q1 1’52.062 (*) 0.403
21 Dominique Aegerter Q1 1’52.325 (*) 0.666
22 Stefano Manzi Q1 1’52.438 (*) 0.779
23 Iker Lecuona Q1 1’52.541 (*) 0.882
24 Lukas Tulovic Q1 1’52.770 (*) 1.111
25 Marco Bezzecchi Q1 1’53.510 (*) 1.851
26 Joe Roberts Q1 1’53.652 (*) 1.993
27 Philipp Oettl Q1 1’53.714 (*) 2.055
28 Steven Odendaal Q1 1’53.806 (*) 2.147
29 Dimas Ekky Pratama   Ina Q1 1’54.478 (*) 2.819
30 Jake Dixon Q1 1’54.682 (*) 3.023
31 Xavi Cardelus Q1 1’55.774 (*) 4.115
32 Teppei Nagoe Q1 1’55.822 (*) 4.163

Moto3

Home hero Tony Arbolino (VNE Snipers) will start his home Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley from his third career pole at Mugello, setting a stunning new lap record in qualifying to end Saturday nearly seven tenths clear of the competition. That competition is led by Gabriel Rodrigo (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3), 0.673 down in second, with Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing) the last man within a second of pole to lock out the front row.

After a frantic Q1 that saw rookie Raul Fernandez (Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team) lead the way ahead of Marcos Ramirez (Leopard Racing), Darryn Binder (CIP – Green Power) and Andrea Migno (Bester Capital Dubai), the stage was set for a showdown in Q2 and, as always in Moto3, there was plenty of action packed in.

MotoGP Rnd Mugello QP Moto L R Rodrigo Arbolino Dalla Porta
Moto3 Mugello Qualifying Results 2019
1 – Tony Arbolino (ITA – Honda) 1’56.407
2 – Gabriel Rodrigo (ARG – Honda) +0.673
3 – Lorenzo Dalla Porta (ITA – Honda) +0.869

After the first run it was Friday’s fastest man Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) who led the way and Arbolino hadn’t even set a time, but there was drama for both Suzuki and teammate Antonelli as they’d left left pitlane before the lights went green – something that would later affect their grid positions immensely. Rodrigo was the first to move the goal posts and take over at the top at that point though, and the Argentine lowered his laptime again next time around. But then came Arbolino and the new lap record on his final lap of the session, with the Italian celebrating even before popping out from behind the bubble.

Rodrigo was therefore forced to settle for second, with Dalla Porta the man who’ll start alongside him in third after having moved up into the mix in the final few minutes. Andrea Migno was another late improver, the 2017 winner taking P4 at the flag to head the second row – an impressive feat after coming through Q1. Suzuki and teammate Niccolo Antonelli were fifth and sixth fastest at the flag, but their first laptimes were then cancelled after they were deemed to have gained an unfair advantage due to their earlier infraction – so it’s 2014 Mugello winner Romano Fenati (VNE Snipers) who starts fifth, with Qatar GP winner Kaito Toba (Honda Team Asia) set to start alongside him in P6. After ending Day 1 outside the top twenty, the turnaround from the Japanese rider is an impressive one.

Ramirez took P7 and heads up the second row, ahead of Championship leader Aron Canet (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) after a more difficult session, with Suzuki’s fastest allowed lap putting him in P9 to complete Row 3. Alonso Lopez (Estrella Galicia 0,0) completes the top ten.

Will qualifying prove to matter that much at Mugello, where the slipstream rules all? The likes of Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46) – 16th – and Le Mans winner John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) – 17th – will join Antonelli, down in 18th, in hoping it doesn’t and that race day shuffles the pack once again.

2019 Mugello Moto3 Qualifying Results

Pos Rider Q Time Gap
1 Tony Arbolino Q2 1’56.407 0.000
2 Gabriel Rodrigo Q2 1’57.080 0.673
3 Lorenzo Dalla Porta   Ita Q2 1’57.276 0.869
4 Andrea Migno Q2 1’57.438 1.031
5 Tatsuki Suzuki Q2 1’57.453 1.046
6 Niccolò Antonelli Q2 1’57.455 1.048
7 Romano Fenati Q2 1’57.525 1.118
8 Kaito Toba Q2 1’57.533 1.126
9 Marcos Ramirez Q2 1’57.551 1.144
10 Aron Canet Q2 1’57.575 1.168
11 Alonso Lopez Q2 1’57.626 1.219
12 Jaume Masia Q2 1’57.733 1.326
13 Dennis Foggia Q2 1’57.911 1.504
14 Darryn Binder Q2 1’58.007 1.600
15 Raul Fernandez Q2 1’58.028 1.621
16 Sergio Garcia Q2 1’58.031 1.624
17 Celestino Vietti Q2 1’58.099 1.692
18 John Mcphee Q2 1’58.122 1.715
19 Ayumu Sasaki Q1 1’58.235 (*) 0.443
20 Jakub Kornfeil Q1 1’58.282 (*) 0.490
21 Kazuki Masaki Q1 1’58.471 (*) 0.679
22 Albert Arenas Q1 1’58.496 (*) 0.704
23 Makar Yurchenko Q1 1’58.714 (*) 0.922
24 Can Oncu Q1 1’58.716 (*) 0.924
25 Kevin Zannoni Q1 1’58.764 (*) 0.972
26 Ryusei Yamanaka Q1 1’58.925 (*) 1.133
27 Gerry Salim Q1 1’58.988 (*) 1.196
28 Vicente Perez Q1 1’59.182 (*) 1.390
29 Filip Salac Q1 1’59.897 (*) 2.105
30 Tom Booth-Amos Q1 2’00.708 (*) 2.916

Source: MCNews.com.au

Rookies rule day one at Mugello | Rossi P18 | JL P20

2019 MotoGP
Round Six – Mugello
Friday Report


Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing) and Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) stole the headlines on Friday in the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley, with the rookies taking a 1-2 and split by just 0.046 at the top – making it the first time since Qatar 2008 qualifying, when Jorge Lorenzo took his debut pole ahead of Brit James Toseland, that two rookies have topped a full session.

Their closest competition came from Danilo Petrucci (Mission Winnow Ducati) as the Italian was just under a tenth in arrears in P3, with some big names outside the top ten: Andrea Dovizioso (Mission Winnow Ducati), Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) and Jorge Lorenzo (Repsol Honda Team).

Conditions were a stark contrast to Le Mans as the sun shone over the stunning Tuscan countryside in Mugello, and as the clock ticked down, every rider apart from LCR Honda Idemitsu’s Takaaki Nakagami and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) had improved on their FP1 times with just under 20 minutes to go. As is oft the case in MotoGP FP2, however, most of the chopping and changing came in the final ten minutes.

FP1 leader Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) was sat at the top of the times for most of FP2, followed by a quintet of Ducatis, before Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Maverick Viñales then jumped into the top four and fellow Yamaha rider Quartararo moved up into P3 as the timing screens lit up with red sectors.

Danilo Petrucci (Mission Winnow Ducati) was the next to strike as he took over at the top, before Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pol Espargaro stuck in the first 1:46 of the weekend to take P1 and impress once again.

Petrucci and Quartararo then exchanged fastest times at the top, but with seconds to go there was another Italian on the march: Bagnaia, who improved drastically from a P17 in FP1 to delight the home crowd. That pushed Quartararo down to second, but only by half-a-tenth, with Petrucci in P3 and Pol Espargaro keeping hold of his top four.


Pecco Bagnaia – P1

“I’m very happy because the work we’re doing is paying off. We have improved in the last races and the feeling was very good already in the FP1. The time attack came well and that’s why I’m satisfied. Tomorrow it will be very important to qualify directly for the Q2.”

Fabio Quartararo – P2

“This track is incredible. I’m enjoying myself a lot on this bike. I feel good under braking and the bike turns really well, so I’m making the most of this and I will do my best to be as fast as possible. I think it’s the first time I have enjoyed myself in this way at this track. We need to review the data but I think that it will be really difficult to get onto the front row of the grid here, because there are many riders whose times are close together. Tomorrow we will continue working on the tyre choice for the race and we will try to have a good qualifying session.”

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Fri Fabio Quartararo
Fabio Quartararo

Danilo Petrucci – P3

“Today the feeling with the bike was quite good, even though I’m not in perfect shape physically since I have a cold. Both sessions went quite well, even though the track doesn’t have much grip at the moment, to the point that you don’t feel a big difference even with a new soft rear tyre. So far, I’m still losing some time in the final sector, where I struggle to make the bike turn as I’d want to and I still can’t pick the lines I’d like to in the last corner. This is what we’ll focus on first, analyzing and comparing data. We need to stay focused and get ready for a fight during qualifying, because we’re all close at the top. Our goal is to fight for pole position, or the first two rows at least.”


Viñales didn’t lose too much ground to end the day in fifth after a more difficult FP1 down the timesheets, with Marquez down in P6 as he looks to take his third win in a row.


Maverick Vinales – P5

“In the afternoon I improved my riding. Just by riding the bike, and by trying to make myself smaller around the whole track, is where I found some time, but still the bike is very difficult, it’s so nervous. I couldn’t ride really well. We need to keep working and try to be better tomorrow. I’m struggling everywhere, so we need to improve and work in a good way if we want to fight for the race. Getting a first or second row for tomorrow will be very important. It’s such a long track, so you need to start at the front.”

Marc Marquez – P6

“Today we worked just with the tyres for the race. I am still a little bit sick from yesterday and also the bike wasn’t 100% either, hopefully a good night’s rest will help us both to be back at 100% tomorrow! Even like this we aren’t far and we just need to keep pushing tomorrow. It’s Friday and we didn’t put a new tyre in at the end so we are still feeling good.”

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Fri Marc Marquez
Marc Marquez

Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) is pushing to recover from a tougher French GP, was seventh quickest on Friday, ahead of LCR Honda Castrol’s Cal Crutchlow in eighth.

Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) took P9 after a late crash for the Australian that dropped him out of the running for the front row.


Jack Miller – P9

“I was going very fast in the time attack but I found some riders who were slowing down and I crashed. I am still very satisfied because the feeling is extremely positive and the race pace is good. Tomorrow I will give my best in FP3 to qualify directly to Q2. I’m confident.”


Italian Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) completed the top ten and list of provisional automatic graduates to Q2.


Andrea Dovizioso – P11

“All in all, we’re actually not that far. I still haven’t found the best feeling with my Desmosedici GP, even though we’re quite competitive in terms of race pace. During FP2 we tried and compared two quite different setups, both with positives and negatives, so now we need to be smart putting together all the data to find the best possible compromise. As we were expecting, compared with recent years, there are more fast riders who can fight at the top and some of our advantages perhaps are not that obvious anymore, but we’ve just started and I’m confident that working methodically, as we always do, we’ll be in the mix both during qualifying and the race.”


So who’s missing? Dovizioso is in P11 so not far off, with Johann Zarco (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) just behind him despite a big off for the Frenchman.

MotoGP Rnd Mugello Fri Johann Zarco
Johann Zarco

Aliens Valentino Rossi is P18 and Jorge Lorenzo P20 after Day 1, and the two have a combined total of 13 premier class wins at Mugello.


Valentino Rossi – P18

“It was a difficult day, I expected to be more competitive, but already from this morning I wasn’t very fast. I wasn’t feeling very well, and I wasn’t able to ride in a very good way. In fact, my position is quite bad, so we have to improve. This afternoon we tried the hard tyres, but the pace isn’t fantastic. We need to improve in other areas than just top speed, because the other Yamahas are quite fast.”

Jorge Lorenzo – P20

“Of course we can’t be happy with 20th, it’s not a good position to be in. But today at the end of FP2 everyone fitted the soft and I stayed working with the harder tyre because I feel we will be able to profit more tomorrow morning. My pace is not so far from everyone else but we still need to improve our one lap pace a bit. I think we could have been top ten with a new tyre. Tomorrow we will see.”


FP3 will be pivotal for both Lorenzo and Rossi, but there’s no need to panic just yet: with good weather forecast it should provide a thrilling time-attack from the whole grid and they’re sure to play a part on Saturday morning.

Pos Rider FP1 FP2 Gap
1 F.Bagnaia 1’48.532 1’46.732 0.000
2 F.Quartararo 1’47.811 1’46.778 0.046
3 D.Petrucci 1’47.751 1’46.863 0.131
4 P.Espargaro 1’48.001 1’46.966 0.234
5 M.Viñales 1’48.392 1’46.973 0.241
6 M.Marquez 1’47.558 1’47.062 0.330
7 A.Rins 1’48.229 1’47.167 0.435
8 C.Crutchlow 1’48.109 1’47.170 0.438
9 J.Miller 1’47.814 1’47.185 0.453
10 F.Morbidelli 1’48.421 1’47.268 0.536
11 A.Dovizioso 1’48.214 1’47.347 0.615
12 J.Zarco 1’48.960 1’47.419 0.687
13 M.Pirro 1’47.804 1’47.421 0.689
14 T.Nakagami 1’47.925 1’47.483 0.751
15 J.Mir 1’48.897 1’47.579 0.847
16 A.Espargaro 1’47.812 1’47.612 0.880
17 T.Rabat 1’49.216 1’47.686 0.954
18 V.Rossi 1’48.356 1’47.726 0.994
19 A.Iannone 1’48.367 1’47.887 1.155
20 J.Lorenzo 1’48.550 1’48.114 1.382
21 K.Abraham 1’48.427 1’48.146 1.414
22 H.Syahrin 1’49.857 1’48.496 1.764
23 M.Oliveira 1’49.870 1’48.914 2.182

Moto2

Sky Racing Team VR46’s Luca Marini concluded the opening day of the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley as the man to beat in Moto2, leading FP1 and following it up by going fastest in FP2. It was close, however, with Tom Lüthi (Dynavolt Intact GP) just 0.008 seconds off by the end of play. 2017 winner Mattia Pasini (Petronas Sprinta Racing), replacing the injured Khairul Idham Pawi, made it two Italians inside the top three as he ended Friday in third.

Lüthi’s teammate Marcel Schrötter was back at the sharp end under the sunny Tuscan skies on Day 1 too, with both Dynavolt Intact GP riders finding a big improvement from FP1. Nicolo Bulega (Sky Racing Team VR46) rounded out the top five and was top rookie on home turf, making it a top first day for the team as neither Marini nor Bulega have finished inside the top five so far this season so far.

MB Conveyors Speed Up’s Jorge Navarro was P6 and just over half a second adrift of Marini, and he was the first non-Kalex rider once again, although closely followed by the Red Bull KTM Ajo of rookie Jorge Martin after a solid opening day from the Spaniard.

Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS), meanwhile, was the only man in the field not to improve on his FP1 time and as a result slipped to eighth overall. The French GP winner crashed out at Turn 1 halfway through the session and was unhurt but as a result ended the session two tenths off of his best lap from the morning.

Italtrans Racing Team’s Enea Bastianini was ninth quickest ahead of fellow Italian rookie Fabio Di Giannantonio (MB Conveyors Speed Up) after a top day for the debutants – four of them were in the top ten – with veteran Simone Corsi (Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2) in 11th as he looks to repeat his Le Mans pace on homesoil.

Ahead of FP3 on Saturday, the provisional remaining places in Q2 are heading to Remy Gardner (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team), Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2), with Championship leader Lorenzo Baldassarri in 18th after Day 1. He is, however, only 0.902 behind Marini and made a pretty good comeback after a tougher Friday in Jerez…

Red Bull KTM Tech 3’s Marco Bezzecchi, meanwhile, was the source of some drama as he crashed out at Turn 5 but, despite a trip to the medical centre, he was thankfully declared fit for his home round and will be back out on track for FP3.

Pos Rider FP1 FP2 Gap
1 L.Marini 1’52.514 1’51.986 0.00
2 T.Luthi 1’52.835 1’51.994 0.008
3 M.Pasini 1’52.863 1’52.173 0.187
4 M.Schrotter   Ger 1’53.241 1’52.447 0.461
5 N.Bulega 1’53.531 1’52.524 0.538
6 J.Navarro 1’52.926 1’52.541 0.555
7 J.Martin 1’53.200 1’52.548 0.562
8 A.Marquez 1’52.555 1’52.706 0.569
9 E.Bastianini 1’53.834 1’52.568 0.582
10 F.Di Giannanto   Ita 1’52.793 1’52.617 0.631
11 S.Corsi 1’53.331 1’52.631 0.645
12 R.Gardner 1’53.178 1’52.653 0.667
13 B.Binder 1’53.384 1’52.709 0.723
14 S.Lowes 1’53.386 1’52.715 0.729
15 T.Nagashima 1’53.182 1’52.721 0.735
16 X.Vierge 1’53.700 1’52.782 0.796
17 A.Locatelli 1’53.218 1’52.870 0.884
18 L.Baldassarri   Ita 1’53.757 1’52.888 0.902
19 I.Lecuona 1’53.701 1’53.008 1.022
20 A.Fernandez    Spa 1’53.777 1’53.038 1.052
21 B.Bendsneyde  Ned 1’53.549 1’53.156 1.170
22 S.Manzi 1’54.472 1’53.342 1.356
23 L.Tulovic 1’54.728 1’53.578 1.592
24 D.Aegerter 1’54.260 1’53.618 1.632
25 S.Odendaal 1’54.044 1’53.668 1.682
26 M.Bezzecchi 1’54.470 1’53.705 1.719
27 P.Oettl 1’54.310 1’53.920 1.934
28 J.Roberts 1’54.600 1’54.471 2.485
29 J.Dixon 1’56.397 1’55.186 3.200
30 D.Ekky Pratam  Ina 1’57.967 1’55.549 3.563
31 X.Cardelus 1’57.835 1’56.811 4.825
32 T.Nagoe 1’59.746 1’56.879 4.893

Moto3

SIC58 Squadra Corse’s Tatsuki Suzuki took top Moto3 honours on Day 1 at the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley, putting in a 1:57.467 in FP2 to fend off a superstar Friday from Italian wildcard Kevin Zannoni (RGR TM Official Team). Second Italian Tony Arbolino (VNE Snipers) completes the top three at Mugello – all within an incredible half a tenth – with Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) on the chase in P4, just 0.073 off the top and after topping FP1.

Beautiful sunny skies met the grid on Friday and the timesheets in Moto3 made for a spectacle in themselves: Suzuki’s fastest lap was 1.6 seconds quicker than he went in the morning, Zannoni two seconds faster and Arbolino over a second – with many of the big improvers leaving it late. The likes of Antonelli also shaved a good chunk off their laptimes in the afternoon but he was a consistent presence in the top echelons, as was John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) as he ended the day fifth overall.

Another close trio followed from P6 to P8, with Gabriel Rodrigo (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3), Ayumu Sasaki (Petronas Sprinta Racing) and Marcos Ramirez (Leopard Racing) locked within just over half a tenth. Rodrigo was also second in FP1, but Sasaki and Ramirez both made huge improvements in both laptime and position by the end of play in FP2.

Italian veteran Romano Fenati (VNE Snipers), who won the race in 2014, was ninth fastest and just over three tenths off Suzuki, with Darryn Binder (CIP – Green Power) completing the top ten in a solid opening day for the South African.

Some names looking for more on Saturday will be Championship leader Aron Canet (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) down in P12, key rival Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing) in P14 and Qatar winner Kaito Toba (Honda Team Asia), who ended Day 1 in a difficult P23.

It’s the fastest 14 on the combined times after FP3 who’ll go straight through to Qualifying 2, has Friday decided it or will we see a Saturday morning shuffle?

Pos Rider FP1 FP2 Gap
1 T.Suzuki 1’59.067 1’57.467 0.000
2 K.Zannoni 1’59.934 1’57.506 0.039
3 T.Arbolino 1’59.026 1’57.514 0.047
4 N.Antonelli 1’58.188 1’57.540 0.073
5 J.Mcphee 1’58.360 1’57.648 0.181
6 G.Rodrigo 1’58.324 1’57.691 0.224
7 A.Sasaki 1’59.564 1’57.709 0.242
8 M.Ramirez 1’59.264 1’57.751 0.284
9 R.Fenati 1’59.246 1’57.794 0.327
10 D.Binder 2’00.399 1’57.870 0.403
11 A.Lopez 1’58.987 1’57.880 0.413
12 A.Canet 1’58.687 1’58.077 0.610
13 S.Garcia 1’59.233 1’58.083 0.616
14 L.Dalla Porta   Ita 1’58.608 1’58.127 0.660
15 R.Fernandez 1’59.766 1’58.238 0.771
16 C.Vietti 1’59.929 1’58.268 0.801
17 M.Yurchenko 1’59.548 1’58.442 0.975
18 J.Kornfeil 1’59.190 1’58.448 0.981
19 D.Foggia 1’59.511 1’58.497 1.030
20 R.Rossi 1’59.224 1’58.524 1.057
21 K.Masaki 1’59.837 1’58.641 1.174
22 F.Salac 1’59.859 1’58.835 1.368
23 K.Toba 1’59.356 1’58.853 1.386
24 C.Oncu 1’58.860 1’58.926 1.393
25 A.Arenas 1’58.928 1’59.423 1.461
26 G.Salim 2’00.045 1’59.015 1.548
27 A.Migno 2’00.385 1’59.139 1.672
28 J.Masia 1’59.178 1’59.195 1.711
29 R.Yamanaka 1’59.346 1’59.274 1.807
30 V.Perez 1’59.828 2’01.137 2.361
31 T.Booth-Amos 2’04.080 2’00.237 2.770

Source: MCNews.com.au

MotoGP Stats update heading to Mugello

2019 MotoGP Mugello Statistics

With Dr. Thomas Morsellino


This is the 34th occasion that a GP has been held at the Mugello circuit, including 28 times in a row from 1991.

Mugello hosted a Grand Prix event for the first time in 1976. The 500cc race was won by Barry Sheene by the narrow margin of 0.1 sec ahead of Phil Read in a race lasting over 62 minutes.

Barry Sheene
Barry Sheene

This was at a time when Suzuki riders dominated the premier class; the first non-Suzuki rider home was Waerum Borge Nielsen in tenth place on a Yamaha. The layout of the Mugello circuit has remained basically the same since 1976 with the official track length of 5.245km unchanged.

Mugello MotoGP - Image by AJRN
Mugello MotoGP – Image by AJRN

A total of 105 Grand Prix races for solo motorcycles have been held at the Mugello circuit since 1976: MotoGP – 17, 500cc – 16, Moto2 – 9, 350cc – 2, 250cc – 24, Moto3 – 7, 125cc – 25, 80cc – 2, 50cc – 3. Misano is the only other circuit that has hosted the Italian GP,in 1991 and 1993.

The Mugello circuit also hosted the Nations GP (1976, 1978 and 1985) and the San Marino GP (1982, 1984, 1991 and 1993).

Honda is the most successful manufacturer with 16 premier class wins, the last of which was in 2014 with Marc Marquez.

Marc Marquez
Marc Marquez – 2018 Mugello

Yamaha have had 12 wins in the premier class including with Kenny Roberts (1978) and Wayne Rainey (1991) on 500cc machinery, five successive victories with Valentino Rossi from 2004 to 2008 and five wins with Jorge Lorenzo in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2016..

Last year at Mugello, Jorge Lorenzo gave Ducati their third MotoGP win at Mugello, after Casey Stoner back in 2009 and Andrea Dovizioso in 2017 when he became the first Italian rider to win on an Italian bike at the track in the premier class.

Jorge Lorenzo back on top after is 2018 Mugello win
Jorge Lorenzo back on top after his 2018 Mugello win over Dovizioso

The best result for Suzuki in the MotoGP era is fourth, which was achieved by Andrea Iannone last year. Prior to that, Suzuki won twice at Mugello in the premier class, with Barry Sheene (1976) and Kevin Schwantz (1992).

Loris Capirossi is the only Italian rider other than Rossi and Dovizioso to win in the premier class at Mugello, taking victory in the 500cc race in 2000 after a race-long battle with countrymen Max Biaggi and Valentino Rossi, both of whom crashed in the closing stages.

The MotoGP race at Mugello in 2004 is the shortest ever premier class Grand Prix race: just six laps. The first attempt to run the race was stopped due to rain and it was restarted for the remaining laps as per the rules at the time.

Italy, the Netherlands and the UK are the only three countries that have hosted a motorcycle Grand Prix each year since the motorcycling world championship started in 1949.

Valentino Rossi
Valentino Rossi leads Mugello race wins

The MotoGP race victories at Mugello since the category was introduced as the premier class of Grand Prix racing are shared by just six riders: Valentino Rossi (7 wins), Jorge Lorenzo (6 wins); and Dani Pedrosa, Casey Stoner, Marc Marquez and Andrea Dovizioso all have a single win at Mugello.

The winning margin for Jorge Lorenzo over Marc Marquez at Mugello in 2016 was just 0.019 seconds, making it the seventh closest finish of all time in the premier class The nine Moto2 races that have taken place at Mugello have been won by seven different riders: Andrea Iannone (2010 and 2012), Marc Marquez (2011), Scott Redding (2013), Tito Rabat (2014 and 2015), Johann Zarco (2016), Mattia Pasini (2017) and Miguel Oliveira (2018).

Jorge Lorenzo beats Marc Marquez to the flag at Mugello MotoGP 2016
Jorge Lorenzo beats Marc Marquez to the flag at Mugello MotoGP 2016

The seven Moto3 races that have taken place at Mugello have been won by seven different riders: Maverick Viñales, Luis Salom, Romano Fenati, Miguel Oliveira, Brad Binder, Andrea Migno and Jorge Martin. Only two of them have been won by non-KTM riders: Maverick Viñales (FTR Honda–2012) and Jorge Martin (Honda–2018)


Previously… in MotoGP
300  At the French GP, Marc Marquez gave Honda their 300th premier class win. Yamaha are their closest rival with 227 victories.
120 In France, Marc Marquez took his 120th Grand Prix podium, one less than Phil Read who is in sixth place on the list of riders with most podium finishes.
100 Cal Crutchlow finished in ninth place at Le Mans, becoming the first British rider to reach the milestone of 100-point scoring races in the premier class.
95 Andrea Dovizioso’s second place in France was the 95th time he has been on the podium in Grand Prix racing, equalling five-time World Champion Mick Doohan.
47 The win by Marc Marquez at the French GP was the 47th since he stepped up to the MotoGP class in 2013, equalling his teammate Jorge Lorenzo.
26 Since the opening Grand Prix in Qatar, 26 different riders have stood on the podium across all classes. Only Marc Marquez has finished on the podium more than three times in the opening five Grand Prix of the season.
11 Since the opening race in Qatar, there have been 11 different winners across all three classes for the first time since 2016 (11 different winners in all classes).
3 Marc and Alex Marquez won on the same day for the third time in their Grand Prix career along with Catalunya and Assen back in 2014, and for the first time with Alex competing in Moto2.
3 This is the second time there were three Ducati riders within the top four across the line of a MotoGP race, with the first time Turkey back in 2007.

MotoGP Facts and Stats

Following Le Mans, Marc Marquez leads the MotoGP World Championship with 95 points, equalling last year at this stage of the season. This is the highest score for a rider leading the Championship after the opening five races since 2015 when Valentino Rossi (102 points) led Jorge Lorenzo.

Marc Marquez’ win at Le Mans is the eighth successive win for a Spanish rider in the premier class at the track.

Andrea Dovizioso’s second place in France was the 95th time he was on the podium in Grand Prix racing, equalling five-time World Champion Mick Doohan who is in 12th place on the list of riders with most podium finishes. In addition, it was Andrea Dovizioso’s 54th podium finish in the premier class, equalling Randy Mamola and four less than Max Biaggi, who is in 10th place on the list of riders with most podium finishes in the class.

Danilo Petrucci was on the podium for the seventh time in his Grand Prix career, equalling Andrea Iannone and Jorge Lorenzo in fourth place on the list of Ducati riders with most podium finishes in MotoGP behind Casey Stoner (42), Andrea Dovizioso (32) and Loris Capirossi (23).

MotoGP Rnd LeMans Miller Rossi
Jack Miller pipping Valentino Rossi to the line at Le Mans

Eight different riders have already been on the podium after the opening five races of the season, one less than at this stage of the 2018 season. Jack Miller crossed the line in fourth place as the third Ducati rider in France, which is the second time there have been three Ducati riders within the top four since the introduction of the MotoGP class in 2002; the other being Turkey in 2007 with Casey Stoner winning the race, Loris Capirossi in third and Alex Barros in fourth.

Jack Miller is now leading the Independent Team riders’ classification with 42 points ahead of Cal Crutchlow, who is tied with Franco Morbidelli on 34 points.

Valentino Rossi is the most successful rider across all the classes at Mugello, with a total of nine victories; one each in 125cc and 250cc classes to add to his seven successive MotoGP wins (2 x Honda and 5 x Yamaha), the last of which came in 2008. Neither of the two Yamaha factory riders have won at least one of the five opening races for the second successive year. The last time the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team did not have a win in any of the first five races of the year in two successive seasons was in 2002 and 2003. Following the French GP, Yamaha have scored 78 points in the Constructor’s World Championship classification, which is the lowest points accumulated after the opening five races by Yamaha since 2006 when the Japanese manufacturer had 69 points after the French GP.

MotoGP Rnd Jerez Crutchlow GP AN
Cal Crutchlow

Cal Crutchlow finished in ninth place at Le Mans, becoming the first British rider to reach the milestone of 100 point-scoring races in the premier class. With Takaaki Nakagami crashing out of the race in France, only six riders have scored points in all four of the MotoGP races in 2019: Danilo Petrucci, Alex Rins, Valentino Rossi, Andrea Dovizioso, Johann Zarco and Pol Espargaro.

Premier Class Wins and Titles

Pos Riders Premier Class Wins Premier Class Titles
1 Valentino Rossi 89 7
2 Giacomo Agostini 68 8
3 Mick Doohan 54 5
4 Jorge Lorenzo 47 3
4 Marc Marquez 47 5
6 Casey Stoner 38 2
7 Mike Hailwood 37 4
8 Eddie Lawson 31 4
9 Dani Pedrosa 31
10 Kevin Schwantz 25 1

Andrea Iannone qualified on pole in 2015 at Mugello riding a Ducati–his first pole in the MotoGP class. This was the first time that an Italian rider on an Italian bike had qualified on pole for a premier class Grand Prix in Italy since Giacomo Agostini was on pole for the 500cc GP at the Nations GP in Imola back in 1972.

With his 12th-place finish at Le Mans, Aleix Espargaro scored his 993rd point since the beginning of his career. In Mugello, he will be aiming to reach the milestone of 1000 points.

At the Italian GP, wildcard Michele Pirro is scheduled to make the 100th start of his Grand Prix career. The only one of the four rookies in the MotoGP class this year to have previously won in any of the smaller classes in Mugello is Miguel Oliveira, who won in Moto3 back in 2015–the first of his 12 GP wins so far–and in Moto2 last year.

Fabio Quartararo finished in eighth place in Le Mans behind his teammate Franco Morbidelli, setting the fastest lap of the race for the second time this year along with Qatar. He is still leading the fight for Rookie of the Year with 25 points followed by Francesco Bagnaia (9 points), Joan Mir (8) and Miguel Oliveira (8).

MotoGP Rnd LeMans Marquez Flag
Marquez dominated the #FrenchGP

Marc Marquez closes in on Phil Read

The win by Marc Marquez at the French GP was the 120th time he was on the podium in his Grand Prix career, one less than Phil Read. Only five riders have been on the podium on more occasions than Read in Grand Prix racing

Pos Rider Total  Wins Seconds Thirds
1 Valentino Rossi 234 115 67 52
2 Giacomo Agostini 159 122 35 2
3 Dani Pedrosa 153 54 52 47
4 Jorge Lorenzo 152 68 51 33
5 Angel Nieto 139 90 35 14
6 Phil Read 121 52 44 25
7 Marc Marquez 120 73 30 17
8 Mike Hailwood 112 76 25 11
9 Max Biaggi 111 42 41 28
10 Loris Capirossi 99 29 34 36

On this day…

May 30th
At the Italian GP back in 2002, Ducati revealed the Desmosedici, their MotoGP bike to compete in the premier class from the 2003 season on.
In 1954, at the French GP held in Reims, Pierre Monneret won the 500cc race to become the first of the three French riders to have won in the premier class so far.
May 31st
Ten years ago, at the Italian GP, Casey Stoner won from Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi, which was the first win for a Ducati rider in the premier class at Mugello.
At the same GP, Mattia Pasini won his second race in the intermediate category from Marco Simoncelli and Alvaro Bautista.
In 1998, Alex Criville won the French GP held at Le Castellet, from Mick Doohan and Carlos Checa, to become the first Spanish rider to lead the premier class standings.
June 1st
At the 2008 Italian GP, Marco Simoncelli won his first race in the intermediate category following a spectacular collision with Hector Barbera on the straight. This was the first win for a Gilera rider in the class.
June 2nd
At the 2013 Italian GP, Johann Zarco finished third in the Moto2 race behind Scott Redding and Nico Terol for his first podium finish in the class.
Andrea Dovizioso Qualifying Mugello 2018
Andrea Dovizioso Qualifying Mugello 2018

Andrea Dovizioso scheduled for 300th Grand Prix start

Andrea Dovizioso
At the Italian Grand Prix, Andrea Dovizioso is scheduled to become the third rider in the history of Grand Prix racing to make 300 Grand Prix starts, including 299 successive races. Below are a collection of statistics relating to Doviziozo’s Grand Prix career.
Andrea Dovizioso has taken part in 32.3% of the 928 Grand Prix events staged since the start of the World Championship series back in 1949.
Andrea Dovizioso has the fifth longest winning career of all time, tied with Jorge Lorenzo: it’s 14 years 326 days between his first win in the 125cc class in South Africa in 2004 and his latest MotoGP win in Qatar earlier this year.
Andrea Dovizioso has finished in a point-scoring position 259 times.
2019 is his 18th year as a full-time GP rider. Valentino Rossi holds the record with 24 seasons so far.
During his career, Dovizioso has competed at 28 different Grand Prix circuits. Of these 28 circuits, he has taken at least one GP win at 16 of them.
The circuit at which Dovizioso has had most GP wins is Donington, where he has won three times. He has won GP races on four different motorcycles: 125cc Honda, 250cc Honda, 800cc Honda (RC212V) and 990cc Ducati.
The circuit at which Dovizioso has made most GP starts is Mugello, where he has appeared 18 times since his first Grand Prix appearance at the Italian GP back in 2001.
He is still in sixth place on the list of the youngest riders to win the lightweight World Championship at the age of 18 years 201 days.
Dovizioso, who is equal with Mick Doohan with 95 podium finishes, needs just five more top three finishes to become just the 10th rider in GP history to reach the milestone of 100 podium finishes.
Dovizioso is in third place in the following table of all riders who have made more than 250 Grand Prix starts since the beginning of the World Championship Grand Prix racing 70 years ago:
Rider Total 500/MGP 350 250/M2 125/M3 80/50
V Rossi 388 328 30 30
L Capirossi 328 217 84 27
A Dovizioso 299 201 49 49
D Pedrosa 295 217 32 46
J Lorenzo 287 193 48 46
J Findlay 282 157 83 34 6 2
A Barros 276 245 14 17
Á Bautista 274 158 49 67
T Lüthi 272 18 187 67
H Barberá 267 139 81 47
S Corsi 267 172 95
A D Angelis 265 61 139 65
A Nieto 265 1 16 160 88
B Kneubühler 264 71 46 52 86 9
R D Puniet 253 140 80 33
MotoGP Rnd Argentina Rossi Celebrate
Rossi has the most premier class starts racking up 388 over his 21 year career

MotoGP World Championship Standings

Pos Rider Bike Points
1 Marc Marquez Honda 70
2 Alex Rins Suzuki 69
3 Andrea Dovizioso Ducati 67
4 Valentino Rossi Yamaha 61
5 Danilo Petrucci Ducati 41
6 Maverick Viñales Yamaha 30
7 Jack Miller Ducati 29
8 Takaaki Nakagami Honda 29
9 Cal Crutchlow Honda 27
10 Franco Morbidelli Yamaha 25
11 Pol Espargaro KTM 21
12 Aleix Espargaro Aprilia 18
13 Fabio Quartararo Yamaha 17
14 Jorge Lorenzo Honda 11
15 Francesco Bagnaia Ducati 9
16 Joan Mir Suzuki 8
17 Miguel Oliveira KTM 7
18 Johann Zarco KTM 7
19 Stefan Bradl Honda 6
20 Andrea Iannone Aprilia 6
21 Tito Rabat Ducati 2
22 Karel Abraham Ducati 0
23 Hafizh Syahrin KTM 0
24 Bradley Smith Aprilia 0

Mugello

MotoGP weekend schedule

Times in AEST

Source: MCNews.com.au