Valencia MotoGP 2018
Race Day Guide
MotoGP Race starts at midnight AEDT
It is currently a wet track and raining at Valencia
After passing though Q1 for the sixth time in 2018, Maverick Viñales has qualified on pole position for the sixth time in the premier class – the 17th time of his career – and the first time since Aragón last year.
Maverick Viñales became the second rider since the current qualifying format was introduced in 2013 to qualify on pole position after passing through Q1, along with Marc Márquez in Thailand earlier this year. On Sunday, he will be aiming to become the fourth rider to win the race after passing through Q1 with Jack Miller (Assen – 2016), Cal Crutchlow (Phillip Island – 2016) and Marc Márquez (Buriam - 2018). In this morning’s wet warm-up Vinales was 11th quickest.
Álex Rins has qualified in second, which is his best qualifying result since he stepped up to the MotoGP class in 2017. This is Suzuki’s best starting result since Andrea Iannone was second on the grid in the Americas this year, after Marc Márquez was given a three-grid positions penalty. Rins was 12th quickest in the wet morning warm-up.
2018 MotoGP runner-up, Andrea Dovizioso completes the front row on the grid, which is his first front row start since he was on pole position in Japan. He will be aiming to become the first Ducati rider to win at Valencia since Casey Stoner back in 2008. Dovizioso was fifth quickest in this morning’s wet warm-up.
Highest-placed Independent Team rider, Danilo Petrucci heads the second row on the grid, which is his best qualifying result since he was also fourth in Austria earlier this season.
After crashing in Q2, Marc Márquez has qualified in fifth place. Since the opening race in Qatar, Marc Márquez has always qualified on the first two rows on the grid. The World Champion was quickest in this morning’s wet warm-up.
Top KTM rider, Pol Espargaró has qualified in sixth on the grid, equalling the best qualifying result for KTM since the Austrian joined the MotoGP class, from Australia last year.
Andrea Iannone, who also passed through Q1, heads the third row on the grid and will be aiming to stand on the podium for the first time at Valencia since 2016 when he finished in third place.
Aleix Espargaró has qualified eighth, which is the best qualifying result for an Aprilia rider since he was seventh in Assen this year. In addition, this is the first time that six current manufacturers have filled the top eight on the grid. Aleix Espargaro was second quickest in this morning’s wet warm-up session.
The most successful rider at Valencia with seven Grand Prix wins, including last year – his last podium finish so far – Dani Pedrosa has qualified in ninth on the grid, his best qualifying result since he was seventh-fastest in Thailand.
Second across the line at Valencia last year, Johann Zarco, who is leading the Independent Team rider classification, starts from eleventh on the grid after a crash in Q2. It’s his lowest qualifying result since he was 14th in Aragón.
The highest-placed Ducati rider across the line last year at Valencia, Michele Pirro, completes the fourth row on the grid.
Valentino Rossi, who was in Q1 for the third time this year, has qualified in 16th, which is his worst qualifying result since he was 18th in Aragón earlier this season. This is Rossi’s worst starting position on the grid at Valencia since he was 26th in 2015 after having been given a penalty. Valentino Rossi though salvaged some honour this morning when he was third quickest in the wet warm-up session.
Jorge Lorenzo, who missed the last four races, has qualified in 13th on the grid. Jorge Lorenzo has won four times in the MotoGP class at Valencia. The last of them was in 2016 on his last appearance for Yamaha.
Tom Lüthi has qualified in 17th on the grid, which is his best qualifying result since he was 15th at Silverstone earlier this year but the race was cancelled due to weather conditions.
 |
||||
| MotoGP Q2 | ||||
| Pos. | Rider | Bike | Km/h | Time |
| 1 | Maverick VIÑALES | Yamaha | 313.7 | 1’31.312 |
| 2 | Alex RINS | Suzuki | 312.0 | 1’31.380 |
| 3 | Andrea DOVIZIOSO | Ducati | 318.5 | 1’31.392 |
| 4 | Danilo PETRUCCI | Ducati | 314.3 | 1’31.414 |
| 5 | Marc MARQUEZ | Honda | 315.9 | 1’31.442 |
| 6 | Pol ESPARGARO | KTM | 315.0 | 1’31.577 |
| 7 | Andrea IANNONE | Suzuki | 311.6 | 1’31.629 |
| 8 | Aleix ESPARGARO | Aprilia | 308.2 | 1’31.630 |
| 9 | Dani PEDROSA | Honda | 314.3 | 1’32.140 |
| 10 | Jack MILLER | Ducati | 311.0 | 1’32.145 |
| 11 | Johann ZARCO | Yamaha | 313.1 | 1’32.179 |
| 12 | Michele PIRRO | Ducati | 318.4 | 1’32.310 |
|
||||
| MotoGP Q1 | ||||
| Pos. | Rider | Bike | Km/h | Time |
| 1 | Andrea IANNONE ↑ | Suzuki | 313.6 | 1’31.382 |
| 2 | Maverick VIÑALES ↑ | Yamaha | 314.9 | 1’31.858 |
| 3 | Jorge LORENZO | Ducati | 315.4 | 1’31.900 |
| 4 | Takaaki NAKAGAMI | Honda | 307.6 | 1’31.928 |
| 5 | Franco MORBIDELLI | Honda | 308.8 | 1’32.385 |
| 6 | Valentino ROSSI | Yamaha | 311.7 | 1’32.452 |
| 7 | Thomas LUTHI | Honda | 308.9 | 1’32.545 |
| 8 | Karel ABRAHAM | Ducati | 313.6 | 1’32.547 |
| 9 | Alvaro BAUTISTA | Ducati | 314.3 | 1’32.568 |
| 10 | Stefan BRADL | Honda | 319.0 | 1’32.708 |
| 11 | Hafizh SYAHRIN | Yamaha | 312.1 | 1’32.749 |
| 12 | Bradley SMITH | KTM | 309.2 | 1’33.011 |
| Records | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fastest Lap: | Lap: 6 | Andrea IANNONE | 1’31.382 | 157.7 Km/h |
| Circuit Record Lap: | 2016 | Jorge LORENZO | 1’31.171 | 158.1 Km/h |
| Best Lap: | 2016 | Jorge LORENZO | 1’29.401 | 161.2 Km/h |
Moto2
Luca Marini has qualified on pole position for the second time on what is the 54th start of his Grand Prix career. This is the sixth front row start in Marini’s Grand Prix career.
Xavi Vierge has qualified in second on the grid, which is his best qualifying result since he was also second in France earlier this year. Vierge will be aiming to win his first Grand Prix race on what is the 59th GP start of his career.
Marcel Schrötter completes the front row on the grid, which is his seventh front row start since the opening race in Qatar.
Heading the second row on the grid is the 2018 Moto2 World Champion Francesco Bagnaia. This is the 17th time this year Bagnaia qualified on the first two rows of the grid.
Lorenzo Baldassarri starts from the middle of the second row, which is his best qualifying result since he was also fifth in Japan.
The highest-placed KTM rider, Sam Lowes has qualified in sixth on the grid, which is his best qualifying result since he was fourth in Germany earlier this season. Lowes finished in fourth place in the Moto2 race two years ago at Valencia.
2018 Moto2 runner-up, Miguel Oliveira, who won the Moto2 race in Valencia last year, starts from tenth, which is the 15th time this year he has failed to qualify within the top six.
Oliveira’s teammate Brad Binder, who stood on the podium for the third successive time in Valencia last year in third place, has qualified in 11th on the grid, which is his lowest qualifying result since he was 16th at Silverstone.
|
||||
| Moto2 Qualifying Results | ||||
| Pos. | Rider | Bike | Km/h | Time |
| 1 | Luca MARINI | Kalex | 257.8 | 1’35.777 |
| 2 | Xavi VIERGE | Kalex | 260.2 | 1’35.804 |
| 3 | Marcel SCHROTTER | Kalex | 259.2 | 1’35.945 |
| 4 | Francesco BAGNAIA | Kalex | 257.4 | 1’36.173 |
| 5 | Lorenzo BALDASSARRI | Kalex | 257.8 | 1’36.270 |
| 6 | Sam LOWES | KTM | 257.3 | 1’36.335 |
| 7 | Joan MIR | Kalex | 258.7 | 1’36.336 |
| 8 | Augusto FERNANDEZ | Kalex | 260.2 | 1’36.380 |
| 9 | Fabio QUARTARARO | Speed Up | 255.6 | 1’36.396 |
| 10 | Miguel OLIVEIRA | KTM | 259.7 | 1’36.429 |
| 11 | Brad BINDER | KTM | 260.2 | 1’36.464 |
| 12 | Jesko RAFFIN | Kalex | 256.6 | 1’36.499 |
| 13 | Simone CORSI | Kalex | 256.1 | 1’36.515 |
| 14 | Mattia PASINI | Kalex | 261.5 | 1’36.532 |
| 15 | Khairul Idham PAWI | Kalex | 258.8 | 1’36.572 |
| 16 | Alex MARQUEZ | Kalex | 258.8 | 1’36.580 |
| 17 | Remy GARDNER | Tech 3 | 252.0 | 1’36.595 |
| 18 | Andrea LOCATELLI | Kalex | 258.3 | 1’36.638 |
| 19 | Joe ROBERTS | NTS | 255.0 | 1’36.656 |
| 20 | Tetsuta NAGASHIMA | Kalex | 259.8 | 1’36.667 |
| 21 | Iker LECUONA | KTM | 255.7 | 1’36.671 |
| 22 | Steven ODENDAAL | NTS | 258.2 | 1’36.819 |
| 23 | Jorge NAVARRO | Kalex | 258.0 | 1’36.909 |
| 24 | Dominique AEGERTER | KTM | 260.0 | 1’36.976 |
| 25 | Hector GARZO | Tech 3 | 253.0 | 1’37.444 |
| 26 | Niki TUULI | Kalex | 257.5 | 1’37.457 |
| 27 | Tommaso MARCON | Speed Up | 254.1 | 1’37.483 |
| 28 | Federico FULIGNI | Kalex | 252.3 | 1’38.351 |
| 29 | Isaac VIÑALES | Suter | 254.7 | 1’38.406 |
| 30 | Xavi CARDELUS | Kalex | 253.9 | 1’38.718 |
| 31 | Jules DANILO | Kalex | 255.9 | 1’39.275 |
| 32 | Lukas TULOVIC | Suter | 250.6 | 1’39.600 |
| Moto2 Records | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fastest Lap: | Lap: 18 | Luca MARINI | 1’35.777 | 150.5 Km/h |
| Circuit Record Lap: | 2014 | Thomas LUTHI | 1’35.312 | 151.2 Km/h |
| Best Lap: | 2016 | Johann ZARCO | 1’34.879 | 151.9 Km/h |
Moto3
Tony Arbolino has qualified on pole position for the first time since Argentina earlier this year. This is Arbolino’s second pole position on what is the 36th start of his Grand Prix career.
Arbolino’s pole position at Valencia is the 15th for a Honda rider since the opening race in Qatar, equalling last year. The last time Honda have had more than 15 pole positions in a single season was in 2015 with 16.
Nakarin Atiratphuvapat has qualified on second on the grid, which is the best qualifying result of his Grand Prix career. He equals the best ever qualifying result by a Thai rider in any class of Grand Prix racing, which had been set by Ratthapark Wilairot in the Moto2 class at Assen in 2010.
The highest placed KTM rider on the grid is John McPhee, who starts from the front row for the fourth time in 2018, one more time than last year. McPhee is looking to finish on the podium for the first time since he was third in Germany earlier this season.
Wildcard at the Valencia GP, Can Öncü heads the second row on the grid, which is the best qualifying result for a Turkish rider in Grand Prix racing since Kenan Sofuoglu was the fourth-fastest qualified on his Grand Prix debut in the Moto2 class, in Portugal back in 2010.
Arón Canet, who was on pole position for the first time in his Grand Prix career in Valencia two years ago, has qualified in fifth on the grid, which is his best qualifying result since he was third in Misano earlier this year.
Second in the Championship, Marco Bezzecchi completes the second row on the grid. This is the 11th time this year Bezzecchi has qualified on the first two rows on the grid.
2018 Moto3 World Champion Jorge Martín has qualified 13th, which is his worst qualifying result since he was also 13th in Thailand earlier this year.
Bezzecchi’s closest rival for second overall, Fabio Di Giannantonio, has qualified in 15th, which is the fourth successive time he has failed to qualify on the first three rows of the grid.
|
||||
| Moto3 Qualifying Results |
||||
| Pos. | Rider | Bike | Km/h | Time |
| 1 | Tony ARBOLINO | Honda | 219.0 | 1’46.773 |
| 2 | Nakarin ATIRATPHUVAPAT | Honda | 215.3 | 1’47.017 |
| 3 | John MCPHEE | KTM | 215.8 | 1’47.116 |
| 4 | Can ONCU | KTM | 214.1 | 1’47.336 |
| 5 | Aron CANET | Honda | 215.6 | 1’47.431 |
| 6 | Marco BEZZECCHI | KTM | 215.9 | 1’47.776 |
| 7 | Marcos RAMIREZ | KTM | 219.0 | 1’47.783 |
| 8 | Jakub KORNFEIL | KTM | 217.6 | 1’47.796 |
| 9 | Albert ARENAS | KTM | 215.9 | 1’47.826 |
| 10 | Raul FERNANDEZ | KTM | 213.7 | 1’47.880 |
| 11 | Alonso LOPEZ | Honda | 213.0 | 1’47.896 |
| 12 | Vicente PEREZ | KTM | 215.6 | 1’48.069 |
| 13 | Jorge MARTIN | Honda | 219.0 | 1’48.124 |
| 14 | Enea BASTIANINI | Honda | 216.7 | 1’48.216 |
| 15 | Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO | Honda | 214.7 | 1’48.357 |
| 16 | Jaume MASIA | KTM | 216.6 | 1’48.435 |
| 17 | Dennis FOGGIA | KTM | 220.6 | 1’48.543 |
| 18 | Tatsuki SUZUKI | Honda | 216.3 | 1’48.614 |
| 19 | Darryn BINDER | KTM | 213.3 | 1’48.772 |
| 20 | Lorenzo DALLA PORTA | Honda | 218.4 | 1’48.894 |
| 21 | Kaito TOBA | Honda | 211.5 | 1’49.027 |
| 22 | Kazuki MASAKI | KTM | 217.2 | 1’49.469 |
| 23 | Gabriel RODRIGO | KTM | 215.4 | 1’49.696 |
| 24 | Celestino VIETTI | KTM | 215.0 | 1’49.802 |
| 25 | Ayumu SASAKI | Honda | 217.2 | 1’49.980 |
| 26 | Niccolò ANTONELLI | Honda | 217.0 | 1’50.011 |
| 27 | Philipp OETTL | KTM | 214.5 | 1’50.145 |
| 28 | Andrea MIGNO | KTM | 216.7 | 1’51.870 |
| 29 | Stefano NEPA | KTM | 213.0 | 1’52.119 |
| 30 | Izam IKMAL | Honda | 214.8 | 1’53.093 |
| Moto3 Records: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fastest Lap: | Lap: 17 | Tony ARBOLINO | 1’46.773 | 135.0 Km/h |
| Circuit Record Lap: | 2017 | Marcos RAMIREZ | 1’39.109 | 145.4 Km/h |
| Best Lap: | 2017 | Jorge MARTIN | 1’38.428 | 146.4 Km/h |
Source: MCNews.com.au