#Went back out in the last ten minutes of FP3 and went

[eirianerisdar]

THERE we go Carlos

[rehcciardo]

Unpredictable Hungary never fails

It’s Saturday. It’s raceweekend. It’s Qualitime. A real wet one today.

I’m writing this review whilst watching the Qualifying this time. Let’s see how it works out :D

But one of the highlights of today happened during the FP3 session. Nicholas Latifi was the fastest guy on track. What the actual fuck? Charles didn’t belive it too. At least he asked his mechanic about Latifis time and if he was also on inters. And Alex got P3. Honestly it looked so wrong on the result screen xD 

But let’s see what they are dooing in the Qualifying now. Could be interesting with the mixed conditions in Hungary this afternoon. The track is dry enough to use slicks but there are some really dark clouds in the sky. So you never know if there might will be rain.

Q1:

I’m  glad that Aston Martin could fix Sebs car after his crash earlier today. Would be a shame if Seb had to skip Qualifying due of a broken car. I want him to have a good last season. As good as it can be in a Aston Martin.

The last minutes were thrilling! The track got better and better. I literally screamed at McLaren to let Daniel out again, when he was 15th and everyone became faster. There is no time to stay in the box guys!!!!! But in the same moment he went out of the box. Please Mclaren I can’t do this everytime! But he landed on P7 and Lando P5. Okay go on like this but please don’t make it more exiting than it has to be. 

Noo Seb is out. He sounded so sad and it broke my heart into pieces :(. Lance showed Q2 was absolutly possible.

Both Alpha Tauri didn’t make it into Q2 as well. Gaslys time was deleted because he exeedet track limits.Let’s hope he can gain a few positions tomorrow but I don’t see him in the points sadly.

To end Q1 with something nice: Hamilton and Russell finished the first Qualifying session on P1 and P2! Good job mercboys

Q2:

Lando started the second session with a fantastic lap. It’s always lovely to see a McLaren on P1 even when it’s just for a short time.But P6 isn’t that bad. And Daniel’s fastest lap was pretty close to Landos time! YES! That’s my boy!!!!!! Q3 BABY!

They deleted Checos lap time at first due of exeeding track limits but he got the timed lap back and I would say it was the right desicion I don’t think i was off the track at all.But it didn’t help. He ended on P11 because he had traffic (Magnussen) in the last lap. But this don’t explain Checos huge gap to Max. I hope he will figures out what’s wrong this weekend.

I’m sad that Mick and Kevin were both out after Q2 but in the moment Haas is struggeling very much and I wouldn’t expect them in Q3 anyways. I hope that Hass will find out how to get the best out of the updated car as soon as possible.

Q3:

The best thing of Q3 is, that Daniel will start in the top ten. And he ended P9. Okay he was benefited of max having engine issues and without that he would be p10 but I’m a happy little papaya girl right now <3

What an amazing lap by Carlos in the beginning!

Max messages at the team radio was shocking. But to be honest I wouldn’t mind if Ferrari could get some points back in the championchip. But it’s sad to see Max on P10. 

GEORGE GOT POLE!!!!!!! WOW! Who would thought? Merc pole on Ferrari soil. Not me to be honest. As much as I want to see Charles win.... I wouldn’t mind if George will win the race tomorrow either!

Lando is a beast. P4. This guy is amazing!

A really lovely top 10 for the race tomorrow. An Hungary is always good for a surprise. I’m more excited for tomorrow than I would have though I’d be. Lets hope for an exciting and surprising last race before we head into the summer break. Se you tomorrow!

[usamotorscycle-blog]

MotoGP COTA 2017 Results

The run-up to the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas set the stage for a much-anticipated cage match between Yamaha phenom Maverick Viñales and Honda triple world champion Marc Marquez. All day long, the British announcing crew was breathlessly prancing about the broadcast booth, pondering the sheer wonder of it all, going absolutely hyperbolic. Showing no sense of the moment, Viñales crashed out of fourth place on Lap 2, letting the air out of the balloon and ceding, at least for the moment, the lead in the world championship to teammate Valentino Rossi, with Marquez suddenly back in the game.

Practice, Practice, Practice

FP1: Viñales was in charge, not having received the memo about Marquez’ ownership position at COTA. FP2 was led by Marquez, snatched from Johann Zarco; Viñales right behind, trimming his cuticles. FP3 was Viñales, Dani Pedrosa, Cal Crutchlow and Marquez. Embed from Getty Images Johann Zarco continues to impress, qualifying onto the second row and finishing fifth for the second-straight race. Something had to be done about the weirdness in the standings heading into Austin. Early in the season, MotoGP seemed to have fallen through the rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland. Yamaha is just taking it to Honda – the 2016 M1 is competitive with the 2017 RC213V. All four Yamahas sit in the top 11 for the season after the opening two rounds, including the two rookies. Crutchlow led all Hondas, tied with Yamaha Tech 3 rookie Jonas Folger. Fellow rookie Johann Zarco is on the move, a mere five points behind Folger and Crutchlow. Three Ducs rest in the top ten led by, of all people, Scott Redding in fourth. It was time to come up from the rabbit hole. Time to return to Europe. Just one more foreign outing in Texas to endure before things could return back to normal.

Establishing Positions

Embed from Getty Images Marc Marquez continued to dominate in Austin, once again taking the pole. Q2 saw a few things put right, beyond the fact that Viñales and Marquez stand head and shoulders above the rest of the field, a bunch of Aliens and wannabees slugging it out for supporting spots in the top ten. Viñales delivered the first sub-2:04 lap of the day with maybe 30 seconds left in the session. 20 seconds later, Marquez flogged his Honda to a fifth straight pole in Texas, from which he had won the previous four races. Rossi snuck onto the front row late in the session, creating a second row of Dani Pedrosa, the impudent Zarco on the satellite Yamaha, and one Jorge Lorenzo, clad in white and red. Oh, and perhaps the save of the season, by Loris Baz late in the session.

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MotoGP™ ✔@MotoGP Laws of physics? What laws of physics? Could be the greatest save of all time...

@lorisbaz 3:15 AM - 23 Apr 2017 5,6355,635 Retweets 7,4857,485 likes Lorenzo and Jack Miller had made it through Q1, with Lorenzo putting the Ducati as high as fourth position before settling for sixth. Zarco had been up near the top of the timesheets again all weekend, putting pressure on a lot of factory rides. Miller crashed out of Q2 and appeared to be trotting back to the garage “gingerly,” his inevitable early-season injury having possibly arrived. Pedrosa was hanging around in fourth, back to starting up front with the big dogs. In support of my blog, Rossi and Viñales had their first set-to on Saturday during qualifying, with Viñales seemingly cheesed off about Rossi cruising on the racing line. Race Direction was later said to be considering sending a strongly-worded letter to Lin Jarvis asking him for “best efforts to prevail” upon The Franchise not to seriously injure The New Kid in Town.

The Race Itself

The 2017 American Grand Prix was more parade than firefight. The factory Hondas and Yamahas emerged from the early chaos to form up the leading group, with Dani Pedrosa front and center. Cal Crutchlow got clear of The Great Unwashed, and there was even a Jorge Lorenzo sighting around fifth place on the first lap. The usual suspects quickly found themselves strung out along the bumps and potholes littering the Circuit of the Americas, which stands in need of a paving crew.

Maverick Viñales’ race was over after just two laps, his first mistake of his career at Yamaha. Although it took 21 laps and 45 minutes to confirm it, the race basically came down to four moves. 1) Viñales crashed late on Lap 2, leaving Pedrosa, Marquez, Rossi and Johann Zarco in the lead group. 2) Marquez took the lead from Pedrosa on Lap 9. 3) Rossi and Zarco came together a few minutes later, the Frenchman pushing Rossi wide to the right where he could cut back and increase his lead, incurring a hypothetical .3 second penalty that amounted to nothing but had the announcers, fully recovered from Viñales’ crash, happy to find something new to go mental over. 4) Rossi went through on Pedrosa on Lap 19. Game. Set. Match

Johann Zarco forced Valentino Rossi to run straight through an S-curve. And while he didn’t intend to do it, Race Direction ruled Rossi still had an obligation not to gain an advantage and docked him a 0.3 second penalty. In the end, the penalty did not affect Rossi’s second-place finish.

At Ducati Corse, Life Goes On

Andrea Dovizioso being interviewed elsewhere about his place in the Ducatisphere: Q: So why can’t the problems (with the GP17) be solved? A: “There’s a big difference between understanding the problems and solving them.” Quoted elsewhere, it seems Andrea “The Maniac” Iannone has finally accepted as fact something the rest of the planet observed late last season. This, allegedly, is News You Need: ‘Andrea Iannone says he is resigned to having to race with a top speed deficit with Suzuki throughout the 2017 MotoGP season.’ Please refer to the above quote from Dovi with regard to this revelation. Embed from Getty Images The good news for Jorge Lorenzo is he qualified sixth at COTA. The bad news is he finished ninth. Rubbing salt in the wound, I’m pretty sure that Danilo Petrucci and Andrea Iannone stole Jorge Lorenzo’s lunch money over the last few laps of the race. We could be charitable and suppose JLo’s tires gave up on him. Or we could be hateful and small and speculate that he got out-cojoñed by the two Italians.

The Big Picture

With Viñales’ feet replanted in terra firma after an otherworldly start to his Yamaha career, we can now have a straightforward, adult conversation about the state of the MotoGP championship after three rounds. The factory Yamahas and Hondas appear significantly ahead of everyone else early in the season. Rossi and Viñales are frightening, Viñales for his sheer speed, Rossi for his strategic brilliance. Marquez has atoned for his crash in Argentina and will push The Boys in Blue for the entire season. The factory Ducati program is in deep yogurt, Dovizioso hanging onto fourth place by his fingernails while grasping bad luck with both hands. LCR Honda stud Cal Crutchlow continues to nose around the top of the standings, his crash at Losail all that stands between him and a top three ranking.

Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez secured their first podiums of the season. Valentino Rossi scored his third to take over the championship lead. So, order has been restored at the top of the MotoGP food chain just in time to return to racing in Europe. Aliens occupy the top three spots in the standings. Near-Aliens (semi-Aliens?) sit fourth and fifth, while the Alien Emeritus stands sixth. The apparently brilliant Johann Zarco has seventh place all to himself, while teammate Jonas Folger is tied for eighth place with Pramac Ducati pilot Scot Redding and Jack Miller. My boy Alex Rins, previously nursing a bad ankle, suffered a compound fracture of his wrist during practice this weekend and is out until further notice. And Jorge Lorenzo, who sold his Alien Card for filthy lucre, sits counting his money in 13th place, with 12 points to show for his first three acts with Ducati.

A Look Ahead

The DNF dropped Maverick Viñales out of the points lead but he remains second by just six points and remains one of the favorites to take it all. Two weeks from now MotoGP blasts into the Spanish Riviera. The racing will be at Jerez, while the action in the evening will be on The Strip in Cadiz. Maverick Viñales, despite the good vibes associated with a return to home soil, probably will not be in the gift-giving mood in which he found himself today. Excuse me while I butcher the old Smith Barney one-liner. If they want spots on the podium next time out, Rossi and Marquez will probably have to do it the old-fashioned way. They’ll have to earn it. 2017 MotoGP Grand Prix of the Americas Race Results Pos. Rider Team Time 1 Marc Marquez Repsol Honda 43:58.770 2 Valentino Rossi Movistar Yamaha +3.069 3 Dani Pedrosa Repsol Honda +5.112 4 Cal Crutchlow LCR Honda +7.638 5 Johann Zarco Monster Yamaha Tech 3 +7.957 6 Andrea Dovizioso Ducati Corse +14.058 7 Andrea Iannone Suzuki Ecstar +15.491 8 Danilo Petrucci Octo Pramac Yaknich Ducati +16.772 9 Jorge Lorenzo Ducati Corse +17.979 10 Jack Miller Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS Honda +18.494 11 Jonas Folger Monster Yamaha Tech3 +18.903 12 Scott Redding Octo Pramac Ducati +28.735 13 Tito Rabat Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS Honda +30.041 14 Hector Barbera Avintia Racing +31.364 15 Alvaro Bautista Pull&Bear Aspar Ducati +1:06.547 16 Bradley Smith Red Bull KTM +1:22.090 17 Aleix Espargaro Aprilia Gresini +2 Laps Not Classified DNF Sam Lowes Aprilia Gresini 10 Laps DNF Pol Espargaro Red Bull KTM 12 Laps DNF Loris Baz Reale Avintia Ducati 13 Laps DNF Maverick Viñales Movistar Yamaha 20 Laps DNF Karel Abraham Pull&Bear Aspar Ducati 20 Laps 2017 MotoGP Top 10 Standings After 3 Rounds 1 Valentino Rossi Yamaha 56 2 Maverick Viñales Yamaha 50 3 Marc Marquez Honda 38 4 Andrea Dovizioso Ducati 30 5 Cal Crutchlow Honda 29 6 Dani Pedrosa Honda 27 7 Johann Zarco Yamaha 22 8 Jonas Folger Yamaha 21 9 Scott Redding Ducati 21 10 Jack Miller Honda 21 Click to Post

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Miller puts in a thriller to top Day 1 at MotorLand

The Ducati rider leads the way ahead of Aleix Espargaro, with Crutchlow slamming in a stunner to take third Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) topped Day 1 at the Gran Premio TISSOT de Aragon, the Ducati rider putting in a late lunge as the final few minutes decided the combined timesheets. He enjoys nearly three tenths of breathing space at the top by the end of play, with Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) next up at a venue he and his machine have enjoyed some good success at - carrying that momentum from Silverstone. Third went the way of Cal Crutchlow (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) as the Brit pulled a seriously fast one to complete the top three on Day 1, and the number 35 was top Yamaha to boot. The top 17 were covered by nine tenths on Friday, and from second to 21st it's just a single second. FP1 Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) started the day with a statement. The eight-time World Champion laid down a 1:48.048, putting him a whopping 0.971 clear of reigning Champion Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar). However, Mir did get within almost half a second on his final flying lap before that was cancelled, so the Suzuki rider seemed to have a little more in the locker initially... Over a second off the number 93, Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) was a consistent presence near the top as he ended the session in third, with Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) taking fourth with a late move up the timesheets to within 0.013 of the Italian. Thick and fast thereafter came Miller, Aleix Espargaro, Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing), Championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) and Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu), with gaps ranging from 0.008 between the latter two and up to a maximum of 0.079 between Zarco and Quartararo. Close? Very. Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) completed the top ten, 0.130 off Nakagami. On Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) watch, the Spaniard did 21 laps and got down to a 1:50.187 in his first official session with the Noale factory - about a second off Bagnaia in third. Iker Lecuona (Tech 3 KTM Factory Racing) crashed early in the session, rider ok, before Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) took a tumble in the latter stages at Turn 5, rider also ok. FP2 Fortunes changed as Marc Marquez grabbed more headlines but this time for a crash, with number 93 sliding out from behind Alex Marquez. Rider ok but frustrated, and he didn't improve so ended up in P20 on the FP2 timesheets... just ahead of Joan Mir in a real reversal of FP1 for the two. That was despite the number 93 still leading the combined times with five minutes to go too, but a final flurry of activity in the afternoon saw everything change. Aleix Espargaro and Lecuona charged, then Miller set down his serious marker to beat Marc Marquez' FP1 best by a margin. Aleix Espargaro did that next, before Crutchlow put in a stunner to slot into second. Quartararo pipped the FP1 marker next, with Bagnaia - who also crashed earlier in the session - then pipping the Frenchman too and slotting into fourth. Next came Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing), before his teammate Johann Zarco was the final mover and shaker. Almost literally, as the Frenchman leapt up more than ten places despite a serious front end moment on his final lap. Combined timesheets After the mad dash to the top, the combined timesheets saw everyone improve in the afternoon minus Marc Marquez. So Miller reigns with 0.273 in hand over Aleix Espargaro, with Crutchlow ending the day just 0.011 further back as top Yamaha, seriously impressing as his stand-in duty continues. Zarco takes fourth ahead of Martin and Bagnaia - that's four Ducatis in the top six as they show early promise of having moved forward a lot since our last visit to Aragon - and the margins remain tiny. Quartararo is P7, 0.002 off Bagnaia. Eighth is where Marc Marquez' FP1 chart-toppper fits in, 0.014 slower than El Diablo's best from the afternoon, with Nakagami in ninth and Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama) completing an impressive day in tenth overall - and therefore the last rider currently on to take a place in Q2. That leaves Pol Espargaro out as it stands, down in P11, with last year's Aragon winner Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) in P12. The comes Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), with a new chassis for the Austrian factory to explore too. Mir ends the day in P21, Rossi in P19 and Viñales splits the two, although on a slightly different mission to those around him. The number 12 ended the day 1.142 off Miller after his first two official sessions with Aprilia. That's a wrap on Friday, with plenty to talk about and surely even more to come on Saturday. The final push in FP3 gears us up for qualifying, which starts from 14:10 (GMT +2)... so make sure to tune in! MotoGP™ Friday top five: 1 Jack Miller - Ducati Lenovo Team - Ducati - 1:47.613 2 Aleix Espargaro* - Aprilia Racing Team Gresini - Aprilia - +0.273 3 Cal Crutchlow - Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP - Yamaha - +0.284 4 Johann Zarco* - Pramac Racing - Ducati - +0.375 5 Jorge Martin* - Pramac Racing - Ducati - +0.410 *Independent Team rider For more MotoGP info checkout our dedicated MotoGP News page Or visit the official MotoGP website www.motogp.com Follow us on social media: Instagram: @superbikenews Twitter: @sbknews Facebook: @superbikenews

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Bezzecchi and Augusto Fernandez split by 0.080 on Day 1

It's close in Styria, with Bezzecchi leading Fernandez leading Gardner and the three covered by less than a tenth and a half Marco Bezzecchi (Sky Racing Team VR46) rules the Day 1 roost at the Michelin® Grand Prix of Styria, the Italian returning to the scene of his first Moto2™ win and edging out Augusto Fernandez (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) by less than a tenth. Championship leader Remy Gardner (Red Bull KTM Ajo) completed the top three on Friday, with rookie teammate and closest challenger Raul Fernandez down in P9. FP1 Bezzecchi was fastest out the blocks in the morning, the Italian enjoying a gap of nearly two and a half tenths back to Augusto Fernandez for much of the session. In the last few minutes the Spaniard hit back, but Bezzecchi had more in his pocket and the Italian went back to the top with his final lap of the session, 0.080 ahead. Aron Canet (Aspar Team Moto2) shot up into third late on, with Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Italtrans Racing Team) ending FP1 in an impressive fourth place. Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) completed the top five despite earlier having a lap cancelled, with Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) slotting into sixth as the fastest rookie. Red Bull KTM Ajo's powerhouse pairing of Championship leader Gardner and Raul Fernandez ended the morning in P7 and P8 respectively, split by just four thousandths. Stefano Manzi (Flexbox HP 40) and Jorge Navarro (Lightech Speed Up) completed the top ten. Xavi Vierge (Petronas Sprinta Racing) crashed at Turn 4, and Cameron Beaubier (American Racing) at Turn 3, riders ok. FP2 The rain may have put paid to improvements in MotoGP™, but by the end of play for the intermediate class, some of the times were tumbling. Gardner topped the session ahead of Lowes, with Tom Lüthi (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team) in third despite not feeling on full power. Augusto Fernandez was fourth, with Dalla Porta impressing again to complete the top five. Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46) had a noteworthy afternoon session, the Italian rookie taking P6. There were a good few incidents in Moto2™ FP2. The first was for Simone Corsi (MV Agusta Forward Racing) at Turn 4, before Jorge Navarro at Turn 9. Bezzecchi then at Turn 1, before Canet at Turn 9. Bo Bendsneyder (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team) then at Turn 1, before Hafizh Syahrin (NTS RW Racing GP) at Turn 9. Beaubier then had a technical issue too. Combined timesheets The combined timesheets are a good mix of both sessions, with Bezzecchi and Augusto Fernandez taking a 1-2. Then come FP2's fastest men as Gardner takes third ahead of Lowes, with Canet's FP1 time slotting him into fifth. Lüthi takes sixth ahead of Dalla Porta, the Italian's best lap set in FP1, with Ogura in P8 as the fastest rookie - denying Championship challenger Raul Fernandez that honour by just 0.020. Vietti completes the rookie run in the top ten in P10. Xavi Vierge (Petronas Sprinta Racing), Manzi, rookie Tony Arbolino (Liqui Moly Intact GP) and his teammate Marcel Schrötter are the final riders currently within the Q2 zone, although FP3 could easily switch it up again. Who will head through? FP3 starts at 10:55 (GMT+2), before qualifying from 15:10! Moto2™ Friday top five: 1 Marco Bezzecchi - Sky Racing Team VR46 - Kalex - 1:29.115 2 Augusto Fernandez - Elf Marc VDS Racing Team - Kalex - +0.080 3 Remy Gardner - Red Bull KTM Ajo - Kalex - +0.129 4 Sam Lowes - Elf Marc VDS Racing Team - Kalex - +0.236 5 Aron Canet - Aspar Team - Boscoscuro - +0.248 For more Moto2 info checkout our dedicated Moto2 News page Or visit the official MotoGP website motogp.com Follow us on social media: Instagram: @superbikenews Twitter: @sbknews Facebook: @superbikenews SBN Directory - add your motorcycle related business here

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Dani Pedrosa conquers mixed conditions for P1 at Aragon

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Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) is the man with a target on his back after Day 1 at the Gran Premio Movistar de Aragon, as the 2012 winner at the track went fastest in FP2 to top the combined timesheets on – the only man under the two minute barrier after weather affected track time for the premier class. Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team) was second quickest after similarly striking late on in the second session, ahead of rookie Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3).

FP1 was fully wet and saw reigning Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) hit the ground running to go quickest, and the local rider was fourth overall after FP2. The skies were largely dry for the second session, but riders remained on rain tyres with some parts of the track much wetter than others and spray kicking up. That’s when Pedrosa and Lorenzo shone and laptimes improved, with the man in fifth also impressing – Pull&Bear Aspar Team’s Karel Abraham.

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The biggest story of the day, however, belonged to Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP), who ventured out in the wet in FP1 to put in some laps and test his fitness, then managing another 13 laps in FP2. The ‘Doctor’ suffered one run off but did over 20 laps on Day 1 as he attempts to race in the Aragon GP after missing only Misano due to his broken leg.

Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) had a good first day to go P6, ahead of compatriot Sam Lowes (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) in an impressive seventh – the man who won the intermediate class race at the track last season. Championship challenger Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) had a more muted Day 1 on the timesheets for eighth overall, just ahead of the second Aprilia of Aleix Espargaro. His brother Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was another top performer on Day 1, locking out the top ten on the KTM.

Alvaro Bautista (Pull&Bear Aspar Team), Jack Miller (EG 0,0 Marc VDS), Bradley Smith (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and wildcard KTM test rider Mika Kallio (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – who was fifth in the wetter FP1 session – completed the top fifteen on combined times for Friday.

With weather set to change for tomorrow – and improve – it’s now all eyes on the sky for FP3 and direct entry to Q2, and then qualifying from 14:10 (GMT + 1).

LCR Honda Doubles up as Takaaki Nakagami Makes MotoGP Move

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WorldSSP: Sofuoglu outshines rivals on first day

WorldSSP champion Kenan Sofuoglu outpaced the rest of the field by a 0.456s margin on Friday at the Motul Italian Round, as the Turk set out his stall at Imola. Sofuoglu’s 1’51.647 time in FP2 was by far the best time of the day, with Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team) and Jules Cluzel (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) also in the top three on the combined timesheet, courtesy of their FP1 times.

Sofuoglu, who has an excellent record at this circuit, is determined to build on the victory he achieved in the last round at Assen after missing the first two races of 2017 and then crashing out at Aragon on his comeback. He rode well on Friday and appears to be the key man to beat this weekend.

The day’s overall top five also included Kyle Smith (GEMAR Team Lorini) and early championship leader Lucas Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team).

The top ten riders going straight into SP2 on Saturday also includes Sheridan Morais (Kallio Racing), PJ Jacobsen (MV Agusta Reparto Corse), Christian Gamarino (BARDAHL EVAN BROS. Honda Racing), Hikari Okubo (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) and Alessandro Zaccone (MV Agusta Reparto Corse).

Michael Canducci (Puccetti Racing Junior Team FMI) crashed with 20 minutes remaining on the FP2 clock, shortly before an engine fault for Alex Baldolini (Race Department ATK#25) saw the red flag come out after smoke poured from his MV Agusta F3 675 and oil was left on track at turns 15 to 18. There was also another brief red flag earlier in the session following a crash by Japanese rider Hiromichi Kunikawa (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda).

Cluzel crashed at turn 6 and went into the gravel towards the end of the session and then a turn 7 crash for Caricasulo in the final minutes of the afternoon practice ended his session early, meaning neither of those two could beat their own strong FP1 times.

In the morning FP1 session, Caricasulo was top of the timesheet with a 1’52.103 best lap, ahead of Cluzel and Sofuoglu who were also in the top three. Luke Stapleford (Profile Racing) crashed in that session at turn 7 but was soon back on his bike and able to rejoin the action.

The WorldSSP grid will be back in action for FP3 on Saturday morning at 9.20am local time at Imola.

#ItalianWorldSSP Fastest on Friday 1. Kenan Sofuoglu Kawasaki Puccetti Racing 1.51.647 2. Federico Caricasulo GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team +0.456 3. Jules Cluzel CIA Landlord Insurance Honda +0.548