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Advait Deodhar manages P7 in Race 2 on Sunday: EuroNascar2
Valencia, 16 May 2021: Ace Indian driver Advait Deodhar, redeemed a forgettable round, with a well-earned P7 in the second race of the EuroNASCAR2 at the 4-km Circuit Ricardo Tormo on Sunday. Martin Doubek was unstoppable once again and he won the Race 2 too. The driver of the #7 Hendriks Motorsport Ford Mustang started from pole, led all 15 laps and scored his second consecutive win of the 2021 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season. The 26-year-old now leads the overall standings with 80 points on his account.
Advait Deodhar, of CAAL Racing, in a #56 Ford Mustang, had a bad first race on Saturday where he struggled due to problems with the set-up of his car and had a mechanical retirement before he was classified in P17. However, even as the problems continued, he managed to finish P7 in the Round 2, the second race on Sunday. “I’m really struggling with the car right now and can’t quite understand why. However, I’m sure we’ll find a solution by the next round in the Czech Republic,” said the TJB Super Yachts sponsored racer after the race. Advait timed 26:34.121 for the 15 laps of Race 2 on Sunday. “We will come back stronger for the next round,” promised Advait.
For Doubek it was the fourth EuroNASCAR 2 career win after the two he collected at Circuit Zolder in the 2020 NWES season and the one he grabbed on Saturday. The NWES veteran, who’s part of EuroNASCAR since the 2015 season, made a good start and pulled away from the field right in the first lap. After that he administered his advantage and Hoosier Racing Tires to be first under the checkered flag.
“I’m very happy”, said an exhausted Doubek after the race. “The car is perfect since we hit the track on Friday for Free Practice. With Loris Hezemans, I can rely on a very quick teammate and the team is doing an exceptional job. We found a good setup that made it look so easy to get two wins here in Valencia.”
Doubek’s teammate Tobias Dauenhauer from Germany ended up second after a fierce battle with Academy Motorsport / Alex Caffi Motorsport’s Vladimiros Tziortzis from Cyprus. The Hendriks Motorsport driver and 2019 EuroNASCAR 2 runner-up managed to keep the 24-year-old youngster at bay and when they crossed the checkered flag, 2.597 seconds separated the two. After bad luck hampered his Saturday’s race with a blown tire, Justin Kunz showed his potential by piloting the #22 DF1 Racing Camaro to fourth.
Double V Racing team boss and driver Pierluigi Veronesi had a solid run in his #27 Mustang: the Italian completed the top-5. After struggling with braking issues on Saturday, Simon Pilate also fought his way back into the top-10 with a solid sixth place. The Belgian completed the race ahead of Advait Deodhar. Deodhar made a mistake in the first race that shuffled him down the order, but he managed to strike back by finishing seventh.
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Quartararo takes Le Mans by storm to pip Viñales to pole
The first factory Yamaha team 1-2 since 2017 heads Miller on the front row as qualifying goes down to the wire in France
Le Mans, 15 May 2021: Rain, shine, or something in between? Saturday at the SHARK Grand Prix de France presented quite a challenge for the MotoGP™ grid, but the final few minutes of Q2 eventually delivered a stunning shootout for pole on a dry track. And who came out on top? Home hero Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), the Frenchman taking back-to-back poles at Le Mans to pip teammate Maverick Viñales to the top and make it a factory Yamaha team 1-2 on the grid for the first time since 2017. Third went to Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team), the Jerez winner just a tenth off pole.
In Q1, a drying track made it anyone’s game and there were a few spills, some thrills and definitely a couple of surprises. Crashing early on despite his impressive pace in a damp FP3, Lorenzo Savadori (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) was jogging back to the pits as the rest got down to really testing out the conditions… but there was a real phoenix moment on the way.
As the track improved more and more, so did the laptimes at the top. But none more than Savadori. The Italian was back out and flexing his wet weather prowess once again as the clock ticked down, and crossing the line the Italian topped the session by a whopping eight tenths of a second. From whom? Fellow rookie Luca Marini (Sky VR46 Avintia). Tagged on to the back of Championship leader and compatriot Francesco Bagnaia, Marini improved and then improved again on his final push to top the session, just before Savadori’s final wonder.
The two rookies moved through then, leaving Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) just knocked out by his teammate, as well as reigning Champion Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) next up and his teamma Alex Rins. Championship leader Bagnaia? He’ll be 16th on the grid…
And so Q2 began, with no more rain having come down. Decisions needed to be made for the Q2 runners at the beginning of the pole position fight, and we witnessed Valentino Rossi and Petronas Yamaha SRT teammate Franco Morbidelli gamble on slick tyres. Had they taken inspiration from fellow VR46 Acadamy rider Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team) after his stunning Moto3™ qualifying gamble?
It looked like the Petronas Yamaha SRT squad had made the right call as Miller, Quartararo and Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) pulled straight back in to switch. Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team), Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) and Savadori were also all on slicks, but Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) wasn’t and was soon on his way back to pitlane for a tyre change – as was Viñales.
By then, the riders on slick tyres were lighting up the timing screens. Rossi was out of the seat at the final corner; his lap was ruined and Morbidelli eclipsed Zarco’s best wet tyre lap, but then Miller demolished them all to go 1.2s quicker than anyone. Pol Espargaro slotted into an early P2 as Quartararo and Savadori clocked into P3 and P4, Morbidelli next to improve to move back up to second. Incredibly though, Miller then cut his best by a second again, and Pol Espargaro once more came through as the Aussie’s closest challenger.
It was far from over. Everyone was constantly improving, and Zarco briefly went provisional pole, Miller beat him by nine tenths and then Pol Espargaro finally demoted Miller to second by 0.157s. Marc Marquez then joined his teammate on the front row with four minutes to go, and Nakagami made it three Hondas in the top four for the time being.
Morbidelli hit back next for second, but not for long. Marc Marquez beat teammate Pol Espargaro by 0.113s, before Nakagami split the two to make it a Honda 1-2-3… and rain then started to fall at Turn 1. It looked like the three HRC men had timed their laps to perfection, but no. Suddenly, Viñales and Zarco set red sectors, before Quartararo did too.
Viñales was the first to cross the line and break Repsol Honda hearts to grab provisional pole position off Marc Marquez, Zarco then took second and Morbidelli also got the better of the number 93’s time. Quartararo was the rider to watch though and, laying it all on the line in the final sector, it was going down to Yamaha vs Yamaha for pole. Could he hold on? he could. El Diablo beat his teammate’s time by 0.081s, and a shadowing Miller came through to snatched a late front row as well.
The first factory Yamaha 1-2 since 2017, when a certain Viñales went on to win, joined by the most recent race winner? Another stellar Saturday that – for the third time in a row – belonged to Quartararo. Arm pump surgery to home GP pole is the story of his last couple of weeks, that’s two in a row for Quartararo at Le Mans to boot.
Morbidelli and Zarco’s final flying laps ensure they have solid grid positions for the French GP, in fourth and fifth, with Marc Marquez left down on the outside of the second row by the end of the shuffle. Nakagami and Pol Espargaro – who suffered a late crash at Turn 7 – will also have to settle for les than it seemed had been promised, taking P7 and P8 respectively.
Rossi was able to better his time on the last lap to earn P9 and his best grid position since the season opener with Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) completing the top 10, despite a crash, ahead of Q1 graduates Savadori and Marini. With Bagnaia and the Suzukis looking for quick progress too… Sunday promises plenty.
A French GP qualifying session for the ages, with a Frenchman on pole again. What will Sunday bring? 14:00 local time (GMT+2) is when we’ll find out, with Ducati primed with their holeshot devices, the skies uncertain… and history at stake once again.
MotoGP top qualifiers:
1 Fabio Quartararo – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP – Yamaha – 1:32.600
2 Maverick Viñales – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP – Yamaha – +0.081
3 Jack Miller – Ducati Lenovo Team – Ducati – +0.104Top Independent Team rider
4 Franco Morbidelli – Petronas Yamaha SRT – Yamaha – +0.166 -
Advait Deodhar qualifies P6 for EuroNascar2 Round 1
Valencia, 15 May 2021: Ace Indian racer Advait Deodhar of CAAL Racing team did a creditable job qualifying in P6 for the opening round of the EuroNascar 2 Qualifying which saw only a few thousands of a second decide the battle for the first Pole Award of the 2021 season here on Saturday. Doubek got the pole at the wheel of #7 Ford Mustang. The two-time 2020 race winner built on last season’s momentum and benefited from the right strategy call and a great Hendriks Motorsport car.
But the Indian was not happy as he wanted to be on pace with the toppers. “I am very unhappy with qualifying in P6 and well, I am off the pace of the leaders. We made a setup change from yesterday which send us backwards. I had enormous understeer, and a problem with braking which has also run the front right down to the carcass. But I am looking forward to the race,” said Advait Deodhar after the qualifying session. The Indian is sponsored by TJB Super Yachts.
Doubek meanwhile, got the pole. “I have a really good teammate and we found a really good setup”, said the Czech after winning the second Pole Award of his career. “I’m very happy to grab the first Pole Position right in the first Qualifying of the year. The track is really challenging and demanding, but we are confident that we can use the momentum for the upcoming race.”
But it was a close call: Academy Motorsport / Alex Caffi Motorsport’s Vladimiros Tziorztis was just 0.021 seconds slower than Doubek and his 1:42.339 lap. The Cypriot will start from the first row when the green flag flies for the first time in EuroNASCAR 2 on Saturday afternoon. 2019 EuroNASCAR 2 runner-up Tobias Dauenhauer ended up third, 0.565 seconds behind his teammate on pole.
Another promising talent, Francesco Garisto set the fourth fastest time in Qualifying. The 42 Racing driver clocked a 1:43.813 lap at Circuit Ricardo Tormo. With his new team Double V Racing, Pier Luigi Veronesi closed the top-5 after the 30-minute session, while CAAL Racing’s Advait Deodhar followed in sixth.
EuroNASCAR 2 returnee Justin Kunz was seventh ahead of his teammate Simon Pilate from Belgium. The fastest Legend Trophy driver was The Club Motorsport’s Fabrizio Armetta at the wheel of the #55 Chevrolet Camaro in ninth.
Photo Advait Deodhar twitter handle @AdvaitDeodhar Completing the top-10, Alberto Panebianco was the fastest driver among the Rookie Trophy participants in the 2021 NWES season. Lady Trophy title candidate Arianna Casoli finished 18th, while Solaris Motorsport’s Alina Loibnegger was involved in a contact with Vict Racing’s Paolo Valeri that triggered a red flag.
EuroNASCAR PRO Round 1 will start at 13:45 CEST, while the first EuroNASCAR 2 race of the season will follow at 16:45 CEST. All races will be broadcasted live on EuroNASCAR’s social media channels – YouTube, Facebook, Twitch – and Motorsport.tv.
Top-6 qualifiers:
1. #7 Doubek Martin, Hendriks M.Sport, Ford Mustang, CZE;
2. #1 Tziortzis Vladimiros, Acad. M./A. Caffi M., Ford Mustang, CYP;
3. #50 Dauenhauer Tobias, Hendriks M.Sport, Ford Mustang, DEU;
4. #42 Garisto Francesco, 42 Racing, Shadow Car, ITA;
5. #27 Veronesi Pierluigi, Double V Racing, EuroNASCAR FJ, ITA;
6. #56 Deodhar Advait, CAAL Racing, Ford Mustang, IND (India).
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Flying Frenchmen: Zarco and Quartararo reign Day 1
Le Mans, 14 May 2021: After Day 1 at Le Mans, it’s the home heroes on top! Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) topped the SHARK Grand Prix de France timesheets on Friday with some close company from compatriot Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), and the two Frenchmen were split by just 0.095. Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) made it two Iwata marque machines in the top three, 0.389 back, with Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) denied the honour by just 0.001.
FP1 started wet but ended dry, ish, at least for Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team). The Aussie put in slicks and pulled out a whopping 1.481 seconds on the rest of the field by the flag, with Zarco leading the resistance in second ahead of reigning MotoGP™ World Champion Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar). Mir was the first to stop in the damp session, however, as he suffered a technical problem at Turn 8. Two more riders crashed towards the end, first Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) and then Viñales, riders ok.
By FP2, a few hours of mostly dry skies and no real extra rain saw the track start out dry and remain so. With the forecast looking decidedly damp for Saturday morning, it was even more important to get a provisional place in Q2 on Friday and predictably, that created a flurry of afternoon action as everyone rushed to set a lap and then better it.
Home hero Quartararo was untouchable in the opening stages, however. Everyone was slamming in lap after lap on soft or medium rears but after 15 minutes, Quartararo’s 1:32.120 was 0.591s better than second place Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu). The notorious Turn 3 caught out Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) and World Championship leader Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) in the first 15 minutes too, both riders ok, before Espargaro – on his second bike – then slid into the gravel at Turn 3 again.
Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), ninth in the early stages, then had an off-track excursion at Turn 8. It was clear the riders were pushing as Turn 3 then saw Quartararo slide into the gravel too, rider also ok, before Jack Miller – just after going P6 – tucked the front of his GP21 at Turn 7 as well.
With just over 10 minutes to go, Quartararo was still leading the way by over half a second from Nakagami, with Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Alex Rins in P3. Viñales made a move though, the Spaniard up to P2 and cutting his teammate’s advantage to 0.428s. Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) then shot into P3, before Pol Espargaro took over in second to slash Quartararo’s lead to just 0.017s. Miller wasn’t fazed by his crash and got back nearer the front into fourth, and as Turn 3 claimed its latest victim in Rins – rider ok – Marc Marquez improved to move from outside the top 10 into sixth. That shoved Championship leader Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) outside the provisional Q2 places, soon to be confirmed alongside Joan Mir as the reigning Champion crashed at Turn 8 whilst in P12, his FP2 efforts over.
Meanwhile Quartararo rode on at the top, bouncing back quickly to set the first 1:31 of the weekend and lay down the gauntlet. Would he be beaten? Zarco soon made it a French 1-2 as he homed in and cut the gap, before the number 5 then pounced past Quartararo by just 0.095s to take over at the top and seal the deal.
That makes it a dream start to the weekend for French fans as Zarco leads Quartararo, with Viñales bagging a healthy P3 on Day 1. Pol Espargaro had a great afternoon at the office to pick up fourth and only a thousandth off the top three, with Franco Morbidelli completing the top five as the Petronas Yamaha SRT man continues to pull it out the bag.
Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was the quickest KTM on Day 1, the Portuguese rider impressing once again to take sixth after a solid day’s work. Miller salvaged an important P7 after his tumble, just ahead of Marc Marquez in eighth.
Ninth position, meanwhile, sees the return of nine-time World Champion Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) to the Friday top ten. Just 0.037 off Marquez, the Doctor currently stands to move through and will be joined by the man in tenth: Nakagami.
So who’s missing? More key names than can make it through should FP3 turn wet. Championship leader Bagnaia is down in P12, just behind Rins and just ahead of Mir. There are only two more places available in Q2, so there will likely be a few prayers from that trio hoping it doesn’t rain on Saturday morning.
Day 1 belongs to the home heroes, but what will Day 2 bring? The ever-important FP3 stint will come your way at 09:55 local time (GMT+2), before qualifying begins from 14:10.
MotoGP top-5 on Friday:
1 Johann Zarco – Pramac Racing – Ducati – 1:31.747
2 Fabio Quartararo – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP – Yamaha – +0.095
3 Maverick Viñales – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP – Yamaha – +0.389
4 Pol Espargaro – Repsol Honda Team – Honda – +0.390
5 Franco Morbidelli* – Petronas Yamaha SRT – Yamaha –+0.532
*Independent Team rider -
Advait Deodhar all set for EuroNascar2 season
Valencia, 14 May 2021: Ace Indian racer Advait Deodhar is all set to take part in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series that begins here on Saturday with the first two back-to-back rounds on Saturday and Sunday. Deodhar will be with team CAAL Racing and will be piloting a Ford Mustang in EuroNascar2 class and is the only Indian driver in the series.
The qualifying session for 30 minutes will be on Saturday at 1.15pm IST. Today evening at 6.30 pm the EN2 participants can have their practice session (Friday). The 15-lap race over 60.75km first round EuroNascar2 race will be at 8.15pm IST on Saturday. The Race 2 on Sunday will be at 1.45pm IST.
NASCAR Whelen Euro Series was founded in 2008 by Team FJ and established the NASCAR official European Series in January 2012 thanks to a long-term partnership signed with NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing), Team FJ, and Whelen Engineering as title sponsor of the Series.
The season is made up of 28 races, equally split among EuroNASCAR Pro and EuroNASCAR 2 divisions, on the best European tracks. With four races in two days, these 400 HP V8 monsters provide pure racing action and thrilling bumper-to-bumper battles as well as a lot of family fun around the track.
In the pure NASCAR tradition, race fans can get closer to the action than ever and feel the unique in Europe paddock atmosphere thanks to drivers, teams and cars always available for the spectators. The series attracts drivers from all over the world, all willing to fight on track for the win and take the first step towards becoming a NASCAR star in the U.S.
The Indian will be piloting a #56 Ford Mustang in EN2 class Deodhar backed by TJB Super Yachts
TJB Super Yachts are proud to be sponsoring one of their very own sales and charter brokers as he takes part in the highly-anticipated Euro Nascar Championship this year.
“It is not often you get to work with someone with as much raw talent as Advait Deodhar, one of the company’s most-experienced sales and charter brokers. Yet Advait’s talents don’t stop at ensuring his clients receive a bespoke and first-class yachting experience, as he is also a highly successful racing driver. After competing in India from 2012 – 2014 successfully, he made the move to Europe and after much grit and determination, he competed in the European NASCAR Championship in 2018,” said a Super Yachts release.
After very successful seasons in 2018 and 2019, Advait is back for another year of competition and the atmosphere in the company is electric as he gears up for what will be a season of high adrenaline with his colleagues and clients supporting him.
Life in the fast lane has given Advait some thrilling experiences and it is this passion for fun and excitement that makes Advait such an asset to the TJB brokerage team. “Superyachts and motor racing seem to come hand in hand, with both pushing the boundaries of engineering and design” explains Advait of his love of yachting and motor racing. “My goal is to be the first ever Indian NASCAR Champion in Europe and the United States.”
“The dedication and passion that Advait puts into his motor racing certainly comes through in his career as a yacht charters and sales broker” said Tim Johnson, Founder and CEO of TJB Super Yachts. “We are all extremely proud of Advait’s achievements and will be rooting for him in the EuroNASCAR Championship starting next month.”
Advait is the first Indian driver to compete in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series. With TJB Super Yachts behind him, we believe he can continue with his successes and fulfil his ambitions. So, from all of the staff and his long-standing clients at TJB Super Yachts, we want to wish Advait the very best of luck at his first round in Valencia next month and will be cheering him on as the chequered flag waves.
The season takes place in:
- Spain: May 14-15, 2021 / Circuit Ricardo Tormo.
- Czech Republic: June 18-19, 2021 / Autodrom Most.
- United Kingdom: July 3-4, 2021 / Brands Hatch Indy Circuit.
- Germany: July 16-17, 2021 / Hockenheimring.
- Croatia: September 17-18, 2021 / Automotodrom Grobnik.
- Belgium: October 9-10, 2021 / Circuit Zolder.
- Italy: TBD / Autodromo di Vallelunga.
Note: With inputs from article published in TJBSuperYachts.com on April 28.
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Forecasts suggest a wet MotoGP weekend in Le Mans
Le Mans, France, 14 May, 2021 : There have been eight races since we were treated to the last MotoGP wet encounter on a Sunday, but at the world-famous Le Mans, it looks incredibly likely that we’ll be seeing a weekend drenched with rain. It’s something that isn’t fazing the riders though, and in the SHARK Grand Prix de France pre-event Press Conference, title chase leader Francesco Bagnaia was joined by Ducati Lenovo Team teammate and Jerez winner Jack Miller, home heroes Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) and Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing), Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) and Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) to share their thoughts on the weekend.
A lot of the talk has been about the weather forecasts for the three days in northern France. Rain looks set to play a leading role in the proceedings, but the good news for the riders is that – unlike last year’s French GP – there should be plenty of wet weather running before Sunday’s race. World Championship leader Bagnaia heads into Round 5 as the man to beat, and the Italian lands in France in a buoyant mood having claimed three podiums in four races so far in 2021.
“Yeah I’m the leader for just 10 days so I don’t know. It’s good, it’s nice but we have only done four races, it’s too soon to think about it. We just thinking race by race, this is a track that I like. I’ve had three podiums here, one in Moto3 and a victory and second in Moto2 and it’s a track that suits our bike very well,” began Pecco, who knows that last year’s wet weather winner was Danilo Petrucci, riding a factory Ducati. Bagnaia explains that he hasn’t got much experience riding in adverse conditions, but acknowledges his package works well in the rain.
“I’m prepared to ride here but we need to see the weather forecast, because it looks like it will be rain and in the wet I’ve done just six races, I think, in all categories in MotoGP, so let’s wait. Last year I struggled in the second part of the race, after 12/13 laps because at the start I started well but I was behind, then I recovered positions to 8th, 9th and then they came back. In the wet our bike is very strong, but it’s not easy with these tyres because they give you a lot of grip and it’s not easy to manage.”
Inspired by his emotional victory in Jerez, Miller is ready to attack a circuit he’s got a “love-hate” relationship with. As we know, the Australian is fond of tricky conditions and was going well in last year’s race before his Ducati packed in, and confirms he and the team are prepared to fight at the front in all conditions.
“Yeah, I think it’s a whole mix of everything you know, relief, but also it makes you more eager for the next one. At the end of the day, bike racers, we’re always looking for what’s next and what we can try to do more, you know, we always want more so for sure just looking at coming here and trying to do a strong weekend like we did in Spain,” said Miller, explaining how it’s been since winning his first race in factory red.
“I mean it’s been a pretty calm week to be honest, I’ve just stuck to what we’ve been doing the last few and just been training and doing what I can. Thankfully there was some decent weather in Spain and Andorra over the week and I was able to get out on the bicycle but doesn’t look like we will have much of that this weekend, so no, I think we’re prepared for all conditions that are coming this weekend. I’ve been known to be pretty good in the wet so if that comes it comes, I feel like I’ve got a score to settle with Le Mans, you know after last year.
“I have a kind of love-hate relationship with France, with Le Mans especially. I’ve had a win here and in Moto3, I nearly died here at Turn 1, and then last year I did feel like I died as well, when the bike cut out with like seven to go. I think we’ve got a good package as the boys said.”
Former World Championship leader Quartararo could have had so much more in Jerez, however, arm pump had other ideas. Despite the disappointment in Andalucia, the Frenchman is in high spirits ahead of his home Grand Prix and confirms he doesn’t think he’ll struggle on the bike despite recent surgery.
“Yeah it was, yeah. Pretty frustrating during the race and you have the pace to do it, but you don’t have power,” started Quartararo, chatting about the events that happened on Sunday in Jerez. “Every single lap you have more difficulties to brake until the moment you just have normal power. There was still more than 10 laps remaining.
“The first moment was losing the opportunity to win, but then it was just tyring to finish the race in the points. So it was the right time to have a second surgery on the arm. I’m feeling great, the scar is stretching a little bit. I cant wait for tomorrow to ride. I’m feeling great and I don’t think there will be any issues while riding.”
No issues while riding? That’s music to the ears of all his fans cheering him on this weekend. The spanner in the works for Quartararo and his competitors is the weather though, but factory Yamaha star is buzzing to try his YZR-M1 in the wet conditions, as it will be a good comparison to see if he’s quick in all conditions – not just when it’s dry.
“Yes, I’m really looking forward to testing the bike in the wet. Last year was a little bit strange because the really wet conditions we only really had it on the Sunday, also FP1, but yeah. I’m feeling great in the dry conditions in every single track so I’m excited to test it in the wet, I hope it’s working as, you know, two years ago I was always feeling really good with the bike. I think this feeling is going to be well, a great opportunity to ride in the wet, not just in one session but for all the weekend. And yeah, just want to take as much experience as I can and to do my best.”
Fellow Frenchman Zarco is also hoping for a dream home Grand Prix weekend, and knows that this track suits his Ducati well. “Yeah, true that in Jerez I got few points, and it was good enough for me, but with the high potential of the Ducati, and the victory of Jack, the second place of Pecco in Jerez, the leadership of Pecco, it really gives high motivation also to do a great result here in France,” commented Zarco.
“As Pecco says the tracks fits the bike well here, or better than Jerez. In Jerez, the pace was interesting of the Ducati, so I’m pretty happy to have this package with me. We don’t have the fans, we are used to almost, and it’s on some side sad, because less funny things around the track but to stay focused and almost get the weekend as a normal weekend, that’s pretty good so for the work and for the target to be on podium, it can help.”
All eyes will be looking towards the skies on Friday morning for MotoGP™ FP1 in France. If the forecasts are to be believed, it’s going to be the first of many sessions at Le Mans for the riders to get to grips with the wet conditions. It should be a fascinatingly unpredictable spectacle, wet or dry, for Round 5 of the season. Who’s ready for it? Everyone.
Action from MotoGP SHARK Grand Prix de France Qualifying Race will be LIVE on EUROSPORT and EUROSPORT HD from 16:00 Hrs (04:00 pm IST) onwards on Saturday, 15 May 2021. The same will be live streamed on discovery + app.
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Bagnaia, Quartararo, Zarco, Miller, Morbidelli gear up for Le Mans
Le Mans, 13 May 2021: It’s that time of week again: pre-event Press Conference time! Ahead of the SHARK Grand Prix de France, new Championship leader Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) was joined by home heroes Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) and Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing), as well as Jerez winner Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team), Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) and Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) to look back at Jerez and forward to what could be a mixed weekend of weather at Le Mans…
Here are some key quotes:
Francesco Bagnaia: “I’m the leader for just 10 days so I don’t know. It’s good, it’s nice but we have only done four races so it’s too soon to think about it. We just thinking race by race, this is a track that I like. I did three podiums here, one in Moto3 and a victory and second in Moto2 and it’s a track that suits our bike very well. I’m prepared to ride here but we need to see the weather forecast, because it looks like it will be rain and in the wet I’ve done just six races, I think, in all categories in MotoGP, so let’s wait. Last year I struggled in the second part of the race, after 12/13 laps because at the start I started well but I was behind, then I recovered positions to 8th, 9th and then they came back. In the wet our bike is very strong, but it’s not easy with these tyres because they give you a lot of grip and it’s not easy to manage.
“I think that all three of us Ducati riders will be hoping that in every track it will be good. It’s difficult to predict a race in the wet, we have to wait until Sunday to see if we can be as competitive as Jerez. But I think our bike can be very suited to all the tracks, now we can ride it in a different way and different styles and it works very well, so I think we can be very strong this year.”
Fabio Quartararo: “It was pretty frustrating during the race and you have the pace to do it, but you don’t have the power. Every single lap you have more difficulties to brake until the moment you just have normal power. There was still more than 10 laps remaining. The first moment was losing the opportunity to win, but then it was just trying to finish the race in the points. So it was the right time to have a second surgery on the arm. I’m feeling great, the scar is stretching a little bit. I can’t wait for tomorrow to ride. I’m feeling great and I don’t think there will be any issues while riding.
“I’m really looking forward to testing the bike in the wet. Last year was a little bit strange because the really wet conditions, we only really had it on the Sunday, also FP1, but yeah. I’m feeling great in the dry conditions in every single track so I’m excited to test it in the wet, I hope it’s working as, you know, two years ago I was always feeling really good with the bike. I think this feeling is going to be well, a great opportunity to ride in the wet, not just in one session but for all the weekend. And yeah, just want to take as much experience as I can and to do my best.”
Johann Zarco: “In Jerez I got a few points, and it was good enough for me, but with the high potential of the Ducati, and the victory of Jack, the second place of Pecco in Jerez, the leadership of Pecco, it really gives high motivation also to do a great result here in France. As Pecco says the tracks fit the bike well here, or better than Jerez. In Jerez, the pace was interesting of the Ducati, so I’m pretty happy to have this package with me. We don’t have the fans, we are used to almost, and it’s on some side sad, because less funny things around the track but to stay focused and almost get the weekend as a normal weekend, that’s pretty good so for the work and for the target to be on podium, it can help.
“I think it would be nice to share a podium if we have the possibility, all three together. Anyway from the beginning of the season we could see that we could be at the top of the race, but the beginning was I could stay in front and then it was Pecco and Jack, and we still did not share it all together and that would be just awesome for Ducati and good for us also because as we can see we have, I think good spirit together, and this gives good motivation so just cross fingers to get it.”
Jack Miller: “It’s a whole mix of everything you know, relief, but also it makes you more eager for the next one. At the end of the day, bike racers we’re always looking for what’s next and what we can try to do more, you know, we always want more so for sure just looking at coming here and trying to do a strong weekend like we did in Spain. I mean it’s been a pretty calm week to be honest, I’ve just stuck to what we’ve been doing the last few and just been training and doing what I can. Thankfully there was some decent weather in Spain and Andorra over the week and I was able to get out on the bicycle but doesn’t look like we will have much of that this weekend! I think we’re prepared for all conditions that are coming this weekend. I’ve been known to be pretty good in the wet so if that comes it comes, I feel like I’ve got a score to settle with Le Mans, you know after last year.
“You know I have a kind of love-hate relationship with France, with Le Mans especially. I’ve had a win here in Moto3™, but I nearly died here at Turn 1, and then last year I did feel like I died as well, when the bike cut out with like seven to go! I think we’ve got a good package as the boys said, we’ve all been there or thereabout, I think whether it comes in Le Mans, I think it would be better in Mugello, but I think we have a good chance of locking out the podium!”
Morbidelli spoke next, first on his emotional reaction to his podium in Jerez.
Franco Morbidelli: “First of all because it’s a MotoGP podium. And then because of what we’re going through. That podium had a different taste for sure, it felt great. I burst after the chequered flag, I think it’s because of a really big emotion gathering, and after a good result everything comes out.
“My expectations were already reassessed from Qatar 1 and 2. I immediately realised that I needed to step it up again if I wanted to remain in a similar position to last year. That’s what I’m trying to do and that’s what we did in Portimao and Jerez. So I hope to keep on doing that and keep on working at the best with my crew, to enjoy racing, be the best I can and try to improve whenever I can.”
Takaaki Nakagami: “From the Qatar test, we were not with the best performance and we struggled in Qatar, Race 1 and Race 2, and also in Portimão, the big crash on Friday and you know, we couldn’t find the solution. On Sunday in Portimão, from the last position, we were able to finish in top ten. This is a really important result for us, and after that, I started to think about, you know, I can find a solution for not the best of the best, but you know maybe we can fight for the top five or top six again. Then in Jerez, from Friday, we found the pace and had a good race so I’m pretty happy you know, to get really close to the podium, you know, P4 which is a really great result for us and I’m looking forward to this weekend too.”
This is also the first time in some time there have been five riders giving feedback to HRC…
“You know one more rider will be good, you know, there will be more data and good to help develop the bike easily, more comments and, you know, for HRC, I think also for us, for the riders, it is really good to understand you know, not lose the way. We try to pick up positive comments for all of the riders and you know it helps a lot to develop, and now looks like we found a way and pretty comfortable on the new bikes.”That’s a wrap on Thursday, tune in for Free Practice and qualifying before the lights go out for the race at 14:00 (GMT +2)
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Buhler 3rd after Stage 1; J Rod suffers navigational issues, finishes Day 2 in 9th
Villamartin (Spain), 13 May 2021: The charge for the team today was led by the rising young star Sebastian Buhler, who made a flawless run to bring in a podium finish in the stage, securing the 3rd spot. He was closely tailed by Franco, who balanced caution with aggression to hold on to his Top 5 spot with a 4th place finish today.
Joaquim Rodrigues, after his win in the prologue stage, had to deal with the difficult task of opening a stage today, a task that is rarely easy. A navigation mistake added to his woes as he lost some time in finding his way. However, he subsequently managed to tackle the stage well to make it to the finish line safely in 9th place.
Today’s solid effort from the riders resulted in Buhler retaining the 3rd place in the overall standings, Franco holding onto to his spot in the Top 5 in 4th place and JRod settling inside the Top 10 nicely in 8th place.
Joaquim Rodriques said: “It was a tough day for me opening the stage. I also made a mistake in navigation that cost me a lot of time in getting myself back on track. These things happen in a rally, but I am happy that I managed to bring my bike home. Tomorrow is a new day and stage, so we’ll take it one day at a time.”
Sebastian Buhler said: “It was a good and positive stage for me. I started with a bit of caution because we had ruts and tall grass all around, making it difficult to spot the dangers. So, I changed my riding style a bit to adapt to the terrain and rode without any mistakes to make it safely across the finish line with a good result.”
Franco Caimi said: “It was a good second contact with the bike in a beautiful stage. We had an early morning start so the visibility was not that good, but I had good fun riding today. In the first part of the stage, I had a minor fall, hurt my knee a bit but regained my confidence and rode comfortably through to the finish.”
Provisional Stage 1 Rankings:
- 1. Lorenzo Santolino Sherco Factory Rally Team 01h 47m 28s
- 2. Joan Barreda Bort Monster Energy Honda Team +22s
- 3. Sebastian Buhler Hero MotoSports Team Rally +01m 00s
- 4. Franco Caimi Hero MotoSports Team Rally +01m 40s
- 8. Joaquim Rodrigues Hero MotoSports Team Rally +07m 14s
- Provisional Overall Rankings after Stage 1:
- 1. Joan Barreda Bort Monster Energy Honda Team 02h 12m 46s
- 2. Lorenzo Santolino Sherco Factory Rally Team +22s
- 3. Sebastian Buhler Hero MotoSports Team Rally +42s
- 4. Franco Caimi Hero MotoSports Team Rally +01m 34s
- 9. Joaquim Rodrigues Hero MotoSports Team Rally +06m 48s
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Clement Novalak tops timesheets on Day 2: F3 test
Jerez, 13 May 2021: Clément Novalak put Trident at the top of the timesheet for the second day in a row at Jerez, finishing as the fastest man overall in the final test before the end of the season.
Beating out ART Grand Prix’s Frederik Vesti and Charouz Racing System’s Enzo Fittipaldi, Novalak broke the Formula 3 track record in Jerez, setting 1:28.677.
MORNING
The sun was shining on the final morning of pre-season testing, providing ideal conditions for a Qualifying simulation around the Circuito de Jerez. Carrying over their form from Day 1, Trident took their now customary place at the top of the order, with Novalak leading teammate Jack Doohan.
Lapping at 1:28.677, Novalak was the first driver to post a sub-1m 29s time in Jerez, breaking the previous F3 track record of 1:29.041, which had been set in cooler conditions by Doohan at the post-season test in October last year.
Novalak retained his place at the top of the order, but Doohan began to drop down, falling to fourth by the end of the morning. Vesti was the first to overtake him, with the Mercedes prodigy breaking the 1m 28s barrier as well, running 0.258s off Novalak.
Also splitting the Trident duo was Fittipaldi, whose tour of 1:29.060 proved enough for P3. MP Motorsport and Alpine Academy duo Victor Martins and Caio Collet took fifth and sixth ahead of Hitech Grand Prix’s Red Bull junior Jak Crawford.
ART duo Alex Smolyar and Juan Manuel Correa took eight and ninth, while Carlin Buzz racer Jonny Edgar completed the top 10.
Iwasa topped the afternoon session with a time of 1:29.884 AFTERNOON
The majority of the field were focused on race runs and data gathering as they headed out for the final afternoon of testing before the end of the season. Hitech’s Ayumu Iwasa leapt to the top of the leaderboard within the opening half an hour.
Setting 1:29.884 in the opening stages, the Hitech racer remained on top for the duration and was the only driver to break the 1m 30s barrier in the afternoon.
Clambering into second and third was PREMA duo Dennis Hauger and Olli Caldwell, who were 0.179s and 0.335s off the leading pace.
Iwasa’s Hitech teammates Crawford and Stanek completed the top five ahead of Edgar and Calan Williams.
Lorenzo Colombo made the top 10 for the first time in Jerez, beating out the quickest man from Day 1, Doohan. The final PREMA of Arthur Leclerc completed the top 10, ahead of Pierre-Louis Chovet, who ran an impressive 56 laps in the final stint.
The field will now depart Spain with just over a month to work on the cars before the second round of the season at Le Castellet, on June 25-27.
2021 FIA FORMULA 3 CHAMPIONSHIP – JEREZ TEST, DAY 2, MORNING SESSION
DRIVER TEAM LAPTIME LAPS 1 Clément Novalak Trident 1:28.677 29 2 Frederik Vesti ART Grand Prix 1:28.935 35 3 Enzo Fittipaldi Charouz Racing System 1:29.060 25 4 Jack Doohan Trident 1:29.061 35 5 Victor Martins MP Motorsport 1:29.144 44 6 Caio Collet MP Motorsport 1:29.193 46 7 Jak Crawford Hitech Grand Prix 1:29.196 39 8 Alexander Smolyar ART Grand Prix 1:29.207 30 9 Juan Manuel Correa ART Grand Prix 1:29.215 29 10 Jonny Edgar Carlin Buzz Racing 1:29.219 35 11 Ayumu Iwasa Hitech Grand Prix 1:29.223 35 12 David Schumacher Trident 1:29.258 28 13 Matteo Nannini HWA RACELAB 1:29.333 43 14 Roman Stanek Hitech Grand Prix 1:29.339 38 15 Calan Williams Jenzer Motorsport 1:29.392 17 16 Lorenzo Colombo Campos Racing 1:29.542 35 17 Kaylen Frederick Carlin Buzz Racing 1:29.586 36 18 Pierre Louis Chovet Jenzer Motorsport 1:29.619 25 19 Oliver Rasmussen HWA RACELAB 1:29.658 43 20 Rafael Villagomez HWA RACELAB 1:29.662 42 21 Ido Choen Charouz Racing System 1:29.697 33 22 Amaury Cordeel Campos Racing 1:29.743 32 23 Reshad de Gerus Charouz Racing System 1:29.959 23 24 Dennis Hauger PREMA Racing 1:30.226 31 25 Olli Caldwell PREMA Racing 1:30.273 31 26 Filip Ugran Jenzer Motorsport 1:30.404 31 27 Arthur Leclerc PREMA Racing 1:30.594 31 28 Tijmen Van der Helm MP Motorsport 1:30.629 46 29 László Tóth Campos Racing 1:31.144 15 2021 FIA FORMULA 3 CHAMPIONSHIP – JEREZ TEST, DAY 2, AFTERNOON SESSION
DRIVER TEAM LAPTIME LAPS Ayumu Iwasa Hitech Grand Prix 1:29.884 35 Dennis Hauger PREMA Racing 1:30.063 39 Olli Caldwell PREMA Racing 1:30.218 36 Jak Crawford Hitech Grand Prix 1:30.265 38 Roman Stanek Hitech Grand Prix 1:30.520 29 Jonny Edgar Carlin Buzz Racing 1:30.632 32 Calan Williams Jenzer Motorsport 1:30.724 22 Lorenzo Colombo Campos Racing 1:30.920 35 Jack Doohan Trident 1:30.947 33 Arthur Leclerc PREMA Racing 1:30.974 38 Pierre Louis Chovet Jenzer Motorsport 1:31.220 56 Amaury Cordeel Campos Racing 1:31.280 34 Oliver Rasmussen HWA RACELAB 1:31.325 37 Matteo Nannini HWA RACELAB 1:31.391 37 Ido Cohen Carlin Buzz Racing 1:31.438 34 Rafael Villagomez HWA RACELAB 1:31.663 36 Kaylen Frederick Carlin Buzz Racing 1:31.736 33 Filip Ugran Jenzer Motorsport 1:31.822 53 László Tóth Campos Racing 1:31.978 23 Clément Novalak Trident 1:32.545 51 Frederik Vesti ART Grand Prix 1:32.625 49 Alexander Smolyar ART Grand Prix 1:32.674 47 David Schumacher Trident 1:32.759 25 Enzo Fittipaldi Charouz Racing System 1:32.868 50 Caio Collet MP Motorsport 1:32.965 51 Juan Manuel Correa ART Grand Prix 1:33.002 48 Victor Martins MP Motorsport 1:33.055 48 Reshad de Gerus Charouz Racing System 1:33.308 47 Tijmen Van der Helm MP Motorsport 1:33.462 47 -
Hero begins welll as J Rod claims victory in prologue
Villamartin (Spain) 12 May 2021: Hero MotoSports Team Rally kicked off their Andalucia Rally campaign on a winning note, claiming the top spot in the Prologue stage on Wednesday.
The team finished the prologue stage of the Rally with JRod securing the first place, Buhler third and the newest Hero Franco Caimi finishing on the fourth place. These standings place the riders in a good stead for tomorrow as they will get to start towards the front of the field, which could prove to be important given the dusty nature of the terrains here.
After successfully completing the administrative and technical checks over the past day and a half, the trio of Joaquim Rodrigues, Franco Caimi and Sebastian Buhler took the start in the afternoon. The short 8km stage, consisting of poorly visible narrow tracks, was the symbolic start to the rally and decided the starting order of riders for the first full stage of the rally on May 13.
The first full stage of the rally will bring the riders to the start line near the town of Arcos de la Frontera before setting them off on 257kms of timed special stage, and bring the stage to a close back at the bivouac in Villamartin.
The 2021 edition will be the second time that the Andalucia rally is conducted with strict Covid19 protocols in place. From the “closed-door event” format without spectators to the “biobubble” and the Covid checkpoints, all possible measures are being taken to ensure the safety
of everyone involved. On the regulations front, there have been several new introductions in this edition to make it more technical and also safe, such as not allowing a sighting lap for the prologue stage, use of an electronic Start/Go board, introduction of a new waypoint and mandating each note of the roadbook to be validated amongst others.Joaquim Rodrigues, Rider, Hero MotoSports Team Rally: “We had a good start to the rally today with a first-place finish. Our main goal is to test the bike and the new settings with Dakar 2022 in our sights and this is a good race to do that. I am really happy to get the rally off with a good result for the team.”
Franco Caimi, Rider, Hero MotoSports Team Rally: “Really a good stage today, my first with the team and the bike and I managed to keep it on the two wheels so I am happy with the start. I think I did well today to finish fourth. The idea is to build it stage by stage and gain confidence so I
am in a good position to start for the first long stage tomorrow.”
Sebastian Buhler, Rider, Hero MotoSports Team Rally: “It was a short and nice prologue so I tried to keep it safe. It’s only the beginning of the race so I think third place is a really good position to start the race tomorrow.”Provisional Rankings – Prologue
- Joaquim Rodrigues Hero MotoSports Team Rally 06m 13s
- Joan Barreda Bort Monster Energy Honda Team +01s
- Sebastian Buhler Hero MotoSports Team Rally +02s
- Franco Caimi Hero MotoSports Team Rally +05s
- Lorenzo Santolino Sherco Factory Rally Team +12s
