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Tag: HJC Helmets Grand Prix de France
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Marc Marquez equals Casey Stoner as Valentino Rossi gets back on the podium
Marc Marquez….in a class of his own at Le Mans. Photo: Honda Racing Le Mans, 20 May 2018: Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) took a record breaking victory at the HJC Helmets Grand Prix de France here on Sunday, which sees the reigning World Champion equal Casey Stoner’s 38 premier class wins, while also surpassing Mike Hailwood’s win record. Alma Pramac Racing’s Danilo Petrucci was a superb second to take his first podium of the season, with Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) returning to rostrum in third place.
The French fairytale was unfortunately not to be for Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) as the home hero crashed out at Turn 8, on lap eight, after re-passing Marquez for second. Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar) was another rider to crash, falling out of contention on lap one at la Chapelle after making a good start.
Danilo Petrucci. Photo: Prama Racing Then, Championship contender Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) made a rare error at the same corner four laps later. The number 04 had just passed teammate Jorge Lorenzo – who once again got a magnificent start – for the lead, with the Ducati man leaving with no points for the second consecutive race. All three were ok, but it proved to be another pivotal race in the Championship.
Meanwhile, Lorenzo held firm at the front, Marquez was close for company with Petrucci, Rossi and Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing) chasing them both. On lap 10 though, the number 93 made his move on Lorezno, before Petrucci followed the Honda rider through a lap later. Rossi and Miller soon carved their way past the five-time World Champion with Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) waiting in the wings.
Valentino Rossi….yet another podium. Photo: Movistar Yamaha MotoGP The gap between Marquez, Petrucci, Rossi and Miller stayed consistent, with all four exchanging quickest laps. That was until the six-time World Champion pulled the pin on lap 16, setting the fastest lap of the race to bridge to gap to a second over the chasing GP18. From there, Marquez was able to stretch the gap tenth by tenth, with Petrucci also keeping the nine-time World Champion Rossi at bay. Pedrosa was later able to pass Lorenzo for fifth, with the Ducati rider having to settle for sixth.
Further down the order, after failing to get the start he was looking for, last year’s winner Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) made his way back up to seventh after being outside the top ten for the first half of the race. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) had a great ride, holding onto eighth until the last lap to earn his best result of the season. Passing him on the last lap was walking wounded Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol), who had a magnificent ride battling to P8 from 13th on the grid.
It was a quiet but important race for Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) after three DNF’s this season, the Spaniard battled with Viñales and Espargaro throughout the race, eventually rounding out the top ten. Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) picked up another solid result in P11, with Hafizh Syahrin (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) eventually getting the better of Franco Morbidelli (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) to finish as top rookie.
Alvaro Bautista (Angel Nieto Team) and Tito Rabat (Reale Avintia Racing) were both early fallers, with Scott Redding (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) also crashing out – riders ok.
In the end, there was no stopping Marquez as he claimed his third successive victory on a track that he hasn’t won at since 2014. The Spaniard extends his Championship lead to 36 points, with Mugello up next.
Arenas victorious in drama filled Moto3™ race
Albert Arenas (Angel Nieto Team Moto3) claimed his first lightweight class win in a spectacular Moto3™ race. Team-mate Andrea Migno claimed second to make it a perfect day for the Angel Nieto Team, with Marcos Ramirez (Bester Capital Dubai) standing on the third step of the podium for the second race in a row.
Albert Arenas. Photo – Angel Nieto Team And that’s just the start, with all the drama coming in the final laps of the race. One of the biggest headlines was Championship leaders Marco Bezzecchi (Redox PrustelGP) and Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3), the two leaders for most of the race, crashing with just one corner to go. Bezzecchi, after passed by Fabio Di Giannanotonio (Del Conca Gresini Moto3), highsided trying to cut back through on his compatriot. Martin, right behind Bezzecchi in third, had nowhere to go and the Spaniard crashed out of a podium position. That’s not all. Di Giannantonio went on take the checkered flag with the Italian elated to have claimed what he thought was his first ever Moto3™ race win. However, a three-second time penalty for running over the chicane at Turns 10 and 11 midway through the race took that victory away from him, handing Arenas the race win.
Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) thought he had claimed his first podium of the season. However, the Italian was also penalised for running straight over the first chicane. This promoted Marcos Ramirez (Bester Capital Dubai), who crossed the line in P5, to third, the second consecutive race the Spaniard stands on the podium after crossing the line outside the top three. Di Giannantonio was demoted to fourth, leaving him second in the World Championship, with Antonelli finishing fifth after his penalty.
Franceso Bagnaia reigns supreme in Moto2™
Sky Racing Team VR46 rider Franceso Bagnaia was simply unstoppable in the Moto2™ race, converting pole position into a commanding victory to take his third win of 2018 – the first winner from pole in Moto2™ at the venue. Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) was the Italian’s closest challenger in second, with teammate 2017 Moto3™ World Champion Joan Mir securing his maiden intermediate class podium, crossing the line third.
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Johann Zarco’s territory: Frenchman takes pole position at Le Mans
Johann Zarco….an inspired qualifying run at Le Mans. Photo: Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Le Mans, May 19: Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) stormed to an outstanding pole position at the HJC Helmets Grand Prix de France, smashing the circuit lap record to become the first Frenchman to secure pole on home soil since Christian Sarron at Paul Ricard in 1988.
Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez threatened to spoil the party on his final lap, but it wasn’t enough. The World Championship leader starts P2. Q1 graduate Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Racing) will start tomorrow’s race third on the grid, a great session for the Italian.
Zarco, straight out the blocks in Q2, didn’t disappoint. He topped the timesheets after his first flying lap. However, Marquez, as ever, was quick to reply. The reigning World Champion wasn’t at the summit for long though, as Petrucci put in his fastest lap of the weekend to go provisional P1. Zarco, on the final lap of his first run, sent a warning sign, going 0.330 seconds quicker than anyone else.
Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team) briefly led the session when the riders came back out for their second runs, but Marquez then reset the benchmark, with Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar) leaping up to second. Zarco though wasn’t done, again going quickest, this time by 0.130. Marquez’ efforts on his final lap sent French nerves into overdrive, but Zarco held on.
Iannone starts from P4 on his Suzuki, his time of 1:31.454 was less than a tenth off the front row. The Italian heads the two factory Ducatis of Andrea Dovizioso, who will start fifth, and Lorenzo in sixth, both of whom look to have very strong race pace.
Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing) was impressive once again in P7. He was in the mix throughout the session, making it four Ducatis in the top seven on a track the manufacturer has never won. Maverick Viñales and his Movistar Yamaha MotoGP team-mate Valentino Rossi will have work to do from P8 and P9 on the grid respectively. The two will be disappointed to be over half a second behind fellow-Yamaha rider Zarco.
Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team), who came through Q1, will start from 10th on Sunday. He is joined by Tito Rabat (Reale Avintia Racing) who was a slender 0.025 behind compatriot and Aprilia Racing Team Gresini’s Aleix Espargaro. The number 41 crashed at Turn 1 on his opening run – he was ok and ran back to the pits.
The top 11 riders are covered by eight tents, and it looks set to be a classic.
Franceso Bagnaia unbeatable in Moto2™ qualifying
Franceso Bagnaia (SKY Racing Team VR46) will start tomorrow’s Moto2™ race from pole for the first time in his Moto2™ career, setting a new circuit lap record along the way. Xavi Vierge (Dynavolt Intact GP), who crashed on his final run, will start second on the grid, 0.202 behind, with Jerez winner Lorenzo Baldassarri (Pons HP40) earning his fourth front row start of the year in P3.
Vierge was the early pace setter in the session, setting a lap record after just five minutes. Bagnaia, though, was right on his tail, and sure enough, the Italian moved the goal posts to set 1:36.188 on the following lap. Neither of the top two would go on to improve their times.
Jorge Martin snatches late pole in Moto3™
For the third time in 2018, Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) will start the Moto3™ race from pole position after putting in a magnificent final run to take top spot at the HJC Helmets Grand Prix de France. Jakub Kornfeil (Redox PrustelGP) continued his great weekend, leaping up the timesheets at the end of the session to start from P2 on his 150th Grand Prix start. After a heavy fall at the start of the session, walking wounded Enea Bastianini (Leopard Racing) put in a valiant effort to start from third in Sunday’s race.
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Dovi celebrates fresh Ducati contract by topping FP time sheets
Andrea Dovizioso marks a fresh two-year contract with Ducati with hot pace in FP. Photo: Ducati Le Mans, 18 May 2018: Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team), fresh from signing a new contract with the Bologna factory, was the quickest man on the opening day at the HJC Helmets Grand Prix de France, here on Friday, setting a new circuit record with a 1:31.936 – the only rider to delve into the 1:31’s.
FP1 and World Championship leader Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) ended the day in second, 0.168 behind, with Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) a further 0.075 seconds back on board his M1, the ‘Doctor’ ended the day P3 overall.
Despite track temperatures rising from 19 degrees to over 40 degrees between FP1 and FP2, there were a whole host of crashes early in the session. Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Scott Redding (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini), Franco Morbidelli (EG 0,0 Marc VDS), LCR Honda Idemitsu rider Takaaki Nakagami and Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Racing) all fell, riders ok.
Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) ended the day fourth overall, the Spaniard was third in FP1, but left it late to jump up into the top five in FP2. Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) was fifth in front of his home crowd, with the Frenchman was also fifth in FP1, confirming his solid pace in Le Mans.
Alma Pramac Racing’s Jack Miller was sixth on the combined Free Practice timesheets, the Australian was in and around the top eight throughout FP2 and looks good for an automatic Q2 spot after ending FP1 in P12. Espargaro had a good showing on KTM, despite his early crash. He ended the day seventh quickest, building on his P10 in FP1.
Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team), sporting a new aerodynamic fairing in FP2, jumped up to eighth on his final lap to grab a provisional Q2 spot. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) impressed again to finish ninth in FP2, getting himself into the top ten after ending the morning session in P14. Rounding out the top ten was Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team), the Spaniard finished eighth this morning, dropping two positions in the afternoon.
Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol), who was inside the top three for most of the session, crashed on his final run to end the day outside the top ten in P11, after a flurry of quick times from the riders on fresh rubber – rider ok.
With less than a second covering the top 16, the battle to make it into Q2 should be very interesting on Saturday.
Marcel Schrötter quickest in Moto2
Marcel Schroetter on a charge. Photo: marcel-schroetter.de Despite suffering from shoulder ligament damage, Marcel Schrötter (Dynavolt Intact GP) topped the Moto2™ combined Free Practice timesheets on Friday. The German was 0.081 seconds ahead of World Championship leader Francesco Bagnaia (SKY Racing Team VR46) who was second overall despite a big crash in FP1, with Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) third overall and just 0.093 behind Schrӧtter’s fastest time. The Spaniard also crashed at the final corner late in FP2 – rider ok.
Despite conditions seemingly more suited to setting quicker lap times this afternoon, both Schrӧtter and Marquez failed to improve on their FP1 times, with Bagnaia going over half a second quicker in FP2 to top the session. Just behind his teammate in fourth on the combined times was rookie sensation and reigning Moto3™ World Champion Joan Mir (EG 0,0 Marc VDS), who finished FP2 in second.
Jerez winner Lorenzo Baldassarri (Pons HP40) and teammate Hector Barbera both crashed in FP2, with the Italian finishing the day just outside the top ten in P11 – slipping five places from his FP1 position.
Niccolo Antonelli takes charge in Moto3
Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse), who was 20th in FP1, was the rider to beat on the opening day, setting his quickest time of FP2 with two minutes to go. Despite a late crash in the session at Turn 11, second quickest in the lightweight class was Kaito Toba (Honda Team Asia), with Enea Bastianini (Leopard Racing) rounding out the top three.
After a chilly morning in northern France, track temperatures were up and the lap times for most of the grid tumbled. Tony Arbolino (Marinelli Snipers Team) cemented P4 in the afternoon, improving his time but not improving his position, with World Championship leader Marco Bezzecchi (Redox PrustelGP) in fifth, jumping up one position in FP2.
Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0), who’ll start from the back of the grid on Sunday, was sixth quickest on the combined timesheets, improving his time on his final run of the day after finishing this morning’s session down in P15. Del Conca Gresini Moto3 rider Fabio Di Giannantonio was back on track after his big off this morning, the Italian ended P7 – importing track time for Giannantonio after completing just six laps in FP1.
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The level is very high, and everyone is very close: Valentino Rossi
Valentino Rossi….hoping for a strong performance at Le Mans. Photo: Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Le Mans, 17 May 2018: Prior to the action getting underway at the HJC Helmets Grand Prix de France, Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) spoke about how close this year’s World Championship is in the pre-event Press Conference. The Italian was joined by Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), home hero Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar), Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Racing) and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini).
The ‘Doctor’ comes to Le Mans in “a difficult moment” on board his M1. However, history points towards him and his Movistar Yamaha team having a successful weekend. The competition for the podium this year is incredibly tough though, something the nine-time World Champion is very aware of. “The level is very high and everyone is very close,” said Rossi. “Even to be in the top five you need performance that is comparable to the victory.”
Why then is the competition so tight this year? One reason could be Honda improving their package, especially when it comes to the acceleration of the RC213V – a point Marquez makes in the Press Conference. “Last year, our weak point was acceleration and we were losing too much, trying to recover in the corners,” explained the World Championship leader. “But this year we’ve improved that a lot. I hope the general weekend will be different this year. But Yamaha will be strong, and Johann will have extra motivation…and Ducati. And Suzuki, everything is very close.”
There’s no hiding how successful Suzuki’s start to 2018 has been, picking up three podiums from the opening four rounds. Iannone, who is searching for his third consecutive podium this weekend, explains he and the Hamamatsu factory arrive in Le Mans in completely different shape compared to 2017. “We arrive from a good period for us, this year we’ve started in a good way and from Austin on I think we’ve improved in every practice, the feeling, the results and everything,” said the Italian. “Last year, this track was difficult for us, but this year, we arrive in a completely different situation, the bike has improved a lot in the winter.”
One name that no one will be discounting this weekend is Zarco. The Frenchman will have “extra motivation” in front of his home fans, and is dreaming of his first premier class victory. “I keep dreaming about victory. It’s a good track for me and last year, the Yamaha was working so well. Our bike is similar to last year, so I just need to make it work and do everything perfectly.”
Source: motogp.com
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French GP: Johann Zarco’s opportunity to score a win on Home turf
Johann Zarco. Photo: Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Le Mans, 15 May 2018: Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) has been incredibly close to his first premier class win a number of times, and now it’s time to return to the Frenchman’s home turf as MotoGP™ heads for the classic Bugatti circuit at Le Mans this weekend. Steeped in history and having hosted some memorable battles, the HJC Helmets Grand Prix de France will surely be another showstopper.
As we head north, there are still shockwaves going through the title fight after the three-rider incident that saw Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) and Ducati team-mates Andrea Dovizioso and Jorge Lorenzo collide. As well as eventual Jerez winner Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) taking home 25 points as those three scored zero, Zarco then went past and took second place and 20 points – moving him up to second overall at the head of the pack chasing Marquez.
Rossi. Photo: Movistar Yamaha MotoGP If that wasn’t enough, Le Mans was also the stage for Zarco’s first premier class podium after coming home second last season as a rookie. That was behind the battle royal at the front between Movistar Yamaha MotoGP teammates Valentino Rossi and eventual victor Maverick Viñales, with Le Mans often suiting the M1 and the two in a league of their own. After a tougher start to the season this year, both will be aiming to repeat their 2017 feats, although Rossi would like to write a different ending.
Marc Marquez. Photo: Honda Racing For those in the Jerez incident, a different ending to their front-running pace is exactly the ticket. Pedrosa won at the venue in 2013 and he will be stronger once again as he recovers from his broken wrist, and Dovizioso hailed big steps forward in pace found in Jerez, even saying their competitors should start getting a little nervous.
Lorenzo, too, made a huge leap forward, leading more than half the Spanish GP and some updates making a difference for the ‘Spartan’. He has also won at the track five times in the premier class, including by two huge margins: 17.7 seconds in mixed conditions in 2009, and 10.6 seconds in 2015 in the dry. For the Majorcan, it’s a good place for the paddock to return to.
STIFF COMPETITION
Cal Crutchlow. Photo: LCR Honda Castrol There is a lot of competition this season, however. Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) will be gunning for the front after a crash in Jerez despite starting on pole, and Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Racing) and team-mate Jack Miller are doing much more than making up the numbers in the front fight. And what about Team Suzuki Ecstar? Alex Rins crashed out in Spain despite showing great pace, but Andrea Iannone took his second podium in a row for the first time in his career, making it three rostrums in a row for Suzuki for the first time in a decade. The Hamamatsu factory is on a roll.
In Jerez, that was also true for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing. The Austrian factory fielded test rider Mika Kallio as a wildcard in Jerez on an early 2019 version of the RC16 and the results were impressive. Although that won’t be rolled out just yet, Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith both showed big progress in Andalucia back on more familiar ground – could another top ten be on the cards?
Source: motogp.com
