Submitted by David Emmett on
Results and summary of qualifying for the Moto2 class at Motegi:
Pol Espargaro has secured his 5th pole position of the season, posting a scorching lap at the end of a session he had controlled almost throughout. Espargaro's best lap destroyed the existing Moto2 pole record by well over a second, and putting him well ahead of Marc Marquez, the championship leader having no reply to the pace of Espargaro. Tito Rabat took 3rd, Espargaro's HP Tuenti teammate having an outstanding weekend in Japan and grabbing a front row start into the bargain. Scott Redding heads up the 2nd row, nearly four tenths off the pace of Espargaro, but still two tenths quicker than Tom Luthi, who will start from 5th. Johann Zarco rounds out the second row, and will start from 6th.
Results:
Pos | No. | Rider | Bike | Time | Diff | Diff Previous |
1 | 40 | Pol ESPARGARO | KALEX | 1'50.886 | ||
2 | 93 | Marc MARQUEZ | SUTER | 1'51.023 | 0.137 | 0.137 |
3 | 80 | Esteve RABAT | KALEX | 1'51.156 | 0.270 | 0.133 |
4 | 45 | Scott REDDING | KALEX | 1'51.273 | 0.387 | 0.117 |
5 | 12 | Thomas LUTHI | SUTER | 1'51.481 | 0.595 | 0.208 |
6 | 5 | Johann ZARCO | MOTOBI | 1'51.640 | 0.754 | 0.159 |
7 | 38 | Bradley SMITH | TECH 3 | 1'51.736 | 0.850 | 0.096 |
8 | 60 | Julian SIMON | SUTER | 1'51.740 | 0.854 | 0.004 |
9 | 18 | Nicolas TEROL | SUTER | 1'51.977 | 1.091 | 0.237 |
10 | 24 | Toni ELIAS | KALEX | 1'51.980 | 1.094 | 0.003 |
11 | 30 | Takaaki NAKAGAMI | KALEX | 1'52.038 | 1.152 | 0.058 |
12 | 3 | Simone CORSI | FTR | 1'52.052 | 1.166 | 0.014 |
13 | 49 | Axel PONS | KALEX | 1'52.061 | 1.175 | 0.009 |
14 | 72 | Yuki TAKAHASHI | FTR | 1'52.098 | 1.212 | 0.037 |
15 | 36 | Mika KALLIO | KALEX | 1'52.223 | 1.337 | 0.125 |
16 | 81 | Jordi TORRES | SUTER | 1'52.239 | 1.353 | 0.016 |
17 | 15 | Alex DE ANGELIS | FTR | 1'52.309 | 1.423 | 0.070 |
18 | 29 | Andrea IANNONE | SPEED UP | 1'52.353 | 1.467 | 0.044 |
19 | 77 | Dominique AEGERTER | SUTER | 1'52.536 | 1.650 | 0.183 |
20 | 95 | Anthony WEST | SPEED UP | 1'52.686 | 1.800 | 0.150 |
21 | 88 | Ricard CARDUS | AJR | 1'52.781 | 1.895 | 0.095 |
22 | 19 | Xavier SIMEON | TECH 3 | 1'52.921 | 2.035 | 0.140 |
23 | 63 | Mike DI MEGLIO | KALEX | 1'53.180 | 2.294 | 0.259 |
24 | 23 | Marcel SCHROTTER | BIMOTA | 1'53.182 | 2.296 | 0.002 |
25 | 14 | Ratthapark WILAIROT | SUTER | 1'53.206 | 2.320 | 0.024 |
26 | 22 | Alessandro ANDREOZZI | SPEED UP | 1'53.256 | 2.370 | 0.050 |
27 | 75 | Tomoyoshi KOYAMA | SUTER | 1'53.299 | 2.413 | 0.043 |
28 | 8 | Gino REA | SUTER | 1'53.413 | 2.527 | 0.114 |
29 | 31 | Kohta NOZANE | FTR | 1'53.505 | 2.619 | 0.092 |
30 | 20 | Jesko RAFFIN | KALEX | 1'54.352 | 3.466 | 0.847 |
31 | 82 | Elena ROSELL | SPEED UP | 1'54.674 | 3.788 | 0.322 |
32 | 57 | Eric GRANADO | MOTOBI | 1'55.057 | 4.171 | 0.383 |
Comments
Of course
The lap record was crushed. We're nearly a full season into 1000cc rules and Motegi is a track where horsepower counts. Be interesting to see whether the 5 year old circuit record at Phillip Island falls as easily.
Moto 2 bikes are fitted with
Moto 2 bikes are fitted with nominally identical 600cc engines.
With control rubber from Dunlop cutting a second of last years pole time is an achievement for both the rider & chassis constructor.
Tires
I think the tires keep improving every year as well, so it's an achievement for riders, chassis constructors and for Dunlop. :)
Another example of ........
what it means to be Dorna's next " big thing ".
http://www.crash.net/motogp/news/185059/1/moto2_kallio_torpedoed_in_suic...
Or does having the right passport have an influence on the imposition of penalties ? He can't get a grid penalty like in PI last year...........he has to win this year by hook or by crook.
Kallio torpedoed?
Kiwi has raised a point made by An Other website in which it is claimed Mika Kallio was "torpedoed" by Marc Marquez in FP3. Kallio later claimed the impact bent the swing-arm of his bike. Fortunately, someone has posted video of the incident on You-Tube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=yK5ctaWTSrI
I think if the swing-arm in Kallio's bike was bent following this incident, it was most likely as a result of the bike thrashing itself onto the tarmac on its side.
While I do not condone any of the dangerous moves Marquez has pulled in the past, I do not think this was one of them. It seems Marquez had a faster exit line from the left-hander, which allowed him to get inside Kallio going into the next right-hander. Compounding the situation was Kallio being a fraction slower in the transition from left to right, so that when he finally did tip it in, he was dropping down onto the front of Marquez' bike.
I have serious doubts that Marquez' team is playing fair with the source code in its ECU, which has allowed Marquez to use superior top speed to make most of his passes this year, but I do not think he can be villified in this incident. Once Kallio rolled in on top of him, there was not a whole lot he could have done.