Determined Kent claims hard fought top 15 at Motorland Aragon

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A determined display from Tech 3 Racing Team rider Danny Kent secured the British a hard earned third points scoring finish of the 2013 Moto2 World Championship in Spain today.

In cloudy and windy conditions that were significantly cooler than Friday and Saturday at the Motorland Aragon, Kent recovered brilliantly from a disappointing start from 16th on the grid to fight his way into the points from outside of the top 20.

It looked like his hard charge back through the field would leave him just outside the points in 16th position but an incident packed final lap that saw San Marino experienced Alex De Angelis tumble out of top 10 contentions secured Kent his first points scoring finish since a season best of 12th in Brno last month.

Teammate Louis Rossi enjoyed a positive opening to the 21-lap encounter and after starting in 23rd position he was quickly into a fast rhythm and within five laps he had moved into the top 20.

The French rider led the Mistral 610 challenge until Kent found a way through on lap nine and he eventually finished in a respectable 18th position, which ensured him his highest finish since he was 13th in the historic Dutch TT at Assen in late June.

The Tech 3 Racing Team now heads off on the grueling flyaway triple header in Malaysia, Australia and Japan looking foward to finish the 2013 championship with a series of strong performances from Kent and Rossi.

Danny Kent 15th – 8 points :
“I was terrible at the start and it was probably my worst first lap in Moto2. The wind had picked up from this morning’s Warm-up session and I made a couple of big mistakes on the first lap while I was trying to adapt to the conditions. I scored a point, unfortunately a lot of people crashed but that can happen in racing, and I will take a top 15 finish after another difficult weekend. We worked really hard to find a good set-up with the bike and never really found it, so to claim one point is not a bad outcome and hopefully I can be stronger at the flyaways on tracks I really like.”

Louis Rossi 18th – 4 points :
“I think a top 15 finish was possible today and at least Danny got in the points, which is a positive result for the team. I made a mistake and nearly crashing out that's why I lost the contact with the group five laps from the end and that was a bit frustrating. I pushed at my maximum until the chekered flag and it waf really positive to gain one more place when I passed Cardus at the final corner. Even if It is not a fantastic result it's still better than what I expected after a difficult practice and qualifying. Now I am looking forward to the final four races where I will give it my all to finish the season on a high level.”

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Crutchlow and Smith take valuable points at Motorland Aragon

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The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team celebrated one of its best double finishes of the season at the Motorland Aragon track this afternoon, with Cal Crutchlow racing to sixth spot and teammate Bradley Smith finishing in a fantastic seventh position.

Crutchlow was one of the main protagonists in the most enthralling battle of a dramatic 23-lap race, as the British rider fought superbly for third position with Valentino Rossi, Alvaro Bautista and Stefan Bradl throughout.

The 27-year-old displayed typical fighting spirit to keep himself locked in the battle right down to the last lap, though he was just unable to force his way into contention to claim a fifth podium of the campaign.

Crutchlow’s sixth position saw him pick up 10 more precious World Championship points that keep him firmly in control of fifth place in the rankings and on course to end 2013 as the leading non-factory rider.

Today’s race, which took place in the coolest conditions of the weekend, saw rookie Smith deliver one of his most impressive performances of the season.

Taking full advantage of improved braking performance after tweaking his riding style earlier this weekend, Smith finished in a terrific seventh position. The highlight of his race was his excellent charge away from experienced rival Andrea Dovizioso after passing the Italian on lap three.

The 22-year-old maintained a consistent pace throughout the race and one pleasing aspect of his performance today was he managed to finish just over 30 seconds behind eventual winner Marc Marquez. That improvement on recent races bodes well for the final races of the campaign, which includes three back-to-back flyaway races in Malaysia, Australia and Japan.

Cal Crutchlow 6th – 156 points :

"I am not unsatisfied with a top 6 result this weekend, I just think we are far from where we should be and that is clearly because we are lacking speed. We lose more than 10km/h every single lap on the straight and in acceleration and that is not good for us, we honestly don’t know why also because we used a new engine since this morning and I really don’t need to find excuses because you could clearly see it on TV how much I was struggling. In any case we can still take quite a few positives out of this weekend, we had two days of track time less than the others and we don’t have the seamless gearbox but we were still able to finish just 1,5 seconds behind Valentino, so we have not done a bad job. Now I am looking forward to the overseas and I am confident we can still fight for the podium this season."

   

Bradley Smith 7th – 80 points :

"The positive point of today is that we scored our best result since Sachsenring and altogether it was good to stay in front of the Ducatis and especially to pull away from them at the end of the race was a nice feeling. I still believe that we have some more potential to improve our race setting . This will surely be our main aim for the flyaway races and I have no doubt that we will progress is this area. But all in all I can’t be unsatisfied with this weekend, especially considering how tough Friday was, when things did not really go according to plan, so to travel to Malaysia with a 7th position in my luggage is not too bad."

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Marquez takes sixth win and extends lead after incident with Pedrosa

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Championship leader Marc Marquez, starting from pole for the seventh time this season, extended his Championship lead with a fantastic win - his sixth of the season, but en route he and teammate Dani Pedrosa touched on lap six and as a result, Dani crashed out of the race.

Marc and Dani slipped back to 2nd and 3rd on the first lap but they both chased Lorenzo down and Dani set a new fastest race lap on lap two with 1'48.565. Dani passed Marc on lap five and the two Repsol Honda riders began to catch Lorenzo. It was during this chase that in the back straight, Marc and Dani briefly touched and during the contact, Marc caught a cable on Dani's real wheel and it snapped - disabling Dani's traction control and causing him to crash.

It is another disappointing blow for Dani in his bid to become World Champion. He remains on 219 points, 59 points off leader Marc on 278 points with four rounds remaining, Lorenzo is on 239 points - 39 off Marc.

Marc Marquez

“Today was a very gruelling race, because I had to make two comebacks; the first was to catch Jorge after he broke free at the start, then I needed to make another after Dani passed me and I wanted to overtake him after two laps. I felt comfortable but I went a little wide under braking, lifted the bike up and made light contact with him. I'm not sure he even noticed it, but it was a bit of bad luck because the team told me I caused his traction control cable to snap and I'm sorry for that - it's something very unusual to see. The important thing is that Dani is OK. I was eventually able to overtake Jorge and take the victory, which is important in terms of both the 25 points and for my morale"

Dani Pedrosa

“Fortunately I'm fine physically. I took a heavy knock to my hip and my groin area, but I was unable to escape relatively unhurt from what was a big crash. Marc went in too wide on the corner entry, clipped me from the outside and I went flying when I got on the gas. My mechanics told me later that the traction control cable had been cut by the contact"

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Double Podium for Yamaha at Aragon GP

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Defending world champion Lorenzo made a flying start from second on the grid to lead the MotoGP field into turn one with rivals Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa in pursuit. The Mallorcan’s stunning first lap pace saw a one second gap created as they headed into the second lap. Pedrosa and Marquez remained hot on the heels of Lorenzo until with 18 laps to go the two chasing riders made contact, Marquez running wide and Pedrosa crashing out. With ten laps to go Marquez caught and passed Lorenzo, but was unable to pull away as the reigning champion tucked in behind to give chase. Lorenzo eventually crossed the line in second, just 1.3 seconds back from Marquez.

Teammate Rossi held his fourth grid position off the line and into turn one, closely followed by Alvaro Bautista and Stefan Bradl. The nine-time world champion, promoted to third by Pedrosa’s crash, was able to hold the provisional podium spot until a late attack by Bautista with six laps remaining. The fight for third ran until the penultimate lap, Rossi making the decisive move through the uphill section of the track to retake the final podium spot and hold it to the line.

The race result keeps Lorenzo in second in the standings, 20 points ahead of Pedrosa and 39 behind Marquez in the lead. Rossi remains in fourth place after his podium finish, now on 185 points, 29 clear of Cal Crutchlow in fifth.

Jorge Lorenzo

“My tactic was to start well and open a gap like I did in the last races. I could make one second at the beginning but then simply Marc was faster. When he caught me I closed the throttle to try to save some energy until the end; then he passed me and tried to go away. I tried my best to catch him but it was impossible. Today he was faster than me; there are no excuses. We have to congratulate him and now we think about the next races. The championship is more difficult now than before the race but we are going to fight for it until the end. We will try to win as many races as possible.”

Valentino Rossi

“Third position is positive, to be on the podium is good. I expected to go a little bit faster after the practice this morning where I was very strong. I decided for the hard front tyre whilst Marc and Jorge went for the soft and I think it was a better choice for this afternoon as I was a little bit slower. In the end the third position is very positive.”

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Stefan Bradl Enjoys Last Lap Battle with Rossi and Bautista

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LCR Honda’s Stefan Bradl raced amongst the protagonists once again in today’s 23-lap race at Aragón Motorland exciting his squad and his fans with a breath-taking last lap which saw him challenging Rossi and Bautista till the chequered flag. The German had realistic podium aspirations after his impressive pace throughout the weekend and today’s positive performance reflects a return to strong form for the 23-year-old.

Stefan Bradl: 

“Probably it was an exciting race to watch and it was fun also for me. Overall we had a good weekend and a good race although I lost the last-lap battle with Rossi and Bautista but I am happy anyway. Of course I was dreaming about the podium as we were fast and consistent over the three days, but Alvaro was very strong in the last lap. After Silverstone and Brno tough weekends, our performance is getting stronger and stronger and I gained more confidence on the bike. I only need some more experience to manage the last laps and the drop of the tyres but we took the right direction”.

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MotoGP Aragon Race Result

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1 Marc MARQUEZ Repsol Honda Team
2 Jorge LORENZO Yamaha Factory Racing
3 Valentino ROSSI Yamaha Factory Racing
4 Alvaro BAUTISTA GO&FUN Honda Gresini
5 Stefan BRADL LCR Honda MotoGP
6 Cal CRUTCHLOW Monster Yamaha Tech 3
7 Bradley SMITH Monster Yamaha Tech 3
8 Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati Team
9 Nicky HAYDEN Ducati Team
10 Andrea IANNONE Energy T.I. Pramac Racing
11 Aleix ESPARGARO Power Electronics Aspar
12 Yonny HERNANDEZ Ignite Pramac Racing
13 Randy DE PUNIET Power Electronics Aspar
14 Hiroshi AOYAMA Avintia Blusens
15 Claudio CORTI NGM Mobile Forward Racing
16 Colin EDWARDS NGM Mobile Forward Racing
17 Luca SCASSA Cardion AB Motoracing
18 Bryan STARING GO&FUN Honda Gresini
19 Lukas PESEK Came IodaRacing Project
Not Classified
 Hector BARBERA Avintia Blusens
 Dani PEDROSA Repsol Honda Team
 Damian CUDLIN Paul Bird Motorsport
 Danilo PETRUCCI Came IodaRacing Project
 Michael LAVERTY Paul Bird Motorsport

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Moto2 Aragon Race Result

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1 Nicolas TEROL Aspar Team Moto2
2 Esteve RABAT Tuenti HP 40
3 Pol ESPARGARO Tuenti HP 40
4 Scott REDDING Marc VDS Racing Team
5 Mika KALLIO Marc VDS Racing Team
6 Jordi TORRES Aspar Team Moto2
7 Johann ZARCO Came Iodaracing Project
8 Julian SIMON Italtrans Racing Team
9 Mattia PASINI NGM Mobile Racing
10 Sandro CORTESE Dynavolt Intact GP
11 Takaaki NAKAGAMI Italtrans Racing Team
12 Marcel SCHROTTER Maptaq SAG Zelos Team
13 Dominique AEGERTER Technomag carXpert
14 Alex MARIÑELARENA Blusens Avintia
15 Danny KENT Tech 3
16 Axel PONS Tuenti HP 40
17 Gino REA Gino Rea Montaze Broz Racing
18 Louis ROSSI Tech 3
19 Ricard CARDUS NGM Mobile Forward Racing
20 Roman RAMOS JiR Moto2
21 Alberto MONCAYO Argiñano & Gines Racing
22 Doni Tata PRADITA Federal Oil Gresini Moto2
23 Robin MULHAUSER Technomag carXpert
24 Thitipong WAROKORN Thai Honda PTT Gresini Moto2
25 Rafid Topan SUCIPTO QMMF Racing Team
Not Classified
 Alex DE ANGELIS NGM Mobile Forward Racing
 Anthony WEST QMMF Racing Team
 Simone CORSI NGM Mobile Racing
 Azlan SHAH IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia
 Ezequiel ITURRIOZ Blusens Avintia
 Thomas LUTHI Interwetten Paddock Moto2 Racing
 Xavier SIMEON Maptaq SAG Zelos Team
 Steven ODENDAAL Argiñano & Gines Racing

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Moto3 Aragon Race Result

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1 Alex RINS Estrella Galicia 0,0
2 Maverick VIÑALES Team Calvo
3 Alex MARQUEZ Estrella Galicia 0,0
4 Luis SALOM Red Bull KTM Ajo
5 Miguel OLIVEIRA Mahindra Racing
6 Philipp OETTL Tec Interwetten Moto3 Racing
7 Jonas FOLGER Mapfre Aspar Team Moto3
8 Romano FENATI San Carlo Team Italia
9 Arthur SISSIS Red Bull KTM Ajo
10 Efren VAZQUEZ Mahindra Racing
11 Alexis MASBOU Ongetta-Rivacold
12 Brad BINDER Ambrogio Racing
13 Jack MILLER Caretta Technology - RTG
14 Niccolò ANTONELLI GO&FUN Gresini Moto3
15 Livio LOI Marc VDS Racing Team
16 Eric GRANADO Mapfre Aspar Team Moto3
17 Francesco BAGNAIA San Carlo Team Italia
18 Isaac VIÑALES Ongetta-Centro Seta
19 Bryan SCHOUTEN Dutch Racing Team
20 Ana CARRASCO Team Calvo
21 Niklas AJO Avant Tecno
22 Jasper IWEMA RW Racing GP
23 John MCPHEE Caretta Technology - RTG
24 Hyuga WATANABE La Fonte Tascaracing
25 Luca AMATO Ambrogio Racing
26 Lorenzo BALDASSARRI GO&FUN Gresini Moto3
27 Alessandro TONUCCI La Fonte Tascaracing
28 Juanfran GUEVARA CIP Moto3
29 Maria HERRERA Junior Team Estrella Galicia 0,0
Not Classified
 Zulfahmi KHAIRUDDIN Red Bull KTM Ajo
 Matteo FERRARI Ongetta-Centro Seta
 Florian ALT Kiefer Racing
 Toni FINSTERBUSCH Kiefer Racing
 Jakub KORNFEIL Redox RW Racing GP
 Alan TECHER CIP Moto3

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Lorenzo and Rossi on Fire at Aragon Qualifying

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Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo has taken second on the grid for tomorrow’s Gran Premio Iveco de Aragon after an intense 15 minute battle at the Motorland circuit this afternoon. The defending world champion was the first rider to set a time this afternoon, putting down a 1’48.241 to set the early pace at the front. He went on to improve with a 1’48.201 before relinquishing the top spot to Stefan Bradl with nine minutes remaining and returning to the pits for a fresh rear qualifying tyre. He was back out on track with just over five minutes remaining and became one of the key protagonists in an incredible fight for pole that saw multiple riders firing into the red as the lap times dropped into the 1’47s. Provisional pole was taken again then lost in the last seconds by just 0.010 seconds to rival Marc Marquez.

Teammate Valentino Rossi enjoyed his best qualifying experience of the year this afternoon, taking fourth on the grid for tomorrow’s race, just 0.158 seconds from pole position. The nine-time world champion waited in the pits for a minute at the start of the session, allowing the traffic of riders to leave before entering a relatively empty track space to focus on a lap time. He immediately fired off a 1’48.415 before improving again with a 1’48.366. Rossi then returned to the pits for fresh rubber and was back out again with five minutes remaining. The improvements continued as he began to threaten for provisional pole with red splits, dropping to a final time of 1’47.962 to take fourth on the grid, just 0.005 seconds behind Dani Pedrosa in third.

Jorge Lorenzo

“I knew I made a really good lap and I hoped to be in first position but I knew the other riders would be very close or in front of me. Finally for ten tenths of a second I lost it. I tried my best but I made a mistake in the first corner and lost one or two tenths so lost pole position. One thing is to make one fast lap, another is to make fast laps for the whole race. In the last practice before qualifying we found something extra for pace so we are stronger in one lap and also for the pace for the race. If the race remains in dry conditions it will be a good race.”

Valentino Rossi

“I have a good feeling and I’ve improved my pace a lot and braking ability also. We have also improved the rear grip over long distance. I’m so happy because it was a great qualifying for me and I enjoyed it a lot. The level was very high and we were just one tenth from pole position, so we are all together. We have to see what the conditions are tomorrow; for sure today they helped us. With a few less degrees we are more competitive with the Yamaha. My pace is very similar to Jorge and Marquez and Pedrosa but we know that they are very fast so to try and stay with them I have to improve again tomorrow.”

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Double Repsol Honda Front Row at Aragon

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Marc Marquez has taken his seventh pole position of the season for tomorrow's Aragón GP, recording a time of 1'47.804, and comfortably broken Casey Stoner's record from 2011 (1'48.451). Marc waited until the last minute to set his fastest lap, recording the time on lap seven of eight, and beating Lorenzo to the front spot on the grid by just 0.010s.

Teammate, Dani Pedrosa, will  start on the front row from 3rd position after also recording provisional pole and breaking Casey's record himself with a time of 1'47.957, taken on lap three of seven. Tyre degradation will be a key factor for tomorrow's 23 lap race that will start at 14h00 local time.

Marc Marquez

“It was a very closely fought qualifying session. We were able to get maximum performance from the tyres, which was the key to this pole position. Small details decided things this afternoon. I am happy, because we were able to achieve our aim of a front row start and to have the pole is a bonus. Tomorrow it will be important to get a good start and keep calm in the early laps, with the intention of taking the race to Jorge and Dani"

Dani Pedrosa

"Even though the position on the grid maybe doesn't reflect it, today we had a good qualifying session. We did a good job today and a lap time that I'm pleased with, for tomorrow the key will be to have a good start as the first corner is very close to the start, so I want to have a strong first few laps and maintain a good pace for the whole race. The tyre wear will be crucial so it's also important to manage them for the race distance"

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Yonny Hernandez misses out on Q2 by three-tenths of a second

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Yonny Hernandez will start tomorrow’s race from row 5 of the grid, a position he conquered at the end of Q1 today. The second day of action at the MotorLand Aragon circuit in Spain saw the Colombian rider set a best time of 1’50.685, which meant that he just missed out on entering the Q2 session by three-tenths of a second.

Damp track conditions at the circuit following overnight rain led most of the premier class riders to delay their entry onto the track for this morning’s third free practice session, valid for the line-up for Aragon GP qualifying in the afternoon. Luckily a gradual improvement of the track conditions allowed the afternoon sessions to go ahead as normal.

Yonny Hernandez – Ignite Pramac Racing Team

“I’m pleased with how the day went. I feel better every time I go out on the track, as the feeling keeps improving. Now I have to understand the tyres, as I still don’t know where the limit is. Tomorrow is still an unknown; I don’t have a real goal apart from finding the right rhythm, finishing the race and understanding how the bike and tyres behave. So far, I still haven’t done more than 17 or 18 laps at a time, but there will be 23 tomorrow. I feel good physically, and I’m happy with the work the team and I are doing together. I’ll try my best tomorrow.”

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Andrea Iannone on the fourth row again

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Thanks to a best time of 1:50.094 recorded during today’s Q2 session, Andrea Iannone will start tomorrow’s race at MotorLand Aragon from the 12th position on the grid.

Like most of the premier-class riders, Andrea had sat out much of FP3 due to the damp track surface, a result of the rain that had fallen during the night. He only headed out on track approximately 10 minutes from the end of the session and completed a total of seven laps, and the conditions didn’t allow him to improve his 1:50.727 time from yesterday’s FP2. As a result, he didn’t transfer directly into Q2.

The work carried out in the Energy T.I. Pramac Racing Team garage during the subsequent FP4 session enabled the Italian to gain the necessary confidence for tackling Q1 with determination, and he moved on to the second and decisive qualifying session.

Andrea Iannone – Energy T.I. Pramac Racing Team

Unfortunately, we weren’t able to ride much this morning. That would’ve been useful, but anyway I can say that the day went well. We’ve improved our pace since this morning. I felt better lap by lap, and in fact we made it into Q2. I still don’t feel perfect, as the rear is sliding and I can’t find the right grip to attack these long corners as I’d like. As a result, I can’t take full advantage on acceleration, maybe also due to my riding style. Braking performance has improved quite a bit though, and that showed in today’s times. We did a good job, and we’ll continue on this path.”

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Alvaro Bautista Second Row at Aragon Grid

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Alvaro Bautista produced a determined performance in qualifying practice to secure a second row start for the Grand Prix of Aragon at Motorland tomorrow. After overnight rain left the track damp for free practice this morning the Spanish rider did not have the required track time to improve his set-up sufficiently but still starts from an ecouraging sixth position, giving himself the opportunity to fight near the front tomorrow. Bryan Staring is also looking forward to the race after a solid weekend so far on the CRT bike. 

Alvaro Bautista (6° 1’ 48” 302) “We didn't go out this morning because the track conditions after the rain were such that we couldn't get any useful feedback from either the wet or dry tyres so it meant we had to do all our work in the afternoon. Final free practice didn't go well so we went out in qualifying with the setting from yesterday and set a good time. The pace from the other guys was very fast though and we have had to settle for sixth place and a second row start tomorrow. I am still happy with the lap time and my feeling on the bike. It was important to qualify well here because the first turn is very tight and even though it won't be easy I think we can be fighting for fourth or fifth place.”

Bryan Staring (21st 1’ 52” 102) “I am pretty happy because in comparison to yesterday I have a better feeling with the bike and I am sure we can improve even more for the race. The goal is to make up as many positions as we can and close in on the points.”

Fausto Gresini “It is nice to be on the second row here in Spain. We had to work hard for it because the pace was so hot but Alvaro did a great job to lap just half a second off the pole time. It is particularly positive for us because this is a track where we have struggled in the past. Tomorrow won't be an easy race and tyre wear will be an issue for everybody but it should make for a hard battle and Alvaro has good potential.”

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Crutchlow and Smith confident for Motorland Aragon race

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Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team riders Cal Crutchlow and Bradley Smith head into tomorrow’s Gran Premio IVECO de Aragon confident they can secure a double top 10 finish in what promises to be an exciting 23-lap MotoGP battle.

A fastest lap of 1.48.653 in QP2 this afternoon will see Crutchlow start from seventh position on the grid, the British rider unfortunately unable to continue an excellent qualifying record in 2013 that had seen him qualify inside the top five in 13 previous attempts this season.

The 27-year-old’s quickest lap still ensured he was the fastest rider that didn’t attend a test session at the Motorland Aragon track back in June and he remains optimistic that a 10th top six finish of an outstanding season is well within his grasp.

Teammate Bradley Smith enjoyed a superb second day at the 14th round of the World Championship campaign. Overnight rain left the track littered with damp patches this morning and prevented Smith from trying to climb into the top 10 at the end of FP3 to move immediately into QP2.

The 22-year-old dominated QP1 with a best time of 1.49.724 and he then shaved off almost a second in the second 15-minute session to secure a grid position just one place behind Crutchlow in eighth.

His personal best time of 1.48.854 was just over a second off pole position and a fraction outside of 0.2s of the more experienced Crutchlow, with Smith emphatically proving his 13th position yesterday did not accurately show his true potential.

With tweaks to his riding style paying off immediately today, Smith is now full of confidence that he can battle for a ninth top 10 finish of an impressive rookie premier class campaign.

Cal Crutchlow 7th 1.48.653 – 8 laps :

“I can’t be happy to have missed out on a top six grid position for the first time this season. Qualifying just didn’t go according to plan and I feel we picked the wrong bike. We had a choice of two different settings and unfortunately we chose the wrong one. And on the three laps where I was really pushing for a time I didn’t nail any of them. I made a small mistake on each lap and that is the reason why I am only seventh on the grid, which is a bit disappointing because I was proud of the fact that I’d qualified in the top five in every race before this weekend. A good start is going to be crucial to try and go with the leading group but coming from seventh means I am expecting a very difficult race.”

Bradley Smith 8th 1.48.854 – 8 laps :

“The last two races have been pretty dismal, so it is great for me to be able to turn it around this weekend. I said yesterday that I didn’t feel 13th was a true reflection of my potential and thankfully I was able to show that was the case today. The bike felt great and I have to say a massive thanks to my Monster Yamaha Tech 3 crew. We had a long meeting last night and there were a lot of positive things that came out of it. I was able to change my riding style like they suggested and I got more feeling from the bike and the lap time was a big step from yesterday. Eighth is the position where I expect to be given the competitiveness of the package I am on. Today I got the good feeling back with the bike that I had in Brno and now I am really excited for the race. Tyre life will be the key tomorrow but hopefully I can race in front of the bikes of Dovizioso and Hayden and not behind them.”

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Moto2 Aragon QP Result

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1 Nicolas TEROL Aspar Team Moto2 1'53.812
2 Esteve RABAT Tuenti HP 40 1'53.985
3 Pol ESPARGARO Tuenti HP 40 1'54.294
4 Takaaki NAKAGAMI Italtrans Racing Team 1'54.398
5 Jordi TORRES Aspar Team Moto2 1'54.564
6 Simone CORSI NGM Mobile Racing 1'54.595
7 Julian SIMON Italtrans Racing Team 1'54.601
8 Alex DE ANGELIS NGM Mobile Forward Racing 1'54.634
9 Sandro CORTESE Dynavolt Intact GP 1'54.687
10 Johann ZARCO Came Iodaracing Project 1'54.690
11 Thomas LUTHI Interwetten Paddock Moto2 Racing 1'54.694
12 Mattia PASINI NGM Mobile Racing 1'54.709
13 Scott REDDING Marc VDS Racing Team 1'54.743
14 Xavier SIMEON Maptaq SAG Zelos Team 1'54.878
15 Mika KALLIO Marc VDS Racing Team 1'55.010
16 Danny KENT Tech 3 1'55.026
17 Alex MARIÑELARENA Blusens Avintia 1'55.032
18 Anthony WEST QMMF Racing Team 1'55.083
19 Dominique AEGERTER Technomag carXpert 1'55.087
20 Marcel SCHROTTER Maptaq SAG Zelos Team 1'55.137
21 Gino REA Gino Rea Montaze Broz Racing 1'55.638
22 Ricard CARDUS NGM Mobile Forward Racing 1'55.876
23 Louis ROSSI Tech 3 1'56.073
24 Axel PONS Tuenti HP 40 1'56.081
25 Roman RAMOS JiR Moto2 1'56.193
26 Azlan SHAH IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia 1'56.221
27 Steven ODENDAAL Argiñano & Gines Racing 1'56.585
28 Robin MULHAUSER Technomag carXpert 1'56.956
29 Alberto MONCAYO Argiñano & Gines Racing 1'57.005
30 Thitipong WAROKORN Thai Honda PTT Gresini Moto2 1'57.053
31 Doni Tata PRADITA Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 1'57.078
32 Rafid Topan SUCIPTO QMMF Racing Team 1'57.492
33 Ezequiel ITURRIOZ Blusens Avintia 1'58.554

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MotoGP Aragon QP Result

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Q2
1 Marc MARQUEZ Repsol Honda Team 1'47.804
2 Jorge LORENZO Yamaha Factory Racing 1'47.814
3 Dani PEDROSA Repsol Honda Team 1'47.957
4 Valentino ROSSI Yamaha Factory Racing 1'47.962
5 Stefan BRADL LCR Honda MotoGP 1'48.128
6 Alvaro BAUTISTA GO&FUN Honda Gresini 1'48.302
7 Cal CRUTCHLOW Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1'48.653
8 Bradley SMITH Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1'48.854
9 Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati Team 1'49.219
10 Aleix ESPARGARO Power Electronics Aspar 1'49.348
11 Nicky HAYDEN Ducati Team 1'49.428
12 Andrea IANNONE Energy T.I. Pramac Racing 1'50.094

Q1  
1 Bradley SMITH Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1'49.724
2 Andrea IANNONE Energy T.I. Pramac Racing 1'50.394
3 Yonny HERNANDEZ Ignite Pramac Racing 1'50.685
4 Hiroshi AOYAMA Avintia Blusens 1'50.995
5 Danilo PETRUCCI Came IodaRacing Project 1'51.030
6 Randy DE PUNIET Power Electronics Aspar 1'51.297
7 Colin EDWARDS NGM Mobile Forward Racing 1'51.327
8 Claudio CORTI NGM Mobile Forward Racing 1'51.519
9 Hector BARBERA Avintia Blusens 1'51.552
10 Michael LAVERTY Paul Bird Motorsport 1'51.639
11 Bryan STARING GO&FUN Honda Gresini 1'52.102
12 Luca SCASSA Cardion AB Motoracing 1'52.305
13 Lukas PESEK Came IodaRacing Project 1'52.989
14 Damian CUDLIN Paul Bird Motorsport 1'53.521

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Moto3 Aragon QP Result

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1 Alex RINS Estrella Galicia 0,0 1'58.571
2 Maverick VIÑALES Team Calvo 1'59.273
3 Alex MARQUEZ Estrella Galicia 0,0 1'59.282
4 Philipp OETTL Tec Interwetten Moto3 Racing 1'59.906
5 Efren VAZQUEZ Mahindra Racing 1'59.932
6 Jonas FOLGER Mapfre Aspar Team Moto3 2'00.156
7 Miguel OLIVEIRA Mahindra Racing 2'00.221
8 Luis SALOM Red Bull KTM Ajo 2'00.275
9 Arthur SISSIS Red Bull KTM Ajo 2'00.337
10 Jakub KORNFEIL Redox RW Racing GP 2'00.362
11 Zulfahmi KHAIRUDDIN Red Bull KTM Ajo 2'00.378
12 Alexis MASBOU Ongetta-Rivacold 2'00.498
13 Romano FENATI San Carlo Team Italia 2'00.818
14 Brad BINDER Ambrogio Racing 2'00.850
15 Niccolò ANTONELLI GO&FUN Gresini Moto3 2'00.858
16 Ana CARRASCO Team Calvo 2'00.954
17 Francesco BAGNAIA San Carlo Team Italia 2'01.026
18 Livio LOI Marc VDS Racing Team 2'01.030
19 Toni FINSTERBUSCH Kiefer Racing 2'01.081
20 Jack MILLER Caretta Technology - RTG 2'01.104
21 Alan TECHER CIP Moto3 2'01.138
22 Jasper IWEMA RW Racing GP 2'01.144
23 Isaac VIÑALES Ongetta-Centro Seta 2'01.302
24 Alessandro TONUCCI La Fonte Tascaracing 2'01.464
25 Eric GRANADO Mapfre Aspar Team Moto3 2'01.520
26 Niklas AJO Avant Tecno 2'01.607
27 John MCPHEE Caretta Technology - RTG 2'01.623
28 Florian ALT Kiefer Racing 2'01.836
29 Lorenzo BALDASSARRI GO&FUN Gresini Moto3 2'02.150
30 Luca AMATO Ambrogio Racing 2'02.192
31 Maria HERRERA Junior Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 2'02.194
32 Bryan SCHOUTEN Dutch Racing Team 2'02.227
33 Hyuga WATANABE La Fonte Tascaracing 2'02.284
34 Matteo FERRARI Ongetta-Centro Seta 2'02.351
35 Juanfran GUEVARA CIP Moto3 2'02.442

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Folger battles pain to lap eleventh fastest at Aragon

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After undergoing surgery on his fractured ankle last Monday MAPFRE Aspar rider Jonas Folger was back on his bike today and managed to rack up nineteen laps. Jonas was given a painkilling injections this morning and after a difficult first session he underwent intense physio over lunch and was a bit more comfortable in the afternoon, allowing him to set the eleventh fastest time as well as the highest top speed (228.8 km/h). MAPFRE Aspar Team rookie Eric Granado admitted he was surprised by how technical Motorland is, having struggled to adapt today and only managing the 34th fastest time.

11th Jonas Folger 2.01.302 (19 laps): 

“After a long and busy day my ankle is quite painful and as soon as I stop moving it starts to burn. I had an injection in the affected area this morning and it allowed me to ride all day so I am happy because my pace was good. Now I need to keep working on the ankle this evening. If I am not on the bike I am undergoing physio and trying to get it fixed as quickly as possible. We didn't touch the bike setting today, just tried some different tyres, so it is good that we have something that seems to work.”

34th Eric Granado 2.03.434 (25 laps): 

“I didn't get to do many laps this morning because we had a problems with the gearbox. I spent time in the afternoon riding alone trying to get my references but I struggled to get into any kind of rhythm. Unfortunately at a Grand Prix you have to be on the pace straight away but I have found it difficult to get up to speed here at Aragón. I didn't have a good feeling with the bike and started to lose confidence. The only good thing today is that we tried a new fairing that seems to work well.”

Mapfre Aspar Moto3 Press Release

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Stefan Bradl Starts Aragon GP with an Encouraging Second

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The Aragón GP opening day saw LCR Honda’s Stefan Bradl in a brilliant form setting the 2nd quickest lap time of the combined Friday timesheet with a steady performance (1’49.119) which is 0.132s slower than today’s pace setter Marc Marquez. In the last Misano race, the German riding the RC213V scored points for the 10th time in a row (the only one in 2013 so far) showing his progression and determination to challenge the top group after the first podium in the US.

Stefan Bradl

“It was a good first day for us because we achieved a good position and we are very close to the top guys. Secondly I am very happy with the bike right now: we have a kind of combination of settings which includes also Aragon test set up and Misano set up. We have a good feedback from both rear and front tyres and I can push to the limit so I am satisfied about our pace so far. Let’s see what is going to happen tomorrow but I am pretty optimistic”.

LCR Honda Press Release

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Both Lorenzo and Rossi Need Improvement on Aragon Practice

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Yamaha Factory Racing riders Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi got down to business again today in the first two free practice sessions for this weekend’s Gran Premio Iveco de Aragon.

Fresh from his two consecutive race victories, reigning world champion Jorge Lorenzo was quick to make his intentions clear in the morning session - challenging championship rival Marc Marquez for the top spot on the timesheets - and eventually emerging the faster at the end of the 45 minute session with a 1’49.753. The afternoon saw the competition catch up

 as the times dropped into the 1’48s, Lorenzo eventually wrapping up day one in fourth place overall, 0.418 from the top.

Rossi was quickly up to a competitive pace in the first session, the nine-time world champion completing the morning practice in fifth position, 0.746 seconds from the front. The Italian then struggled with a number of different issues in the afternoon, including a brake problem and a lack of grip which prevented both him and teammate Lorenzo from realising their full potential. Rossi finished the day in seventh, 0.922 seconds from the top.

Jorge Lorenzo

“We hoped to improve the bike from the morning but we couldn't do it. I have a worse feeling than when we were here for the test. We have to keep working to improve the bike and the pace. The other riders are improving their pace a lot but we are optimistic. We can improve the bike and make another step. We need to be competitive whether it is hot or not.”

Valentino Rossi

“We struggled more than we expected. In the test the track had different conditions and more grip, the temperature was lower and it was better. Today we suffered quite a lot, especially this afternoon I had quite a lot of issues, especially one with the brakes and I lost nearly half the practice. At the end I used the second bike and made some laps to find the rhythm. We have to improve and go faster but at this moment after some laps the rear tyre starts to slide a lot and the bike becomes difficult to control.”

Yamaha Factory Racing Press Release

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