Category: Crew On Two

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Moto3: Arbolino Becomes First Repeat Winner of 2019

Still in the grips of the European heatwave, Assen was already roasting by the time the Moto3 riders rolled out for the start of the eighth race of their 2019 World Championship.

Niccolo Antonelli and his Sic58 Squadra Corse teammate, Tatsuki Suzuki, led the way in the very early stages, whilst Kaito Toba (Honda Team Asia) and the two VNE Snipers bikes of Tony Arbolino and Romano Fenati also looked strong.

The group was, as was to be expected, encompassing of almost the entire field. Even after five laps, twenty-six riders could have been classed in the ‘front group’, and from there it was only retirements which split the group.

Eventually, Jakub Kornfeil (Redox PruestelGP) was gifted an advantage at the front thanks to action in the final chicane. Unfortunately for the Czech rider, his victory hopes were dashed by a long-lap penalty, a sanction which he was not the first to receive in the race after several riders found themselves taking the long route at Osserbroeken.

Kornfeil’s penalty left Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing) out front from Tony Arbolino, whilst Kornfeil dropped back into third place and within reach of the group behind.

Dalla Porta had a reasonable gap to Arbolino, but with the tow and target of his compatriot, Arbolino was able to set the fastest lap of the Grand Prix on the penultimate tour, which set up an all-Italian last lap scrap for the win.
Arbolino tried to pass in turn seven, but that was a strong point for Dalla Porta.

Tony Arbolino winner of the Moto3 2019: Round Eight – Assen, Netherlands. Image courtesy of HondaNews.eu

The #14’s attempt forced him wide and cost him time, but by Mandeveen the leading two were together once more, and Arbolino was in the prime position to try to pass in the Ramshoek, which he did with complete finesse, running wide on the exit to protect the inside line at the chicane, forcing Dalla Porta to the outside. Dalla Porta had a better run through the chicane, but it was not enough to deny Arbolino, who became the first rider to win two races in 2019, and the first rider to repeat victory in thirteen Moto3 Grands Prix.

In taking his second win of the year, and beating Dalla Porta for the second time in a last lap fight, Arbolino confirmed his status as a championship challenger and, although he does not hold the points lead – partly thanks to his breakdown in Barcelona – perhaps he does have the biggest target on his back ahead of Sachsenring.

Dalla Porta will be disappointed to miss the victory when it was so close, but after a difficult weekend for the Italian he will be content to take points out of the championship lead of Aron Canet (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) who finished down in twelfth, meaning the gap is trimmed by sixteen points with one race before the summer break.

Jakub Kornfeil, Moto3 race, Dutch MotoGP 2019. Image courtesy of Gold and Goose/KTM

Kornfeil was able to break away from the group after his long lap penalty and secure his first podium of the season, which he deserved after a strong weekend at a track which is perhaps not best suited to the KTM which tends to struggle in the long corners.

Gabriel Rodrigo (Kommerling Gresini Moto3) finished fourth, despite dropping as low as twentieth at times, whilst John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) rounded out the top five. Ai Ogura (Honda Team Asia) was sixth over the line, ahead of Marcos Ramirez (Leopard Racing) and Niccolo Antonelli (Sic58 Squadra Corse) who appeared to take the long lap penalty for no reason which dropped him back to the lower reaches of the top twenty before fighting back to eighth. Dennis Foggia (Sky Racing Team VR46) and Alonso Lopez (Estrella Galicia 0,0) completed the top ten.

Romano Fenati looked very strong in the first half of the race but dropped back to eleventh in the end, ahead of the aforementioned Aron Canet who will need to bounce back in Sachsenring. Kazuki Masaki (BOE Skull Rider Mugen Race) was in twenty-fifth when the front group contained twenty-six riders, but he stayed on the bike and came through to finish thirteenth for three points, ahead of Filip Salac (Redox PruestelGP) and Sergio Garcia (Estrella Galicia 0,0).

Can Oncu (Red Bull KTM Ajo) was another rider to receive a long lap penalty and finished sixteenth, ahead of Ayumu Sasaki (Petronas Sprinta Racing) who had the mother of all rear-end saves early in the race. Makar Yurchenko (BOE Skull Rider Mugen Race) finished 12.984 seconds off the win in eighteenth.

Andrea Migno (Bester Capital Dubai) remounted after a crash for nineteenth, ahead of Stefano Nepa (Reale Avintia Arizona 77) and Riccardo Rossi (Kommerling Gresini Moto3) who was yet another rider to take the long lap loop. Wildcard Ryan van der Lagemaat (Qnuim Racing) was twenty-second ahead of Tom Booth-Amos (CIP Green Power) who was the final classified rider in twenty-third.

Surprisingly, it took until seven laps from the flag before there was a retirement, as Jaume Masia (Bester Capital Dubai) dropped out with mechanical problems and Albert Arenas (Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team) crashed out.

Tatsuki Suzuki (Sic58 Squadra Corse) dropped out on the next lap and was involved in an incident where Kaito Toba (Honda Team Asia) clipped the back wheel of Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46) in De Strubben. Vietti and Toba went down and Suzuki had nowhere to go, and neither did Raul Fernandez (Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team) who was also caught up in the incident. Fernandez, Toba and Vietti all got back to the pits but were unable to continue.

Darryn Binder (CIP Green Power) made his presence known, as usual, in the group, sending riders wide at almost every opportunity. He eventually crashed at De Strubben with four laps to go.

Featured image courtesy of Gold and Goose/KTM

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Moto2: Fernandez Takes Debut Win as Carnage Impacts Front Group

The eighth round of the 2019 Moto2 World Championship saw a strong battle at the front between as many as nine riders for almost the duration of the race. Eventually, it was Augusto Fernandez (Flexbox HP 40) who came out on top for his first Grand Prix win.

Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) took the early lead with the holeshot, and led from pole sitter Remy Gardner (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team). Binder’s lead lasted for more than half the race, whilst the group battled behind. The South African had a quick bike and minimal corner speed. He was riding the KTM like a Ducati MotoGP bike, hitting the brakes late, stopping in the mid-corner and firing the bike out. It was a strategy that was crucial to his race, because his rivals had superior pace.

Brad Binder, Moto2 race, Dutch MotoGP 2019. Image courtesy of Gold and Goose/KTM

This became clear when Binder was able to pull a gap of almost one second to the group behind thanks to their battling. However, with Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) in second place Binder’s advantage was gone in one lap, and Lorenzo Baldassarri (Flexbox HP 40) had come along with Augusto Fernandez, too.

Marquez was able, eventually, to pass Binder, and with four laps to go had a chance to break away. However, Baldassarri got past Binder, too, and closed down Marquez. Two laps from the flag, Baldassarri tried to make his move – one that both he and teammate Fernandez had pulled off several times before in the race – by cutting to the inside at Osserbroeken. This time, though, it did not work for Baldassarri, who folded the front and took Marquez with him. Six of the first seven races had been won by Baldassarri and Marquez, and now they were both out (also bringing to an end Marquez’ run of consecutive race wins stretching back to Le Mans in the middle of May).

That left Fernandez out front from Binder, who had almost no grip on the KTM. Of course, in the final two laps Binder would try to close down the Spaniard, but it was not possible.

Fernandez took his first ever GP win, in the same vein as Takaaki Nakagami three years ago. The #40 rider had looked aggressive all race long, if frustrated by the limiting pace of Binder out front. The Spaniard was nearly out at De Strubben just a few laps before Baldassarri cleaned out Marquez and handed him the win, when he lost the front in the middle of the corner after passing Binder in Osserbroeken. It was impressive enough that Fernandez should stay on the bike so to come away with twenty-five points is remarkable.

KTM finally took their first podium of 2019 thanks to a fantastic ride by Brad Binder. His second place is the result of a perfect strategic play, Dovizioso-esque, and some luck courtesy of Baldassarri. It will be interesting now to see whether this latest update from KTM is something that will work in other tracks, too, and if they are finally on the right direction back to the front of Moto2.

The carnage at the end of the race meant that Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46), who dropped in and out of the front group as the race went on, was able to come away with a rostrum. After Baldassarri and Marquez crashed, Marini had to hold of Tom Luthi (Dynavolt Intact GP) who had been forced backwards when he was caught up in the crash of Xavi Vierge (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) at De Strubben when the Spaniard had his bar taken away by Fernandez. Vierge’s bike was in the middle of the track and, whilst Luthi hit it, he did not go down. Marini was successful in his defence and, despite another up-and-down weekend for the Italian he was able to take his second podium of the season.

Tom Luthi at the 2109 Moto2 race at Assen TT. Image courtesy of KF GLAENZEL/Dynavolt Intact GP

Luthi was unfortunate to be involved in the Vierge crash, although not as unfortunate as Enea Bastianini (Italtrans Racing Team) who was unsighted behind Luthi and went down as a result after yet another strong ride for the rookie. However, with the no-score of Marquez Luthi’s fourth place takes him to the top of the championship ahead of Sachsenring.

Tetsuta Nagashima (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) spent most of the race just off the back of the leading group, which in the end got him fifth place and his best result in the Moto2 World Championship simply by avoiding trouble. Similarly, Andrea Locatelli (Italtrans Racing Team) got promoted to sixth place with the absence of the leaders in the final laps. Stefano Manzi (MV Agusta Idealavoro Forward) was able to come from last on the grid (courtesy of a penalty for his hand in taking IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia’s Dimas Ekky out of the weekend) to seventh – his equal best finish in Moto2 (the other coming in Silverstone 2017). Marcel Schrotter (Dynavolt Intact GP) received a long lap penalty and finished in eighth, ahead of Dominique Aegerter (MV Agusta Idealavoro Forward) and Marco Bezzecchi (Red Bull KTM Tech3) who scored his first points and first top ten in Moto2.

Fabio Di Giannantonio (Beta Tools Speed Up) took an early trip through the gravel and finished eleventh, whilst Jake Dixon (Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team) picked up his first Moto2 World Championship points in twelfth. Lukas Tulovic (Kiefer Racing) was another first-time World Championship points scorer in thirteenth, whilst Iker Lecuona (American Racing) finished fourteenth after a crash and Joe Roberts (American Racing) took the final point in fifteenth.

Steven Odendaal (NTS RW Racing GP) was sixteenth, ahead of Jonas Folger (Petronas Sprinta Racing) and Xavi Cardelus (Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team) who was the final finisher in eighteenth.

Bo Bendneyder (NTS RW Racing GP) had a home race to forget as he was taken out in an incident with Simone Corsi (Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2) and Nicolo Bulega (Sky Racing Team VR46) who also both retired. Remy Gardner seemed to have a gearbox issue and crashed out at the chicane, before Jorge Navarro (Beta Tools Speed Up) ended his run of top tens and joined Gardner in the final chicane gravel one lap after the Australian. Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) crashed out in an incident with Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) whilst the pair were running in the front group – Martin later retired when he lost the rear of the KTM into Osserbroeken. It was a shame for both Martin and Lowes, who were having their best respective rides of 2019. Enea Bastianini was taken out in the aforementioned crash of Xavi Vierge, before Alex Marquez was taken out by Baldassarri.

Featured Image courtesy of Gold and Goose/KTM

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MotoGP: Vinales Wins Dutch TT as Marquez Extends Points Lead – part two

Continuing from part one the racing  further down the pack the 2019 Assen TT Motogp race was just exciting.

In Assen, the Ducati bikes suffered because of a lack of grip in the heat. All three GP19 riders – Dovizioso, Petrucci and Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) – commented that the heat of the afternoon affected the feeling of the bike a lot. When the Desmosedici has little rear grip it cannot make use of its biggest weapon – its engine – and without this it is too weak on a circuit like Assen where so much time is spent where it does not like to be, on the side of the tyre.

Franco Morbidelli, Dutch MotoGP 2019. Image courtesy of Yamaha Racing

Danilo Petrucci appeared to slumber in the final corner, and that allowed Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha MotoGP) to make a neat lunge on his inside at the final corner for fifth place, the Italian’s best result in MotoGP and a good response to Barcelona when he crashed twice, including that huge high side at turn thirteen on Saturday. Morbidelli was also very strong at the end of the race, and faster than Mir, Petrucci and Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda CASTROL) who were ahead of him. He passed all three between lap twenty-one and twenty-six, although he ran out of time to think about Dovizioso.

Danilo Petrucci took sixth place as a result of Morbidelli’s last corner move after battling with Dovizioso for most of the race whilst suffering the same grip issues as the #04.

Cal Crutchlow passed Joan Mir on lap twenty-five. He might have been able to go with Morbidelli, but had to go wide in turn one after the Italian had passed him to avoid the #21 which cost him 2.5 seconds to the satellite Yamaha. It had been a difficult weekend in entirety for Crutchlow, who was 1.2 seconds off pole (despite being sixth) and suffered with grip, like the Ducati riders, in the afternoon.

Joan Mir was eighth for his equal best result in MotoGP. The rookie’s short battle with the two factory Ducati was somewhat reminiscent of the battle between Bradley Smith – then on Tech3 Yamaha – and the two factory Ducati bikes, then of Dovizioso and Nicky Hayden, at the 2013 Dutch TT. Unlike Mir, Smith came out on top, but the Ducati was a much different machine then, Suzuki didn’t exist in MotoGP and Smith finished ninth, behind Aleix Espargaro on the Aspar CRT Aprilia, 33.751 seconds off the pace. In comparison, Mir’s eighth was 24.268 seconds off the win, fifteen seconds off the podium.

Jack Miller’s ninth place was his worst finishing position of the season, but also only his fifth finish from eight races. Miller’s style has often not suited the flowing tracks, and with Ducati this is emphasised. When you look at his best results of the season (third in Texas, fourth in Le Mans and fourth in Argentina) you see that they are ones with some hard braking and, in the case of Argentina, where the bike spins a lot. They are tracks where you can make lap time without using the edge of the tyre.

Andrea Iannone (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) took his first top ten with Aprilia, which was a welcome result after a difficult start to life in Noale, although the weekend was a strong one from The Maniac despite starting down in twentieth.

Pol Espargaro durring the 2019 MotoGP race at Assen TT, Netherlands. Image courtesy of Boerner T/KTM

Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was eleventh and once again the top KTM. The Spaniard said he would only ride if there was a chance of points such was the pain he was in to ride as a result of his Barcelona testing crash.
Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) was also in pain to ride after he was hit by Bradley Smith at Barcelona. The Catalan rode with a reported broken femur and a bone edema to twelfth place, ahead of Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech 3). Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing) was in the top ten before rear tyre problems dropped him to fourteenth, ahead of Hafizh Syahrin (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) who completed the points.

Tito Rabat (Reale Avintia Racing) finished sixteenth, whilst Karel Abraham (Reale Avintia Racing) remounted after a crash to finish one lap down in seventeenth.

After Alex Rins dropped the #42 Suzuki on lap three, Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) ended yet another miserable weekend in the gravel to DNF a third consecutive race for the first time since 2011. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda IDEMITSU) was the unfortunate victim of Rossi’s crash, as the Italian was trying to pass Nakagami when he fell at turn eight. Nakagami was rag-dolled quite heavily. Rossi went to check he was okay whilst the Japanese was lying in the gravel trap next to the barrier, and after a trip to the medical centre the #30 was declared fit and will be okay to ride at Sachsenring.

Johann Zarco (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was the final retirement, when he pulled the KTM into pit lane ten laps from the flag.

Image courtesy of Yamaha Racing

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BSB: First British Championship Pole for Fores at Torrential Knockhill

Despite the hot conditions of Friday, rain delayed the start of British Superbike qualifying in Knockhill, for round five of the 2019 series.

The qualifying became one single session, in comparison to the usual three-session format.

Xavi Fores (Honda Racing) took pole position, his first in BSB. Knockhill is a peculiar circuit, so to take pole position there with wet conditions and a bike which is not considered among the best is quite impressive.

Keith Farmer (Tyco BMW Motorrad) qualified second but a late crash means his ability to start tomorrow’s race is uncertain. In any case, it is the best qualifying result for the 2019 S1000RR.

Danny Buchan (FS-3 Racing Kawasaki) would have been on pole position courtesy of his time in FP3 had qualifying been cancelled. As it was, the Essex rider was able to set the third-fastest time so will start from the front row in race one.

Tarran Mackenzie at BSB Knockhill 2019. Image courtesy of Impact Images/ McAMS Yamaha

Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) qualified fourth ahead of what will be an important pair of races tomorrow. The #95 didn’t score in Brands Hatch thanks to his qualifying crash, so needs to score well tomorrow to get his championship back on track. Andrew Irwin (Honda Racing) and Christian Iddon (Tyco BMW Motorrad) will join Mackenzie on the second row.

The rookie Luke Stapleford (Buildbase Suzuki) qualified seventh in his first full-wet session on a Superbike. The 2015 British Supersport Champion will be joined by Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) and fellow rookie, the hydrophilic Ben Currie (Quattro Plant JG Speedfit Kawasaki), on the third row.

Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Racing) was the top Ducati and heads up row four from Dan Linfoot (Santander Salt TAG Yamaha) and the historically hydrophobic Luke Mossey (OMG Racing Suzuki); whilst row five sees Bradley Ray (Buildbase Suzuki) ahead of James Ellison (Smiths Racing) and four-time 2019 winner Josh Brookes (Be Wiser Ducati).

Brookes’ teammate, Scott Redding (Be Wiser Ducati) also had a difficult session as he learned the Pirelli wet tyres for the first time. The ex-MotoGP rider qualified sixteenth, and will be joined by Claudio Corti (Team WD-40) and Peter Hickman (Smiths Racing) who normally shows better than eighteenth in the wet – or any conditions for that matter.

Joe Francis (Lloyd & Jones Bowker Motorrad) qualified inside the top twenty for the second time in his rookie BSB campaign as he took the nineteenth fastest time on the 2018-spec S1000RR. The #40 will be joined on row seven by Glenn Irwin (Quattro Plant JG Speedfit Kawasaki) and Matt Truelove (Raceways Yamaha).

David Allingham (EHA Yamaha), Josh Elliott (OMG Racing Suzuki) and Dean Hipwell (CDH Racing) make up row eight, whilst the remaining riders – Fraser Rogers (Gearlink Kawasaki), Sam Coventry (Team 64 Motorsports), Dean Harrison (Silicone Engineering Racing) and Shaun Winfield (Santander Salt TAG Yamaha) – were all outside the 107% cut-off time.

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Moto2: Gardner Takes First Career Pole

The Moto2 World Championship qualifying for the 2019 Dutch TT got underway in the middle of the European heatwave.

The air was hot, the track was hot and so was Lorenzo Baldassarri’s pace at the beginning of Q1 for the Flexbox HP 40 squad, as he went to the top. At the top was where the Italian would stay, and he was joined in moving through to Q2 by Jorge Navarro (Beta Tools Speed Up), Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) and Nicolo Bulega (Sky Racing Team VR46).

In Q2 it was Remy Gardner (OMEXOX TKKR SAG Team) who continued his table-topping form from FP3 to take his first career front row and pole position, ahead of Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Xavi Vierge (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) who has seen a return to form in Holland to start from the back of the front row.

The winner of the last three races, Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) will start from the head of row two ahead of Sam Lowes and top rookie Fabio Di Giannantonio (Beta Tools Speed Up); whilst Jorge Navarro (Beta Tools Speed Up) will start from seventh ahead of Tom Luthi (Dynavolt Intact GP) and Enea Bastianini (Italtrans Racing Team).

Andrea Locatelli (Italtrans Racing Team) completes the grid’s top ten and heads up row four from Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46) and Marcel Schrotter (Dynavolt Intact GP); whilst Augusto Fernandez (Flexbox HP 40) heads up row five ahead of Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Tetsuta Nagashima (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) who was strong in the first part of the lap but continually missed out in the second half.

Lorenzo Baldassarri (Flexbox HP 40) crashed in the beginning of Q2 and despite being able to get back out on track was unable to better his Q1 time and qualified just sixteenth. The Italian will be joined on the sixth row by Iker Lecuona (American Racing) and Nicolo Bulega (Sky Racing Team VR46).

Dominique Aegerter (MV Agusta Idealavoro Forward) was the fastest rider to not make Q2 and will start from nineteenth ahead of Somkiat Chantra (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia) and Marco Bezzecchi (Red Bull KTM Tech3).

Marco Bezzecchi KTM Moto2 TT Circuit Assen 2019. Image courtesy of Gold and Goose/KTM

Jonas Folger (Petronas Sprinta Racing) will start from twenty-second, ahead of Bo Bendsneyder (NTS RW Racing GP) and Jake Dixon (Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team) who is for the first time at a track he knows in 2019. Simone Corsi (Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2) will start from twenty-fifth, ahead of Lukas Tulovic (Kiefer Racing) and Joe Roberts (American Racing) on the ninth row.

Row ten sees Steven Odendaal (NTS RW Racing GP) ahead of Xavi Cardelus (Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team) and Stefano Manzi (MV Agusta Idealavoro Forward) who received a back-of-the-grid penalty for causing Dimas Ekky’s practice two crash on Friday, which has taken the Indonesian out of the weekend.

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Moto3: Second 2019 Pole for Antonelli

The dry conditions of Friday remained on Saturday for the Moto3 World Championship, as the lightweight class riders qualified for the eighth round of the 2019 season.

Q1 saw Lorenzo Dalla porta (Leopard Racing) fire in a late lap to top the session, whilst his teammate, Marcos Ramirez (Leopard Racing), joined him in advancing to Q2 along with Alonso Lopez (Estrella Galicia 0,0) and Can Oncu (Red Bull KTM Ajo).

In Q2, it was Niccolo Antonelli (Sic58 Squadra Corse) who took his second pole position of the season, and the lap record with it. Two of the last three Moto3 races have been won from pole (John McPhee for Petronas Sprinta Racing in Le Mans and Tony Arbolino for VNE Snipers in Mugello) so there is a good chance for Antonelli to score his second win of the season tomorrow.

Kaito Toba was nearly able to give Honda Team Asia and their beautiful retro paint for this weekend pole position, but he missed his final lap. His first flying lap was enough for second place, though, so he will start from the middle of the front row tomorrow.

On the back of row one is Tony Arbolino, who was seventeenth until his final lap which put him third to ensure Toba is the Japanese meat in the Italian sandwich.

Row two is the inverse of row one, with Tatsuki Suzuki (Sic58 Squadra Corse) in fourth and Ai Ogura (Honda Team Asia) in sixth either side of fifth-placed Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46).

Jakub Kornfeil (Redox PruestelGP) has had a strong weekend but could only manage seventh on the grid ahead of the top two of the championship in reverse order, with Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing) in eighth ahead of Aron Canet (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) in ninth.

Gabriel Rodrigo (Kommerling Gresini Moto3) was fortunate to set a time at all with the state he got himself into in the final chicane on his first lap, but stayed on and his second run put him tenth ahead of Ayumu Sasaki (Petronas Sprinta Racing) and Raul Fernandez (Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team) on row four.

Row five sees Marcos Ramirez (Leopard Racing) ahead of Romano Fenati (VNE Snipers) and Kazuki Masaki (BOE Skull Rider Mugen Race); whilst Sergio Garcia (Estrella Galicia 0,0) is ahead of Jaume Masia (Bester Capital Dubai) and Albert Arenas (Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team) on row six.

Alonso Lopez at Assen TT Moto3 2019. Image courtesy of Box Repsol

Row seven sees Andrea Migno (Bester Capital Dubai) and John McPhee ahead of Dennis Foggia (Sky Racing Team VR46). Row eight is one of penalised riders, with Makar Yurchenko (BOE Skull Riders Mugen Race) ahead of Can Oncu (Red Bull KTM Ajo) bumped six places from seventeenth due to his causing of a big crash in Montmelo, and Alonso Lopez (Estrella Galicia 0,0) bumped six places for colliding with Aron Canet in free practice.

Darryn Binder (CIP Green Power) starts twenty-fifth ahead of Filip Salac (Redox PruestelGP) and Stefano Nepa who is replacing Vicente Perez at Reale Avintia Arizona 77 for the rest of the year. Tom Booth-Amos (CIP Green Power) heads up the last row, from wildcard Ryan van der Lagemaat (Qnuim Racing) and Riccardo Rossi (Kommerling Gresini Moto3).

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MotoGP: Third MotoGP Pole for Quartararo in Assen

Track temperatures approaching fifty degrees greeted the MotoGP riders when they went out for qualifying at Assen, the eighth round of the 2019 World Championship.

Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) was fifth in free practice three, but had his lap cancelled for exceeding track limits. Nonetheless, it was expected that the factory Yamaha rider would move through to Q2, because he had looked quite good on hot-lap speed through the weekend. However, the Italian was not fast enough, and it was Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) who went through with Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing).

Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) took the lap record and the third pole position of his rookie year in MotoGP with a 1’32.017. He nearly broke the 1’32 barrier on his final flying lap but missed out in the final sector. He then set his airbag off celebrating his pole. The Frenchman has had outstanding pace this weekend, and if he can get away and do his rhythm from the start he has a great chance of his first MotoGP win.

Maverick Vinales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) will line up second on the grid tomorrow after a superb lap from the Spaniard. If he makes a start he might be one of the only riders who can go with Quartararo.

Another rider to have a chance of going with Quartararo is Alex Rins, who went through qualifying one to qualify third. The TT Assen circuit suits the Suzuki and the Yamaha well, with the long flowing corners suiting the nimble, stable front ends on the YZR-M1 and the GSX-RR. Quartararo, Vinales and Rins made the most of this in this qualifying.

Whilst Assen works for Suzuki and Yamaha, it has not worked for Honda this year, with Jorge Lorenzo (Repsol Honda Team) out of the weekend after a big crash at turn seven on Friday. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) and Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda CASTROL), too, have been suffering with the front end of the 2019 RC213V this weekend which has visibly missed stability. Marquez, even, was unable to continue his one-hundred per cent front row record for 2019, and he lines up fourth for the 2019 Dutch TT, although his front end save in turn one was perhaps the highlight of the session.

With Marquez on the second row are Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda IDEMITSU) who was the second-fastest Honda on the 2018 version.

Cal Crutchlow was seventh fastest in Q2, ahead of the top Ducati, Danilo Petrucci (Mission Winnow Ducati) who was eighth. Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) completes row three.

Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) heads up row four from Andrea Dovizoso (Mission Winnow Ducati) who seemed to go backwards on Saturday. Pol Espargaro was twelfth-fastest.

Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing) lines up at the head of row five on Sunday, ahead of Valentino Rossi and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini); whilst Karel Abraham (Reale Avintia Racing) heads up row six from the two KTMs of Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech3) and Johann Zarco (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) who fell at De Strubben in the closing stages of Q1.

Hafizh Syahrin (Red Bull KTM Tech3) heads up the back row, from Andrea Iannone (Aprilia acing Team Gresini) who will be disappointed after a good weekend. Tito Rabat (Reale Avintia Racing) will start from last.

Featured Image courtesy of Yamaha Racing

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BSB: Can Ducati be Bested in Knockhill?

This weekend the British Superbike Championship heads to Scotland and Knockhill for round five of the 2019 season, with Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Racing) leading the general championship.

Despite holding the points lead, Bridewell is at a deficit to both Be Wiser Ducati riders, Josh Brookes and Scott Redding, in the podium points which will already hold a greater significance for these three riders at this stage of the season, such is the format of the championship. Since the podium points structure was changed to 5-3-1 (five for a win, three for second, one for third) a few years ago the importance of reaching the top step in the first part of the season has grown in importance, and it is something Bridewell is yet to do in 2019, nor has he achieved it in the BSB class in Knockhill.

Josh Brookes at BSB Brands Hatch 2019. Image courtesy of Ducati

In comparison, the Be Wiser duo have won each of the last seven races, with Brookes doubling in Oulton Park at round two, as well as last time out in Brands Hatch; whilst Scott Redding did the triple at Donington back in the end of May. It has been Bridewell’s consistency that has him at the top of the points, but the high peaks of the PBM riders have countered their troughs to allow them to be clear at the top of the podium points.

This weekend, with respect to the Ducati riders, will be an interesting one, as Knockhill is arguably the track at which the Panigale V4R is likely to have the least advantage compared to its rivals, such is the lack of time at full throttle at the Scottish track. That said, the anti-wheelie provided by the winglets will be of some help in the undulating front straight off the bottom-gear final corner. Furthermore, the Ducati’s advantage cannot be underestimated – not only has the V4R won the last seven races, it has taken fourteen of the last twenty-one podium positions and hasn’t been off the podium since race two in Silverstone. Even still, not only does Knockhill fail to play to Ducati’s biggest strength, but it has also never seen a victory by any of the Ducati riders expected to be fighting at the front this weekend, despite a plethora of podiums from Josh Brookes in Scotland throughout his BSB career.

Perhaps, then, this weekend could provide an opportunity for the non-Ducati riders to reclaim some ground. Particularly, Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) will be hoping to make the podium this weekend after his double-DNS last time out in Brands thanks to his qualifying crash and resulting concussion. In his home race, Mackenzie and his nimble Yamaha could have a strong chance to take it to the V4R and pick up their first win since Silverstone race two.

Additionally, Peter Hickman (Smiths Racing) will be hoping to arrive on the podium this weekend for the first time in 2019, as will the two Tyco BMW Motorrad riders, Christian Iddon and Keith Farmer. The three were quite well-matched in Brands Hatch, and the non-stop layout of Knockhill should suit the 2019 S1000RR and its sweet handling chassis well.

Tarran Mackenzie. Image courtesy of Impact Images Photography/McAMS Yamaha

In the absence of Mackenzie in Brands Hatch, it was Danny Buchan (FS-3 Racing Kawasaki) who was the ‘best of the rest’ behind the Ducati riders. Buchan went 3-3 last year in Knockhill, and will be looking to add to his two 2019 podiums achieved so far (3-3 in Oulton Park) this weekend, and to put Kawasaki on the top step for the first time in BSB this year.

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MotoGP: Marquez Leads the Pack to Assen

MotoGP heads to the Netherlands this weekend and the Circuit van Drenthe for the 70th Dutch TT at Assen, round eight of the 2019 World Championship.

Normally, arriving in Assen means uncertainty over the weather, but 2019 seems as though it will be as 2018, with no threat of rain and warm conditions throughout the weekend in stark contrast to the snow-affected Saturday of the Dutch World Superbike round back in April.

Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) arrives in Assen as the championship leader, having won four of the seven races so far in 2019. The Honda rider’s points lead grew much healthier last time out in Barcelona, when two of his three proposed rivals for the title failed to finish whilst the #93 took a comfortable win. Indeed, the reigning World Champion also won in Assen twelve months ago, in what was one of the most thrilling races of recent times with a group of eight riders battling it out for the win almost from lights to flag. But it was Marquez who made the escape, and at a track at which Marquez has won five times in his Grand Prix career – including twice in the premier class, 2014 and 2018 – stopping him from doing the same this weekend will be a tough ask.

Valentino Rossi on the grid at the 2019 Barcelona MotoGP race. Image courtesy of Yamaha Racing

Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) has ten wins in Assen, the last one coming back in 2017. Indeed, that 2017 triumph remains his latest, and ending the two-year wait for victory will not be easy this weekend. Whilst Marquez will surely be contending for the win on Sunday, things are less obvious with The Doctor, who has struggled for consistency with his YZR-M1. Only two podiums have come Rossi’s way in 2019 so far, the most recent at round three in Texas and, whilst it looked as though he would be in the fight for the rostrum last time out in Barcelona, his retirement on the second lap meant it was impossible to tell.

However, if the Yamaha works well this weekend, expect not only Rossi to be fighting at the front, but also his Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP teammate, Maverick Vinales, to be there as well. The Spaniard has only two wins in Assen, and they came back-to-back in 2011 and 2012 – the last ever 125cc Dutch TT and the first Moto3 World Championship race in the Netherlands. That said, in 2017 – when Rossi was victorious – Vinales had arguably the stronger pace, but a poor qualifying meant he was pushing hard to come through the field – too hard, and he crashed at the final chicane. Vinales’ poor qualifying has been a trait of his time at Yamaha, as have his poor starts. He finally made a good one in Barcelona, and looked to have the potential to fight for the podium in those early stages before his race was cut short, like Rossi’s, on the second lap.

Perhaps the biggest star of Catalunya was Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) who took pole in qualifying and finished the race in second place. The Frenchman’s first podium came arguably six weeks later than it should have, considering his pace in Jerez, but it came at the right time. Quartararo was on the podium in Assen in his first race there, back in 2015 in the Moto3 class as well as last year in the Moto2 race. The #20’s silky-smooth riding style has gelled well with the Yamaha this season, and after taking his fist podium in Montmelo, the first trip to the premier class top step will be on Quartararo’s agenda this weekend.

Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) has only three podiums in Assen, but that includes one last year when he was second only to Marc Marquez, and stuffed Maverick Vinales in the Ramshoek on the final lap. Rins had podium pace but not the straight line speed to get there in Barcelona – Danilo Petrucci’s Mission Winnow Ducati proving an intense annoyance for the Spaniard – but with the lack of emphasis on straight line performance in Assen there is a chance for Rins to return to the rostrum, and perhaps even add to his win tally this weekend at a circuit which should suit the Suzuki as well as the Yamaha, and for all the same reasons.

Whilst the low top speeds and limited number of hard accelerations, combined with the long, fast, flowing corners of Assen suit the Yamaha and Suzuki, they in theory work hard against the Ducati. The last podium for Ducati in Assen was 2017, with Petrucci – then on the satellite Pramac machine. In comparison, though, their last win in Holland was back in 2008 with Casey Stoner, and Andrea Dovizioso (Mission Winnow Ducati) has only three premier class podiums in Assen – one on Honda, one on Yamaha, and his only Dutch TT Ducati rostrum came in the mixed conditions of 2014. Last year the Desmosedici’s superior acceleration kept it in the podium fight, as Dovizioso was able to respond to overtakes in the final chicane immediately into turn one. This could prove the bane of Yamaha this year, but for Honda and Suzuki perhaps not, such have been their horsepower gains since 2018.

Featured image courtesy of Box Repsol

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Moto3: Assen Next Up with Canet on Top

The Moto3 World Championship heads to Assen this weekend, for the eighth round of the 2019 season following on from Marcos Ramirez’ (Leopard Racing) debut win two weeks ago in Montmelo.

Ramirez’ win was the fruit of his move back to Leopard Racing, with whom he fought for the 2016 CEV Moto3 Junior World Championship, and his first rostrum appearance since round one at Qatar. The result moved him up to eighth in the championship, fifty-four points off the top of the standings.

Marcos Ramirez winner of the Moto3 2019: Round Seven – Catalunya, Barcelona. Image courtesy of Hondanews.eu

Somewhat closer to the summit of the World Championship is Ramirez’ Leopard Racing teammate, Lorenzo Dalla Porta, who has returned to form in the last three races and was unfortunate to drop out of the Catalan GP his teammate won due to bike problems early on in the race. This weekend, the Tuscan will be after his first rostrum on Dutch soil and to close his twenty-three-point deficit to Aron Canet (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) who is atop the standings.

Canet’s first appearance in Holland was astonishing. He was the fastest rider throughout the weekend, then riding the Estrella Galicia 0,0 Honda, and should have had pole position but for a crash in the first part of qualifying which meant he started at the back. In the race, he charged through the pack and looked, despite the poor starting position, like he could challenge for the win, but a crash in the final chicane ended his chances. Canet seems reformed this season, having finished every race inside the points, and all but one (Argentina, where he was twelfth) inside the top ten. Additionally, Canet has been on the podium in three of the seven races so far, including one win in Texas. Another extension of his championship advantage this weekend would start to set off the alarms for his rivals.

Celestino Vietti in the Catalunya Moto3 race 2019. Image courtesy of Gold and Goose / KTM

Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46) made a last corner, last lap move for the final rostrum spot in Barcelona. It was his third podium in Grands Prix and his second of the season. Like Canet, Vietti has finished outside the top ten only once in 2019, back in Argentina. Vietti’s consistency in his rookie season in the World Championship means he currently sits fourth in the standings, only twelve points behind Dalla Porta in second and thirty-five away from Canet. It will be interesting to see how the Italian fares on his first visit to Assen, known not only for being one of the fastest, most exciting circuits of the year, but also one of the most difficult to learn.

Third in the championship at the moment is Niccolo Antonelli (Sic58 Squadra Corse), despite his absence from the podium this year barring his win in Jerez. It is Antonelli’s seventh season in Moto3, so he certainly won’t have the problem facing Vietti for this weekend. Instead, Antonelli’s issue this weekend could be the one which has seemed to face him throughout the year, and that is his mid-race pace. The Italian has tended to slip back in the pack in the middle part of the races this year, falling to the fringes of the top ten and outside of it. In Barcelona a mistake forced him down the order, and after recovering to eighth place the #23 ran wide in turn seven, and he finished eleventh. Antonelli has had the pace this year, but seemingly not the race-craft.

Keep an eye out for Jaume Masia (Bester Capital Dubai) this weekend. The Spaniard has been quite inconsistent this season, at least since the arrival of the championship in Europe. Whereas race-craft has been one of the weak points for Antonelli this year, for Masia it has been a strong point, with Mugello being a prime example when he came from an almost invisible race to land himself a podium spot with an excellent out-braking manoeuvre and some fantastic bike-placement on the final lap.

Alonso Lopez (Estrella Galicia 0,0), too, should be competitive this weekend after Celestino Vietti’s Catalan GP podium came at the expense of the Spaniard’s prospective third place, after he had led for much of the race.

Featured image courtesy of Gold and Goose/KTM

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