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october 05, 2019 - KTM
Brave Espargaro makes thai Grand Prix G2 and fills 11th spot on the grid
Heat, humidity and stormy conditions were three ingredients that contributed to a close-run day of Free Practice and Qualification at the Chang International Circuit for the fifteenth round of nineteen in 2019 #motogp. The PTT Thailand Grand Prix represented only the second visit to the country by the FIM #motogp World Championship. Red Bull KTM tackled the new layout in Buriram, renowned already for it’s flat mix of fast straights and twisty sections, back to a two-rider roster with #polespargaro courageously returning to competitive duty less than two weeks after surgery to repair a fractured left radius bone.
Despite some discomfort the Spaniard was still able to circulate at a competitive rate. After morning rainfall the Q1 and Q2 sessions were run in the dry and Espargaro forced his way through to Q2 with a lap just over two tenths of a second behind Danilo Petrucci. Biding his time until the end of the Q2 chrono – that was marked with several crashes by other riders – Pol nursed his wrist and a medium rear tyre to classify just ahead of his brother in 11th. Tomorrow the 26 lap race of the 4.6km course will present a whole new challenge.
Teammate #mikakallio was attempting just his second Grand Prix as a full-time replacement rider and spent two days searching for optimum rear grip but without much success. The Fin will head into the Grand Prix from 21st.
Miguel Oliveira took his Red Bull KTM Tech3 RC16 to 17th place on the grid. The Portuguese missed the Q2 cut-off by just eight tenths of a second and will start tomorrow’s race from the sixth row. Teammate Hafizh Syahrin is 22nd.
Pol Espargaro: “11th and not too bad for tomorrow’s race and, considering the injury, it is great to be here and to reach Q2. I’m satisfied. I have pain and the wrist is not normal and you have the sensation that something on your body is not working well but in the end I could manage to make an ‘ok’ lap in qualifying. I expected a little bit better but it was already a lot compared to how I was ten days ago! I don't know how I will manage the race and which riders I will be fighting with. It looks like I will be close to my brother. I will take some painkillers and try to take it easy at the beginning of the race, try to be with low tension and nerves. I don't want to push at the beginning and struggle at the end; that would be stupid. Less for more.”
Mika Kallio: “Unfortunately I am struggling a lot to get some grip on the rear. In Aragon I was not that happy and here it is even worse. We need to see what we can do tomorrow but we don't have that much time any more. Maybe we can still try something: we will anyway because there is nothing to lose and hopefully we can be better in the race. Somehow we need to catch the grip.”
Miguel Oliveira: “To be honest, this was not the best Qualifying for us. All weekend, we are struggling with the rear therefore I couldn’t go as fast as I wanted. I’m quite disappointed about this small detail, which costs us a few tenths. It’s not ideal, but as always, we will try our best tomorrow in the race.”
Hafizh Syahrin: “It’s a big shame to see our final position in Qualifying but the pace we had in FP4 today and also in the Q1 itself, made me feel good. I was only missing a few tenths to improve my place but tomorrow is race day, which is more important. So, I hope I can be even more focused tomorrow and be ready for the race, which for sure will be hot and very long.”
Moto2 & Moto3
In Moto2 Red Bull KTM’s Brad Binder – winner of the last Grand Prix in Aragon – registered the 12th best time in Qualification 2 but was upstaged by teammate Jorge Martin who was 3rd fastest. The 2018 Moto3 World Champion and Moto2 rookie celebrated his first front row and highest Saturday effort of the season. SKY #racing Team VR46’s Celestino Vietti used his KTM RC4 to earn a first career Pole Position in Moto3 while Gaviota Angel Nieto Team’s Albert Arenas was also on the Buriram front line.
Pol Espargaro KTM RC16 MotoGP Thailand 2019-3
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Hafizh Syahrin KTM RC16 MotoGP Thailand 2019
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Hafizh Syahrin KTM RC16 MotoGP Thailand 2019-1
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Miguel Oliveira KTM RC16 MotoGP Thailand 2019
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Miguel Oliveira KTM RC16 MotoGP Thailand 2019-1
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Mika Kallio KTM RC16 2019 Thailand MotoGP
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