Team Suzuki Press Office – September 23.
Andrea Iannone: 10th – 1’48.289 / +0.654
Alex Rins: 20th – 1’49.233 (Q1)
After a first day marked by rain, today the sunshine popped out on the Motorland circuit and the MotoGP riders were able to complete two sessions in favourable conditions.
The two Team SUZUKI ECSTAR riders worked hard to find the best set-ups for the race with the short time they had. Andrea Iannone managed to sneak into the top ten for tomorrow’s race, while Alex Rins, with some difficulties, had to settle for 20th place.
With a warmer temperature on the asphalt of the Aragonese circuit, Andrea Iannone managed to get directly into Q2 during Free Practice 3. His feeling with the bike has improved over the last races and the Italian rider was able to keep some soft rubber for the final round. In his attack against the stopwatch, Andrea gained a valuable tenth position that puts him in the fourth row of the grid.
Alex, on the other hand, had some difficulties finding the best set-up with the GSX-RR and was forced to compete in the Q1. He pushed with all his might but had to make do with the 20th position on the grid.
Davide Brivio – Team Manager
“With Andrea we managed to get into the top ten and I think that after the last races it is very positive sign. Tomorrow he will be better placed on the grid. We will see what steps we can take in the race regarding the pace. Today we were able to ride on dry conditions and we will have to evaluate what we can do to improve in the race, because there are some aspects in which we can do better. With Alex we were not able to do better, and we expected a better performance. With only one dry day and considering that he does not yet have so much experience, he was not able to get a better result. We will try to take advantage of the warm-up and take some steps to be more prepared for the race.”
Andrea Iannone
“I honestly think one or two tenths better and we could have gotten it, and we probably could have advanced some positions on the grid because the lap times were pretty tight. I failed in the T1 and I went long in the first corner; this is due to the fact that we are always at our limits and close to an error. I think we’re even closer than other tracks anyway. And this is more positive, besides I had fun riding and I feel I was able to try and push. We hope that tomorrow we can have a good race and be able to cut off a tenth more to be able to fight with the group.”
Alex Rins
“I am quite happy about how this second day has gone. Today was the first day on dry conditions and I have been struggling a bit, but then I have been improving and I have felt good with the bike. Let’s see if we can take a step forward tomorrow during the warm-up so we can be better prepared for the race.”
GP of Aragon – Qualifying classification:
1. Maverick VIÑALES, Movistar Yamaha MotoGP – 1’47.635
2. Jorge LORENZO, Ducati Team – 1’47.735 +0.100 / 0.100
3. Valentino ROSSI, Movistar Yamaha MotoGP – 1’47.815 +0.180 / 0.080
4. Cal CRUTCHLOW, LCR Honda – 1’47.830 +0.195 / 0.015
5. Marc MARQUEZ, Repsol Honda Team – 1’47.963 +0.328 / 0.133
6. Dani PEDROSA, Repsol Honda Team – 1’48.107 +0.472 / 0.144
7. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Ducati Team – 1’48.137 +0.502 / 0.030
8. Aleix ESPARGARO, Aprilia Racing Team Gresini – 1’48.159 +0.524 / 0.022
9. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Pull&Bear Aspar Team – 1’48.187 +0.552 / 0.028
10. Andrea IANNONE, Team SUZUKI ECSTAR – 1’48.289 +0.654 / 0.102
11. Johann ZARCO, Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – 1’48.402 +0.767 / 0.113
12. Mika KALLIO, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – 1’48.471 +0.836 / 0.069
13. Jack MILLER, EG 0,0 Marc VDS – 1’48.307 (Q1)
14. Pol ESPARGARO, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – 1’48.387 (Q1)
15. Karel ABRAHAM, Pull&Bear Aspar Team – 1’48.467 (Q1)
16. Danilo PETRUCCI, OCTO Pramac Racing – 1’48.908 (Q1)
17. Loris BAZ, Reale Avintia Racing – 1’48.911 (Q1)
18. Jonas FOLGER, Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – 1’49.034 (Q1)
19. Hector BARBERA, Reale Avintia Racing – 1’49.052 (Q1)
20. Alex RINS, Team SUZUKI ECSTAR – 1’49.233 (Q1)
21. Tito RABAT, EG 0,0 Marc VDS – 1’49.258 (Q1)
22. Scott REDDING, OCTO Pramac Racing – 1’49.288 (Q1)
23. Bradley SMITH, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – 1’49.578 (Q1)
24. Sam LOWES, Aprilia Racing Team Gresini – 1’50.769 (Q1)
