Lorenzo Duels in Dramatic Silverstone Qualifying

[totalmotorcycle]

#Lorenzo Duels in Dramatic @Silverstone Qualifying

@Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo took second place on the grid this afternoon in a dramatic duel for pole position ahead of tomorrow’s British Grand Prix at the Silverstone circuit. As usual Lorenzo was first out of the pit lane and onto the track as the 15-minute qualifying heat began. His first lap was a scorching 2’01.497 lap, smashing the lap record of the circuit. Rival Marc Marquez immediately responded, snatching the top spot back from Lorenzo. The reigning world champion kept the pressure on and delivered a second stunning lap, moving 0.070 seconds ahead of Marquez with a 2’01.217 to retake provisional pole.

With half the session now gone Lorenzo returned to the pits for a quick change of rubber and was back out on the track with just under six minutes of track time remaining. He kept the pace up, dipping even further under the old lap record with a 2’00.819 second lap. Unfortunately it was not quite enough to secure pole, as his rival Marquez responded again, just beating him to the top spot by 0.128 seconds.

After making a strong start on Friday in free practice and confident of making another step today, Valentino Rossi took sixth place on the second row of the grid for tomorrow’s race. Rossi was the second rider out as the session started, tailing teammate Lorenzo onto the circuit. His first set of rubber delivered a best time of 2’02.763 before returning to the pits for a new rear. Back out again just behind Lorenzo, the nine-time world champion was able to make a big step in time, getting down to a 2’02.109 lap to secure sixth on the second row of the grid for tomorrow’s race.



Jorge Lorenzo

Position: 2nd - Time: 2.00.819 - Laps: 7

“It’s not fantastic because we didn't make pole position. I was surprised about the improvement from the pace lap to the qualifying lap, it was a big jump, almost one second and a half. When I saw my lap time on my bike I thought I made pole position but when I saw the classification I saw P2 and was disappointed as I put all my effort into the lap, but it wasn't enough. Race pace is good but we have to see where the others are tomorrow.”
Jorge Lorenzo


Valentino Rossi


Valentino Rossi Position: 6th - Time: 2.02.109 - Laps: 7

“I’m not so happy with the distance from Lorenzo and Marquez, they did a fantastic job but I’m happy about the second row. It’s very important and better than the third row. My lap time is quite fast but especially I’m quite satisfied with today because we improved the setting of the bike this afternoon and I’m a lot more constant with pace. I can stay with a good pace which is important for tomorrow. Now we have to try to make another step, I have two or three corners where I’m not so strong and I’m suffering on some bumps. Tomorrow we will try to improve.”



Wilco Zeelenberg - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager

“A very exciting qualifying. P2 is fantastic, the lap times were unbelievably fast and I think the race will be very tight between Jorge and Marc. Our pace is good and the bike is good so we are ready for the race.”
Massimo Meregalli - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director

“The second day is very positive. We are starting the race from the first and second row which is a really good starting point. We have the speed and also the pace. For sure tomorrow is going to be a hard race but we will be protagonists. We will try to improve the settings during the warm up, we are satisfied so far and looking forward to the race.”



Crutchlow bounces back to claim heroic home front row

British hero Cal Crutchlow showed amazing speed and resilience in front of his home crowd at Silverstone today to claim a stunning sixth front row start of 2013 after bouncing back from two heavy crashes in practice.
The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team rider put a huge home crowd through some nail-biting moments once again ahead of the British Grand Prix after he escaped injury in two high-speed falls in cool conditions during this morning’s FP3.

Nursing nasty abrasions to his right arm, Crutchlow had British fans on the edge of their seats again this afternoon when the 27-year-old demonstrated incredible bravery and skill to power his YZR-M1 machine to third position on the grid in a tense 15-minute QP2.

In gloriously sunny but cool conditions, Crutchlow’s best lap of 2.01.425 put him behind dominant Spanish duo Marc Marquez and Jorge Lorenzo for the start of tomorrow’s 20-lap race.

Despite feeling below his peak physical best after the big crashes this morning, Crutchlow remains full of confidence that he can become the first British rider since 2000 to claim a premier class podium on home soil.

Rookie Bradley Smith will also start his first home MotoGP race from inside the top 10 after he was able to set encouraging lap times throughout the weekend that bodes well for a strong challenge in tomorrow’s Silverstone showdown.

Smith advanced comfortably from QP1 with a lap of 2.03.110, which saw him dominate the opening 15-minute qualifying session by close to a second.

In the heat of battle in QP2, the 22-year-old further improved his pace to an impressive 2.02.409, which was only 0.3s away from securing Smith a place on the second row of the grid for the third time this season.



Cal Crutchlow

Position: 3rd - Time: 2.01.447 - Laps: 7

“Well that was just a normal Saturday for me at Silverstone! After what happened in 2011 and 2012, the last thing I needed was a crash, so to have two made it even worse. Both were very fast crashes and I am thankful not to have been injured, though my right arm is covered in abrasions and is quite painful because of the swelling. The first crash was my fault because the front tyre was too cold. And in the second one, with my arm hurting, I just couldn’t hold on when the bike starting moving around on the brakes. I’ve got to say a massive thanks to my Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team because they put in an amazing effort to at least get me out this afternoon. After all that happened this morning it feels great to be on the front row, but the gap to Marc and Jorge is pretty big and it will be tough to beat them tomorrow. I’ll be giving it my all though because the support from the British crowd today really spurred me on. They’ve really got behind me and it was a good feeling to bounce back from the crashes to get a front row.”
Cal Crutchlow


Bradley Smith Bradley Smith

Position: 10thd - Time: 2.02.409 - Laps: 7

“My lap time is something to be really proud of today because we made a big jump compared to the rest of the weekend. The overall result is not what we expected but going into QP1 showed we have been having a tough weekend. So to end up close to the top six is positive but that gap to the front is obviously a big step. I still believe we can make another step with the bike for tomorrow. It will be a long race but it might be an advantage to be able to follow and learn something because on this track it seems easier to chase than make a lap time on your own. It has not been an easy weekend but I’ve not made any mistakes and got faster every session, so I am looking forward the race and rewarding the amazing support from the British crowd.



2013 MotoGP United Kingdom

Silverstone 31/08/2013

1 Marc Marquez Honda ESP 2'00.691
2 Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha ESP 2'00.819
3 Cal Crutchlow Yamaha GBR 2'01.425
4 Stefan Bradl Honda GER 2'01.558
5 Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 2'01.624
6 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 2'02.109
7 Andrea Dovizioso Ducati ITA 2'02.123
8 Alvaro Bautista Honda ESP 2'02.252
9 Nicky Hayden Ducati USA 2'02.289
10 Bradley Smith Yamaha GBR 2'02.409
11 Colin Edwards FTR Kawasaki USA 2'04.032
12 Aleix Espargaro ART ESP 2'03.464
13 Randy De Puniet ART FRA 2'04.114
14 Hector Barbera FTR ESP 2'04.236
15 Michele Pirro Ducati ITA 2'04.680


Circuit Length:
5900

Weather:
Dry

Lap Record:
2'02.888
(Jorge Lorenzo, 1-1-2012)

Fastest Lap Ever:
2'00.691
(Marc Marquez, 1-9-2013)

Last Years Winner:
Jorge Lorenzo