Strong second row start for Espargaro in season final qualifying at Valencia

[totalmotorcycle]

Strong second row start for #Espargaro in season final qualifying at #Valencia


Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team rider Pol Espargaro will begin the final race of his debut season in the MotoGP class from the rear of the second row in sixth after a strong qualifying in Valencia. The young Spaniard started his day in superb form by completing Free Practice 3 with a result of 1’31.083 which saw him end the session impressively in second place and only 0.133 from the leading lap. This set him up perfectly for QP2 under gloriously sunny yet windy conditions at the Ricardo Tormo circuit. During the qualifying dash, Espargaro launched into a formidable run instantly before finishing with a best time of 1’31.307 that was set at the close of session on the last of his nine laps. The 23 year old rider’s notable efforts saw him fantastically clinch sixth in what was a strong-minded and well fought performance with his time being only four tenths from pole position. Tomorrow he will lunge forward at the start of the 30 lap race as he aims to confirm sixth in the championship standings in the Gran Premio Generali de la Comunitat Valenciana.

Meanwhile, Bradley Smith will contest in the final race of the 2014 season one place behind his teammate, in seventh on the MotoGP grid after undertaking a strong ride in qualifying today. The British star began his day at Valencia by finishing in tenth position in the morning having used the session to complete further adjustments to the setup of his Yamaha YZR-M1. His best lap was 1’31.469 and resulted in him being only three tenths from the front row. Smith continued his forward momentum into the qualifying and concluded the 15 minute shootout with a top result of 1’31.324, leaving him at the head of the third row for tomorrow’s race. His time was a blink of an eye behind his teammate by only 0.017 and he will seek to conclude the race as the leading satellite bike in the final round.



Pol Espargaro

6th / 1'31.307 (+0.464) / 9 laps

"Of course a second row start is nothing to be too unhappy about, even though after our performance this morning, I expected to finish a bit higher up the grid. However, to be just behind the four factory bikes as well as Iannone is definitely a promising position for us to be in for tomorrow. In addition, I remain convinced that we are stronger in the race than what we have shown on the single lap today. The wind was really strong this afternoon so any of the riders were lucky if they managed to have a wind free run. I unfortunately made a small mistake on my fastest lap and with these small gaps, you can easily lose a couple of positions. However, to be only four tenths from pole is a good achievement and puts us in a good place to fight from in order to end our season in sixth overall tomorrow, which is our aim."






Bradley Smith

7th / 1'31.324 (+0.481) / 9 laps

"I am pleased with the qualifying result today as it is a solid place to start the final Grand Prix from. The conditions on track were quite tough and with a lot less grip compared to last year. Plus the wind really picked up this afternoon and was quite aggressive, particularly into the first corner. I finished with a time that was close to Pol’s and I believe that is why our team works so successfully together as we have been battling since 2005 so we know each other very well. I finished 0.4 of a second from the pole and I qualified ahead of Aleix who, along with Pol, is the contender to my target of landing sixth in the championship standings. So overall, the result today leaves me in quite a promising position for tomorrow and I look forward to the battle in the 30 lap sprint at Valencia."



Aleix Esparagaro first open bike in Valencia qualifying
The last qualifying session of the season ends up with another pole position in the Open class for the NGM Forward Racing rider Aleix Espargaro. The Spaniard stopped the clock on 1.31.468, just 0.643 from the pole position and tomorrow he will start the GP de la Comunitat Valenciana from the 11th position.

It was also a positive Saturday for Alex De Angelis. He qualified 19th on the grid after a heavy crash, fortunately without consequences for the rider. Despite his session being compromised by the incident, Alex is confident for the race.



Aleix Espargaro

11th / 1'31.486 (+0.643) / 9 laps

“I’m happy with the work done during this weekend, even if I expected a better result for this qualifying. Tomorrow we will take the start from the 11th spot on the grid. Despite this position, we are only 0.643 from the pole position, so we are all quiet close. For the race it will be important to maintain the contact with the front guys. I aim at finishing this special season with the NGM Forward Racing Team with a good result.”






Alex De Angelis

19th / 1'32.453 (+1.610) / 8 laps

“We did a good job in the FP3, and I was confident for the afternoon session as the feeling was good and also the pace. We made some small modifications for the qualifying, but in the FP4 I crashed badly, compromising the session. I went back on track and I succeeded to repeat the lap times of the morning. All in all, I’m confident for the race. We will continue working for the race.”




2014 MotoGP Spain

Valencia 08/11/2014

1 Valentino Rossi
Yamaha
ITA 1'30.843
2 Andrea Iannone Ducati ITA 1'30.975
3 Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 1'30.999
4 Jorge Lorenzo
Yamaha
ESP 1'31.049
5 Marc Marquez Honda ESP 1'31.144
6 Pol Espargaro
Yamaha
ESP 1'31.307
7 Bradley Smith
Yamaha
GBR 1'31.324
8 Cal Crutchlow Ducati GBR 1'31.359
9 Andrea Dovizioso Ducati ITA 1'31.426
10 Stefan Bradl Honda GER 1'31.443
11 Aleix Espargaro
Yamaha
ESP 1'31.486
12 Michele Pirro Ducati ITA 1'32.617
13 Alvaro Bautista Honda ESP 1'32.160
14 Scott Redding Honda GBR 1'32.315
15 Yonny Hernandez Ducati COL 1'32.321
19 Alex De Angelis Yamaha SMR 1'32.453





Circuit Length:
4005
Weather:
Sunny
Lap Record:
1'31.628
(Daniel Pedrosa, 1-1-2013)
Fastest Lap Ever:
1'30.237
(Marc Marquez, 10-11-2013)
Last Years Winner:
Jorge Lorenzo