Repsol riders in Moto3, Moto2 and MotoGP looking for more in Qatar

Yesterday the free practice sessions of the Motorcycle World Championship at the Losail Circuit came to an end, closing two intense days for the Repsol men with good feelings, although with some minor chattering problems for the riders of the premier class, Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner, plus a scare for the number 26.

The day began with a small scare with Pedrosa’s crash, which ended without serious consequences. It happened at the ninth corner, a left-hander, where he lost grip on the front wheel as he entered the bend and went down. Luckily it was just a scare, and he was able to return to the track and get back on the throttle in the Qatar free practice, finishing the very eventful FP3 in 5th position.

Meanwhile, Casey Stoner remains very strong. Although on this occasion he could not ride as the fastest, he was up there with the leaders, finishing in third position and without going out on the soft tyres to make his fast lap, so the number 1 did not deliver his particular knockout blow.

Tomorrow both will have to give their maximum in the first official sessions of the 2012 MotoGP season in Qatar. Pedrosa and Stoner will surely try to solve those minor problems and set the best time for the race.

Statements from Dani Pedrosa:
Today didn’t go as well as I would have liked. I had some electronics problems and I couldn’t ride at one hundred percent. Especially coming out of the corners was where I had the most trouble.

Let’s hope the mechanics find the solution and we can get a good qualifying tomorrow. The crash was unexpected. It was the first lap coming out of the pits and I wasn’t pushing, but well, nothing happened.

Statements from Casey Stoner:
Overall it went quite well. We had some problems in the first two sessions, but during the night we were solving them step by step, and that is positive. We have worked a lot on the electronics and now I have better feelings and feel the rear wheel more. That gives me confidence and has allowed me to set good times on used tyres.

I found some rider in the way on the track and couldn’t show everything I could do, but we know where we stand and we are confident for tomorrow’s qualifying.

In the Moto2 category, Marc Márquez finished these two days of free practice from 9th position, working step by step to adapt and keep improving at the Losail circuit with his Suter. The most important thing for both the team and the rider is to arrive with the correct set-up, and above all to accumulate kilometres after a difficult pre-season, so it’s time to keep polishing some aspects for the official sessions and the race.

The Repsol rider focused his work on continuing with the tyre tests and ruling out the chassis and suspension options that adapted least to this circuit and to his riding style. Now he will have to fight for pole position, in a complicated session with many rivals in action.

Statements from Marc Márquez:
Today’s free session went quite well. We worked with the race in mind, trying to find a good base in the motorcycle set-up. We tested the tyres and we are clear on which one to choose; this is an important aspect.

Tomorrow, in the timed session, I think we will have to work even harder, but we have to be happy with the work done.

The set-up needs to improve a little, but we are not as far off as it seems. Hopefully tomorrow I can get a bit more out of myself and the bike and we can get closer to the front. In these first races we have to be patient because I haven’t done pre-season, but I will try to give one hundred percent and see how far we can get.

In the Moto3 category, Álex Rins, Maverick Viñales and Miguel Oliveira continue to improve day by day in Qatar. After the free practice sessions, the moment of truth with the official sessions arrives today on the Losail track. For the number 25 it has been a complicated day because of the wind and the track conditions, so they chose to be more cautious and save tyres.

For their part, Rins and Oliveira improved in this third free practice session, focusing their work on the set-up of their machines, thinking above all about the race rather than looking for a fast time. This means a lot of work done in advance for Sunday. Both have expressed satisfaction with how the sessions went.

Statements from Maverick Viñales:
I give a very good assessment of this second day of free practice. Above all because we worked to achieve a good pace and tested the different tyres available. Today our obsession was not looking for the best time. We tried not to wear the tyres too much and to save them for tomorrow’s timed session.

Tomorrow’s will be an important session, where we will have to do a very long run, and then at the end put on new tyres and try to be on the front row. We must not obsess over getting pole.

Statements from Miguel Oliveira:
I am satisfied. We have solved the problems we had yesterday, so overall we can be happy with the work done. The weather conditions were not as good as yesterday, as the track was a bit dirtier due to the strong wind. Our training plan was based on doing long laps to obtain a good race pace.

We are up there with the top five, the team is happy and so am I, so we can’t ask for more. Now we only have to work on tomorrow’s qualifying session so we can start from the front row of the grid.

Statements from Álex Rins:
The truth is the track didn’t have as much grip as yesterday. We suffered some problems with the front suspension that we will have to solve before tomorrow’s sessions. Our line and our corner speed are also aspects to improve, since it is the first time we have ridden at this circuit and it is quite fast. Overall we are satisfied with the work we have done together with the technicians.