Malcolm
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Espargaro to contest Sachsenring battle from 8th on the grid
Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team rider Pol Espargaro will bolt from 8th on the grid aboard his Yamaha YZR-M1 after a firm qualifying performance in the 15 minute Q2 shootout at the tight and twisting Sachsenring circuit today. The young Spaniard began the second day by continuing to make steps forward with the setup of his MotoGP bike and concluded the morning FP3 session in 10th place, which allowed him to progress through to Q2. The 24 year old rider jumped straight into gear as the session began and pushed instantly in order to seize a strong grid position. With the seconds continuing down, Espargaro posted a best time of 1’21.274 which equalled an 8th place start, yet his performance saw him a blink of an eye from the second row by only 0.054. He now sets his sights on charging through the MotoGP field at the challenging circuit as he aims to lead the battle for the top satellite position in tomorrow’s race.
On the opposite side of the Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team pit box, Bradley Smith will begin the 30 lap sprint around the 3.7 kilometre circuit from the rear of the third row on the grid after a resolute effort in qualifying today. The young British rider started the day with a rapid pace in FP3, where he finished in 5th position and which elevated him through to the QP2 face off. Here, he leapt into action and pulled the plug instantly as he did his upmost to clinch a top qualifying time. However, he was forced to enter the pits in order to repair the windshield at the end of his first lap after pulling off a dramatic save to prevent himself from a high side. Nevertheless, Smith determinedly returned to the track soon after and on his penultimate lap, he set a 1’21.329 which certified 9th on the grid, but was just over a tenth of a second from the second row. Tomorrow he will launch from the starting grid and will then intend to record a ninth successive top eight finish in 2015 at the GoPro Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland.
Pol Espargaro - Position : 8th Time : 1'21,274 Laps : 9
"In all honesty, I’m quite satisfied with how our day went and I feel ready for what will be a challenging battle tomorrow. In FP4 we found out how to improve our performance in the first and second sectors plus, our race pace with used tyres was really promising. As a result, this gave me a lot of confidence and energy for the qualifying session and overall, the final outcome was not too bad. We are in the same bracket as Valentino which is a tenth of a second, which means that we are only 0.054 from the second row. Nevertheless, we will have to begin the race from 8th with three open bikes in front of us, who were on soft tyres today. Therefore, the aim for tomorrow will be to climb up the rankings and finish the first half of the season with a strong result."
Bradley Smith - Position : 9th Time : 1'21,329 Laps : 10
"Overall, I am optimistic for the race tomorrow, despite the fact that I’m a little bit disappointed with my final qualifying position today. The slide that I had on my bike during my first flying lap affected our qualifying quite a bit. I didn’t take full advantage of the first set of tyres and then I was too nervous on the second pair, especially on my final lap where I lost a lot of time in the last sector due to this. Therefore, I’m a bit dissatisfied as my objective today was to qualify on the front two rows and even though we are not too far back from there, we are 9th and not 6th. However, to be starting on the inside of the track might be an advantage here. In addition, I have a good race pace and am confident with the bike and even though it will be a tricky event as the tyres drop quite a lot here, I am ready for a good challenge."
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11-07-2015, 05:24 PM |
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