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Category: Superbikes
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#CatalanGP qualifying. Was Mugello’s pole position a coincidence? Not really. Coincidences do not really exist in MotoGP, and Fabio Di Giannantonio proved it by showing some scintillating form on the single-lap again as he qualified fifth for tomorrow’s Catalan GP race – and was only 0.357secs shy from Espargaró’s pole position.
This is a true display of power for the rider #49, who has always been better known for the race comebacks than the qualifying performances. The wind is changing, however, and the Rome-born rider will sleep tight tonight knowing he will line up close to the front of the grid.
Enea Bastianini, on the other hand, had a much more challenging Saturday, as he narrowly missed on Q2 first in FP3 and then in Q1 – as he was only 0.023secs shy of making it through. With a good race pace on his side, however, the Italian will try to get a good start and be aggressive early on – for what hopefully be another successful comeback.
5th - FABIO DI GIANNANTONIO #49 (1’39.099s)
“Even though we don’t have to prove anything to anybody, it was important to confirm our growth and what better way to do so than by putting together another good qualifying such as today. We’re working well, changing very little on the bike and we can do well tomorrow. Surely we still need to improve our pace a bit more, especially in the second half of the race. The warm up will give us some reassurance also on tyre selection.”
14th - ENEA BASTIANINI #23 (1’39.246s)
“Too bad, because we had another type of result in mind. It’s a shame also for the last lap because I found a rider ahead of me at turn 3 who was roaming around, and I couldn’t improve. We should have made it into Q2 already from this morning, but it didn’t happen. The pace is good, the race is long so we can recover many positions. We will surely need a strong start and some attack-mode early on.”
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APRILIA RACING, A BETTER START WOULD HAVE BEEN DIFFICULT TO FIND
ALEIX ESPARGARÓ AND MAVERICK VIÑALES FIRST AND SECOND RESPECTIVELY ON THE FIRST DAY IN BARCELONA
The GP of Catalunya weekend kicked off in the best possible way for Aprilia Racing with their riders in first and second place in the standings after the first two practice sessions.
On a track characterised, as always, by poor grip, both Aleix and Maverick dedicated a lot of time in the two sessions preparing for the race, especially in terms of tyre management, one of the factors that could prove to be decisive in the race.
In any case, both demonstrated great speed, resulting in the two best times of the day and already clear in the morning session, where Maverick finished with the second best time and Aleix with the fourth best. The two did even better in the faster second session, occupying the first two spots and also demonstrating an outstanding race pace.
ALEIX ESPARGARÓ
1st - 1'39.402
"It’s always important to start well and to find the right feeling with the bike and with the track. Obviously it’s only Friday, but Maverick and I were both competitive and that renders merit to the team’s hard work. On this track grip is really low, so tyre choice and how to manage them to the end of the race are fundamental issues. Now we’ll have to carefully analyse the spin levels and the speed on corners for each different tyre in order to make the right choices and set up the best strategy."
MAVERICK VIÑALES
2nd - 1'39.705
"I am very, very happy and not just because of the fast lap. On this track, the true difference will be made by knowing how to manage the tyres and from this point of view, we’ve done a good job. I’m convinced that tomorrow in FP3 the times will drop even lower. When you put the new tyre on here, it almost seems like you’re riding a different bike! In any case, we’ll keep moving forward. We’re on the right track and it would be fantastic to take that last step right here, on my home track and with my fan club trackside cheering me on."
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#CatalanGP libere. Because of the location and time of the year, the eighth round of the season at Montmeló is once again characterised by scorching temperatures (27ºC), which were partially mitigated by a light breeze. The first day was marked by uncertainty and very levelled performance, with 15 riders covered by only one second.
Enea Bastianini’s Catalan Grand Prix started on the right foot as he set the third-quickest time (1’39.890secs) and was the best positioned Ducati rider in the timesheets, despite having margin to improve both in the time attack and with regards to the race pace.
Fabio Di Giannantonio also did a good job as he was 0.944secs away from the top and only four tenths in arrears from his teammate. Tomorrow, as usual, the FP3 session will be crucial for a direct access to Q2, while Free Practice 4 will be extremely important for tyre selection ahead of the race.
3rd - ENEA BASTIANINI #23 (1’39.890)
“I’m happy with today: we started off well already this morning, even though all Ducati riders have struggled a little bit more than expected. We did very well in FP2, though. We still have to improve a bit in some areas of the circuit and with regards to race pace, but I must be happy with this Friday. We tried both the medium and the rear tyre options and I’m still not sure what I’ll choose for the race: I felt good with the medium one in FP1, while I was expecting a bit more from the hard tyre. We will have to make a good evaluation.”
13th - FABIO DI GIANNANTONIO #49 (1’40.346)
“I’m happy, because we did very little modification and when that happens it means that things are going well. I have a good feeling and in the afternoon we only used one tyre because the heat wouldn’t have allowed us to set a good time anyway. I also tried the hard tyre, but we will have a clearer idea in FP4. Right now we’re working on making it into Q2 directly, which is a realistic goal.”
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Barry Sheene’s son Freddie and racing legend Stuart Graham will lead the Barry Sheene parade laps at Suzuki Live, which takes place at Cadwell Park on Friday 10 June.
Five of Sheene’s Grand Prix bikes will be paraded on the day, including the RT67 125cc machine raced in the world championship by Graham in 1967, before being bought by Sheene in 1970 and raced in Grand Prix in 1971.
Sheene’s son Freddie will ride the 1984 XR45 – the last Grand Prix motorcycle his father raced in anger dressed in its famous DAF livery – while the parade will be completed by the 1976 and 1977 world championship-winning XR14s and the quirky XR23A: a 652cc, big-bore RG500 raced in the Trans Atlantic series.
All five of the bikes have been restored to working order by Suzuki’s Vintage Parts Programme.
Suzuki GB’s Tim Davies, said, “It was already going to be special enough to see five of Barry’s bikes being ridden on track together, as it always is whenever one of his machines is fired up and given a run-out. But to be able to have Freddie over is fantastic and it’s great to give him another opportunity to ride the bikes that made his father such a motorcycling hero.
“And then to be able to welcome Stuart Graham along, too, is incredible. The little 125 carried him to Grand Prix wins in 1967 and then kick-started Barry’s world championship career in 1971, when he took three wins and five podiums to finish second in the championship that year. At 80-years-old it’ll be amazing to see him back on that bike.”
As well as the parades Suzuki Live will see plenty of track action, with track day sessions open for classic and modern machines alike. Split into three groups – Classic Novice for those new to track days or riding older machines, Classic Intermediate for those more familiar with track days or riding a classic model, and Open Advanced for the experienced riders on the latest Suzuki machinery – spaces cost £135 per person and can be booked online here.
Key models from Suzuki’s on-road product range – including the new GSX-S1000GT sports tourer, GSX-S1000 naked, and third generation Hayabusa – will be available to test ride on the day on the stunning roads surrounding Cadwell Park. Those wishing to take a test ride must present a valid licence and produce a DVLA check code or National Insurance number.
A classic bike display will comprise a 1985 GSX-R750F, the TL1000s built brand new by the Vintage Parts Programme in 2014, a 1991 GSX-R1100L, and the Team Classic Suzuki Katana endurance racer.
For more information and to book visit https://bike.msvtrackdays.com
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Enea Bastianini’s comeback drew to a close with ten laps to go as the Italian rider lost the front-end of his Ducati machine at turn four and found himself – uninjured – in the gravel. This is quite a disappointing result as the #23, who was the only rider with a soft rear tyre, was able to recover six places after what was surely not the best start to the encounter. Today’s DNF has a big impact in his championship situation, but with Montmeló around the corner there will be a chance to make amends.
Fabio Di Giannantonio’s result has a completely different taste, as the MotoGP rookie was starting from pole position in this year’s #ItalianGP. The #49 of Team Gresini Racing MotoGP was able to hold the pressure in the early stages and stay towards the front. He was eleventh at the finish line, his so-far best result in the premier class as he adds more points to his tally after the ones scored in Le Mans.
DNF ENEA BASTIANINI #23 (3rd in the championship standings with 94 points)
“It’s a shame: we had a great pace, and I was fast. Unfortunately, I got sucked into by Aleix’s slipstream and got a bit too quick into turn four, and that led to my front-end tuck. With clear track ahead I was really fast, while it’s always hard in the slipstream at Mugello.
11th - FABIO DI GIANNANTONIO #49 (20th in the championship standings with 8 points)
“First of all, it’s great to start on pole at Mugello and lead on the opening lap. That and the Mugello crowed were really impactful on this experience. Too bad for the race, as I think a faulty tyre made things a bit more difficult. I never found the same feeling I had throughout the weekend and I struggled in keeping the bike stable. We could have stayed in the second group and battle for 7th/8th place, but we still made another step forward.”
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