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Crutchlow 9th after FP2 at wet Motegi

13 October 2017 - Latest news
Crutchlow 9th after FP2 at wet Motegi

FP1

Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) began the Japanese GP as he will want to continue it, supreme in the rain and topping the timesheets by almost nine tenths. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) was the man who got closest to the reigning Champion, with Scott Redding (Octo Pramac Racing) third. The highest profile incident in the session saw Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team) sideswiped out of Turn 9 by a crash from Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda), but the five-time World Champion walked away and ended the session P4 – just ahead of teammate Andrea Dovizioso.

Jorge Lorenzo on the crash:
“I was slowing down a little bit, I looked behind and saw Cal about three seconds behind me. I wanted to not go too fast but keep the speed up,” explains Lorenzo. “He came suddenly and completely lost control of the bike. For being the first Free Practice that risk wasn’t worth it. So we exchanged opinions a bit, he didn’t apologise at that point and said it was my fault – but he was good two hours later and came to my office to say sorry. It’s ok, it can happen. There are some riders that make these mistakes a little more often but this can happen, and the important thing is that he understood it was his mistake and said sorry.”

On the other hand, Crutchlow says he looks the villain and that they don’t agree on the incident. Apologising and glad Lorenzo is unharmed, the Brit nevertheless maintains a different view…

“I don’t think we’re going to agree on what happened in the incident,” explained the rider from Coventry. “I’m sorry for him and the main thing is we’re both ok. Sure, I look the villain because I hit him but he was going really slow on the racing line and because I was coming on him so fast, I had to brake more or I was going to hit him…then when I braked more on the water I crashed and hit him. We don’t agree on the incident but I’m glad he’s ok and this is racing. Sometimes you get knocked off, but for sure I didn’t mean to do it!”
Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), Crutchlow,  Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar), title challenger Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) and Bradley Smith (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) completed the top ten. Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) both had a tough FP1, outside the top fifteen.
FP2

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) ended Day 1 at the Motul Grand Prix of Japan as the fastest man on track, but the Italian was only 0.043 ahead of his nearest challenger – Championship leader Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team). Marquez was fastest in the morning by some margin before ‘DesmoDovi’ hit back, and the reigning Champion ended his afternoon session prematurely with a crash at Turn 4 – rider ok. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) was top Independent Team rider on Day 1, and impressed in both sessions – second in FP1 and third in FP2 to go third overall. He was just ahead of Ducati Team’s Jorge Lorenzo, who was fourth in both the morning and afternoon – despite an incident in which the Majorcan was collected up in a crash for Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda). Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) was the top Yamaha on Day 1 and completed the top five, 0.073 seconds clear of fellow Indendenpent Team rider Danilo Petrucci (Octo Pramac Racing) – who was another 0.073 ahead of compatriot Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar). Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) managed to find something in the afternoon session to move up to P8, having struggled in FP1 with the combination of wet weather and relatively low temperature. He headed Crutchlow, with rookie Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) completing the top ten as both Hamamatsu factory machines were amongst the potential Q2 graduates. Suzuki also had a new aero-fairing out on track. As Pedrosa moved up the combined timesheets, it was a tougher first day for Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) as he moved down from FP1 to FP2, ending Friday in eleventh and just over  a tenth faster than his teammate Valentino Rossi. 0.018 seconds further back was one of the most impressive performances of the first day as Kohta Nozane (Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – replacing Jonas Folger – took thirteenth, ahead of Scott Redding (Octo Pramac Racing) and Karel Abraham (Pull&Bear Aspar Team). The weather sadly looks unlikely to change too much, but it remains to be seen how the skies look for FP3 as graduation to Q2 is decided, and then the grid for the race on Sunday.

 

Results FP2:

Pos Rider Team Fastest lap
1 Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati Team 1’54.877
2 Marc MARQUEZ Repsol Honda Team 1’54.920
3 Aleix ESPARGARO Aprilia Racing Team Gresini 1’55.061
4 Jorge LORENZO Ducati Team 1’55.234
5 Johann ZARCO Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1’55.468
6 Danilo PETRUCCI OCTO Pramac Racing 1’55.541
7 Andrea IANNONE Team SUZUKI ECSTAR 1’55.614
8 Dani PEDROSA Repsol Honda Team 1’55.773
9 Cal CRUTCHLOW LCR Honda 1’56.149
10 Alex RINS Team SUZUKI ECSTAR 1’56.229
11 Maverick VIÑALES Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 1’56.376
12 Valentino ROSSI Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 1’56.435
13 Kohta NOZANE Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1’56.453
14 Scott REDDING OCTO Pramac Racing 1’56.680
15 Karel ABRAHAM Pull&Bear Aspar Team 1’56.776
16 Alvaro BAUTISTA Pull&Bear Aspar Team 1’56.827
17 Bradley SMITH Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 1’56.853
18 Pol ESPARGARO Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 1’56.872
19 Sam LOWES Aprilia Racing Team Gresini 1’57.250
20 Loris BAZ Reale Avintia Racing 1’57.259
21 Hector BARBERA Reale Avintia Racing 1’57.540
22 Hiroshi AOYAMA EG 0,0 Marc VDS 1’57.548
23 Tito RABAT EG 0,0 Marc VDS 1’57.645
24 Katsuyuki NAKASUGA Yamalube Yamaha Factory Racing 1’58.341

 

Source: motogp.com