High and dry: Marc Marquez’ perfect pole gamble

Freshly-crowned MotoGP World Champion over seven tenths clear on slicks

Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) has taken pole position at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, as the new World Champion chose the perfect moment to head out in the changeable conditions on full slick tyres. Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) starts from P2 after graduating from Q1, with Pol Espargaro (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) completing the front row.

With Q1 seeing some incredibly high profile casualties, it was Cal Crutchlow and Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) who moved through to fight for the front, leaving Maverick Viñales (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) behind – with Rossi in P15 on the grid in his worst qualifying since 2011.

The track was drying in Q1, and drier by the start of Q2. With rain forecast to hit halfway through the second qualifying session however, the pressure was on to do a good lap – and choose the right tyre. With some heading out on intermediates, Marquez then came back in quickly to switch to slicks – untouchable from that point on, and 1.5 seconds clear a few minutes later until the grid began to reel him closer.

Pol Espargaro was late to switch, attempting a fast lap on the intermediates, before coming back in for slicks and then taking the front row – as Crutchlow didn’t quite take the full gamble, and set his front row qualifier on an intermediate front and slick rear.

Aleix Espargaro (Team Suzuki Ecstar) shone in the session to challenge for the front – just beaten over the line by his brother – and will start fourth, ahead of Aussie Jack Miller (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) at his home race, who completed the top five in his best ever qualifying result. Locking out Row 2 is Octo Pramac Yakhnich rider Danilo Petrucci.

Nicky Hayden, riding in place of injured Dani Pedrosa at Repsol Honda, took an impressive P7 on his return to MotoGP™, ahead of Aprilia Racing Team Gresini rider Stefan Bradl – who is also set to become Hayden’s teammate in 2017 at Honda World Superbike Team. Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) is ninth to complete the third row, finding going a little tougher as the track dried. His teammate, Hector Barbera – standing in for injured Andrea Iannone – completed the top ten.

Scott Redding (Octo Pramac Yakhnich) will start from eleventh, ahead of 5-time World Champion Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP), who struggled in Q2 after having graduated from Q1.

MotoGP hope for better weather for Sunday as race day looms and lights out later in the day at 16:00 local time (GMT+11). With the big hitters spread throughout the field, the 2016 Australian GP is sure to be another classic.

MotoGP Qualifying Results
1 – Marc Marquez (SPA) HONDA 1’30.189

1st Independent Team Rider
Pos 2 – Cal Crutchlow (GBR) HONDA + 0.792

3 – Pol Espargaró (SPA) YAMAHA + 0.918

Thomas Lüthi takes pole as Moto2 gets a shake up

Turn 4 takes some casualties as track temperatures drop in qualifying – and the pack shuffles

Tom Lüthi (Garage Plus Interwetten) will start the Australian GP from pole position after an incredible qualifying session for the intermediate class, with Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team) taking an impressive front row in P2, ahead of Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) – who also crashed twice.

Qualifying got underway for Moto2™ after MotoGP™ had seen the pole lap – from Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) – set on full slicks, with track conditions much improved after the intermediate class had seen wet weather play havoc with FP1 and then rain off FP2. The first dry track time of the weekend threw up some difficult crashes for as riders tried to find the limit, with Turn 4 especially taking some famous scalps.

Sam Lowes was the first high profile crasher to slide out, with the man P4 in the title quickly heading back to the pits to get back in the session – with more rain forecast and putting on the time pressure. The Brit then took another tumble slightly later, before reigning Champion Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport) crashed out – and also hit the deck for a second time later in the session.

Lüthi and Franco Morbidelli (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) were other crashers, and Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) suffered a huge highside at Turn 4 that sent the Japanese race winner heading to the Medical Center.

A late incident between Julian Simon (QMMF Racing Team) and Alex Marquez (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) saw Simon walk away from the scene and Marquez headed to the Medical Center, left down the timesheets in P14. The 2014 Moto3™ World Champion was then also later airlifted to hospital in Melbourne for a CT scan, fully conscious and stable.

Sandro Cortese (Dynavolt Intact GP) was one of those who kept his nose clean to head up the second row, ahead of a stunning session from Sports-Millions-EMWE-SAG rider Jesko Raffin – who was on provisional pole for much of the latter part of the session before taking his career best result. Cortese’s teammate Jonas Folger completed Row 2 after a solid session for the German squad.

Xavi Vierge (Tech 3 Racing) heads up Row 3 in his career best qualifying, with Lorenzo Baldassarri (Forward Racing Team) P8 and Franco Morbidelli (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) P9 despite his crashes in the session.

Reigning Champion Zarco, unable to get back out after his second crash, completes the top ten. Key title rival Alex Rins (Paginas Amarillas HP 40) played it safe in the pits as the crashes continued, 15th on the timesheets – ending the session in P16 as his final run was then aborted with a technical problem.

Moto2 sees lights out at 14:20 local time (GMT +11) at Phillip Island, as Lüthi takes advantage – and Zarco and Rins look to take it back.

Moto2 Qualifying Results
1 – Thomas Lüthi (SWI) KALEX 1’33.992
2 – Mattia Pasini (ITA) KALEX + 0.059
3 – Sam Lowes (GBR) KALEX +0.065

Pole rush: World Champion Binder takes Moto3 last lap shootout

Conditions remain changeable in Australia as a four-minute final dash sees the South African emerge on top

Red-flagged and re-started with only four minutes left on the clock after a crash for Juanfran Guevara (RBA Racing Team) in the constantly challenging Phillip Island weather, Moto3™ qualifying was a stunning rush to the line – and it was 2016 Moto3™ World Champion Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) who navigated the four minute drama the best, topping the timesheets as a whole host of riders swept over the line to improve on their final attempts.

Fabio Quartararo (Leopard Racing) was the man at the top until Binder’s last lap, and the Frenchman was only 0.094 off the South African’s best, but was then disqualified for a technical infringement. Nicolo Bulega (Sky Racing Team VR46) then moved up from P3 on the timesheets to start second, after a session marred by drama for the Italian rookie.

Bulega was quick on Friday and spent a good time in the session on provisional pole, but was just pipped to the honour in the last few seconds. The Italian had one incident before the red flag with Francesco Bagnaia (Pull&Bear Aspar Mahindra) that saw Bulega running off, but he was able to get back out on track following the stoppage and takes another front row start in an impressive first appearance at Phillip Island.

Gabriel Rodrigo (RBA Racing Team) converted his practice promise into qualifying pace to go third quickest in the session, with John McPhee (Peugeot MC Saxoprint) managing the same for an impressive top five as the track conditions improved. Livio Loi (RW Racing GP BV) was sixth, ahead of polesitter last time out Andrea Migno (Sky Racing Team VR46).

Darryn Binder (Platinum Bay Real Estate) had his best qualifying to date with an impressive laptime to put him well within the top ten in P8, ahead of Jorge Martin (Pull&Bear Aspar Mahindra) and Martin’s teammate Bagnaia, who completed the top ten. Bagnaia also received a penalty of three grid positions, moving him down the grid on race day.

Andrea Locatelli (Leopard Racing) was one big loser in the session as an untimely crash saw the Italian pushed down from the top echelons of the timesheets to P15 by the flag, with Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0) also suffering a similar fate and ending QP in P22.

Contenders for P2 in the Championship – Jorge Navarro (Estrella Galicia 0,0) and Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing Moto3) – both had tough sessions, ending up P13 and P16 respectively and looking to charge back through the field, gaining some positions due to the penalties applied further up the grid.

Moto3 get down to racing on Sunday at 13:00 local time (GMT +11), with Navarro and Bastianini locked in the battle for second as Binder attempts to take another victory to crown his Championship success once again.

Moto3 Qualifying Results
1 – Brad Binder (RSA) KTM 1’37.696
2 – Nicolo Bulega (ITA) KTM +0.791
3 – Gabriel Rodrigo (ARG) KTM +0.874