- Espargaro and Fernandez get immediately back to speed around one of the most popular and anticipated circuits on the calendar and for the 33rd Aussie GP since the first in 1989 (also at Phillip Island)
- Due to harsh weather conditions forecast for Sunday, MotoGP run the full 27-lap Grand Prix distance on Saturday in place of the normal Sprint
- Fernandez catches the eye with P2 in the first Friday session, he almost makes Q2 and takes to the grid with 17th place but then crashes out after 12 laps
- Espargaro indulges in some pre-event surf activity in the Bass Straight after whipping his board onto the GASGAS SM 700 and then crests the Gardner Straight at 349 kmph to take 11th in the Quali. He searches for grip and manages 18th in the afternoon
- David Alonso thrives on the full-throttle pace of Moto3™ as he tastes Phillip Island for the first time and qualifies 8th. Jake Dixon ends Moto2™ Q2 with 6th position for the GASGAS Aspar Team
Twelve months ago at Phillip Island MotoGP served up one of the best (and closest) races in recent years and the spectacle during a cool quali and surprise full-length Saturday race again delivered the goods. GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 moved from the heat of Indonesia to the wind and temperate skies of Australia’s southern coast for the second Grand Prix in a week to form part of the cast of the show.
Augusto Fernandez wanted to raise his game from the first laps of the Grand Prix and ‘went for it’ on Friday with 2nd position in Free Practice 1. The Spaniard maintained the momentum in the afternoon and was agonizingly close to Q2 direct entry, only two tenths of a second was the difference. Espargaro is a big fan of the technical challenge of Phillip Island and rode the wave of optimism to end Friday with a brilliant P5.
On Saturday morning Augusto held 2nd place in the Q1 session until the final seconds and eventually classified 4th, meaning 14th for the overall quali. He started from 17th on the grid after accepting a three-place penalty for inadvertently blocking a rider in P2 on Friday. Pol was 11th fastest in Q2. Friday was hot and sunny, Saturday cloudy and cooler and with the weather forecast due to turn stormy for Sunday the organizers elected to swap the Sprint for the 27-lap Grand Prix.
Pol started by hounding the top ten after taking a gamble with the softer tire choice. Sadly, the degradation began to kick-in and then he had to nurse the bike to the line, coming home in 18th. Augusto tried to be part of the fray but crashed while braking into Miller corner on lap 12. If the climate permits, MotoGP will stage a 13-lap Sprint on Sunday.
Pol Espargaro, 11th in qualifying, 18th in the race: “We knew that the soft tire would fade faster than the medium but perhaps not so early and so much. The race pace was so fast and I was trying to manage the situation and stay with the guys despite the spin. Around mid-race it really went and I had to suffer with the lap-time. We had some fun at the beginning, and we also learned from this. So those are the positive things we must take from today.”
Augusto Fernandez, 17th in qualifying, DNF in the race: “A real shame because we showed some good speed and were competitive all the weekend; every weekend we are a bit closer! We are carrying speed and I feel better and better. I hope we can race tomorrow and I can leave Phillip Island with a good sensation. I’m positive.”
Nicolas Goyon, GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 Team Manager: “A special day as we had to move the race forward because of the bad weather. We had a bit less time to prepare the bike and choose the tire but that was the situation for everybody. Pol had a strong qualifying today, the best of the season so far. He took a gamble for the race but that was the only acceptable tire for him, so he tried to control the drop. From midway it left him trying to get points and he couldn’t make it. Augusto was disappointed with the race because he had been pretty strong up until that point. He was unlucky with the penalty and at the end of Q1. He started steadily but the front end crash in Turn 4 ended things for him. I hope we have the Sprint tomorrow and we know he will try his best for a decent result.”
Results Qualifying MotoGP Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix
1. Jorge Martin (ESP) Ducati 1:27.246
2. Brad Binder (RSA) KTM +0.416
3. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA) Ducati +0.468
11. Pol Espargaro (ESP) GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 +0.988
17. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 1:28.435 (Q1)
Results MotoGP Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix
1. Johann Zarco (FRA) Ducati 40.39.446
2. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA) Ducati +0.201
3. Fabio Di Giannantonio (ITA) Ducati +0.477
18. Pol Espargaro (ESP) GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 +37.668
DNF. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3
Moto3 and Moto2
GASGAS Aspar Team opened the pitbox door on Friday morning with hopes for the natural speed and fast adaptation skills of David Alonso once more. The Grand Prix rookie thrived in the speedy confines of Phillip Island, as did teammate Ryusei Yamanaka, but Moto3 made high demands on slipstreaming and the benefits of ‘being in a crowd’. Finding a tow became part of the game in quali on Saturday and the Colombian had a small slip at Turn 4 but was still good enough to be 8th fastest. Yamanaka had to negotiate Q1 but pulled through to take 16th at the second quali attempt.
Phillip Island has been home to some of the tightest Grand Prix conclusions in the history of the sport and another gripping contest is expected for the 21-lap distance on Sunday morning, if the forecast of strong winds is (hopefully) less than accurate.
The second row of the Moto2 grid will contain a slot for Jake Dixon. The GASGAS Aspar Team man used his experience around the Australian tarmac to find the limits of grip and potential for the 6th fastest lap in Q2. ‘PI’ was also a fitting platform for the natural talent of Izan Guevara who managed 23rd. Moto2 will preface the MotoGP Sprint with a 23-lap race on Sunday.
Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix MotoGP photographs can be found HERE
Results Qualifying Moto3 Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix
1. Ayumu Sasaki (JPN) Husqvarna 1:36.539
2. Joel Kelso (AUS) CFMOTO +0.136
3. Stefano Nepa (ITA) KTM +0.216
8. David Alonso (COL) GASGAS Aspar Team +0.607
16. Ryusei Yamanaka (JPN) GASGAS Aspar Team +1.122
Results Qualifying Moto2 Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix
1. Fermin Aldeguer (ESP) 1:31.888
2. Aron Canet (ESP) +0.342
3. Alonso Lopez (ESP) +0.684
6. Jake Dixon (GBR) GASGAS Aspar Team +0.791
23. Izan Guevara (ESP) GASGAS Aspar Team 1:33.848 (Q1)
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