What they have in common is that they are MotoGP test riders and have been called by their employer to take duty at the Grand Prix of the Americas at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas to replace the riders. injured: Michele Pirro therefore replaces Enea Bastianini at Ducati Lenovo Team, Stefan bradl Marc Márquez at Repsol Honda Team and Jonas Folger Pol Espargaró at GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3.
From afar, Jonas Folger is the one who drives the least, Michele Pirro reconciling a busy testing schedule and the Italian championship, and Stefan bradl having just arrived from a test in Jerez, but all three are affected by the 105% rule necessary to qualify.
« To participate in the qualifying practices, the rider must achieve a lap time at least equal to 105% of the time recorded by the fastest rider in the same session, in one of the three practice sessions, P1, P2, FP . »
In Austin, we lap in 2'02, or 122 seconds, which means not losing more than 6 seconds on the fastest to qualify: Mission accomplished for the three men, including for Jonas Folger which is 4 seconds after leaving MotoGP at the end of 2017!
« It's great to be back in MotoGP, especially with this Tech3 team with whom I share a history in this category. I know the people here, it's nice. But we knew it would be difficult today and it was really difficult for me. I got on this bike without testing, we had to change a lot of things. First it was about ergonomics, then we had to adjust the settings. The gap is considerable at the moment, but first I have to get used to this track again, because I haven't driven there since 2017. This Grand Prix is a big challenge for me, but I'm happy that my team and the KTM managers support me and don't put any pressure on me. Now I can't wait to see what the next two days bring.
What surprised me today is the level at which the bikes and riders are now in MotoGP. A lot has changed here in the last six years. Firstly, the level of technology, the driving style, the level of the drivers. So many things are different. It's really difficult.
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To Stefan bradl, the gap is 2 seconds at the end of the first day.
« I'm quite satisfied with my driving today, even if I made a mistake at the end of the session. I could have gained a few more positions if I had finished that lap, but overall it was a good day. It's a very physical circuit, coming back to compete is always a challenge, and here it adds an extra element. Fortunately, I always enjoyed riding here and was able to improve my feelings quite quickly. Now we need to rest, make our plan for tomorrow and prepare for my first Sprint. »
Michele Pirro ends this first day 1,5 seconds behind the fastest.
« This morning I was in a bit of difficulty because the track is difficult and has many holes. Then, for the afternoon session, we made some changes to the bike which allowed me to find a better feeling, and I was able to lower my time from practice session 1. I am satisfied of this first day: I had fun and we are not far from the top 10. The objective for tomorrow is to take a few more steps and get closer to the times of the first. »
These three drivers will therefore continue their weekend by finding themselves in Q1, with no real chance of progressing to Q2. But that's not the important thing: They will participate in the Sprint and the GP, while allowing their team to respect their contractual commitments.
Results from P2 of the MotoGP Grand Prix of the Americas at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin:
Classification credit: MotoGP.com
