The Moto2 and Moto3 riders completed the last official test at the Losail circuit in Qatar.
In Moto2, Saturday's leader, Tom Luthi, won in the second session of the day with a time of 1'59.608. If this time seemed unbeatable for the other drivers in the category, Sam Lowes demonstrates the opposite. In the last ten minutes of the third and final session of the day, the Briton riding the Gresini team's Kalex set a 1'59.405, the best time of this test and much better than his own pole position. “ I'm really happy, because it was a good day, once again, » confides Lowes. “ We tried more things on the bike than on the other days. It was interesting because we found the right direction and did a lot of the work."
Luthi then finds himself relegated to second position in the combined ranking less than a tenth ahead of Jonas Folger, winner here last season (following Johann Zarco's selector problem). Alex Rins, vice world champion and favorite for the title this season, occupies the 4th time in this test.
Lorenzo Baldassarri completes the top 5 of this test. The Italian, teammate of Luca Marini this season, will be hoping to make it happen this season after reaching the podium for the first time last season in Australia. “ We improved a lot during the last session. I completed several short runs to test different rear configurations, » confides the Forward pilot. “ Finally we made the choice that helped me improve a lot once we changed the tires. »
Johann Zarco concluded this test in mixed fashion with the 8th time behind Takaaki Nakagami and Sandro Cortese. “ We are ready for the first race,” nevertheless reassures the reigning Champion. “I know that I have to improve my driving style to find the five tenths that I lack to fight at the front. The positive thing is that we have found the way forward. » Alex Marquez and his teammate Franco Morbidelli complete the top 10 of this Qatari test.
Ranking of the 3rd day:
02- Thomas Luthi – Garage Plus Interwetten – KALEX Moto2 – + 0.203
03- Jonas Folger – Dynavolt Intact GP – KALEX Moto2 – + 0.247
04- Alex Rins – Paginas Amarillas HP 40 – KALEX Moto2 – + 0.357
05- Lorenzo Baldassarri – Forward Team – KALEX Moto2 – + 0.365
06- Takaaki Nakagami – IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia – KALEX Moto2 – + 0.410
07- Sandro Cortese – Dynavolt Intact GP – KALEX Moto2 – + 0.522
08- Johann Zarco – Ajo Motorsport – KALEX Moto2 – + 0.574
09- Alex Marquez – Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS – KALEX Moto2 – + 0.724
10- Franco Morbidelli – Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS – KALEX Moto2 – + 0.829
11- Danny Kent – Leopard Racing – KALEX Moto2 – + 0.855
12- Simone Corsi – Team Speed Up – Speed Up SF16 – + 0.889
13- Marcel Schrotter – AGR Team – KALEX Moto2 – + 1.024
14- Dominique Aegerter – carXpert Interwetten – KALEX Moto2 – + 1.054
15- Hafizh Syahrin – Petronas Raceline Malaysia – KALEX Moto2 – + 1.104
16- Mattia Pasini – Italtrans Racing Team – KALEX Moto2 – + 1.161
17- Julian Simon – QMMF Racing Team – Speed Up SF16 – + 1.168
18- Ratthapark Wilairot – IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia – KALEX Moto2 – + 1.267
19- Xavi Virgo – Tech 3 Racing – Tech 3 Mistral 610 – + 1.280
20- Edgar Pons – Paginas Amarillas HP 40 – KALEX Moto2 – + 1.429
21- Miguel Oliveira – Leopard Racing – KALEX Moto2 – + 1.494
22- Xavier Simeon – QMMF Racing Team – Speed Up SF16 – + 1.707
23- Luis Salom – SAG Team – KALEX Moto2 – + 1.884
24- Luca Marini – Forward Team – KALEX Moto2 – + 1.888
25- Robin Mulhauser – carXpert Interwetten – KALEX Moto2 – + 2.202
26- Jesko Raffin – sports millions EMWE SAG – KALEX Moto2 – + 2.585
27- Isaac Vinales – Tech 3 Racing – Tech 3 Mistral 610 – + 2.700
28- Alessandro Tonucci – Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2 – KALEX Moto2 – + 3.401
29- Efren Vazquez – JPMoto Malaysia – Suter MMX2 – + 4.698
03- Jonas Folger – Dynavolt Intact GP – KALEX Moto2 – + 0.247
04- Alex Rins – Paginas Amarillas HP 40 – KALEX Moto2 – + 0.357
05- Lorenzo Baldassarri – Forward Team – KALEX Moto2 – + 0.365
06- Takaaki Nakagami – IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia – KALEX Moto2 – + 0.410
07- Sandro Cortese – Dynavolt Intact GP – KALEX Moto2 – + 0.522
08- Johann Zarco – Ajo Motorsport – KALEX Moto2 – + 0.574
09- Alex Marquez – Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS – KALEX Moto2 – + 0.724
10- Franco Morbidelli – Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS – KALEX Moto2 – + 0.829
11- Danny Kent – Leopard Racing – KALEX Moto2 – + 0.855
12- Simone Corsi – Team Speed Up – Speed Up SF16 – + 0.889
13- Marcel Schrotter – AGR Team – KALEX Moto2 – + 0.974
14- Dominique Aegerter – carXpert Interwetten – KALEX Moto2 – + 1.054
15- Hafizh Syahrin – Petronas Raceline Malaysia – KALEX Moto2 – + 1.104
16- Mattia Pasini – Italtrans Racing Team – KALEX Moto2 – + 1.161
17- Julian Simon – QMMF Racing Team – Speed Up SF16 – + 1.168
18- Ratthapark Wilairot – IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia – KALEX Moto2 – + 1.267
19- Xavi Virgo – Tech 3 Racing – Tech 3 Mistral 610 – + 1.280
20- Edgar Pons – Paginas Amarillas HP 40 – KALEX Moto2 – + 1.429
21- Miguel Oliveira – Leopard Racing – KALEX Moto2 – + 1.494
22- Xavier Simeon – QMMF Racing Team – Speed Up SF16 – + 1.707
23- Luis Salom – SAG Team – KALEX Moto2 – + 1.785
24- Luca Marini – Forward Team – KALEX Moto2 – + 1.888
25- Robin Mulhauser – carXpert Interwetten – KALEX Moto2 – + 2.202
26- Axel Pons – AGR Team – KALEX Moto2 – + 2.388
27- Jesko Raffin – sports millions EMWE SAG – KALEX Moto2 – + 2.585
28- Isaac Vinales – Tech 3 Racing – Tech 3 Mistral 610 – + 2.700
29- Alessandro Tonucci – Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2 – KALEX Moto2 – + 3.401
30- Efren Vazquez – JPMoto Malaysia – Suter MMX2 – + 4.698
In Moto3, few riders took to the track during the first session. Only a few drivers completed a few laps to evaluate the new hard rear tire that will be offered by Dunlop at the next Argentine Grand Prix.
You have to wait until the last session to see the rankings panic. 5 drivers managed to beat Livio Loi's best time and cross the circuit record barrier. The fastest man was Niccolo Antonelli who recorded a time of 2'05.444, about half a second faster than the circuit record held by Alexis Masbou in 2014. We were very fast this Sunday,” explains pilot Ongetta. “We returned to the setting of the first day and the situation is significantly improved compared to the second day. The most important thing is that we found the feeling on the bike. »
Livio Loi, Saturday's leader, finished this test 0.217 seconds behind the Italian. Fabio Quartararo occupies the third time and places the KTM first in the ranking of this test.
Jorge Navarro and Brad Binder also managed to place themselves below the symbolic bar of the circuit record. They thus complete the top 5 of this test. The game of aspirations undoubtedly plays a role on this route. As proof, the five leaders are only separated by three tenths on the timesheet.
Nicolo Bulega, rookie in the category, Junior World Champion and protégé of Valentino Rossi, completes the list of drivers under the lap record. He is ahead of Aron Canet, also a rookie, and defector from the Junior Moto3 World Championship.
Jules Danilo, victim of chattering on the medium tire, occupies 22nd position in the combined ranking. Alexis Masbou, winner on this track last season, continues the development of the new Peugeot.
The 2016 season will kick off with the first Moto3 free practice session this Thursday at 18 p.m. (local time), 16 p.m. (Paris time).
Ranking of the 3rd day:
01- Niccolò Antonelli – Ongetta Rivacold – Honda NSF250RW – 2'05.444
02- Livio Loi – RW Racing GP – Honda NSF250RW – + 0.217
03- Fabio Quartararo – Leopard Racing – KTM RC 250 GP – + 0.273
04- Jorge Navarro – Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 – Honda NSF250RW – + 0.340
05- Brad Binder – Red Bull KTM Ajo – KTM RC 250 GP – + 0.372
06- Nicolò Bulega – Sky Racing Team VR46 – KTM RC 250 GP – + 0.372
07- Aron Canet – Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 – Honda NSF250RW – + 0.808
08- Philipp Öttl – Schedl GP Racing – KTM RC 250 GP – + 0.814
09- Joan Mir – Leopard Racing – KTM RC 250 GP – + 0.848
10- Jakub Kornfeil – Drive M7 SIC – Honda NSF250RW – + 0.855
11- Juanfran Guevara – RBA Racing Team – KTM RC 250 GP – + 0.866
12- Enea Bastianini – Gresini Racing Moto3 – Honda NSF250RW – + 0.945
13- Bo Bendsneyder – Red Bull KTM Ajo – KTM RC 250 GP – + 0.956
14- Andrea Locatelli – Leopard Racing – KTM RC 250 GP – + 1.022
15- Gabriel Rodrigo – RBA Racing Team – KTM RC 250 GP – + 1.024
16- Romano Fenati – Sky Racing Team VR46 – KTM RC 250 GP – + 1.045
17- Jorge Martin – Aspar Mahindra Moto3 – Mahindra MGP3O – + 1.192
18- Tatsuki Suzuki – CIP Unicom Starker – Mahindra MGP3O – + 1.373
19- Khairul Idham Pawi – Honda Team Asia – Honda NSF250RW – + 1.379
20- Jules Danilo – Ongetta Rivacold – Honda NSF250RW – + 1.512
21- Francesco Bagnaia – Aspar Mahindra Moto3 – Mahindra MGP3O – + 1.570
22- Andrea Migno – Sky Racing Team VR46 – KTM RC 250 GP – + 1.650
23- Darryn Binder – Platinum Bay Real Estate – Mahindra MGP3O – +1.695
24- Fabio Di Giannantonio – Gresini Racing Moto3 – Honda NSF250RW – + 1.718
25- Karel Hanika – Platinum Bay Real Estate – Mahindra MGP3O – + 1.827
26- Adam Norrodin – Drive M7 SIC – Honda NSF250RW – +2.065
27- Maria Herrera – MH6 LaGlisse – KTM RC 250 GP – + 2.066
28- Alexis Masbou – Peugeot MC SaxoPrint – Peugeot MGP3O – + 2.137
29- John McPhee – Peugeot MC SaxoPrint – Peugeot MGP3O – + 2.393
30- Hiroki Ono – Honda Team Asia – Honda NSF250RW – +2.978
31- Stefano Valtulini – 3570 Team Italia – Mahindra MGP3O – + 3.558
32- Lorenzo Petrarca – 3570 Team Italia – Mahindra MGP3O – + 4.268
33- Fabio Spiranelli – CIP Unicom Starker – Mahindra MGP3O – + 5.010
Combined ranking of the 3 days:
01- Niccolò Antonelli – Ongetta Rivacold – Honda NSF250RW – 2'05.444
02- Livio Loi – RW Racing GP – Honda NSF250RW – + 0.217
03- Fabio Quartararo – Leopard Racing – KTM RC 250 GP – + 0.273
04- Jorge Navarro – Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 – Honda NSF250RW – + 0.340
05- Brad Binder – Red Bull KTM Ajo – KTM RC 250 GP – + 0.372
06- Nicolò Bulega – Sky Racing Team VR46 – KTM RC 250 GP – + 0.372
07- Aron Canet – Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 – Honda NSF250RW – + 0.808
08- Romano Fenati – Sky Racing Team VR46 – KTM RC 250 GP – + 0.812
09- Joan Mir – Leopard Racing – KTM RC 250 GP – + 0.812
10- Philipp Öttl – Schedl GP Racing – KTM RC 250 GP – + 0.814
11- Jakub Kornfeil – Drive M7 SIC – Honda NSF250RW – + 0.855
12- Juanfran Guevara – RBA Racing Team – KTM RC 250 GP – + 0.866
13- Enea Bastianini – Gresini Racing Moto3 – Honda NSF250RW – + 0.945
14- Bo Bendsneyder – Red Bull KTM Ajo – KTM RC 250 GP – + 0.956
15- Andrea Locatelli – Leopard Racing – KTM RC 250 GP – + 1.022
16- Gabriel Rodrigo – RBA Racing Team – KTM RC 250 GP – + 1.024
17- Jorge Martin – Aspar Mahindra Moto3 – Mahindra MGP3O – + 1.186
18- Maria Herrera – MH6 LaGlisse – KTM RC 250 GP – + 1.284
19- Tatsuki Suzuki – CIP Unicom Starker – Mahindra MGP3O – + 1.373
20- Khairul Idham Pawi – Honda Team Asia – Honda NSF250RW – + 1.379
21- Andrea Migno – Sky Racing Team VR46 – KTM RC 250 GP – + 1.473
22- Jules Danilo – Ongetta Rivacold – Honda NSF250RW – + 1.512
23- Francesco Bagnaia – Aspar Mahindra Moto3 – Mahindra MGP3O – + 1.570
24- Darryn Binder – Platinum Bay Real Estate – Mahindra MGP3O – +1.695
25- Fabio Di Giannantonio – Gresini Racing Moto3 – Honda NSF250RW – + 1.718
26- Karel Hanika – Platinum Bay Real Estate – Mahindra MGP3O – + 1.827
27- Hiroki Ono – Honda Team Asia – Honda NSF250RW – +2.062
28- Adam Norrodin – Drive M7 SIC – Honda NSF250RW – +2.065
29- Alexis Masbou – Peugeot MC SaxoPrint – Peugeot MGP3O – + 2.137
30- John McPhee – Peugeot MC SaxoPrint – Peugeot MGP3O – + 2.393
31- Stefano Valtulini – 3570 Team Italia – Mahindra MGP3O – + 3.548
32- Lorenzo Petrarca – 3570 Team Italia – Mahindra MGP3O – + 4.268
33- Fabio Spiranelli – CIP Unicom Starker – Mahindra MGP3O – + 4.699
