Texas MotoGP: Marquez demoralises opposition and blows away lap record for pole
Marc Marquez has demoralised his opposition after blitzing them in qualifying for the second race of the year at the Circuit of the Americas in Texas, setting a lap time over a quarter of a second faster than last year’s pole position time.
Leading for most of the session on hard tyres, Marquez returned to track with a medium compound to set a lap of ; the reigning chmpion set his first pole last year with a circuit record lap of 2’03.021.
Marquez said after the session: “All weekend is going good for us, but tomorrow is the most important day. We have to keep pushing and keep the concentration, especially when its morst important at the beginning of the race before the tyres start to slide.We’ll keep pushing, and the goal is to win.”
His teammate Dani Pedrosa was second and fellow Honda rider Stefan Bradl third, while Aleix Espargaro, initally struggling to make the move through from Q1, was again the first Yamaha, leading an all-Yamaha second row of Lorenzo and Rossi.
Cal Crutclow was surprisingly the best Ducati in seventh, despite a recurring problem again leaving him stuck on track after a break down, and fellow Brit Scott Redding jsut behind him in 8th, while Andrea Dovizioso was another factory rider to lose out to his privateer compatriot as he finished in 10th behind Andrea Iannone.
Scott Redding had a brilliant Q1 session, only losing out on moving forwards to the Q2 session by 0.07 from Aleix Espargaro, leaving the Spaniard worried briefly as the Brit went over half a second faster than the other privateer Honda of Nicky Hayden. The PBM pair of Michael Laverty and Broc Parkes finished the session in 10th and 11th to start tomorrow’s race 20th and 21st.
1 93 Marc MARQUEZ SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 2’02.773
2 26 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 2’03.062 0.289 / 0.289
3 6 Stefan BRADL GER LCR Honda MotoGP Honda 2’03.196 0.423 / 0.134
4 41 Aleix ESPARGARO SPA NGM Forward Racing Forward Yamaha 2’03.240 0.467 / 0.044
5 99 Jorge LORENZO SPA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 2’03.243 0.470 / 0.003
6 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 2’03.244 0.471 / 0.001
7 35 Cal CRUTCHLOW GBR Ducati Team Ducati 2’03.780 1.007 / 0.536
8 38 Bradley SMITH GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 2’03.800 1.027 / 0.020
9 29 Andrea IANNONE ITA Pramac Racing Ducati 2’03.842 1.069 / 0.042
10 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Ducati Team Ducati 2’03.846 1.073 / 0.004
11 44 Pol ESPARGARO SPA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 2’03.913 1.140 / 0.067
12 19 Alvaro BAUTISTA SPA GO&FUN Honda Gresini Honda 2’03.923 1.150 / 0.010
13 45 Scott REDDING GBR GO&FUN Honda Gresini Honda 2’04.617
14 69 Nicky HAYDEN USA Drive M7 Aspar Honda 2’05.062
15 68 Yonny HERNANDEZ COL Energy T.I. Pramac Racing Ducati 2’05.677
16 7 Hiroshi AOYAMA JPN Drive M7 Aspar Honda 2’05.788
17 17 Karel ABRAHAM CZE Cardion AB Motoracing Honda 2’06.239
18 8 Hector BARBERA SPA Avintia Racing Avintia 2’06.270
19 5 Colin EDWARDS USA NGM Forward Racing Forward Yamaha 2’06.741
20 70 Michael LAVERTY GBR Paul Bird Motorsport PBM 2’06.939
21 23 Broc PARKES AUS Paul Bird Motorsport PBM 2’07.403
22 9 Danilo PETRUCCI ITA IodaRacing Project ART 2’07.745
23 63 Mike DI MEGLIO FRA Avintia Racing Avintia 2’07.761
