Misano Friday round up – MotoGP, Moto2, Moto3 and MotoE

MotoGP 2023

Round 12 – Misano

MotoGP Friday Practice

Marco Bezzecchi was hot to trot from the start at Misano on Friday despite pain in his left thumb, a consequence of last Sunday’s crash in Catalunya.  By the end of proceedings Bezzecchi had set a new outright Misano benchmark at 1m30.846. 

Marco Bezzecchi – P1

“A tough day, but I’m happy, the track record, then here at home, is always a great result. My hand hurts more than expected, especially from a race perspective, while on the flying lap it didn’t bother me. I thought I would struggle in the central part of the track, but instead the point where I suffer the most is T1. I’ll try to manage my energy as best as possible tomorrow, it’s a very long day, between qualifying and the race, but overall the sensations are more than positive and I won’t give up.”

Maverick Vinales had stunned earlier when he broke into the 1m30s, the first man ever to do so, but ultimately the Aprilia man was usurped by the VR46 rider in the closing stages of the session.

Maverick Vinales – P2

“I am truly happy with the day today. It’s a pleasure to be able to ride like this. I felt at ease from the very first lap, with the same good sensations as the previous GP races and this consistent performance helps me to build more and more confidence. We already have a good pace and we were also fast in the time attack, so that makes me optimistic for qualifying tomorrow. The goal is the front row.”

The evergreen Dani Pedrosa was quick from the outset, trialling a new version of the RC16, and using that to great affect.  Pedrosa relishing his opportunity to mix it up with the young guns, and getting great respect from them in return. Third quickest a stunning performance from the ‘retired’ racer.

Jorge Martin also had taken his turn atop the timing monitors but ultimately ended up fourth quickest just ahead of Luca Marini, Marc Marquez and Pecco Bagnaia. That quartet covered by four-hundredths of a second, how’s that for close company…  Marquez had been well down the order before tucking in behind for a tow late on from Dani Pedrosa that helped him leap up the order.

Luca Marini – P5

“It went definitely well today: we immediately found a lot of grip on the track, I didn’t consider it. Yesterday there were MotoE tests and the asphalt was more rubbery than expected. In the afternoon I wasn’t perfect, with the temperature I struggled more, I used two warmed tyres, then the yellow flags. I achieved the Q2 at the end and I’m happy, a crucial piece for the weekend.”

Marc Marquez – P6

“Ultimately today was a positive day because we achieved our target for the weekend: qualifying in the top 12. I need to keep on working on my feeling with the bike, it’s still not quite there but we were able to do the lap time. It was a calm day because at the start I was not getting the feedback from the bike, the tyres, the track that I wanted but we worked to improve it. In the last part of the afternoon session, I really pushed for a time and we were able to make a step, especially with used tyres. I then got a good lap behind Dani – he was super-fast. Tomorrow is another day.”

Pecco Bagnaia – P7

“Honestly, I’m so happy, when I arrived at the box after what I had been through, it was one of the best moments of the season for me. Today wasn’t easy. I’m struggling a lot to move my leg on the bike, and I had to change a bit my riding style in the right corners. This morning it was already a good test for me, and this afternoon we did a better step in front in terms of feeling on the bike. The lap times we were doing with the used tyres were good, the pace was incredible, and the time attack went well. It will be tough for sure, but I don’t want to think too much about the races, I just want to stay calm and enjoy the moment.”

P8 went the way of Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP), as Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Raul Fernandez (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team) seal P9 and P10 – the latter gaining Q2 entry for the first time in his MotoGP career despite a small crash in Practice.

Alex Marquez – P8

“Things went quite good. We improved consistently in a Friday that was definitely different from Montmeló, where we made some mistakes. We didn’t have a great feeling with the medium tyre, but things went better with the softer option. We surely have to do something in the first split where we lose a lot, but we know where to work on.”

Raul Fernandez – P10

“Honestly, I’m really happy because we were always close to going into Q2 directly, and today we managed to get it. But it was still difficult. I did the first run with new tyres and then I saw the yellow flag again and we needed to close the gas. On the second try, I arrived on the last part of the third sector and saw that everyone was in the middle, I tried not to lose a lot of time but unfortunately I crashed. In the end, I’m happy, I had a good pace all day and that is really important for tomorrow. Getting that Q2 is positive for the mind and for the work we have to do tomorrow during FP3. My team and I have been working really well in the last three, four races, we just needed to improve on the fast lap and the lap with new tyre, and today we improved on that. In the end I think the pace is there and that’s a good thing.”

A late crash from Aleix Espargaro, who had been suffering from chatter issues throughout Friday, saw him slip out of the top ten amongst a gaggle of well credentialled riders who are also destined for Q1. Brother Pol Espargaro had hit the deck earlier in the session as had Marc Marquez and Jack Miller, also a victim of chatter issues.

Riders that will have to contest Q1 include Aleix Espargaro, Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing)… the list goes on.

Pol Espargaro – P11

“I am a little upset with today’s outcome. I was struggling a bit at the beginning of Practice, but then I was catching up with the rhythm lap after lap. I rode a decent lap, but I was expecting to improve it because it was not perfect. Unfortunately, I made a mistake later on, maybe because I was waiting a bit too much in my first lap, and my front tyre cooled down, but I lost the front and could not avoid the crash. That was the end of my session unfortunately.”

Aleix Espargaro – P12

“Unfortunately, it was a bad crash. My neck is in a lot of pain and it was certainly not the best start to the weekend. I did not have a good feeling today. There were a lot of vibrations that kept me from riding cleanly. I was pushing to get into the top ten and get the day back on track, but it wasn’t enough. Now I’ll try to get as much rest as possible and I’ll do everything I can to be back on the track tomorrow morning.”

Fabio Quartararo – P13

“We tried many things today, but I think maybe it was a bit too much. We have to keep working and try to keep improving. Trying to get into Q2 tomorrow will be super important. We will give our best and fight for the best possible position on the grid.”

Franco Morbidelli – P14

“I can‘t be satisfied with today. We didn‘t achieve our aim, which was to get directly into Q2. I could just do one time attack and unfortunately I couldn‘t get a top-10 spot. I did a 1‘31.7s, and that was not enough to get into Q2. It‘s a pity.”

Jack Miller – P17

“Was going alright until time attack time, felt good on the used tyre but on the softs I found the limit, I pushed a little too hard and it got away from me. Went back to the box and got the other bike but couldn’t seem to get the second tyre to go and didn’t have a tidy lap. Need to find some more for tomorrow, we’re not far away.”

MotoGP Friday Practice Results

MotoGP Friday FP1 Resuts

MotoGP Championship Points

Moto2 Friday Practice

Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) topped the timesheets on Friday and the young phenom was half-a-second clear of the field.

Celestino Vietti (Fantic Racing) heads the chasing pack at his home round ahead of Jake Dixon (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team). Fresh from his Barcelona victory, the Brit started his weekend in third on combined times.

Alonso Lopez (+Ego SpeedUp) finished just 0.010s away from the top three in P4 ahead of Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) who made a big step in Practice 2 to jump up to the top 5. Ai Ogura (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia) struggled to improve in Practice 2, but did consolidate P6 with his P1 time, ahead of Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing), Filip Salač (QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2) and Bo Bendsneyder (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team).

Somkiat Chantra (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia) crashed twice in Practice 2 and subsequently failed to improve. However, the Thai rider’s P1 time was enough for him to secure a top 10 ahead of Aron Canet (Pons Wegow Los40), who also hit the deck in P2.

Fermin Aldeguer (+Ego SpeedUp), Jeremy Alcoba (QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2) and Manuel Gonzalez (Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team) provisionally sit in the final provisional Q2 spots with Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) all the way down in 18th.

Aussie teenager Senna Agius, once again standing in for the injured Darryn Binder, was 24th on day one, a second outside of the top ten.

Moto2 Friday Practice Results (Combined)

Moto2 Championship Points

Moto3 Friday Practice

Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing) made it two Fridays in a row on top as he pipped Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) to the top at Misano, just 0.075s separating the two. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) rounded out the top 3, with the Championship leader Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Tech3) struggling for form in P13.

David Alonso (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) had another strong Moto3 showing. The Colombian rookie finds himself in P4 on Day 1 with just 0.134s covering the top four. Ivan Ortola (Angeluss MTA Team) rounded out the top five, with Joel Kelso (CFMOTO Racing PruestelGP) in P6.

Stefano Nepa (Angeluss MTA Team) bagged P7 to kick off his home Grand Prix ahead of Kaito Toba (SIC58 Sqaudra Corse) and Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo), with Romano Fenati (Rivacold Snipers Team) rounding out the top 10.

Moto3 Friday Practice Results (Combined)

Moto3 Championship Points

MotoE Qualifying

MotoE Friday Combined Qualifying

Misano Grand Prix Schedule
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2023 MotoGP Calendar