MotoGP: Marquez on 125 GP Front Row

By
Ron Lieback
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125cc Qualifying Results

Marc Márquez ended just 158 milliseconds away from a new pole position -he has taken 7 out of a possible 11 this season – in a thrilling last ten minutes of the qualifying for the Grand Prix of San Marino and Riviera di Rimini.

After registering the best time in this morning’s free practice and second yesterday afternoon, today Márquez has again secured a place on the front row of the grid, the main objective on this track where the first turn is very close to the start, from which he will start second.

In Misano, it is especially important to start from the front row if you want to be a contender in the battle for victory or at the least, a podium finish.

The first turn, as well as being narrow, is very close to the start, so in order to avoid the usual and dangerous mass of riders at the start of the race, it is best to start from the front row.

Therefore, it is mission accomplished for Marc Márquez, who will be accompanied by Smith, with the best time, and his two rivals in the fight for the title – fellow Spaniards Terol and Espargaró -.

The young Repsol rider was the fastest in this morning’s practice, smashing the circuit record, which he left at 1 minute, 43 seconds and 77 milliseconds. In the qualifying, Márquez again started off setting the pace and topped the timesheets in the first few laps, although still a long way off the times set in the practice session.

In the second half of the session, the young Spanish rider was the first to ride at under one minute and 44 seconds, demonstrating a good race pace for tomorrow. He did a series of fast laps, which Terol and Smith responded to by lowering their times, but without managing to beat his.

Finally, in the last minute, Bradley Smith did a fast lap, beating Márquez by 158 milliseconds, who ran out of time to respond to the British rider.

Despite not taking a new pole, Emilio Alzamora’s protégé showed that he was satisfied with the result of the qualifying and although he will finish defining the set-up in tomorrow’s warm-up after analysing the data collected today, he trusts that he will be able to have a good race tomorrow.

Marc Marquez says:"I think that starting from the front row, in the 125cc category, is good. At the end, we didn’t want to risk it too much so as not to fall. We have a good set-up, although perhaps I felt a bit more comfortable in this morning’s free practice. It was obvious that Nico [Terol] was also struggling a bit, so perhaps the track conditions were not the same."

"Anyway, we have our ideas quite clear for the race and I think that if we continue along the same line in the warm-up tomorrow, we’ll be able to resolve these details. You never know if it will be a group race or if some riders will break away because if you get caught up with a rival at the start, others can break away, but it seems clear that here we are all on a similar level."

125cc Qualifying Results:

1.38Bradley SMITHGBRBancaja Aspar TeamAprilia198.41’43.329 
2.93Marc MARQUEZSPARed Bull Ajo MotorsportDerbi201.21’43.4870.158 / 0.158
3.40Nicolas TEROLSPABancaja Aspar TeamAprilia198.61’43.6440.315 / 0.157
4.44Pol ESPARGAROSPATuenti RacingDerbi196.61’43.8090.480 / 0.165
5.71Tomoyoshi KOYAMAJPNRacing Team GermanyAprilia197.41’44.2720.943 / 0.463
6.11Sandro CORTESEGERAvant Mitsubishi AjoDerbi196.81’44.3411.012 / 0.069
7.7Efren VAZQUEZSPATuenti RacingDerbi200.71’44.4791.150 / 0.138
8.12Esteve RABATSPABlusens-STXAprilia199.11’44.5611.232 / 0.082
9.99Danny WEBBGBRAndalucia CajasolAprilia194.71’44.8161.487 / 0.255
10.14Johann ZARCOFRAWTR San Marino TeamAprilia193.51’44.9291.600 / 0.113
11.94Jonas FOLGERGEROngetta TeamAprilia196.01’44.9751.646 / 0.046
12.39Luis SALOMSPAStipa-Molenaar Racing GPAprilia197.91’45.0201.691 / 0.045
13.35Randy KRUMMENACHERSWIStipa-Molenaar Racing GPAprilia197.61’45.1031.774 / 0.083
14.23Alberto MONCAYOSPAAndalucia CajasolAprilia197.41’45.1661.837 / 0.063
15.15Simone GROTZKYJITAFontana RacingAprilia195.31’45.2171.888 / 0.051
16.26Adrian MARTINSPAAeroport de Castello – AjoAprilia198.91’45.6612.332 / 0.444
17.53Jasper IWEMANEDCBC CorseAprilia197.51’46.0482.719 / 0.387
18.78Marcel SCHROTTERGERInterwetten Honda 125Honda195.11’46.3092.980 / 0.261
19.84Jakub KORNFEILCZERacing Team GermanyAprilia191.31’46.3663.037 / 0.057
20.63Zulfahmi KHAIRUDDINMALAirAsia – Sepang Int. CircuitAprilia194.11’46.3683.039 / 0.002
21.69Louis ROSSIFRACBC CorseAprilia192.11’46.5573.228 / 0.189
22.97Armando PONTONEITAJunior GP FMIAprilia190.91’46.9163.587 / 0.359
23.32Lorenzo SAVADORIITAMatteoni CP RacingAprilia187.31’46.9323.603 / 0.016
24.87Luca MARCONIITAOngetta TeamAprilia192.31’46.9403.611 / 0.008
25.95Alessandro TONUCCIITAJunior GP Racing Team FMIAprilia191.21’47.2353.906 / 0.295
26.76Francesco MAURIELLOITATeam SemprucciAprilia194.31’47.4554.126 / 0.220
27.96Tommaso GABRIELLIITARacing Team GabrielliAprilia193.01’47.7324.403 / 0.277
28.36Joan PERELLOSPALambretta Reparto CorseLambretta192.41’47.8094.480 / 0.077
29.72Marco RAVAIOLIITALambretta Reparto CorseLambretta193.31’47.9734.644 / 0.164
30.5Alexis MASBOUFRAOngetta TeamAprilia192.11’48.1114.782 / 0.138
31.50Sturla FAGERHAUGNORAirAsia – Sepang Int. CircuitAprilia190.61’48.3244.995 / 0.213
32.79Giovanni BONATIITAJunior GP FMIAprilia190.01’48.3465.017 / 0.022….

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