Following a dominating performance in Free Practice 2 under the floodlights at Losail International Circuit in Qatar, Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez once again proved his speed Friday by leading the third and final free practice session.The MotoGP rookie and reigning Moto2 Champion posted a quickest lap of 1:56.084 in the final laps of the 45-minute practice session, giving him a clear shot at qualifying for the pole on Saturday. Also, due to the new qualifying regulations, Marquez and the top 10 riders of all three free practices combined with move into Q2 along with the two fastest riders in Q1. There will be a Free Practice 4 ahead of qualifying Saturday, but it doesn’t count towards qualifying placement (either Q1 or Q2); instead, it’s for final tweaks on the MotoGP bikes.Under drying track conditions, Marquez beat his Spanish compatriot Jorge Lorenzo to the line by a mere 0.001 of a second, Marquez’s RC213V having just that little extra over the YZR-M1, which dominated the first free practice.Third fastest was Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Cal Crutchlow, the Brit 0.242 of a second behind Marquez. Crutchlow also beat Yamaha Factory Racing’s Valentino Rossi by 0.090 of a second to secure third.The top Ducati was once again the factory GP13 piloted by Andrea Dovizioso, who was quickest of all Ducati riders in all three practice sessions. Sixth went to Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa, who struggled with grip throughout free practice.The seventh fastest rider was GO&FUN Honda Gresini’s Alvaro Bautista, who finished 0.488 of a second behind Marquez, and 0.098 of a second ahead of Ducati Team’s Nicky Hayden. As the battle ensued to push riders out of the top 10 to enter Qualifying 2, the British rookie Bradley Smith aboard the Monster Tech 3 Yamaha taking the ninth fastest time, followed by LCR Honda’s Stefan Bradl, who was the final rider to post within a second of Marquez.The two satellite Ducati GP13s, which receive factory backing this year, were next, with Energy T.I. Pramac Racing’s Andrea Iannone leading ahead of Ignite Pramac Racing’s Ben Spies, the American 1.224 second behind Marquez.And once again taking top CRT honors was Power Electronics Aspar’s Aleix Espargaró. The Spaniard was 1.336 seconds behind Marquez, showing that the bikes are becoming a bit more competitive with the new ECUs.The first of two qualifying sessions gets underway for the Commercial Bank Grand Prix of Qatar at 8:35 p.m. local time Saturday.2013 Qatar MotoGP Free Practice 3 Results:
Aprilia Tuono 660 Factory + Steve ’Stavros’ Parrish
byMotos and Friends by Ultimate Motorcycle
Hello everyone and welcome once again to Ultimate Motorcycling’s weekly podcast—Motos and Friends. My name is Arthur Coldwells.
Our first segment features the new Aprilia Tuono 660 Factory. Senior Editor Nic de Sena brings us his report on the flagship version of Aprilia’s upright middleweight machine. He gives us insight into whether it’s worth spending the extra money on the Factory version, and also of course, whether this sporting Aprilia is really the motorcycle for you.
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The next guest segment of Motos and Friends is brought to you by the faster and most technologically advanced, 2023 Suzuki Hayabusa—one of the most iconic sportbikes ever. Check it out in person at your local Suzuki dealer now, or visit suzukicycles.com to learn more.
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In this segment, Associate Editor Teejay Adams chats with (arguably) one of the most interesting Suzuki race riders of all time. the iconic RG500 alongside teammate double World Champion Barry Sheene. The two were almost as famous for their exploits off-track, as for their success on it. Those were the days! Steve also raced the Isle of Man TT for about ten years where he won 13 Silver Replicas, and got a podium finish. His insight into that particular brand of mayhem are fascinating.
But there’s waaay more to Steve Parrish than his motorcycle racing. He is also the most successful Semi-Truck racer ever, and, little known piece of useless trivia—he’s my birthday twin: 24th February. He is a natural entertainer and you can’t miss his recounting of the world’s most entertaining—and arguably terrifying—double-decker bus ride ever. If any of you were actually on that hell-ride then we’d love to hear from you!
