Last year, Ducati Team’s Andrea Dovizioso awarded Ducati with its first win at Silverstone, the British track that returned to the MotoGP schedule in 2010.The Italian didn’t run away with the win, though; Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Maverick Vinales – who claimed the 2016 win at Silverstone while with Suzuki – finished 0.114 of a second behind.Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso
Vinales was quick once again, leading his teammate Valentino Rossi during the opening free practice Friday at Silverstone.But come the second free practice, Dovizioso returned to the top, claiming the fastest time with a 2:01.358.To put the 2018 Qatar and Czech Republic winner’s time into perspective, the fastest lap at Silverstone is a 1:59.941 set by Marc Marquez last year during qualifying.Honda’s Cal CrutchlowWhen the second free practice session was complete, Dovizioso crossed the line just 0.005 of a second ahead of home favorite, LCR Honda CASTROL rider Cal Crutchlow, who extended his contract with LCR Honda this week. Vinales finished third, 0.061 of a second off Dovi’s pace.“I’m pleased because despite the difficult track surface conditions we were able to put in a good performance, especially this afternoon when I lapped with the tires used in the morning and we were even quicker,” Andrea Dovizioso says.“Unfortunately, here at Silverstone the bumps in the asphalt make the situation rather complicated, but in any case I can see that virtually everyone is struggling: they’ve resurfaced the track but the conditions are worse than last year. Luckily the grip is good and so in the end things are not going so badly. Tomorrow we’ll try and use some other tires, seeing as today we only focused on tire solutions for the rear, but for the moment I’m very satisfied with this first day.”Yamaha’s Maverick VinalesHeading up the provisional second row was current points lead Marc Marquez on the Repsol Honda RC213V. The Spaniard was 0.144 of a second off the pace, and followed by Ducati Team’s Jorge Lorenzo and Alma Pramac Racing Ducati’s Jack Miller.Rounding out the top 10 Friday were Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Johann Zarco, Rossi, Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Andrea Iannone and Angel Nieto Team Ducati’s Alvaro Bautista, who joins the factory Ducati team in World Superbike next year.The riders will have two more practice sessions Saturday ahead of qualifying for Sunday’s 20-lap MotoGP.For more, visit our 2018 Silverstone MotoGP Preview.Honda’s Marc MarquezPhoto by Luciano Bianchetto
2018 Silverstone MotoGP Friday (FP2) Qualifying Results
KTM RC 390 and Gordon McCall of Quail Motorcycle Gathering
byMotos and Friends by Ultimate Motorcycle
Hello and welcome once again to Ultimate Motorcycling’s weekly Podcast—Motos and Friends.
This week’s Podcast is brought to you by Yamaha motorcycles. Discover how the YZF-R7 provides the perfect balance of rider comfort and true supersport performance by checking it out at YamahaMotorsports.com, or see it for yourself at your local dealer.
This week features Senior Editor Nic de Sena’s impressions of the new KTM RC 390. The entry-level KTM has always been an impressive motorcycle that has sold extremely well, however the factory has now taken the bike to another level, with top-spec features that are typically found on flagship machines. Clearly KTM has realized that even smaller engined machines should have high spec suspension, brakes and electronics packages. Nic tells us how well the new RC 390 is equipped, and what he thought of riding the smaller displacement rocket.
In the second segment I chat with automotive and motorcycle industry icon, Gordon McCall. Gordon is the Director of Motorsports at the Quail Lodge & Golf Club in Carmel Valley, California.
This weekend of Saturday May 14th sees the annual Quail Motorcycle Gathering re-start after its Covid-forced hiatus, and having attended every one of the previous Motorcycle Gatherings, personally I’m very happy that the event is back on the schedule. Gordon chats about the event and a little of what’s happening this year. It’s a great event and if you feel like a trip to the gorgeous Quail Lodge in Carmel Valley, you’ll get to meet Gordon, Roland Sands, and of course a large number of stunning motorcycles too.
From all of us at Ultimate Motorcycling, we hope you enjoy this episode!