Best MotoGP qualifying for Red Bull KTM at Motegi as overseas races kick off QUALIFYING 15th Rd. MotoGP 2017 – Twin Ring Motegi (JAP) MotoGP The Red Bull KTM MotoGP Factory Racing team have had a fantastic afternoon to produce their best team result from qualifying so far in the premier class of motorcycle racing with 7th and 8th position for Bradley Smith and Pol Espargaro. KTM’s previous best grid slot was 7th at the Sachsenring with Espargaro but to have both motorcycles together on the third row of the grid is not only proof the commitment from the riders but also the on going development behind the scenes at KTM Motorsport headquarters in Austria. For Smith it is his best grid position aboard the KTM RC16 MotoGP motorcycle as the trio of races in Asia kick off over the next three weekends in Japan, Australia and Malaysia. Motegi is the last circuit on the 2017 calendar where the KTM has not turned a wheel before, so this strong result is all the more positive for the future. Smith: “Today was one of those days where with those drying track conditions it could have gone either way at the end of Q1 but I was 2nd right behind Pol. A great result for us! In Q2 itself I knew I had to be smart with my knowledge of Q1 and use the tyre in the right way when the track was as dry as possible. We are 7th on the grid tomorrow and that makes our life so much easier. It looks like it will be a wet race tomorrow which makes the start even more critical because this track can get very wet indeed that in turn gives a lot of spray. However; today was crucial and I took the opportunity when it was there so to do this for KTM, the team and for all my guys on my side of the garage, it feels very good indeed.”   Espargaro: “In these tricky conditions you have to make your own luck but it worked. You need to be fast but in these conditions as you never know what the next corner can give to you so we did well to do these lap times. I’m very happy for the guys in the garage and in Austria as so many people are working so hard for us to get these good results. Another great day for KTM in MotoGP. For the race tomorrow, let’s see what the weather is going to do but whatever happens, it is going to be a Sunday to enjoy.”   Sebastian Risse (Technical Director MotoGP): “We have however enjoyed the moment as it was so good today to have both Bradley and Pol having making this the best ‘Saturday afternoon’ of the KTM MotoGP project to be both on the third row of the grid. The whole team is super happy with what we have done today so now we’re concentrating on tomorrow. We’re here for the first time but when you have wet sessions it isn’t as consistent as you think so you have to adapt to this, but when we didn’t have a good session in practice we worked hard to know why and it looks like we knew how to fix it. We’ve had a good day but we must concentrate on these races ahead.” Moto2 Another impressive result in Japan came from the KTM Moto2 motorcycle in the every slippery and tricky conditions this afternoon as Miguel Oliveira sped to a yet another second row start. For the Portuguese it is his 9th start inside the top 6 after the fifteenth qualifying session of the year. Team mate Brad Binder was 10th in the full wet conditions but as the track gradually dried he slipped down the order, but this gives cause to watch him use his trademark aggressive opening laps to cut through the field tomorrow.   Oliveira: "It was a difficult qualifying session because we first rode in the wet, where I felt very good, and then the track started to dry out. I felt comfortable with the dry setup and from the opening laps I was able to push. Unfortunately on the last lap I went wide and had a slower rider ahead, and I could not improve my time and fight for pole position or the front row. The important thing is tomorrow; it will be a very difficult race, and we have a lot of rain forecast so it will be difficult to finish. The goal is to be calm and finish as high up as possible."   Binder: "Today was a difficult day. In FP3 I suffered a lot, but in qualifying with wet tyres I was fine and I took tenth place. Once the track dried out I wasn’t able to adapt quickly enough to the new conditions. I’m really disappointed to have only qualified in 24th position and I still have a lot of work left to do for tomorrow. We’ll see what conditions we encounter tomorrow, but I'll do my best."   Moto3 The sky wasn’t the limit for KTM in Moto3 when Italian Nicolo Bulega clinched pole position for SKY Racing Team VR46. The 2015 Moto3 winner here at Motegi, Niccolo Antonelli, rode his Red Bull Ajo KTM RC250 GP to a clear view of turn one tomorrow with a 2nd place in qualifying with team mate Bo Bendsneyder eleventh on the grid. Antonelli has had a great run here in Japan in recent years finishing inside the Top 10 for the last four years, while the Ajo team are looking for a hat-trick of podiums – last year the squad took a very close second place here, when Brad Binder was just 0.017 seconds off the winner.   Antonelli: "Today we started the day losing some of the feeling we had yesterday and suffering a crash, but this did not stop us from being fast in FP3. Then in QP we were back to our best. The truth is, it's been too long since I was last on the front row. It's been a difficult year, but we have continued to work race by race and I am very happy to have got here; For me it is very important. Now all this work still has to be completed tomorrow in the race. The conditions can still change, and we may ride in the dry so we must be prepared for any changes. Our goal is to do our best and complete a good race." Bendsneyder: "The qualifying session was not bad at all and we were able to take a key step forward to get this spot on the fourth row. After the last two Free Practice sessions, which weren’t easy, I'm happy about how qualifying went. The feeling I have is good and I have always been riding alone. I can’t wait to start the race. I’m eager to see what conditions we will encounter, since so far we have only ridden in the wet here."   Races: October 15, 2017 – Moto3 04:00 | Moto2 05:20 | MotoGP 07:00 CET Results Qualifying MotoGP Twin Ring Motegi 2017  1. Johann Zarco (FRA), Yamaha, 1:53.469 min 2. Danilo Petrucci (ITA), Ducati, +0.318 sec 3. Marc Marcquez (ESP), Honda, +0.434 4. Aleix Espargaro (ESP), Aprilia, +0.478 5. Jorge Lorenzo (ESP), Ducati, +0.766 KTM 7. Bradley Smith (GBR), KTM, +1.403 8. Pol Espargaro (ESP), KTM, +1.437 Results Qualifying Moto2 Twin Ring Motegi 2017 1. Takaaki Nakagami (JAP), Kalex, 1:53.776 min 2. Alex Marquez (ESP), Kalex, +0.128 sec 3. Xavi Vierge (ESP), Tech3, +0.270 4. Mattia Pasini (ITA), Kalex, +0.363 5. Miguel Oliveira (POR), KTM, +0.513 KTM 24. Brad Binder (RSA), KTM, +3.083 Results Qualifying Moto3 Twin Ring Motegi 2017 1. Nicolo Bulega (ITA), KTM, 2:09.320 min 2. Niccolo Antonelli (ITA), KTM, +0.272 sec 3. Aron Canet (ESP), Honda, +0.388 4. Marco Bezzecchi (ITA), Mahindra, +0.477 5. Enea Bastianini (ITA), Honda, +0.526 KTM 8. Gabriel Rodrigo (ESP), KTM, +0.907 10. Andrea Migno (ITA), KTM, +1.000  11. Bo Bendsneyder (NED), KTM, +1.063 PHILIPP GRÜNBERGER PR MANAGER MOTOGP philipp.gruenberger@ktm.com 0043 664 6217921 www.motogp.com www.ktm.com | media.ktm.com  Facebook | YouTube | Twitter | Instagram