Espargaro dashes into MotoGP Q2 again at the Sachsenring with bright 8th place

MotoGP 2019  - Round 9, Sachsenring (GER)

Breezy but bright conditions greeted a busy Sachsenring circuit for the second MotoGP Grand Prix in one week and just a few days after the paddock had departed Assen in the Netherlands. The compact and elongated corner sections of the track (with ten left-handed turns) meant the Sachsenring was again an unusual and technical test for the Grand Prix elite.

Pol Espargaro began the weekend well with the 5th fastest lap on combined times after Free Practice 1 and 2 on Friday. The German layout was significantly kinder on his sore right wrist compared to some of the harder braking demands in Assen the previous weekend. With an effort just over a second away from Marc Marquez’s pace-setting effort Espargaro went straight into Q2 and with his fifth attempt marked the chrono that will see him fill a space in the middle of the third row.

Red Bull KTM teammate Johann Zarco veered between set-up for a time-attack and a solution for more race competitiveness. The Frenchman finished FP3 just one second away from the top spot and in Q1 faced stiff opposition with the likes of Valentino Rossi and Andrea Dovizioso among others in the same group. Zarco, battling illness, ended up 19th.

Red Bull KTM Tech3 duo Hafizh Syahrin and Miguel Oliveira will form-up in 18th and 20th positions respectively. 

Pol Espargaro: “I was expecting a good weekend. It was a little bit harder than last year because everyone was flying but we also went faster in FP3 and the qualifying. I’m happy with that position on the grid and it’s good to be near the top. The third row is a decent position for us. I think we have a good set-up and ideas for the race tomorrow and I’m looking forward to it. My wrist is better here simply because there are so many left corners. I still need a few painkillers but otherwise it is OK.”

Johann Zarco: “I expect to fight in the points tomorrow. I’ll be happy with this. I had a good feeling in the morning but in the afternoon a few more problems with the warm weather. We lost some grip and it became a bit more complicated. We’ll work hard for tomorrow and try to find a solution. I still need to change my smooth style. There are some good things going on and we just need to hold onto those through the race.”

Hafizh Syahrin: “I’m really happy with Qualifying but we had a crash in FP4 with the first bike, which had some good parts. The guys were not able to repair the number one bike in time. So, I had to jump on the second one, which also had some more kilometres on the engine. I just tried my best and was quite surprised to be so fast. I hope I have a good pace for the race tomorrow.”

Miguel Oliveira: “We did a quite good Saturday: a very good FP3, a fantastic FP4 with a very good race pace but we couldn’t make it in the Qualifying. Three riders improved their lap times directly behind me. I got no warning that I was being followed. It’s a costly mistake that puts us very far back on the grid, having the potential to be much more in front. We will see tomorrow. It’s going to be a hard race. We know it’s not easy to overtake at this track, but we will do our best.”

Moto2 & Moto3

In a closely matched Moto2 qualification session Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Jorge Martin rode well to classify 7th and just two tenths of a second from pole position. Brad Binder registered 17th position; an early crash in Q2 causing problems. Moto2 saw over twenty riders split by just one second through the Free Practice and Qualification sessions. 

Ayumu Sasaki took his first ever Pole Position in Moto3 as Jakub Kornfeil was the top-ranking KTM in 6th. Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Can Öncü scored his best qualification position of the season in 12th (his previous highest being 16th in Catalunya).

Races: July 7th, 2019 – Moto3 11.00 | Moto2 12.20 | MotoGP 14.00 CET

Results Qualifying MotoGP Sachsenring 2019

1. Marc Marquez (ESP), Honda 1:20.195
2. Fabio Quartararo (FRA), Yamaha +0.205
3. Maverick Viñales (ESP), Yamaha +0.211
4. Alex Rins (ESP), Suzuki +0.336
5. Jack Miller (AUS), Ducati +0.495
8. Pol Espargaro (ESP), Red Bull KTM +0.828
18. Hafizh Syahrin (MYS), Red Bull KTM Tech3 1:21.465 (Q1)
19. Johann Zarco (FRA), Red Bull KTM 1:21.637 (Q1)
20. Miguel Oliveira (POR), Red Bull KTM Tech3 1:21.683 (Q1)

Results Qualifying Moto2 Sachsenring 2019

1. Alex Marquez (ESP) Kalex 1:23.585
2. Luca Marini (ITA) Kalex +0.079
3. Marcel Schrotter (GER) Kalex +0.082
7. Jorge Martin (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo +0.283
17. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Ajo +0.768

Results Qualifying Moto3 Sachsenring 2019

1. Ayumu Sasaki (JPN) Honda 1:26.135
2. Kaito Toba (JPN) Honda +0.057
3. Marcos Ramirez (ITA) Honda +0.171
12. Can Öncü (TUR) Red Bull KTM Ajo +0.725

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Sebastian Kuhn
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sebastian.kuhn@ktm.com