02.06.2018

Fifth row slot and improvement after hot Mugello Qualification for Red Bull KTM Team

QUALIFYING 6th Rd. MotoGP 2018, Autodromo del Mugello (ITA)
Pol Espargaro KTM RC16 Autodromo del Mugello 2018 © Marco Campelli / KTM Media Library

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Qualification at a sizzling Mugello circuit in the heart of Tuscany saw Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith take 15th and 17th positions respectively for the Gran Premio D’Italia and for the sixth round of the 2018 MotoGP series.
MotoGP
MotoGP reconvened in one of the most spectacular, scenic and challenging circuits on the Grand Prix trail for the Italian round and the sixth appointment of nineteen in 2018. Mugello shimmered in temperatures touching nearly thirty degrees and the long fast corners were a different type of test for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing for only the second attack for the KTM RC16 around the rapid layout.
 
Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith pushed for the fastest lap-times and optimum set-up through the four Free Practice sessions and in a steady climate and weather conditions. Both the Spaniard and Brit started Q1 aiming to improve on their previous efforts set during the weekend and succeeded; marking better chronos compared to 2017 and sit just over a second from the record Pole lap set by Valentino Rossi.
 
Espargaro“Last year we were very far from the top, much further than what we did today. The bike has improved quite a lot and we are a bit closer to the top guys compared to last year. I made a few small mistakes on the fast lap but I was happy and it was quicker than what we managed through the weekend. This is a tricky track for us because of the fast turns and here we have plenty! We will fight tomorrow and it will be important to stay focussed. The tyres will degrade, especially with the graining, and we need to stay on the bike and see what happens. We still have tomorrow to improve a few tenths but we are better with race rhythm than the fast lap.”
 
Smith“We are already a good bit faster than last year and this is what we have to base ourselves on and how we have improved and we are definitely getting closer. This track is really technical and this is one of the reasons I love it but the weaknesses show and that's why we are struggling a little bit. I got held up a bit in the last sector of the qualifying lap and it would have been nice to be fifth-sixth with Pol. The fact that we are starting tomorrow ahead of our normal fighting group is good for us. Normally we get good starts with the KTM so we should be able to launch forward. Then it will be a case of who is managing the tyres a bit better and who has the grip.”

Sebastian Risse (Technical Director MotoGP): “Overall a big thank you and fairplay to the riders; they did a great job in qualifying. The position doesn’t look brilliant but the lap-times were quite good compared to where we were coming from a year ago and compared to the gap to the top so we cannot complain. For sure we want to be better and it isn’t our target to be P15, it’s the top ten, but this is the reality and on this track and because of these chicanes our turning issues are exaggerated and you carry the consequence over the whole next straight and this hurts. We try to get the maximum out of this package – and there is maybe not so much room to improve with what we have here today – but we have a lot going on in the background and I hope soon we can improve in these areas. Tomorrow and the full race distance could be a different story and when it comes to the front tyre.”
 
Moto2 & Moto3
Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Miguel Oliveira registered a lap-time to sit in 11th place in the Moto2 ‘QP’ with Sam Lowes in 14th and Brad Binder 19th on the KTM Moto2 bike. In Moto3 Redox PruestelGP’s Marco Bezzecchi was the highest-ranked KTM RC250 GP rider and captured 5th place on the grid. 

Oliveira"After yesterday, we had planned to make changes and take a step forward in FP3, but unfortunately the changes didn’t work out as expected. Luckily, we were able to turn the situation around and in qualifying I felt much better riding the bike. I’m happy and confident ahead of tomorrow's race. It’s been a tricky start of the season, in terms of qualifying. We’re finding things a bit more difficult, partly because our rivals have also improved a lot. Today we saw that the times are very tight, since going a tenth faster could have put us fourth. That’s what I’ll take away from today. Tomorrow I will go all-out and try to recover positions as we always do. We know that we are strong in the race and we can achieve a good result. In addition, in the warmup we will try to take another step forward. Finishing in the Top 5 would be a good result with how the weekend has gone, although of course we aren’t setting limits for ourselves."

Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup
Just 1.5 seconds separated the top 13 at the end of 16 incredible laps as Japanese 15-year-old Yuki Kunii flashed across the Mugello finish line ahead of Can Öncü and Adrián Carrasco. Turkish 14-year-old Can Öncü now leads the points table by seven from fellow Jerez winner Carlos Tatay, the 15-year-old Spaniard, was on the fourth KTM RC250 RB across the line.

Kunii: “Safety racing, I was happy to be in the first group, I knew that I could get to the front but there was no way to get clear so I just waited. I really pushed only on the last lap. I knew that Can was the fastest rider but I was lucky, he made a mistake and that was perfect for me. Once I got in front I knew I could win it, just kept my head down and concentrated. The bike was great it was such a fun race.”
 
Races: June 3, 2018 – Moto3 11:00 | Moto2 12:20 | MotoGP 14:00 CET

Results Qualifying MotoGP Autodromo del Mugello 2018 

1. Valentino Rossi (ITA), Yamaha, 1:46.208 min
2. Jorge Lorenzo (ITA), Ducati, +0.035 sec
3. Maverick Vinales (ESP), Yamaha, +0.096
4. Andrea Iannone (ITA), Suzuki, +0.139
5. Danilo Petrucci (ITA), Ducati, +0.237
KTM
15. Pol Espargaro (ESP), KTM, +1.127
17. Bradley Smith (GBR), KTM, +1.610

Results Qualifying Moto2 Autodromo del Mugello 2018 
1. Mattia Pasini (ITA), Kalex, 1:51.575 min
2. Marcel Schrötter (GER), Kalex, +0.030 sec
3. Alex Marquez (ESP), Kalex, +0.067
4. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA), Kalex, +0.346
5. Simone Corsi (ITA), Kalex, +0.384
KTM
11. Miguel Oliveira (POR), KTM, +0.570
19. Brad Binder (RSA), KTM, +0.858

Results Qualifying Moto3 Autodromo del Mugello 2018 
1. Jorge Martin (ESP), Honda, 1:56.634 min
2. Tatsuki Suzuki (JAP), Honda, +0.190 sec
3. Ayumu Sasaki (JAP), Honda, +0.210
4. Aron Canet (ESP), Honda, +0.224
5. Marco Bezzecchi (ITA), KTM, +0.241
KTM
9. Marcos Ramirez (ESP), KTM, +0.453
25. Darryn Binder (RSA), KTM, +1.547


Results Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Autodromo del Mugello 2018
All rider on KTM RC250 RB bikes
1. Yuki Kunii (JAP), 30:36.642 min (15 laps)
2. Can Öncü (TUR), +0.031 sec 

3. Adrián Carrasco (ESP), +0.056
4. Carlos Tatay (ESP), +0.131
5. Xavier Artigas (ESP), +0.251

Standings Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup 2018 after 3 of 12 races
1. C. Öncü, 65
2. Tatay, 58
3. Kunii, 40

4. Deniz Öncü (TUR), 39
5. Filip Salač (CZE), 35

>> LINK MOTOGP PICTURES KTM MEDIA LIBRRAY
>> LINK MOTO2 PICTURES KTM MEDIA LIBRARY
>> LINK MOTO3 PICTURES KTM MEDIA LIBRARY

PHILIPP GRÜNBERGER
PR MANAGER MOTOGP
philipp.gruenberger@ktm.com
0043 664 6217921

www.motogp.com
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Images (19)

Pol Espargaro KTM RC16 Autodromo del Mugello 2018
5 000 x 3 328 © Marco Campelli / KTM Media Library
Pol Espargaro KTM RC16 Autodromo del Mugello 2018
5 000 x 3 333 © Marco Campelli / KTM Media Library
Bradley Smith KTM RC16 Autodromo del Mugello 2018
5 000 x 3 333 © Marco Campelli / KTM Media Library
Pol Espargaro KTM RC16 Autodromo del Mugello 2018
5 000 x 3 331 © Marco Campelli / KTM Media Library
Bradley Smith KTM RC16 Autodromo del Mugello 2018
5 000 x 3 328 © Marco Campelli / KTM Media Library
Pol Espargaro & Staff Box Autodromo del Mugello 2018
5 000 x 3 333 © Marco Campelli / KTM Media Library
Bradley Smith & Staff Box Autodromo del Mugello 2018
5 000 x 3 333 © Marco Campelli / KTM Media Library
Pol Espargaro Box Autodromo del Mugello 2018
5 000 x 3 333 © Marco Campelli / KTM Media Library
Bradley Smith Box Autodromo del Mugello 2018
5 000 x 3 333 © Marco Campelli / KTM Media Library
Miguel Oliveira KTM Moto2 Autodromo del Mugello 2018
5 000 x 3 328 © Marco Campelli / KTM Media Library
Brad Binder KTM Moto2 Autodromo del Mugello 2018
5 000 x 3 333 © Marco Campelli / KTM Media Library
Miguel Oliveira Box Automotodromo del Mugello 2018
5 000 x 3 333 © Marco Campelli / KTM Media Library
Brad Binder Box Automotodromo del Mugello 2018
5 000 x 3 333 © Marco Campelli / KTM Media Library
Marco Bezzecchi KTM RC250 GP Autodromo del Mugello 2018
4 378 x 2 913 © Gold and Goose / KTM Media Library
Marco Bezzecchi KTM RC250 GP Autodromo del Mugello 2018
3 794 x 2 525 © Gold and Goose / KTM Media Library
Darryn Binder KTM RC250 GP Autodromo del Mugello 2018
5 000 x 3 333 © Marco Campelli / KTM Media Library
Darryn Binder Box Autodromo del Mugello 2018
5 000 x 3 333 © Marco Campelli / KTM Media Library
Yuki Kunii KTM RC250 RB Autodromo del Mugello 2018
4 655 x 3 092 © Gold and Goose / Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup
Can Öncü, Yuki Kunii & Adrian Carrasco Podium Autodromo del Mugello 2018
4 928 x 3 280 © Gold and Goose / Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup


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