FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
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Marquez reigns over Rins, Quartararo menacing on Friday

Marquez reigns over Rins, Quartararo menacing on Friday

The rookie lost out on a final push to dethrone the King of the Ring

Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) topped the timesheets on Day 1 of the HJC Helmets Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland, but the reigning Champion had some competition at the venue he's reigned nine times in a row. Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) was second quickest, but Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) stole a few headlines in both sessions. The French rookie was fastest in FP1, and in the latter stages of the day he was denied the chance to improve his lap first as he got held up by teammate Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) and second as he caught Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) at the end of his final push. Does the rookie sensation have more in the tank for Saturday?

Conditions were warmer in the afternoon and almost the entire premier class field were able to improve their FP1 times within ten minutes of FP2 on a day of good weather in Germany – sometimes easier said than done – and two action-packed sessions, including 66 degrees of lean for Marquez and Quartararo's determination to try and dethrone the king of the Sachsenring didn't disappoint. And although the Frenchman didn't manage that in the end, Quartararo's rookie run of form in recent sessions is akin only to Marquez' speed in 2013 – with the rookie now in the top three for 16 sessions in a row; a good omen for the rest of the weekend.

Assen winner Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), who finished on the podium here last season, was the man in P4 after the first day and just over a tenth off Quartararo, with Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) next up to complete the top five; the Spaniard putting in another stunner of a performance for Austrian factory KTM.

Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) was P6 despite struggling through the pain barrier after a cycling mishap, just ahead of the fastest Ducati on Day 1: Jack Miller (Pramac Racing). Miller led a Borgo Panigale 7-8-9 as he headed Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team) by half a tenth, with Petrucci's teammate Andrea Dovizioso only a further 0.005 in arrears. Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) completed the top ten on Friday and therefore currently holds the last of the provisional places in Q2. The 'Doctor' was also in the top three in the morning.

Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) was an infinitesimal 0.005 off that fastest ten, and he'll be the first pushing to try and crack it on Saturday morning in FP3, ahead of Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT), rookie Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and home hero Stefan Bradl (Repsol Honda Team), who is standing in for the injured Jorge Lorenzo. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) completed the fastest fifteen.

It was a day with low rates of attrition and only Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing) suffered a crash, the Italian going down in FP1. He missed FP2 as he headed for a check up in Chemnitz in the afternoon, rider ok.

That's it from Day 1! The top ten after FP3 will go through to Q2, and that final chance to move up the timesheets starts at 9:55 (GMT+2) on Saturday morning at the Sachsenring. Does Quartararo have an ace up his sleeve? Can Marquez move the benchmark once again? Qualifying begins at 14:10 to decide the grid.

Friday's fastest:

1 - Marc Marquez (SPA - Honda) 1:20.705
2 - Alex Rins (SPA - Suzuki) +0.341
3 - Fabio Quartararo* (FRA - Yamaha) +0.360
4 - Maverick Viñales (SPA - Yamaha) +0.488
5 - Pol Espargaro (SPA - KTM) +0.560

*Independent Team rider

 
Binder supreme at the Sachsenring
South African tops his second Friday in succession

Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) won the 2018 German GP, and as we return to the venue for the HJC Helmets Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland this season, it's the South African on top once again. Binder was a stunning 0.380 clear on Friday, with Xavi Vierge (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) in second and Iker Lecuona (American Racing KTM) in third, but with an identical laptime. That speaks volumes of the competitive field behind Binder; second to P26 covered by less than a second.

In the morning it was home hero and replacement rider Jonas Folger (Petronas Sprinta Racing) – a premier class podium finisher at the track – who went quickest, leading compatriot Marcel Schrötter (Dynavolt Intact GP) – who made a stunnnig save at the 'Waterfall' and suffered a crash – before Binder turned the tables in FP2. The warmer conditions in the afternoon allowed the Moto2™ riders to hit the ground running and the majority of those in the field improved their laptimes, with Folger and Schrötter the only exceptions in the top ten.

Folger therefore ends the day in fourth overall with his FP1 time ahead of Schrötter, with Assen winner Augusto Fernandez (Flexbox HP 40) slotting into sixth. Key Championship contender Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) ended the day in seventh as a crash in FP2 saw his session come to an early end – rider ok, bike briefly on fire – and it was just after that Binder struck to lead.

Lorenzo Baldassarri (Flexbox HP 40) was right behind Marquez in P8, with Tetsuta Nagashima (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) impressing to finish Friday in ninth. Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46) completed the top ten and beat Championship leader Tom Lüthi (Dynavolt Intact GP) to the honour, with the Swiss veteran tailed by two rookies: Fabio Di Giannantonio (MB Conveyors Speed Up) and Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo). 

Jorge Navarro (MB Conveyors Speed Up) is currently the last man set to move straight through to Q2, with the Spaniard only 0.035 off the top 14 despite a crash. Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) is also close despite a fall for the Brit on Friday. Will the times shuffle again on Saturday morning in FP3? That's their last chance to gain automatic graduation so miss a second, with FP3 going green at 10:55 local time (GMT+2) before qualifying from 15:05.

Friday's fastest:

1 - Brad Binder (RSA - KTM) 1'23.948
2 - Xavi Vierge (SPA- Kalex) +0.380
3 - Iker Lecuona (SPA - KTM) +0.380
4 - Jonas Folger (GER - Kalex) +0.406
5 - Marcel Schrötter (GER - Kalex) +0.413

 
Sasaki tames the Sachsenring on Day 1
Japanese rider tops the timesheets on Friday, edging out rookie Fernandez

It was close at the top on Friday in the HJC Helmets Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland, with Ayumu Sasaki (Petronas Sprinta Racing) just edging out Raul Fernandez (Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team) for P1, with the Japanese rider fastest in FP2 and the Spaniard in FP1. They were split by just 0.065, with Marcos Ramirez (Leopard Racing) completing the top three despite a crash in FP1 for the Catalan GP winner.

The top 21 riders were within a second on Day 1, and the biggest gap amongst them was back to Ramirez in third as Sasaki and Fernandez ended the day with some breathing space at the top. Only 0.029 kept Assen podium finisher Jakub Kornfeil (Redox PrüstelGP) out of the top three, and it was an even smaller 0.002 back to Kaito Toba (Honda Team Asia) as he completed the top five.

Championship leader Aron Canet (Sterilgarda Racing Team) was sixth quickest overall, just under a tenth off Toba, with Alonso Lopez (Estrella Galicia 0,0) 0.060 behind him. John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) had a solid first day in eighth, ahead of Romano Fenati (VNE Snipers) and Dennis Foggia (Sky Racing Team VR46), who completed the top ten. The Italian also took the famous 'Waterfall' side-by-side with Filip Salac (Redox PrüstelGP) in one stunning moment on Friday.

Tony Arbolino (VNE Snipers) was P11 and didn't improve in the afternoon, although the now two-time winner was only 0.015 off the top ten, with Kazuki Masaki (BOE Skull Rider Mugen Race) half a tenth in arrears. Foggia's sparring partner Salac took P12 and showed some impressive form on Friday, ahead of Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse), who completed the fastest 14 and the provisional list of riders heading straight through to Q2.

Gabriel Rodrigo (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3), who was a crasher on Day 1, is the first man who stands to lose out and will be hoping to move forward in FP3, as will Championship challengers Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing) – down in P16 – and Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) in P19. Their last chance for direct Q2 entry starts at 9:00 (GMT +2) on Saturday morning, before qualifying begins from 12:35.

Friday's fastest:

1 - Ayumu Sasaki (JPN - Honda) 1'26.526
2 - Raul Fernandez (SPA - KTM) +0.065
3 - Marcos Ramirez (SPA - Honda) +0.257
4 - Jakub Kornfeil (CZE - KTM) +0.286
5 - Kaito Toba (JPN - Honda) +0.288

 
Marquez reigns over Rins, Quartararo menacing on Friday
Rins was the man closest to Marquez on the number 93's hunting grounds...
Marquez reigns over Rins, Quartararo menacing on Friday
Quartararo didn't get a clear run on his final lap. What could Saturday bring?
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