Brilliant Bautista takes first ever MotoGP™ pole at Silverstone

Round 6: British MotoGP™ – Qualifying Practice

Alvaro Bautista will start on pole position for the first time ever in a MotoGP™ race after the San Carlo Honda Gresini rider set a time of 2:03.303 in an action packed qualifying session at Silverstone.

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• Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Soft, Medium. Rear: Medium-Soft, Medium (Asymmetric)
• Bridgestone wet tyre compounds available: Soft (Main), Hard (Alternative)
• Weather: Dry. Ambient 17-18°C; Track 19-21°C (Bridgestone measurement)

Bautista set his pole-winning time on the combination of the soft rear and hard front slick just minutes before a rain shower washed over the circuit that left the circuit in a treacherous state. Starting second on the grid will be Yamaha Factory Racing’s Ben Spies who continued his strong form in Friday’s practice sessions, while last year’s British GP winner Casey Stoner completes the front row on the Repsol Honda RC213V. Aleix Espargaro finished just two-hundredths of a second ahead of his Power Electronics Aspar teammate Randy de Puniet to qualify as top CRT rider in eleventh place.

In similar conditions to yesterday, strong winds and intermittent rain showers fell throughout the day with track temperatures just getting above 20°C for qualifying. With such low grip levels, soft slicks were once again widely used during FP3 and qualifying though some riders did try the harder front and rear slicks today and there is a strong possibility that both these options will be used in tomorrow’s race.

The Sunday morning warm-up session takes place at 1000 (GMT +1) tomorrow before race action gets underway at 1300 local time.

Shinji Aoki – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department

“Once again the unsettled weather conditions made it very difficult for riders today. The cold conditions meant that softer slicks were once again widely used today, though some riders did evaluate the harder front and rear slicks and for the front tyre in particular, I believe we will see both the softer and harder options lining up on the grid if we have a dry race tomorrow.

“The decision to revise the compounds in our slick rear tyres for Silverstone has been vindicated as they are working very well in what are extreme conditions, while the feedback on how our new specification front slick is performing has also been very positive. It is very hard to predict what tomorrow’s weather will bring, but I am confident that we have a tyre option to cope with whatever conditions we are presented with for the race.”

source: bridgestonemotorsport.com, bsmotorsport.com

MAHINDRA’S WEBB GOES LIKE THE WIND AT SILVERSTONE

Mahindra rider Danny Webb, in his home GP, is hoping for a best-yet result, after putting the white-and-red Mahindra MGP-30 in the top ten in the morning free practice session. He kept the lap time but lost positions in the windy afternoon qualifying session … but was confident that the right circumstances will help him to a best-yet Moto3™ finish in tomorrow’s race.

The 21-year-old Englishman ended up 21st on a close grid, with every hope of securing a good start to move up into the points by the end of the race around 17 laps of the classic high-speed 5.90-km Silverstone circuit.

Team-mate Marcel Schrötter had the opposite experience, in a weekend where he has struggled to find the right machine set-up and the right riding rhythm. The price paid by the 19-year-old German was disproportionately high, qualifying 35th, at the back of the grid.

Unusually the Moto3 race is the last of the day, starting at 14:30 British Summer Time.

DANNY WEBB – 21st Position, 2’19.128

It was a frustrating session, and I’m sure I could have done a better lap, but I was never in the right group. In Moto3 you need the slipstream on the straights, but then the riders I was with would slow me up in the corners. I’d have to back off or change my line, costing me time. But we’ve made a step forward since the last race. I need to get away with the fast guys, then I am confident I can stay with them and see how the race develops.

MARCEL SCHRÖTTER – 35th Position, 2’21.807

I am very disappointed: I have never been in such a bad position. Every practice after only a few laps I would have to come to the pits to try to make adjustments to make things better. I could never get a fast run. If every session you can’t get your rhythm, then it is hard to focus. But I haven’t forgotten how to ride, so we will try again tomorrow.

source: mahindraracing.com , mahindra.com