In Silverstone, where the Grand Prix of Great Britain is being hosted, Ai Ogura (MT Helmets-MSI / Boscoscuro) took pole position for the Moto2™ race, whereas Iván Ortolá (MT Helmets-MSI / KTM) will start from the first spot on the grid in Moto3™.
Thanks to the performance of standard Pirelli tyres, both riders also set the new all-time lap records for their respective categories, improving on the previous ones by more than one second. Many riders dropped below the old track record times as early as the Friday sessions, which is demonstration of how the performance Pirelli tyres offer has greatly benefited many riders and not just a few select individuals.
All-time lap records amply broken with standard tyres
“Even at Silverstone, a track with higher tyre wear than the others on the calendar, our standard tyres, regularly available for purchase on the open market for any rider to buy, demonstrated their outstanding performance, confirming the validity and competitiveness of our DIABLO Superbike slick range. The riders in both categories managed to set the new track records as early as Friday, only to break them again on Saturday, therefore demonstrating that familiarity straight away with our tyres, even though it was their first time using them on this track, as has already happened in all of the GP rounds held thus far this year. And the results are clear: in Moto2™ the all-time lap record was broken by one second, whereas in Moto3™, the new record is almost a second and a half better. In both categories, these times were achieved using soft compounds at the rear, combined with a front tyre in soft SC1 for Moto2™ and medium SC2 in Moto3™. Temperatures are expected to drop tomorrow, so even if the races are held at times similar to when P1 was held, we can’t rule out that the asphalt temperatures may still be close to those of the morning sessions. Colder asphalt could lead to higher wear. In that case, the setup on the bikes and good tyre management during the race will make the difference. In any case, we expect most of the Moto2™ riders to use the soft compounds at the front and rear, which have been the most used throughout the weekend, whereas in Moto3™, the medium SC2 will be the most popular at the rear because it is more consistent over race distance, with both front solutions as valid alternatives.”
Moto2™
· Pole position for Japanese rider Ai Ogura (MT Helmets-MSI / Boscoscuro) who, with a time of 2’02.940, also set the new all-time lap record, breaking Marco Bezzecchi’s 2021 record by more than one second. Result achieved with Pirelli standard tyres, SC0 rear and SC1 front. In qualifying, an amazing 18 riders broke the track record.
· Up to the qualifiers, Aron Canet (Fantic Racing / Kalex) was consistently the fastest rider in every session and the first to drop below the track record. In the FP sessions, he lapped just 33 thousandths from the record, only to break it in P1 with a time of 2’03.602. In the P2 on Saturday morning, he broke his own new record with a time of 2’03.433. In every session, the Spanish rider achieved his top time using soft compound SC0 rear and soft compound SC1 front tyres. In addition to Canet, another 5 riders dropped below the previous track race lap record in the practice sessions: Vietti in P1, VD Goorbergh, Roberts, Garcia, and Dixon in P2.
Moto3™
· In qualifying, all the riders naturally used soft compound SC1 rear tyres, which provide more grip than the SC2 solution, making them the ideal choice for flying laps. Iván Ortolá (MT Helmets-MSI / KTM) took pole position with a time of 2’09.270, a new all-time lap record, almost 1.4 seconds faster than the 2021 record set by Romano Fenati (2’10.619). The Spaniard used the medium compound SC2 at the front. All of the top nine riders dropped below the previous track record time.
· The riders were extremely fast from Friday, with an amazing nine of them doing times faster than the track record as early as the FP sessions. Each practice session was dominated by a different rider. In FP, David Alonso (CFMOTO Valresa Aspar Team/CFMOTO) was fastest, breaking the 2021 track record by more than 1 second with a time of 2’09.600. Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP / Husqvarna) broke it again in FP1 at 2’09.565, whereas FP2 was dominated by Daniel Holgado (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 / GASGAS) who was unable to match the Dutch rider’s time by just 21 thousandths (2’09.586). All three riders used soft compound SC1 rear and medium compound SC2 front tyres. Over the three sessions, a total of 16 riders broke the 2021 track record. |
