P16 AND P22 FOR IANNONE AND RINS IN GERMANY QUALIFYING

 MGP-9-Andrea Iannone-26


Team Suzuki Press Office – July 1.

Andrea Iannone: P16 – 1’28.103 (Q2)
Alex Rins: P22 – 1’29.504 (Q2)

Mixed weather again affected the Sachsenring circuit in Germany on the second day of the German GP; however Team SUZUKI ECSTAR riders were able to make clear-cut progress on the day. The qualifying session, raced in wet conditions, saw Andrea Iannone finish in 16th place, while Alex Rins ended in 22nd.

In the morning, in dry conditions, both riders improved their lap times, with more confidence due to new setups. Iannone’s 1’22.018 was nearly 1.3 seconds faster than yesterday’s FP1 time, and Rins’ 1’21.925 was better by 0.7s.

When rain started to fall at the end of FP4, the riders only had time to make a couple of laps with the wet configuration before starting the Q1.

Their improvements were also solid in rainy conditions, compared to yesterday’s FP2, but not enough so to get through the qualification and gain their direct entry to the Q2. They had to settle for 16th and 22nd place, for Iannone and Rins respectively.

Davide Brivio – Team Manager
“Weather conditions made our job very difficult today. With Andrea in FP4 we were able to improve, we took some steps forward. He felt better with the bike and was also improving in Q1. Unfortunately he encountered some traffic then a small mistake in the last lap and couldn’t pull off a proper time attack. Nonetheless, he had the potential to get into the Q2 today, which is a positive thing. Alex continues to do a good job. For him it’s been hard to ride the Q1 on wet surfaces after dry sessions, but he managed to have a constructive and favourable performance. For tomorrow we are a little more confident, especially if the racetrack is dry.”

Andrea Iannone
“Finally today I got a positive feeling with the GSX-RR, both on wet and on dry, but especially on dry. In wet conditions, in Q1, I was doing well. It’s a shame at the end I didn’t stop to change the rear tyre for a new one, since I thought it wouldn’t be necessary. Quite possibly it could have given me those three or four tenths I needed to stay in front. Anyway I’m satisfied by the pace when we tested in FP4, on a dry track with used tyres; my lap time is not far from the top. We have changed many things, and finally I found a good feel with the bike, which gives me new enthusiasm for tomorrow.”

Alex Rins
“This is proving to be a tricky weekend, similar to Assen in terms of the mixed conditions. However it’s going pretty well, especially on the dry track. We were able to make lots of progress. I’m enjoying the wet conditions a little more than I did in Holland, but I still struggle under the rain and we still have some work to do. If it’s dry tomorrow, I think we can have a good race. If it’s raining, we will struggle a little more, but it won’t be so terrible either.”

GP of Germany – Qualifying Classification:
1. Marc MARQUEZ, Repsol Honda Team – 1’27.302
2. Danilo PETRUCCI, OCTO Pramac Racing – 1’27.462 +0.160
3. Dani PEDROSA, Repsol Honda Team – 1’27.949 +0.647
4. Cal CRUTCHLOW, LCR Honda – 1’28.089 +0.787
5. Jonas FOLGER, Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – 1’28.210 +0.908
6. Jorge LORENZO, Ducati Team – 1’28.383 +1.081
7. Pol ESPARGARO, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – 1’28.402 +1.100
8. Aleix ESPARGARO, Aprilia Racing Team Gresini – 1’28.526 +1.224
9. Valentino ROSSI, Movistar Yamaha MotoGP – 1’28.669 +1.367
10. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Ducati Team – 1’28.703 +1.401
11. Maverick VIÑALES, Movistar Yamaha MotoGP – 1’28.823 +1.521
12. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Pull&Bear Aspar Team – 1’28.968 +1.666
13. Jack MILLER EG 0,0 Marc VDS – 1’27.967 (Q2)
14. Loris BAZ, Reale Avintia Racing – 1’27.979 (Q2)
15. Bradley SMITH, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – 1’28.015 (Q2)
16. Andrea IANNONE, Team SUZUKI ECSTAR – 1’28.103 (Q2)
17. Mika KALLIO, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – 1’28.285 (Q2)
18. Hector BARBERA, Reale Avintia Racing – 1’28.404 (Q2)
19. Johann ZARCO, Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – 1’28.444 (Q2)
20. Karel ABRAHAM, Pull&Bear Aspar Team – 1’28.625 (Q2)
21. Sam LOWES, Aprilia Racing Team Gresini – 1’28.659 (Q2)
22. Alex RINS, Team SUZUKI ECSTAR – 1’29.504 (Q2)
23. Scott REDDING, OCTO Pramac Racing – 1’29.578 (Q2)
24. Tito RABAT, EG 0,0 Marc VDS – 1’30.028 (Q2)

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