Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Take Fourth and Fifth Row in Motegi Qualifying
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16/10/2017
Qualifying
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP's Valentino Rossi took a tyre gamble in Q2 at a drying Twin Ring Motegi track and secured 12th position. Circuit conditions were uncertain as a dry line started to form at the start of the second 15-minute shoot out.
Unharmed after a crash in FP4, Rossi quickly went out on track in Q2 and took a risk, putting on slick tyres. Though he booked consistent improvement on each lap as the tyres started to warm, his gamble didn't pay off. The Italian returned to the pits in 11th place, with five and a half minutes on the clock.
He soon exited pit lane for another go, this time on wet tyres, but at the end of his out lap there were only one and a half minutes of the session remaining, which meant he would only have one attempt to set a fast time. The Doctor put the hammer down, dropping a 1'57.786s lap, more than 12s quicker than he was on slicks, but he didn't gain a position and had to settle for 12th place, on the fourth row on the grid.
Valentino Rossi
Position: 12th - Time: 1'57.786 - Laps: 6
"This morning we started well, because with the full wet session, like yesterday, we improved the setting of the bike a lot. I was quite fast and it was good, but unfortunately with less water on the track we suffered a lot. Also for this reason we risked using the slicks, because the track was becoming dryer. We were hoping it would dry quickly, but unfortunately it was still too wet. We have to wait to see what the conditions will be like tomorrow. With more water on track we can be quite strong, with less water we're struggling. The crash in FP4 was quite big, but I was lucky. No problems, just a little bit with the finger, but the important thing is that the leg is OK."
Massimo Meregalli
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP - Team Director
"Today's results were not what we had hoped for. The changing circumstances on the circuit in Q2 made it difficult to understand what the track conditions would be like. Valentino decided to try the slick tyres, but it turned out that, despite the drying line, it was still a bit too early for slicks. When he opted for a wet tyre for his second stint he just ran out of time to make it work. Though he improved his time significantly on his last lap, he still has to start from 12th place on the grid. Now we will assemble the data from today's sessions and prepare some setting tweaks we can test in tomorrow's warm up."
