Slick Espargaro grabs MotoGP pole
Spaniard Aleix Espargaro dodged the showers on Saturday to grab pole position in the Spanish motorcycle Grand Prix at Jerez.
The Aprilia rider, who set the best time in the heat in Friday's qualifying, edged Australian Jack Miller (KTM) and fellow Spaniard Jorge Martin on a Ducati-Pramac.
The qualifying set the grids for both Saturday's sprint and Sunday's race.
Espargaro opened the morning by crashing in free practice. Down to one bike he then gambled on slick tyres as showers punctuated the final session and was rewarded with the fastest time.
"Crazy morning," said Espargaro."I felt good from yesterday, so we decided to try another dynamic package and unfortunately I had a small crash."
As one of the 10 fastest from practice, Espargaro was able to sit out the opening qualifying session but was dismayed when it started to pour as that session ended.
"When I saw the rain, I was a bit angry and disappointed because we just had one bike so we didn't have the gamble to try the rain tyres and then the slicks," said Espargaro.
"I said 'Let's put on the slick and I try my best'. I really control everything until the last lap and then I push."
Miller said that he was unsure which parts of the track were dry so he also gambled.
"I threw in the slicks, went out and was able to bust out a lap," he said. "Each lap you push your luck a little bit more with the curves and hope they're ready at that point."
It was his first front-row place since joining KTM this season .
"It's a hard track to pass on so this is a major bonus," said.
Martin said he needed to duplicate his fast qualifying in the races.
"Happy to make the front row," said the Spaniard. "The important things are later."
South African Brad Binder (KTM) and reigning Italian world champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) topped the opening qualifying earlier in the day to grab the last two spots in the shootout for the first four rows on the grid.
(责任编辑:新闻中心)
- ·CeeDee Lamb secures record
- ·线上会议+线下表决 高效办理破产清算案件
- ·推动政策落地落实 确保政策红利直达市场主体
- ·N. Korea joins China trade fair in another sign of border reopening
- ·Trump won't stop making a deceptive bird claim. Experts debunk it.
- ·加大普法防范宣传力度 增强防范意识能力
- ·7 of Oregon's Most Magical Places
- ·Korea had over 100 quakes above magnitude 2.0 in 2023: KMA
- ·Best Labor Day headphones deals: Apple, Bose, Beats, and more on sale
- ·Best iPad deal: The iPad Mini is under $530 at Amazon
- ·Is Mercury retrograde messing with you? Think again.
- ·The Supreme Court just legalized stalking.
- ·Best tablet deal: The 8.7
- ·Yoon meets 'Squid Game' star Lee Jung
- ·雅安市第四人民医院:工娱治疗让患者康复之路充满希望
- ·Secure Email and Cloud Alternatives to Gmail and Dropbox
- ·刚刚,“清马”起跑啦!
- ·Estimating CPU Performance Using Amdahl's Law
- ·Haider all set for Paralympics Ceremony
- ·刚刚,“清马”起跑啦!