MotoGP: Johann Zarco Takes Surprise Pole Position In Czech GP

In a shocking turn do events, Avintia Ducati rider Johann Zarco secured a surprise pole position in the Czech Grand Prix at the Brno Circuit. The satellite team rider secured pole, amidst a late crash for Fabio Quartararo of Petronas Yamaha rider Fabio Quartararo, who now starts at P2. Zarco's front row start does come as surprising with the rider been not rather neutral compared to the top performers since the start of the season. Joining Zarco and Quartararo on the front-row will be Franco Morbidelli of Petronas Yamaha.

Also Read: MotoGP: Quartararo Wins Andalusia GP As Vinales & Rossi Take Podium

gfsl7qqs

Fabio Quartararo crashed in the closing stages of Q2 while attempting to set the fastest lap

The early qualifying session was led by KTM's Pol Espargaro with a time of 1m55.990s, while current favourite Quartararo put on the best lap of 1m55.998s placing him second in the line-up. The rider attempted to break Espargaro's record in the closing stages of the qualifying session but crashed on the penultimate corner. With the just minutes left, Zarco made a final attempt to lap the track and set the timing screen on fire pulling a lap time of 1m55.687s, his first pole since 2018.

Despite Espargaro's brilliant time, the lap was cancelled for having set it under yellow flags. This promoted Quartararo to P2, 0.303s behind Zarco.  It also promoted Petronas Yamaha rider Franco Morbidelli to P3, ahead of Aleix Espargaro of Aprilia, who was just 0.084s off Quartararo and secured the best-ever qualifying result for the team in the sport.

takb17ps

LCR Honda's Takaaki Nakagami's fastest lap time was cancelled for exceeding track limits

Starting at P5 will be Maverick Vinales on the factory Yamaha, while the Pol Espargaro's next-best time places him at P6, followed by KTM teammate Brad Binder at P7. Danilo Petrucci on the factory Ducati starts at P8 tomorrow, ahead of Suzuki's Joan Mir and Yamaha's Valentino Rossi. The rider starts ahead of Suzuki's Alex Rins, while Cal Crutchlow on the LCR Honda bike is placed at P12. His teammate Takaaki Nakagami though starts 17th tomorrow after his best lap time of 1m56.290s was cancelled for exceeding track limits. The rider would've been seventh in the session.

Also Read: MotoGP: Marc Marquez Undergoes Second Surgery For Fractured Arm; Will Miss Czech GP

The Czech GP qualifying was a big disappoint for Andrea Dovizioso on the factory Ducati in his career-worst result. The rider managed to put a lap time of 1m57.034s to take 18th and was only faster than the factory Honda riders Stefan Bradl and Alex Marquez. Bradl fills in for Marc Marquez at Honda this weekend as the six-time world champion recovers from his crash in the opening round.

Filling in the rest of the grid are Miguel Oliviera on the Tech 3 KTM at P13, ahead of Pramac Ducati's Jack Miller. Tito Rabat on the second Avintia bike starts at P15 followed by Tech3 rider Iker Lecuona.



from CarandBike - Latest News

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Harley-Davidson Streetfighter Spotted In Flesh For The First Time

Image
Harley-Davidson unveiled a range of new motorcycles last year that included an adventure tourer, streetfighter and Custom range. This, along with the LiveWire electric motorcycle defines the new-age 21st century offerings from the manufacturer as it taps into newer markets and caters to an evolving customer base. Now, giving a glimpse of the new models out in the open, the new Harley-Davidson Streetfighter was spotted in the prototype version at what seems to be a trade show in the US, giving a good glimpse at motorcycle looks like in flesh. While board says 'Styling Prototype', the production-spec version of the Streetfighter is likely to stay identical to the model showcased here. In addition to the Streetfighter, the Pan America was also showcased at the same event. The production spec versions of both bikes could be unveiled at EICMA this year. Also Read: Harley-Davidson Livewire To Be Unveiled In India In August The Harley-Davidson Streetfighter is a completely new mot...
Read more

Brixton 1200 To Rival Triumph Bonneville T120

Image
A 1200 cc modern classic with similar design lines as Triumph's iconic Bonneville series, has reportedly been cleared for production. The bike was showcased as a concept at last year's EICMA motorcycle show, and from the looks of it, this is a model developed in China with the Triumph Bonneville T120 in its sights. The Brixton brand though is part of Austria's KSR Group, which imports bikes from several Chinese manufacturers, including CF Moto. And while the new Bonneville rival will be manufactured in China, the design and engineering has been created at KSR's design centre in Krups, Austria. Also Read: Triumph Bonnville T120 First Ride Review The Brixton 1200 cc motorcycle has not been named yet, or a launch timeline announced So far, the company has not committed to a launch date yet, but says that it will eventually make it to production. And from the looks of it, that may well be sometime later this year, maybe even at the EICMA 2020 show in Milan, Italy, in...
Read more

Zongshen Cyclone RX6 Based On Norton 650 Nearing Completion

Image
While there still doesn't seem to be a buyer for iconic British brand Norton Motorcycles which went into administration in January this year, the firm's 650 cc parallel-twin seems to be finding life in China. While Norton apparently sold off the engine rights of its 961 engine to China's Jinglang just before the brand went into administration, the deal for the 650 cc engine was finalized way back in 2017 with Chinese giant Zongshen. The 650 cc parallel-twin engine was due to be used in Norton's Atlas and Superlight models, but now it looks like that engine platform will make its debut in a Zongshen motorcycle, called the Cyclone R6. Also Read: How Much Is Norton Motorcycles Worth Now? One of the patent designs shows the Cyclone RX6 with full touring accessories and luggage Two prototypes fitted with the 650 cc parallel-twin engine were shown in China late last year, on the Zongshen Cyclone RX6 adventure bike and the RX6 sport tourer. Both bikes used Zongshen-made...
Read more