Misano Friday Results
Moto GP 2014
Round 13 of the 2014 MotoGP season at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli started under dreary skies, the clouds opening up throughout the day making for wet conditions in both practice sessions. Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso proved fastest in the difficult circumstances, becoming the only rider to drop below 1’50 in the afternoon. Energy T.I. Pramac Racing’s Yonny Hernandez finished second-fastest with the lap he set during FP1. The Colombian was the only rider not to improve his pace in FP2. Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa rounded out the top-three.
As riders explored the limits of grip at the Italian circuit in the wet, many overreached and suffered offs. Among those going down in FP1 were Tech 3 Yamaha’s Bradley Smith, Cardion AB’s Karel Abraham, Smith’s teammate Pol Espargaro, Hernandez’s teammate Andrea Iannone as well as Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi. Octo IodaRacing Team’s Danilo Petrucci likewise slid off track during the morning. In the afternoon Smith, Abraham and Iannone dumped their bikes a second time, while Go & Fun Honda Gresini’s Alvaro Bautista and his teammate Scott Redding, along with NGM Mobile Forward Racing riders Aleix Espargaro and Alex De Angelis, suffered their first incidents of the day.
Dovi had an episode of his own too, going down on his out lap in the afternoon. It proved to be an educational off, leading his team to explore some additional modifications which gave the Italian much better feel toward the end of the session. Gains made during Friday’s practice may not have much bearing on the rest of the weekend though, since forecasts indicate clearer skies on Saturday and Sunday.
Pedrosa and his teammate, Marc Marquez, were reserved in the wet, logging just a handful of laps in each session.
Marquez, who finished fourth-fastest, offered his take on the conditions in a team press release:
"Today was a strange day, as it looks like the rest of the weekend will be totally different; there is a chance of some rain tomorrow afternoon, but the race is forecast to be dry on Sunday. So today was a day for doing our homework and only staying out for as long as strictly necessary, because it was very risky and you have to avoid these kinds of situations, at least in my case. I felt good putting in only five or six laps in each run, and as I felt confident I decided not to do much more than that.”
Petrucci trailed Marquez in fifth, with Pol Espargaro finishing sixth ahead of LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl in seventh. Rossi’s teammate, Jorge Lorenzo, finished in eighth. The Mallorcan was very conservative during the morning session, registering just six total laps. He worked more in the afternoon, posting 15 full rotations, saying afterward that “I needed more time than the others to build my confidence…Obviously we need to improve the bike in the rain as our competitors are faster but I also need to improve my riding.”
Iannone soldiered on to finish in ninth with Rossi trailing in 10th.
Bridgestone Motorsport Tire Development Department Chief Engineer, Masao Azuma, provided some insight into the tire choices made by riders throughout the day:
“Today’s heavy rain and cold track temperatures combined to create a very challenging environment for the riders. The general rider feedback is that the grip level of the Misano tarmac in the wet was quite poor, particularly under braking. All riders used the hard compound wet tire in the morning FP1 session, but given the harsh conditions almost every rider elected to use the soft compound wet tires in the afternoon FP2 session. Due to the lack of grip of the wet tarmac, after FP1 we decided to make more soft compound wet tires – which are the alternative wet tire at Misano - available to all riders for the rest of the weekend to ensure maximum rider safety. Tomorrow’s FP3 session could be an exciting one, as if it is dry it will be the first chance for riders to assess the different slick options while at the same time, the riders will be pushing hard to finish in the top ten in order to qualify directly for QP2.”
MotoGP Misano Friday Results 2014
1. Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati) 1’49.195
2. Yonny Hernandez (Ducati) 1’50.310
3. Dani Pedrosa (Honda) 1’50.356
4. Marc Marquez (Honda) 1’50.519
5. Danilo Petrucci (ART) 1’50.641
6. Pol Espargaro (Yamaha) 1’50.761
7. Stefan Bradl (Honda) 1’50.848
8. Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) 1’51.541
9. Andrea Iannone (Ducati) 1’51.603
10. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 1’51.738
11. Cal Crutchlow (Ducati) 1’51.757
12. Aleix Espargaro (Forward Yamaha) 1’52.164
13. Scott Redding (Honda) 1’52.213
14. Alvaro Bautista (Honda) 1’52.298
15. Hiroshi Aoyama (Honda) 1’52.584
16. Karel Abraham (Honda) 1’52.814
17. Michael Laverty (PBM) 1’53.326
18. Bradley Smith (Yamaha) 1’53.329
19. Leon Camier (Honda) 1’53.699
20. Alex De Angelis (Forward Yamaha) 1’54.105
21. Broc Parkes (PBM) 1’56.128
22. Hector Barbera (Avintia) 1’56.632
23. Mike Di Meglio (Avintia) 1’58.88