Lorenzo Heads Brno Field With Record Lap

Aug 15, 2015
4 min read

Jorge Lorenzo will start tomorrow's 23-lap Czech Grand Prix from pole position after a record breaking lap in qualifying saw him claim top spot.

The Spaniard has been in good form all weekend, and sent a statement of intent to his rivals with the fastest ever lap of the Brno circuit in FP3. Lorenzo wasted no time on his opening run and went top straight away with a 1:55.238, another record lap. Then, on the first lap of his second run, Lorenzo cemented his position with another fastest ever tour. This time he guided his YZR-M1 to a 1:54.989.

With two-minutes still on the clock at this point it looked a done deal, but Marc Marquez was digging deep on his final lap. The Spaniard was looking set for 2nd spot after his opening run, but a stunning final sector for the Repsol Honda rider saw him clock a 1:55.063.

The action wasn't finished yet. Valentino Rossi's opening gambits weren't anything special; his first flyer was good enough for 7th, and then on his second lap he was up to 4th. A second row start would have been a big step-up for the Italian after qualifying let him down in Indianapolis. But a final lap right at the end of the 15-minute session saw him clamber onto the front row – a crucial one at that – and into 3rd.

This is a tantalising top three. All of them are involved in the fight for the title and all are looking for any opportunity to snatch points away from each other wherever they can. Long run pace in FP4 puts the two Yamaha's ahead of Marquez, with Lorenzo edging ahead of Rossi. If it is cool tomorrow, like it was today, then the Yamaha's may find themselves pulling away from Marquez. The Honda likes the warmer temperatures as it is a bike that works well when the rear is moving a little. The only problem, which will be the same for everyone, will be the front if it is hot. The greasy track caught out a number of people yesterday in FP2, and on heavy fuel this will hamper the RC213V even more – remember Catalunya? Though Marquez' hybrid 2015 bike is a lot more stable and predictable at the front it will still be an issue, especially with the aggressive nature of the bike's engine braking.

If it rains tomorrow – weather forecasts predict a deluge at 2:00pm – this will turn the race on its head. Lorenzo has suffered stage fright in the wet since his Assen crash in 2013, and there's a chance this will rear its head again. Rain is also a great leveller and it will invite some of the riders further down the grid to get amongst it, making a fun spectacle for us but a nightmare for the championship protagonists.

Whatever happens you will not want to miss this Grand Prix.

Andrea Iannone was denied a front row by Rossi, but a 4th place start will not be an annoyance to the Italian. Ducati has looked better this weekend, harping back to early season. But it does still look as if the podium will be a tough ask. With Andrea Dovizoso starting 6th, Ducati's aim should be both bikes in the top five. That won't be made easy by the man sandwiched between them though. Bradley Smith took his best qualifying result of the season in 5th after sitting on the back of the front row for a brief moment. Smith was very impressive in FP3 and will be keen to bag himself another podium should the opportunity arise.

Team-mate Pol Espargaro's day didn't get off to the best of starts; he dropped out of the top ten in FP3, and then crashed in FP4 which left him without his number one bike. A strong lap of 1:56.212 in QP1 saw the Spaniard comfortably through to make it two Tech 3 Yamaha's in QP2. He then proceeded to circulate in a time of 1:55.955 to go 8th quickest and out-qualify the injured Dani Pedrosa and fellow QP1 runner Cal Crutchlow.

Hector Barbera surprised everyone with a lap good enough for 8th in FP3 and continued to 11th in qualifying ahead of the Pramac bike of Yonny Hernandez.

Danilo Petrucci and Scott Redding were just two-tenths away from a QP2 spot, and will instead start from 13th and 14th respectively. A disappointing result, especially on the Marc VDS Honda rider's side after displaying some positive signs in practice.

Another disappointing performance came in the form of Aleix Espargaro on the Suzuki. The team have looked good all weekend, which was evidenced by Maverick Vinales' excellent 7th. But Espargaro was unable to match that pace and will start 15th.

Karel Abraham brings up the rear of the field for his home round.

2015 Czech Grand Prix – The Grid

1st Jorge Lorenzo, Movistar Yamaha MotoGP, 1:54.989

2nd Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team, 1:55.063

3rd Valentino Rossi, Movistar Yamaha MotoGP, 1:55.353

4th Andrea Iannone, Ducati Team, 1:55.390

5th Bradley Smith, Monster Yamaha Tech 3, 1:55.460

6th Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati Team, 1:55.935

7th Maverick Vinales, Team Suzuki Ecstar, 1:55.954

8th Pol Espargaro, Monster Yamaha Tech 3, 1:55.955

9th Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda Team, 1:55.969

10th Cal Crutchlow, CWM LCR Honda, 1:56.192