Diogo Moreira finishes seventh on Saturday at Aragon
MotorLand AragónBoth LCR Honda riders score points in Saturday's Sprint race at Aragon
Warm conditions once again greeted riders as they took to MotorLand Aragon for today's Sprint race.
After securing a Q2 spot in qualifying, Pro Honda LCR rider Diogo Moreira made a solid start from tenth place on the grid and began fighting against his rivals. The Brazilian placed himself in the fight for the top-five, avoiding mistakes and maintaining his concentration. In the end, he struggled with rear tyre wear and crossed the line in seventh, grabbing important points and equalling his best Sprint result so far.
After a strong qualifying session, Johann Zarco (Castrol Honda LCR) faced his first Sprint after three months of recovery and started from the ninth spot on the grid. The Frenchman made a solid start and was in the battle for the points-scoring positions. Demonstrating his determination to be back on track, Zarco crossed the chequered flag in ninth position, entering the points zone of his first weekend back.
Making a significant improvement to his fastest lap time from Friday, Joan Mir was in the mix for the transfer spots in Q1 but a tricky third sector hid the final tenths he needed to crack the top 12. Mir’s day would be further complicated by contact at Turn 3 on the first lap, the #36 getting sent off the circuit and dropping to the very back of the field. Putting his head down, Mir was able to work his way back up to 16th and complete the Sprint to collect important information for Sunday’s full-length Grand Prix.
Despite only being three tenths from the top two in Q1, Luca Marini started the Sprint in 18th on the grid as just over half a second split 10 of the 12 riders in Q1. Looking to gain ground early, the Italian started quickly but suffered a heavy fall between turns five and six on the opening lap. Marini reported some discomfort after the fall and will focus on rest and recovery to be as prepared as possible for the 23-lap Aragon Grand Prix on Sunday.
Today it was a good one! I enjoyed the Sprint a lot. I like this track, and it’s easy for me to have fun here. I was strong in the braking areas, I was able to always brake hard. I struggled with the rear tyre wear during the last three laps, but I managed to survive and take some points!
Today it was a good one! I enjoyed the Sprint a lot. I like this track, and it’s easy for me to have fun here. I was strong in the braking areas, I was able to always brake hard. I struggled with the rear tyre wear during the last three laps, but I managed to survive and take some points!
I’m happy! Ninth in qualifying and ninth in the Sprint. Getting a point in the Sprint shows that coming back here was a good idea! I felt good and had the pace, so I tried to do as well as possible. It was a great Sprint. I made a good start, but I was careful under braking for the first corner because of the characteristics of this track. After a few turns, I felt good enough to attack and enjoy it. Then I lost some time trying to catch my rivals while managing the rear tyre, which was demanding over the last few laps. It’s been a positive day, we’ve done a good job, we’ve got good motivation, and I’m really happy.
I’m happy! Ninth in qualifying and ninth in the Sprint. Getting a point in the Sprint shows that coming back here was a good idea! I felt good and had the pace, so I tried to do as well as possible. It was a great Sprint. I made a good start, but I was careful under braking for the first corner because of the characteristics of this track. After a few turns, I felt good enough to attack and enjoy it. Then I lost some time trying to catch my rivals while managing the rear tyre, which was demanding over the last few laps. It’s been a positive day, we’ve done a good job, we’ve got good motivation, and I’m really happy.
The positive is that we finished the race today, after the contact at Turn 3 with Bastianini I wasn’t sure that would be possible, but I was able to pick the bike up and save it after going wide. After that any good result was not possible so I focused on making the overtakes and I could and collecting data, honestly with clear air in front of me I was able to stay in the mid 1’57s which was quite acceptable. I was able to improve my confidence a lot on the bike compared to Friday and we need to keep building on that – fully focused on Sunday now.
The positive is that we finished the race today, after the contact at Turn 3 with Bastianini I wasn’t sure that would be possible, but I was able to pick the bike up and save it after going wide. After that any good result was not possible so I focused on making the overtakes and I could and collecting data, honestly with clear air in front of me I was able to stay in the mid 1’57s which was quite acceptable. I was able to improve my confidence a lot on the bike compared to Friday and we need to keep building on that – fully focused on Sunday now.
Really unfortunate today overall, not what we were expecting. The morning was positive and I was happy with the feeling from the bike thanks to the work of the team. Q1 was like it always is, very very close and just a tenth can make a big difference – finally we need to do the work on Friday to avoid this. Then in the Sprint, I crashed by myself between turn five and six, it was quite a hard fall, and I have quite some pain at the moment but no major issues. We will rest now and see what’s possible on Sunday.
Really unfortunate today overall, not what we were expecting. The morning was positive and I was happy with the feeling from the bike thanks to the work of the team. Q1 was like it always is, very very close and just a tenth can make a big difference – finally we need to do the work on Friday to avoid this. Then in the Sprint, I crashed by myself between turn five and six, it was quite a hard fall, and I have quite some pain at the moment but no major issues. We will rest now and see what’s possible on Sunday.
