Roadracing World – July 2019

By Neil Morrison

A

s if Marc Marquez need-

ed assistance after a near

flawless start to 2019, his

teammate Jorge Lorenzo crashed

at Turn 10 on the second lap at

Catalunya, taking three other po-

dium contenders—including title

challenger Andrea Dovizioso —

with him. From there, Marquez

never looked back.

MotoGP Practice & Qualifying

This event celebrating Grand

Prix racing’s 70th anniversary

provided a reminder of Moto GP’s

continuing evolution. The series

has changed immeasurably in the

69 years and 363 days that had

passed since Harold Daniell’s de-

but win aboard a Norton at the

Isle of Man TT.

The portly Daniell was 39

years old when he triumphed on

that day. Yes, track safety, racing

technology, and series presenta-

tion has been in continuous evo-

lution since then. But Saturday’s

action was further evidence that,

contrary to Daniell’s day, GP rac-

ing is now for the most part a

young man’s game.

Fabio Quartararo was again

Saturday’s star, showcasing raw

speed and silky smoothness to

take pole position on his Petronas

SRT Yamaha. And this was just 11

days after he underwent surgery

on his right forearm to correct

compartment syndrome!

Before then, most of the rid-

ers were perplexed by the deteri-

oration of the asphalt on the 2.8-

mile track. Just 18 months after a

complete repaving, it was shocking

to hear just how bad the surface

was. “Incredible,” was how Mon-

ster Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi

described it, adding, “In one year

already we’ve come back to the old

situation.” Pramac Ducati’s Jack

Miller agreed, telling reporters, “It’s

scary in some places.”

Afternoon temperatures ex-

ceeding 105 degrees F meant grip

was scarce, and Michelin’s tire

allocation added to the intrigue.

“Each of our three front tires and

each of our three rears can be

raced,” insisted Michelin Head of

Motorsport Piero Taramasso. Of-

ten a gauge of how the race will

pan out, FP4 saw the riders trying

a variety of tires during short runs

without coming to a decision. Red

Bull KTM’s Pol Espargaró spoke

for most, saying, “We’re super

lost,” regarding tire combinations.

“We don’t know what’s going on.”

The lack of grip was particu-

larly notable on corner entry when

the rear brake was applied. “We're

having highsides on entry to the

corner, which is not normal,”

explained Miller. “And it’s rear

brake; you touch a bit of it with

angle and all of a sudden you’re

losing the rear.” Including Franco

Morbidelli, who high-sided in FP3

at 119 mph. Incredibly, he was

fifth in the next session.

Grip or no grip, the same

names contended when qualify-

ing rolled around at 2:35. Mon-

ster Energy Yamaha’s Maverick

Viñales. Repsol Honda’s Marquez,

and Quartararo all enjoyed a brief

time at the front of Q2 before Mor-

bidelli sat first at the session’s

halfway point, on his Petronas

SRT Yamaha.

But Viñales and Quartararo

weren’t done. First Viñales went

FIM MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (^) CATALUNYA, SPAIN
Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya
Lorenzo's Disaster,
Marquez's Victory
Marc Marquez (93) and Maverick Viñales (12) chase Andrea Dovizioso (not shown) early in the MotoGP
race at Catalunya with man-on-a-mission Jorge Lorenzo (99) heading for a disastrous crash that will also
take out Viñales, Dovizioso, and Valentino Rossi (46). Danilo Petrucci (9), Jack Miller (43), Fabio Quartararo
(20), Alex Rins (42), Joan Mir (36), Pol Espargaró (44), Cal Crutchlow (35), Takaaki Nakagami (30), Franco
Morbidelli (21), Johann Zarco (5) and the rest escaped involvement. Photos by Milagro/DPPI Media.
42—Roadracing World, August 2019