amcn.com.au 119
Replacement announced
after Thai test
Team boss Herve Poncheral
saidhewillnotrushthe
decisionofwhowillreplace
Folger until “at the earliest
[the]Buriramtest,”hesaid.
“Wehavetotakeourtime
inordertocheckthattheguy
isreallyfree,thatwedon’t
have any problems, that he’s
qualified for Yamaha, Dorna is
happy, IRTA is happy.”RESULTS AFTER 1 OF 3 DAYS
POS RIDER NAT BIKE TIME
1 D PEDROSA SPA HON 1M59.427S
2 A DOVIZIOSO ITA DUC +0.343S
3 J LORENZO SPA DUC +0.375S
4 D PETRUCCI ITA DUC +0.696S
5 J MILLER AUS DUC +0.751S
6 V ROSSI ITA YAM +0.806S
7 M MARQUEZ SPA HON +0.863S
8 J ZARCO FRA YAM +0.994S
9 C CRUTCHLOW GBR HON +1.095S
10 P ESPARGARO SPA KTM +1.141S
11 A RINS SPA SUZ +1.200S
12 T NAKAGAMI JAP HON +1.237S
13 M VIÑALES SPA YAM +1.287S
14 A ESPARGARO SP APR +1.439S
15 T RABAT SPA DUC +1.485S
16 A IANNONE ITA SUZ +1.600S
17 B SMITH GBR KTM +1.672S
18 F MORBIDELLI ITA HON +1.734S
19 A BAUTISTA ITA DUC +2.301S
20 S REDDING GBR APR +2.535S
21 Y HERNANDEZ COL YAM +2.626S
22 K ABRAHAM CZE DUC +2.661S
23 X SIMEON SPA DUC +3.519S
24 T LÜTHI SWI HON +4.305SFolger withdraws from the
2018 MotoGP championship
MOTOGP RIDER JONAS Folger has
announced his withdrawal from
the 2018 MotoGP season, unable
to recover from the illness which
sidelined the German for the last four
rounds of the 2017 championship.
The Monster Yamaha Tech3 man
was diagnosed with a rare strain of
Gilbert Syndrome, a genetic disorder
which prevents the liver from its
ability to process toxins.
After being bed ridden in the lead
up to the 2017 Japanese Grand Prix,
the 24-year-old fl ew home where
tests eventually uncovered his
condition. And while he worked hard
to be prepared for the 2018 season,
his expected recovery didn’t happen.
“I’m incredibly sad to be saying
this, but I will not be racing MotoGP
in 2018,” Folger said. “I wasn’t able
to make the improvements I was
hoping for, and at this stage I don’t
feel able to ride a MotoGP machine at
100 percent.”
Team manager Herve Poncheral
said the news came via a phone call from Folger’s manager and
confi rmed he is yet to name a replacement for the 2018 season.
“It is still very diffi cult for me to believe he’s not going to race with us in
2018, especially because he has been somebody I had lot of faith in and I
was sure we would reach top level together,” Poncheral said. KBpackage,” team boss Davide
Brivio said. “Now we need the
riders to confi rm it before we
make our fi nal choice for the
opening race.”
KTM started the 2018 season
with an enormous variety of
parts and options, and Aprilia
revealed it has increased
horsepower and a stiffer chassis
for its 2018 package.
Former MotoGP rider Yonny
Hernandez was deputising
for Jonas Folger in the Tech3
Yamaha squad after the
German’s withdrawal (see
seperate story) and Estrella
Galicia MarcVDS rookie
rider Thomas Lüthi made
his MotoGP debut alongside
Franco Morbidelli after sitting
out the post-season test in
Valencia last year due to injury.
KELLIE BUCKLEYViñales locked in until 2020
MOVISTAR YAMAHA’S MAVERICK
Viñales is the fi rst card to fall in what
is expected to be a manic silly season,
having inked another two-year deal
with the factory Yamaha squad to see
him through to the end of 2020.
“It gives us a sense of calm: we know
that I will continue riding my M1 for the
coming three seasons, so now we can
just focus on the actual racing,” the
Spanish star said. “I’m very satisfi ed
with this decision. I have a lot of belief in the team and in Yamaha and
I’m happy that they feel the same way.” His teammate Valentino Rossi,
who will turn 39 in February, said he’s in “no rush” to extend his contract,
which expires at the end of the 2018 season. KBPetrucci targets factory ride
SPEAKING OF 2019, Pramac Ducati
rider Danilo Petrucci has said he’s “99
percent certain” the 2018 season will be
his last. The Italian, who has shed four
kilograms in a bid to convince would-
be employers of his commitment,
said: “I think I’m ready to go in a factory
team, but I have to deserve it and I
want to show in the fi rst races that I’m
ready. I will try to be as fast as possible,
I think it’s the only thing that will help. If
the factory Ducati is not an option - for
sure it’s my dream - but if it’s not possible I will have to look around. And
if there is still nothing, I have to go out and get a job!” KB⑤
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