Michael Scott | May 19, 2018
2018 MotoGP Results Saturday from Le Mans — Johan Zarco became the first French rider to take pole at his home GP since Christian Sarron in 1988, with a fully abandoned lap where the usually super-smooth Yamaha rider twice lost the rear in just a few yards.
His time of 1’31.185 was a new outright track record, and put the independent-team Tech3 rider a full tenth clear of second-fastest Marc Marquez’s response on the Repsol Honda, and all but six tenths faster than the better of the two factory Yamahas, with Maverick Vinales eighth-fastest, and Rossi ninth.
Practice was run in a second day of blue skies and bright sunshine, but with relatively cool air temperature causing a number of crashes during the day, including a spectacularly hard high-side that ended LCR Honda rider Cal Crutchlow’s bid to get through to Q2, and sent him to hospital for checks.
Zarco credited “the amazing support” of the crowd for finding the extra tenths; while Marquez admitted he was just too fast. But with the top seven inside half a second, he added: “There are three or four riders with a very similar pace, so I think it will be tough to be on the podium.”
Danilo Petrucci was an impressive third fastest, the Pramac Ducati rider having to find his way through from Q1.
Ecstar Suzuki rider Andrea Iannone narrowly leads row two from the factgory Ducatis of Andrea Dovizioso and Jorge Lorenzo. Alma Ducati rider Jack Miller was seventh, to lead row three from the Movistar Yamaha pair Vinales and Rossi.
Behind them, Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda, also through from Q1) had Tito Rabat (Reale Avintia Ducati) and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) alongside.
Espargaro had crashed at the very fast Turn One at the start of the 15-minute session, but came back with a time barely 1.3 seconds off pole.
Best of the rest: doubtful starter Crutchlow, from Hafizh Syahrin (Tech3 Yamaha) and Alex Rins (Ecstar Suzuki); with Franco Morbidelli (EG-VDS Honda) heading row seven from the KTMs of Smith and Espargaro.
2018 MotoGP Results Saturday from Le Mans
HJC HELMETS GRAND PRIX DE FRANCE
MotoGP Qualifying Nr. 2 Classification 2018
Le Mans, Saturday, May 19, 2018
1 |
5 |
Johann ZARCO |
FRA |
Monster Yamaha Tech 3 |
Yamaha |
303.5 |
1’31.185 |
|
2 |
93 |
Marc MARQUEZ |
SPA |
Repsol Honda Team |
Honda |
303.8 |
1’31.293 |
0.108 / 0.108 |
3 |
9 |
Danilo PETRUCCI |
ITA |
Alma Pramac Racing |
Ducati |
303.2 |
1’31.381 |
0.196 / 0.088 |
4 |
29 |
Andrea IANNONE |
ITA |
Team SUZUKI ECSTAR |
Suzuki |
298.4 |
1’31.454 |
0.269 / 0.073 |
5 |
4 |
Andrea DOVIZIOSO |
ITA |
Ducati Team |
Ducati |
305.8 |
1’31.553 |
0.368 / 0.099 |
6 |
99 |
Jorge LORENZO |
SPA |
Ducati Team |
Ducati |
306.3 |
1’31.590 |
0.405 / 0.037 |
7 |
43 |
Jack MILLER |
AUS |
Alma Pramac Racing |
Ducati |
300.5 |
1’31.683 |
0.498 / 0.093 |
8 |
25 |
Maverick VIÑALES |
SPA |
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP |
Yamaha |
303.9 |
1’31.784 |
0.599 / 0.101 |
9 |
46 |
Valentino ROSSI |
ITA |
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP |
Yamaha |
301.9 |
1’31.900 |
0.715 / 0.116 |
10 |
26 |
Dani PEDROSA |
SPA |
Repsol Honda Team |
Honda |
300.8 |
1’32.024 |
0.839 / 0.124 |
11 |
53 |
Tito RABAT |
SPA |
Reale Avintia Racing |
Ducati |
300.5 |
1’32.049 |
0.864 / 0.025 |
12 |
41 |
Aleix ESPARGARO |
SPA |
Aprilia Racing Team Gresini |
Aprilia |
300.1 |
1’32.455 |
1.270 / 0.406 |
13 |
35 |
Cal CRUTCHLOW |
GBR |
LCR Honda CASTROL |
Honda |
305.5 |
1’32.315 |
0.497 / 0.254 |
14 |
55 |
Hafizh SYAHRIN |
MAL |
Monster Yamaha Tech 3 |
Yamaha |
302.4 |
1’32.397 |
0.579 / 0.082 |
15 |
42 |
Alex RINS |
SPA |
Team SUZUKI ECSTAR |
Suzuki |
296.5 |
1’32.401 |
0.583 / 0.004 |
16 |
21 |
Franco MORBIDELLI |
ITA |
EG 0,0 Marc VDS |
Honda |
300.2 |
1’32.770 |
0.952 / 0.369 |
17 |
38 |
Bradley SMITH |
GBR |
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing |
KTM |
298.2 |
1’32.795 |
0.977 / 0.025 |
18 |
44 |
Pol ESPARGARO |
SPA |
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing |
KTM |
301.6 |
1’32.988 |
1.170 / 0.193 |
19 |
30 |
Takaaki NAKAGAMI |
JPN |
LCR Honda IDEMITSU |
Honda |
297.1 |
1’33.062 |
1.244 / 0.074 |
20 |
19 |
Alvaro BAUTISTA |
SPA |
Angel Nieto Team |
Ducati |
300.5 |
1’33.324 |
1.506 / 0.262 |
21 |
12 |
Thomas LUTHI |
SWI |
EG 0,0 Marc VDS |
Honda |
294.9 |
1’33.439 |
1.621 / 0.115 |
22 |
45 |
Scott REDDING |
GBR |
Aprilia Racing Team Gresini |
Aprilia |
296.5 |
1’33.676 |
1.858 / 0.237 |
23 |
10 |
Xavier SIMEON |
BEL |
Reale Avintia Racing |
Ducati |
297.1 |
1’33.802 |
1.984 / 0.126 |
24 |
17 |
Karel ABRAHAM |
CZE |
Angel Nieto Team |
Ducati |
303.9 |
1’33.839 |
2.021 / 0.037 |