Nolan riders' 2017 debut in MotoGP
night race in Qatar was... wet.
The conditions
affected the whole weekend, changing the game a lot, no qualifying; a
starting grid based on combined free practice laps. And the starting
procedures were all heavily delayed due to those weather conditions.
With Bastianini in Moto3, Kent in Moto2
and Rins as brand new Nolan talent in MotoGP, the latter of those
having the best weekend with his 9th place finish. But it
was an unlucky night for Danilo Petrucci who could not finish the
race due to technical problems.
Next race? Argentina ... but stay
tuned. This weekend it's time for Superbike in the outstanding Aragon
circuit, in Spain!
MOTOGP
Alex Rins 9th
“My feeling is that it’s been an
incredible race. I’ve learnt a lot more than in practice. At the
beginning, I made a really good start. Then, in the race, it was a
little hard for me to overtake faster racers. I think we have a very
competitive bike for getting into the top-10 consistently. And for
the next races, we will need to work more in the free practices to
start in a better condition for the race.”
Danilo Petrucci Ret
“I am very sorry for how things went.
To be honest in the second warm up lap I felt something strange with
the bike. During the race I could not manage to take full advantage
of the power of the bike, especially on the straight. However I
managed to improve my pace in the final part of the race. Then five
laps from the end the bike stopped. It’s a shame but it’s only
the first race and I’m looking forward to being in Argentina”.
MOTO2
Danny Kent 13th
"To be honest, this result is not
up to expectations if you start from the sixth place. Before the race
we made a change to the bike. Obviously, we have chosen the wrong
way. During the first rounds, with full tank, the situation was still
fine. The additional weight has a positive effect on the behaviour of
the front under hard braking. But with the long-term distance, when
the bike became easier and lighter, I got increasingly problems. It
has shifted less weight forward, which is why almost the front wheel
was folded several times.
"Of course, it was not a big help
that during the weekend, several sessions were cancelled, which was
also the case with the official test a week ago, and today we have
the first race with a completely new bike. I am satisfied, but
overall a little disappointed. The fact is that we have to improve
significantly in some areas until the next race in Argentina."
MOTO3
Enea Bastianini 16th
"I am pleased with the feeling I
had with the bike in the race, especially towards the end with the
worn tire. As happened last year, we have to work on the feeling with
the tires, because I need to have more grip to go any faster
cornering. Precisely because of the lack of feeling, the beginning of
the race was difficult because I could not attack to be with the
group of the best, and in the end I had to fight in the second set. "
