Beaubier 16th In Motegi 125 GP, Finishes Just Out Of Points Again
Press release by KTM
Strong fifth place in Motegi for KTM's Marc Marquez
Red Bull KTM Moto Sport rider Marc Marquez of Spain put in a solid day's work on the Motegi circuit on Sunday to finish in fifth place in the 125cc MotoGP, the second round of the world championships.
The factory team's second 16-year-old, American Cameron Beaubier, who is in his rookie year in the series, finished just a fraction out of the points at sixteenth position on his first ride on the Japanese circuit. With some water still lying on the track from overnight rain, the teams were faced with hard choices of which tyres to use.
Difficult tyre choice
"The tyre choice was really complicated," Marquez said. "We didn't know what to choose, but Harald Bartol did a great job recommending an intermediate for the front and a full slick tyre for the rear. Sure enough, it dried up completely after about six laps, and we went well. In the end, the intermediate gave me a few problems because it was a bit too soft, but all in all, we can't complain. I think a fifth place in a race like that is quite good. In the beginning, the more experienced riders like Simon pulled away, Espargaro too, and I went with Bradl. Even though I couldn't push as hard as I wanted with my intermediate and had to settle for fifth behind him." The Spanish rider says he now goes to his home GP in Jerez with a good feeling and confidence.
Beaubier rises to the challenge
The track conditions also made tyre choice difficult for the lesser experienced American rookie, but he coped admirably. "In the beginning, with the track still wet in places, I didn't go too well with my slick tyre on the rear and the intermediate on the front," Beaubier said. "But later on, as the tarmac started to dry, I gained confidence and did a good race. If I had been more consistent, points would have been possible. But still, I am quite happy with what we have achieved, and I am now looking forward to the race in Jerez. I have had more experience on that track."
Bartol expresses satisfaction with riders
Technical director Harald Bartol also expressed satisfaction with his two young riders. "I am happy with our result. We couldn't have expected any more considering the way the weather was. If only if we would have had three full sessions in the dry, we might have been a fraction faster. But I am happy with both riders, Beaubier too, who only missed out on a point ranking by eight thousandths of a second. He is going well. Now both riders go with high expectations to Jerez, but we shouldn't expect too much. Jerez is a difficult race track. We will try to perform well there - if, finally the weather is on our side."
The race was run under clear skies after Saturday's downpour that caused race officials to scrap the single qualifying, after which they determined grid positions by averaging the times in free practice. It was the first full race of the season after Round One in Qatar was called to a halt after only four laps, again because of heavy rain.
