As the 125cc season reaches its climax we should probably get used to the kind of nail-biting qualifying session that we saw here at Misano today, or last week at Indianapolis for that matter, with the high temperatures and strong winds making life difficult and unpredictable for the smaller bikes in San Marino. There were a few surprises at the top of the time sheets in the early stages of the session but the cream soon rose to the top, with Bancaja’s British rider Bradley Smith increasing his pace to smash the 2008 pole record and complete a clean sweep of every practice session so far this weekend – each time leaving it to the final few seconds before establishing himself at the top.
Smith has followed up on his podium from Indianapolis with an impressive showing, this being his third pole of the season so far and his second on Italian soil, having gone from the front of the grid to take victory at Mugello earlier in the season. Simón has arguably the best race pace out of anybody and was only denied pole by traffic on track, which left him trailing his team-mate by just 0.016 seconds, after improving his pace in T4 and the stability of the bike under braking. Sergio Gadea is within striking distance of his two colleagues from fifth on the grid, the Spaniard only losing out on a front row start in the final three minutes despite getting a late tow from Smith.
1st Bradley Smith 1.43.727 (19 laps):
“Obviously it’s great to be on pole again but when you look at the time sheets it’s really close. We still have to improve our rhythm and try to make up some more time under braking. At the moment I don’t have the feeling I’d like in some of the braking zones, especially with a full fuel tank. In any case I’m happy with the job we’ve done and I think we have the pace to be at the front. It will be a long race and with the heat and the wind I’ll have to stay really focused throughout to avoid making mistakes. Unless somebody manages to set consistent 43s and escape, I guess it will be a close race and a group battle much like the one at Indianapolis last weekend.”
2nd Julián Simón 1.43.743 (19 laps):
“The important thing is that we have taken a big step forward from yesterday to today and got onto lap record pace. I have got a good pace for tomorrow and the bike feels perfect in every corner, which gives me confidence because there is less risk of a crash. When you set a good lap time but you know you’re on the limit it creates doubt in your mind for the race but that’s not the case here. The key tomorrow is to pick up points, do what we can to make sure nobody closes the gap on us in the championship and fight to win. I’m sure it’s going to be a tough fight but I have the speed to be involved. I think it will be similar to Indianapolis, with four or five riders at the front. Smith and I are the most consistent but Iannone, Terol and Espargaró will all battle hard. I’ll take stock after the first few laps and aim to get the best result possible.”
5th Sergio Gadea 1.44.062 (18 laps):
“Apart from T1 I’m really enjoying myself around this track. I’m satisfied with the result but obviously we’re struggling in that first sector and we need to try and work it out in tomorrow’s warm-up. Otherwise I’m delighted with the performance of my Aprilia and I’m sure we can follow the front guys if we can just improve it in this area. It is going to be a close battle at the front and I want to be involved in it.”
