24/09/2022

Tricky qualifying in rainy Japan

Rain and poor grip conditions dampened the qualifying for the two LIQUI MOLY Intact GP riders after they ended FP3 on a good note. With grid rows 7 for Marcel Schrötter and 10 for youngster Jeremy Alcoba, the duo have a challenge ahead of them that they will be looking to meet with their usual eagerness on Sunday.

As predicted, the Japanese weather played a very decisive role on this qualifying Saturday. The morning FP3 session initially boosted Marcel Schrötter's confidence, even though he was unable to improve on his Friday time due to the morning rain. Consequently, he faced Q1 later in the day. Unfortunately, the German failed to make it into Q2 after the 29-year-old was troubled by the change in grip conditions at Motegi. He eventually finished Q1 not within the four Q2 transfer places, but in P7, which means 21st on the seventh row of the grid for Schrötter.

Team-mate Jeremy Alcoba learned the pitfalls of the 4.8 km Motegi Circuit the hard way this Saturday. The young Spaniard had to deal with two crashes, one of which was a nasty highsider in turn 3 during Q1. His first slip in FP2 was due to pushing his limits and intensive optimisation work on the corner exits but that incident did not make the 20-year-old any less positive for the upcoming Q1. But Alcoba also experienced a similarly rapid drop in grip as his colleague Schrötter. A week ago in Aragon, however, the Spaniard proved that he can make up many positions within a very short time, even from far behind. Something he wants to repeat this Sunday.

The weather forecasts predict dry conditions for the race when the lights go out at 06:20 (CEST) for the 22-lap thriller at Motegi.

Results

FP2
1. Fermín ALDEGUER/ SPA/ BOSCOSCURO – 2'04.479
2. TonyARBOLINO/ ITA/ KALEX – 2'04.747 (+0.268)
3. Aron CANET/ SPA/ KALEX – 2'04.899 (+0.420)
4. Filip SALAC/ CZE/ KALEX – 2'04.917 (+0.438)
5. Jake DIXON/ GBR/ KALEX - 2'04.976 (+0.497)
20. Marcel SCHRÖTTER/ GER/ KALEX – 2'06.490 (+2.011)
27. Jeremy ALCOBA/ SPA/ KALEX – 2'07.677 (+3.198)

Q1
1. Aron CANET/ SPA/ KALEX – 2'05.543
2. Barry BALTUS/ BEL/ KALEX – 2'05.734 (+0.191)
3. Keminth KUBO/ THA/ KALEX – 2'06.501 (+0.958)
4. Cameron BEAUBIER/ USA/ KALEX – 2'06.513 (+0.970)
5. Lorenzo DALLA PORTA/ ITA/ KALEX – 2'06.790 (+1.247)
7. Marcel SCHRÖTTER/ GER/ KALEX – 2'07.087 (+1.544)
15. Jeremy ALCOBA/ SPA/ KALEX – 2'10.530 (+4.987)

Marcel Schrötter

P7 (Q1) - 2'07.087 (+1.544)

"I felt good this morning. There were really only small things that didn't work so well and didn't give me 100 percent confidence to push a bit more. But we were doing well in the first session and at the end, we were on the soft front tyre, which will certainly have reached its limit. From then on, I had more problems with every lap, but generally, I had a solid feeling, which is important especially in the wet to be able to build up confidence quickly. After FP2, I was confident that I could do a good qualifying. Unfortunately, things turned out differently than expected in Q1. From the first lap, I had difficulties turning the bike and getting it on the right lean angle. I had no grip at all and, compared to the morning, no feeling with the bike. In every corner, I was worried that the rear would slip and I would fall. This is of course frustrating again after how things went in FP2 and the tyre gave me such good feedback. I was really hoping to improve our situation with a good qualifying result. We will look at it now and try to have a good race tomorrow and have fun despite everything."

Jeremy Alcoba

P15 (Q1) - 2'10.530 (+4.987)

"The feeling in FP3 was quite good and I enjoyed it but I made a mistake after being a little too confident on the brakes. I struggled a bit in the exits and that's what we were working on for the Qualifying but right from the start of the Q1, I felt pretty bad. At the exit of turn 1, I made a little mistake on the gas, so I tried to follow other riders. At this point, I had absolutely no feeling in the rear and whenever I went on the gas, I was losing the rear. Sadly, I ended up high-siding in turn 3. It's a shame because we are starting from the back tomorrow. In dry conditions, I felt really good, also in the rain, but in Q1 I did not. I hope we can have a similar start as in Aragon last week but maybe I need to stay a bit calmer because it's important for me to stay on the bike in order to get more experience on this track."

Pictures – Grand Prix of Japan

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