M2: British GP: JiR qualifying report

Silverstone GP qualifying: another comeback race awaits for Corsi and Pasini After more than two decades of absence, today saw motorcycle Grand Prix World Championship qualifying return to Silverstone, albeit to a new and heavily updated track.

Silverstone GP qualifying: another comeback race awaits for Corsi and Pasini

After more than two decades of absence, today saw motorcycle Grand Prix World Championship qualifying return to Silverstone, albeit to a new and heavily updated track. The session was characterized by the need of riders to learn the track and find their own reference points, a task which was made all the more difficult thanks to yesterday's bad weather conditions during free practice. Today we saw the relevant time gaps between riders change position several times, with the championship leaders caught in the middle of the time sheets and a front-row occupied by newcomers, thus underlining the equality that still dominates this new category.

Our riders Simone Corsi and Mattia Pasini exploited the time they had to learn the new track, with Simone taking 15th place on the grid and Mattia in 21st. For both, this is a big step forward compared to previous GPs, even if once more tomorrow both will be expected to make a rapid surge to the front of the pack. Who knows what important role will be played by the weather as well?

Simone Corsi - 15th - 2'10.821
"I'm pretty satisfied with qualifying, not at all for the final position on the grid but for the progress we made. The track is new and bumpy, very wide and very long, so lines are very important. I liked it pretty much, even if we'd need to run here once more to better understand it. For tomorrow, however, we're ok, the feeling with my MotoBI is good and we'll have to do a good start and be immediately aggressive for to make it near the front."

Mattia Pasini - 21st - 2'11.212
"Unfortunately yesterday rained a lot, so we had just today to practice on the new track in dry conditions and understand how to approach it. The circuit is very nice, fast and wide, but lines are crucial as well as their interpretation. For this reason we concentrated more on my riding style than on the machine. To decide the definitive set-up we still have tomorrow morning's warm-up, but here the difference will be made by who will be able to better understand the track: this is why my 21st place does not worry me too much, I know I'll need a good start and I'll try to get close to the leaders as soon as possible."