Yesterday’s MotoGP qualifying session saw an all Yamaha front row assault where Maverick Vinales and Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) will start at the front of today’s race.
They will start today’s race together with French local boy, Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) who ran a sensational Q1 and Q2 in front of his home fans.
Other surprises in today’s race includes the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing duo, Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith who qualified in a respectable P8 and P10.
Maverick Vinales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) will start tomorrow’s MotoGP race for the HJC Helmets Grand Prix de France when he qualified on top of the time sheets during qualifying yesterday. After a troubled free practice sessions which haunted most of the high profile riders and factory teams, Vinales managed to set a blistering pace to sit comfortably at the front for tomorrow’s race.
The Movistar MotoGP squad had another reason to celebrate as their nine times MotoGP World Champion and current leader in the championship standings, Valentino Rossi, qualified in second place ahead of yet another Yamaha rider, French local lad Johann Zarco from the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 squad. Zarco will start tomorrow’s race from P3.
Zarco ran a brilliant qualifying session when he surprised everyone in Q1 when he set the second fastest time to move up to Q2. While others were scrambling in and out of the pit lane with their two-stop qualifying strategy and fresh sets of tyres, Zarco ran the entire Q1 session with just one and stole the spotlight and the hearts of his home fans.
The only LCR Honda rider Cal Crutchlow again impressed everyone with a stunning qualifying in P4 ahead of the Repsol Honda factory rider and the last year’s champ, Marc Marquez. As mentioned earlier, it was a tough weekend so far for most riders including Marquez who struggled with his bike’s setup and track condition which led to multiple unwanted crashes including one during Q2.
The giant red Ducati completes the second row where Andrea Dovizioso will once again put his Desmosedici GP17 to the test from P6. Another Ducati in the form of Scott Reading (OCTO Pramac Racing) managed a good P7. Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) scored the Austrian’s best qualifying position of season yet.
Pol will start the French GP tomorrow on board his KTM RC16 from P8 ahead of Karel Abraham (Pull&Bear Aspar Team) and KTM’s Bradley Smith in P9 and P10 respectively.
What an interesting line up for the 2017 French GP action-packed and thrilling qualifying from the entire MotoGP roster. The HJC Helmets Grand Prix de France will flag off at 5pm local time tomorrow, followed by Moto2 at 6.20pm and MotoGP at 8pm. Stay tuned to Bikes Republic for more MotoGP news.
Photo source: MotoGP
