Stefan Bradl finished very close to the pole in qualifying in the Open class at the Austin track for the Athinà Forward Racing team.
After yesterday’s showers, today the weather has improved and, even if has stayed cloudy, both Athinà Forward Racing riders were able to better adapt to the challenging Texan track. Bradl with a time of 2’04.275 finished just three tenths behind Barbera, first among the Open bikes. The German will start tomorrow from 14th position on the grid in the fifth row and is confident for the race where he will be fighting for victory in the class.
“It was a good day of work. The goal was to get directly in Q2 but I cannot say I am not satisfied with the 14th place. We have a good potential and tomorrow I want to get as close as possible to the Top10. We will still do some small change in the warm-up to be even faster. The weather tomorrow will be the real question mark”.
It was a good start with a positive eighth place and the head of the Open category, for Stefan Bradl and the team Athinà Forward Racing at the Grand Prix of the Americas in Austin, Texas.
After an unusual first free practice session with rain and red flag – exposed for ten minutes due to an invasion of the track by a dog – in the afternoon the German rider posted a personal best of 2.05.990, which earned him the top of Open category and eighth place overall. Bradl is confident for the qualifying and his goal is the pole position of the Open class.
“I’m really happy with this result. We did a great job with the team and we closed at the top of the Open category in the Top10. This morning we struggled in wet conditions, but in the afternoon the track was dry and I was able to find the right confidence with the bike. I’m confident for tomorrow: the weather forecast says that it will rain, but we are ready to get on track also in these conditions to be competitive”.
Qatar, 30 March: Stefan Bradl finished second in Open class rumble in the first race of the 2015 season for the Athinà Forward Racing team at the Losail circuit.
Bradl, who started from 18th position on the grid, had a good start and went back immediately to the points-zone. The German has long battled with his direct opponent, Barbera, to win the lead of the Open category. A small mistake, committed within sight of the finish line, lost him victory. Bradl was 16th under the chequered flag just three-tenths from the first points of the season.
“I cannot say I’m satisfied at all with this race, even if I was close to the lead of the Open and I was finally able to battle with my rivals. I was really close to win my class but the last corner I braked too late and Vinales and Barbera passed me. It has been a difficult weekend but I’m happy with the work done by the team and I have come to know more about the Yamaha Forward. It was not a bad race, not counting the small final mistake, I proved to be able to fight with the other Open bikes”.
Qatar, March 29: Stefan Bradl was very close to the Open class leader during the second day of practice for the Athinà Forward Racing team at the Losail circuit.
“I’m not very far from the first Open bike. Barbera is only three-tenths faster and I’m less than a second from the leading factory bikes. The overall feeling is good, I have to work on the rear grip to have more confidence in the corners. Tomorrow we will continue to work in view of the race, I look forward for more track-time”.
The German posted an encouraging 1.55.694, which earned him the 14th place just three tenths short of his rival Hector Barbera. Bradl is feeling confident in view of the first qualifying session of the season and the goal is to place his Yamaha Forward on top of the Open class standings.
Qatar, 24 March: After a winter of work and testing in Malaysia, Qatar and Spain, it is time for Athinà Forward Racing to get on track for the first race of the season in Qatar. In MotoGP, Stefan Bradl and Loris Baz are aiming to lead the Open class since this first race. The German, despite a difficult test in Qatar, is feeling comfortable riding the Yamaha Forward and aims to be competitive since the early rounds. His teammate Baz is also confident on his bike and targets to be fighting for the head of the pack by summer.
“After a winter of testing, I’m really happy to be back on track for the race. It was an intense pre-season: I came to a new team and I had to become familiar with a completely different bike compared to last year. The overall feeling is positive and I look forward to ride the Yamaha Forward. As mentioned, the goal is to be able to approach the head of the Open class and try to win the title in this category”.
Doha, 17 March: It really was the weather the real star of the last day of testing at the Losail circuit. The rain began to fall heavily in the morning and it made it impossible for the riders to go on the track. Stefan Bradl and Loris Baz in fact spent the day working in the pits without being able to get on their Forward Yamaha.
The newly renewed Athinà Forward Racing ends testing today after sporting for the first time its new livery and aerodynamics. Stefan Bradl was not at his best, first because of an intestinal problems and then because of a serious crash on Sunday. The German failed to complete the planned program, but is confident he can lead the Open pack from the very first race. He posted a best lap of 1.56.724, reaching 21st position in the timesheets. The three-days Doha test officially closes the winter program for the MotoGP team. The next scheduled event is the first race of the season in a little less than two weeks at the Losail circuit.
“It was not an easy test for us. At first I was sick and then I crashed yesterday, these episodes prevented me from completing my program. I could not complete many laps and I could not improve as much as I wanted for the race. The overall riding feeling remains positive and even my pace is good. The debut in Qatar is approaching and it is important to stay focused. My goal is to get closer to the head of the Open pack”.
Doha, 16 March: Today’s testing session at the Losail track ended prematurely for Stefan Bradl due to a bad crash, luckily without consequences. The German, who had just got on the tarmac suffered a violent impact on the ground and was taken to the Medical Center of the circuit. After the doctors had excluded any possible complication, he was brought to the Clinica Mobile where he remained under observation for a while before deciding not to let him go back on track and complete the today’s test session. Bradl will almost certainly be on track tomorrow to try to make the most of the last day of testing.
“Until now it has been a very difficult test for us. Yesterday I was not 100% fit because of an intestinal problem and I was forced to stop. Today I felt better and I wanted to complete the program we had but I crashed heavily. I hit my head and, as a precaution, I was taken first to the circuit Medical Center and then to the Clinica Mobile. Luckily I’m fine, but I decided not to get back on the track and rest to be ready for the final day of testing”.
Doha, 15 March: A little less than a week after the official presentation of the team in Milan, Athinà Forward Racing made its debut in Doha in the first of three scheduled days of testing. The ongoing pre-season test in Qatar is an opportunity for the team not only to reveal the new livery and sponsors, but also to try the new aerodynamics.
Overall it was a day of intense work for Stefan Bradl, who was not at his best due to some health issues, finishing 18th overall with a time of 1.57.156 while his teammate Loris Baz was 20th with a personal best of 1.57.376. The German completed 26 laps on his Forward Yamaha bike focusing his work mainly on the setup and the electronics.
“Earlier this week I was not felling very good. I had stomach problems and I’m not 100% in shape. I though I was ok, but when I got on the bike I was really not feeling comfortable. I was forced to stop without being able to complete the program we had in mind. I hope to recover and to be able to make the most of the last two days of this test”.
Sepang, 25 February: After the second pre-season test at Sepang, Stefan Bradl ended up in the Top15 in the standings for the Forward Racing team.
Bradl struggled at the start of the session due to lack of rear grip, nevertheless he posted an encouraging 2.00.685 despite a fall in the morning. This performance earned him the 15th position overall. It was not easy to find a good feeling for the German, but considering the strong pace showed on the long run the impression is still positive for the next event in Qatar.
“I can’t say I’m happy with this test at all. I struggled with the track conditions that changed a lot from the beginning of February and I did not completely managed to find the right grip. I was expecting something better on my flying lap, but I’m confident because in the long run our pace is good and the feeling also is. Despite the fall this morning, I managed to improve my lap-time and this is positive for us. We are working in the right direction and I am sure we will do better in Qatar in two weeks.”
Sepang, 24 February: Another day of work is over at Sepang for the Forward Racing team and its riders Stefan Bradl and Loris Baz.
Bradl and Baz continued the development work of their Forward Yamaha in view of the upcoming 2015 season and the race debut in Qatar. The German completed 58 laps and he managed to improve his lap time by more than a second compared to yesterday. Bradl ended the session in 16th place in the time sheet with a personal best of 2.01.131.
“Like yesterday, I suffered some lack of grip particularly on the rear and on corner entry. The conditions are very different from the first test and this makes things more demanding for us. We tried several new solutions to better balance the bike and I’m sure tomorrow we will concentrate more on the lap time.”
Stefan Bradl finished very close to the pole in qualifying in the Open class at the Austin track for the Athinà Forward Racing team.
