Ajo Motorsport rider concludes qualifying session for Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix with eighth fastest time.

Zarco, Moto2, Indianapolis MotoGP 2015

After three consecutive Grands Prix on top, Johann Zarco will not start from pole position in tomorrow’s race. The Frenchman took eighth place on the grid this afternoon, after a day that did not go as he had wanted. The Ajo Motorsport rider, who acknowledges that the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is not one of his favourite circuits, nevertheless will look for a good performance tomorrow.

The day did not start in the best way for Zarco, who 7 minutes into the practice session had to get off his bike due to a technical problem. The unforeseen issue forced him to spend more time than desired in the box, but thanks to the work of the Ajo Motorsport team he was able to get back on track with 22 minutes remaining. Although not able to improve his time from yesterday, the Frenchman took tenth place in the session with a time of 1:37.663.

In qualifying he came out ready to get a good starting position for tomorrow’s race. Johann Zarco remained in the background until the midway point of the session, before moving into the Top 5 with a time of 1:37.055 -his best lap of the entire weekend. He tried to improve on that lap in the final moments, but a mistake when on course for pole position denied him the top spot.

Zarco will look to add a ninth consecutive podium to his tally tomorrow, and open his rostrum account at the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Results (Qualifying practice)
1. Alex Rins (Kalex) 1:36.549
2. Tito Rabat (Kalex) 1:36.686 +0.137
3. Mika Kallio (Kalex) 1:36.865 +0.316
4. Thomas Luthi (Kalex) 1:36.886 +0.337
5. Jonas Folger (Kalex) 1:37.005 +0.456
8. Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport) 1:37.055 +0.506

Johann Zarco,
“I’m not at all disappointed with eighth place. In the qualifying session we tried a new setup for the bike and the feeling was better. I feel ready to go fast and fight against the other riders at the front. This track is hard for me and I still have a little way to go to find the perfect lines; I succeed sometimes but not consistently. Anyway, I am calm, I want to enjoy the race tomorrow and get as many points as possible. I have a podium finish in mind and it would be nice to do it here in Indianapolis for the first time in my career.”