Lightning fast start for Jack
AUSTRALIA’S Jack Miller drew first blood under the floodlights of Qatar last night as the 2021 Motogp season roared into action.
The Lenovo Ducati rider clocked a 1min 53.387sec lap with just under two minutes of the session to go, coming within just 0.007secs of the Losail lap record as team-mate Francesco Bagnaia finished third.
Miller, the pre-season favourite after topping the timesheets in testing, said: “I have never felt so comfortable on the bike before starting the championship as this year.
“My feeling with the bike is great, our speed is not that bad and I hope we have good track conditions all weekend.
“I am determined to start this new season on a high, fighting for the top podium as I did at the end of last year.”
Petronas Yamaha’s Franco Morbidelli looked on course to snatch top spot on his final lap but was scuppered by yellow flags as Repsol Honda new boy Pol Espargaro crashed on his final lap.
Bagnaia had also been on a fast lap which looked good enough to hit the top but he too had
■ to back off as Espargaro was spotted trudging through the gravel.
Ducati’s Johann Zarco sat third in the closing minutes but fellow Frenchman Fabio Quartararo, on his debut for Monster Energy Yamaha, sneaked in the third quickest time.
Suzuki Ecstar’s Joan Mir, the defending champion, managed only the 11th best time.
Valentino Rossi began his 26th season with a solid performance on the Petronas Yamaha, ending ninth and less than half a second off Miller’s time.
In Moto2, Britain’s Sam Lowes hit the ground running with a dominant performance to end the opening day fastest, 0.104secs ahead of Marco Bezzecchi while in Moto3, Scotland’s John Mcphee finished eighth.
MOTOGP CALENDAR: Tomorrow Qatar GP; April 4 – Doha GP; April 18 – Portugal GP; May 2 – Spanish GP; May 12 – French GP; May 30 – Italian GP; June 6 – Catalan GP; June 20 – German GP; June 27 – Dutch GP; July 11 – Finnish GP; Aug 15 – Austrian GP; Aug 29 – British GP; Sep 12 – Aragon GP; Sep 19 – San Marino GP; Oct 3 – Japanese GP; Oct 10 – Thailand GP; Oct 24 – Australian GP; Oct 31 – Malaysian GP; Nov 14 – Valencia GP.