Second a good job for Lorenzo

Jorge Lorenzo was happy with second in Saturday’s qualifying session for the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix, as he maintained his record of having qualified on the front row for every race so far this season.

The Fiat Yamaha rider was top of the hour-long session for a large part but was eventually beaten to pole by Ben Spies, whose hot lap was 0.220s faster than the Spaniard’s. Given the soaring temperatures which saw the track measurement rise to over 50ºC and therefore affect grip, Lorenzo was content with a central spot on the front row.

"This was a really difficult session because it was so hot and the track was very slippery and bumpy, it was hard to know what to expect,” said Lorenzo. “Luckily we managed a good lap and I'm happy with second place, Ben's lap was amazing so well done to him.”

Lorenzo was confident in his M1 set-up as he sized up his chances for Sunday’s race, on a track he won at last year.

“A good start will be really important tomorrow because there are many fast riders behind and I think it will be a tough battle for everyone,” he said. “Our setting is good and we are happy with the choice for the tyre so we will try our best and see what we can do here in Indy."