2012 MotoGP Qatar - Losail Start Time (GMT)
Practice 1 : 5-4-2012 at 16:55 – 17:40
Practice 2 : 6-4-2012 at 15:00 – 15:45
Practice 3 : 6-4-2012 at 17:55 – 18:40
Qualifying : 7-4-2012 at 16:55 – 17:55
Race : 8-4-2012 at 19:00
MotoGP Qatar Preview : 2012 a new start for team
Gresini Honda team boss Fausto Gresini says the 2012 MotoGP season-opener in Qatar this weekend will mark a new start for his squad after the death of Marco Simoncelli last year.Gresini still contested the Valencia season finale in the wake of the tragedy but sees Qatar this weekend as the real start of its new era.
It will field ex-Suzuki rider Alvaro Bautista on its MotoGP bike and is also entering a CRT machine for its Moto2 graduate Michele Pirro.
"This is a chance for Alvaro to show his ability but also for us to start looking to the future because Marco's tragedy hit us hard," said Gresini. "It also helps that we have a new challenge in the CRT project with Michele Pirro, making his debut in MotoGP."
Gresini is aiming for a top six finish with Bautista - despite some frustration over testing crashes.
"We suffered at Jerez because of two minor but needless crashes that our engineers have been studying so that we can help Alvaro get his confidence back as soon as possible."
Pirro has had little pre-season running on the CRT FTR-Honda, but Gresini said he was pleased that his team already had a foot in the CRT door even if the early races would be tough.
CRT has virtually been forced on us by economic circumstances but I think it will be a successful formula and Team San Carlo Honda Gresini can be a part of that success."