On Saturday in Le Mans, Swamp led Ducati 1-2 to teammate Jack Miller.setting a new lap record of 1m30,450 s to get his second pole in the 2022 campaign.
Quartaroro participated in the battle at the pole to the checkered flag, but was forced to concede defeat and settle for fourth on his factory Yamaha for his home round.
The Frenchman says he was “on the edge” on his motorcycle to produce 1m30.688s, so wasn’t disappointed that he didn’t come out in the front row, given how strong the Ducati is in the qualifying finish.
“I was disappointed, but two minutes later I was happy,” Quartaroro said of his fourth qualification at Le Mans on Saturday.
“We miss something in qualifying – all the time, not only in qualifying.
“Ducati is really capable of doing something crazy. And the racers, I wouldn’t say, are just Ducati.
“But we are all the same in the pace of the race. So it’s hard to make a difference.
“The difference you make is putting yourself on the edge with a little less fuel and putting yourself in a zone that for 27 laps is impossible.
Jack Miller, Ducati team Francesco Banya, Ducati team
Photo: Gold and Goose / Drawings of motorsport
“I’m very happy because I think 1m30.6s with our motorcycle… I feel on the edge, I have nothing left and compared to other Yamaha the gap is pretty big.
“For me, it’s also a guideline that we’re doing a good job.”
Yamaha not only struggles with the lack of top speed compared to the Ducati, but the M1 also struggles more than most bikes when riding other cars with increased pressure in the front tires.
In the previous round in Jerez, Quartararo was forced at one point to ease the chase for Banyaia to prevent overheating of his stiff front tire.
But the Yamaha driver is confident he won’t have the same problems as Jerez on Sunday at Le Mans if he fails to clear Banya, Miller and Alle Espargar of Aprilia.
“No, because in Jerez I was alone with a solid front and he was already on the border,” he said when asked if he was worried about repeating his race in Jerez.
“Here we have a soft apron, and the front tire does not overheat and does not create high pressure.
“I’m not worried. I certainly don’t have a lot of overtaking points because Ducati in the overclocking zone is always playing [with us].
“But 27 rounds is a long time and you always have the ability to attack.”
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