Diogo Moreira holds the advantage heading into Q2 after toppling Collin Veijer in the final stages of the third and final Indian Moto3 practice session at the Buddh International Circuit.

The Brazilian rider savvily chose to avoid getting amongst a huge swarming pack of riders looking to pick up a tow, the guaranteed space around him allowing him to focus on his own lines.

It meant that, while rivals tripped over one another behind him, Moreira hit the beam with a weekend best of 1m 59.375secs.

It was enough to get the better of Husqvarna IntactGP rider Veijer, the Dutchman having looked on course to remain at the summit of the timesheets after lowering his Friday best to a 1m 59.438secs lap, only for Moreira to pip him at the flag.

Ayumu Sasaki followed his team-mate in third, though was lucky to get the opportunity to do so as one of three title contenders to suffer falls during an eventful session.

While Sasaki’s slip off was fairly innocuous, the same couldn’t be said for Deniz Oncu, who came down slowly but heavily on the entry to the pit-lane. The Turk was seen clutching his wrist as he made it way back to the pit box and while he’d get back on track before the end for a lap good enough to reach Q2, a black flag thrown by stewards would see it scrubbed, demoting him to 18th and into Q1.

Meanwhile, championship leader Daniel Holgado endured another woeful start to Saturday as a big crash with five minutes remaining consigned him to 17th on the timesheets. The Spaniard, who has largely led the overall standings since the start of the year, comes into this race with a slender four point lead over Jaume Masia.

The Leopard Racing rider booked his place in Q2 with a run to sixth, while burgeoning title contender David Alonso - winner in three of the last four races - left it until his last lap but made it through in eighth himself.