Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Jaume Masia topped the final fee practice session for Moto3 in Austin on Saturday with a 2’16.357.
Stefano Nepa and Dennis Foggia sat best of the rest with John McPhee failing to qualify for the Q2 outing, the Petronas rider heading for Q1 alongside team-mate Darryn Binder, from 18th.
Saturday action got underway with the news that Deniz Öncü will remain with Tech3 KTM forces third season, Daniel Holgado, current FIM Junior World Championship leader, joining the Turk as he progresses to Moto3 for the 2022 assault. Sergio Garcia will take no further part in the American weekend after the title challenger suffered bruised kidneys from his Friday crash.
A dry circuit greeted the lightweight class thanks to the already 23℃ air temperatures, Andrea Migno encountering a technical issue on his out-lap as he looked to recover his Rivacold Snipers Honda back to the box from the vast layout.
Masia headed the times with his first flyer of the morning and the first to set 2’18 pace. Romano Fenati leading his Sterilgarda Max teammate Adrian Fernandez into second and third before the third lap shuffle separated the pair. Niccolò Antonelli sat in third as the timing screens lit up, the pace heating as the session unfolded with almost two-seconds still to find to match Friday’s fastest.
Öncü was at the top after five attempts, Foggia and Xavi Artigas continuing their strong from on the Leopard machines with Friday man Filip Salac coming through for fourth. Championship leader Pedro Acosta running within one-tenth of the overall best one lap later.
Another impressive rookie performance came in the form of Izan Guevara as the GasGas rider slotted into second, Nepa, Foggia and Masia holding fast towards the top as the closing 15 minutes began.
A 2’16.962 gave Foggia the lead in the session and the combined times as FP3 approached its final climatic 10 minutes. Migno returning to action and into the top five with his fourth lap.
Fenati was the next to advance the pace, this time with a 2’16.853, on a solitary lap, John McPhee so far struggling from 23rd, with his Friday time narrowly adrift of a Q2 place, in 15th overall.
Five to go and the pack set out for their final, lengthy out-laps. Masia the first to strike as he refined the times by a mere 0.013s, but with the screens lighting up, the charge was on its way.
Masia improved again, sitting four-tenths clear with two minutes on the clock, as Foggia and Jeremy Alcoba joined him at the top.
Fenati headed Acosta and Antonelli in fourth to sixth before Artigas once again bettered his teammate, for second. McPhee was briefly inside the Q2 promotion zone before the Scot dropped back to 18th, one ahead of his own teammate, Binder.
Masia took the flag firmly in control as Nepa advanced to the runners up spot, Foggia, Antonelli and Artigas completing the top five from Fenati, Alcoba and a late showing from the beleaguered Migno. Salac headed the remaining KTM talent of Öncü, Acosta, Guevara and Ayumu Sasaki with Tatsuki Suzuki claiming the remaining direct access into this afternoon’s push for pole.
