Flexbox HP40’s Aron Canet claimed pole position at Portimao with a 1’44.151 lap on Saturday afternoon.
Late moves from American Racing’s Cameron Beaubier and Autosolar GasGas Aspar’s Jake Dixon secured the front row celebrations with Elf Marc VDS’ duo Tony Arbolino and Sam Lowes narrowly behind in fourth and sixth.
Having endured the worst conditions across the weekend, the intermediate class enjoyed the best for qualifying as the late afternoon schedule slot provided a near dry track. Arbolino facing the Q1 fight with Pedro Acosta, Jorge Navarro and Romano Fenati for company with the COTA winner leading the way in the early times.
Red Bull KTM’s Acosta joined the Italian in the top-four fight, Flexbox’s Navarro and VR46 Master Camp’s Manuel Gonzales demoting Barry Baltus out of contention on the RW Racing as the clock counted down. The standings shuffling completely in the penultimate minute as Zonta van den Goorbergh took charge on the second RW machine then immediately dropped to third. Gresini’s Filip Salac sitting fourth as Arbolino and Navarro returned to the top.
A late charge from Marcos Ramirez secured the MV Agusta’s place in the final action as he topped the session on 1’45.533 pace, Salac demoted out of the promotion zone at the flag.
Q2 saw Master Camp’s Keminth Kubo down at turn two as the session began, Dixon and Lowes setting the pace out front as the duo circulated on low 1’46’s and 0.222s adrift. Navarro and Arbolino utilised their prior knowledge of the conditions to top the session at the halfway stage. The Elf Marc VDS rider setting a 1’45.5 target before improving again next time around.
Aron Canet made his way to second with six minutes to go, Friday front-man Marcel Schrotter sitting third with Somkiat Chantra splitting the Brits in sixth. Lowes was on the move with five to go, climbing to third as his teammate upped the pace again out front. Canet bettering for provisional pole two-hundredths ahead as Cameron Beaubier entered the top five.
Three minutes to go and Dixon was on the edge of the front row, with Schrotter, and Celestino Vietti now behind. Lowes dropping to eighth before the penultimate minute saw the times shuffle again.
Canet and Arbolino continued to improve from first and second with Albert Arenas up to third on the second Aspar bike. Beaubier bettering Dixon for position in the top five before Lowes leapfrogged the trio for front row contention.
The American was on a roll as he continued his front running pace from his home race, Beaubier claiming second as Augusto Fernandez and Ai Ogura’s late-session pace pushed them to fourth and fifth. The Brits, however, had more in the tank with Lowes claiming sixth and Dixon third, Joe Roberts rounding out the edge of row three as he put the Italtrans Kalex in ninth.
