Gaviota Aspar’s Izan Guevara topped the first day of 2022’s Moto3 action at Qatar as the GasGas rider became the first to break the 2’05 barrier.
Sterilgarda Max Racing’s John McPhee was narrowly denied the day’s honours in the final seconds by the 2’04.920 effort, the Scot settling for second ahead of Leopard’s longterm front runner Dennis Foggia.
The opening action roarer to life on Friday morning as the lightweight class took to the Lusail International Cirucit. Last season’s runner up Foggia took the lead from the outset, the Honda rider circulating on 1’06.680 pace and almost a second ahead of the next best. That came in the form of Ryusei Yamanaka with Kaito Toba, Carlos Tatay and Jaume Masia swapping positions in the top five as the session bedded in.
McPhee set his first official laps on the Husqvarna as Friday got up to speed, the Scott running 13th after ten minutes on track, two-seconds adrift of the leading Italian. The two British rookies, Scott Ogden and Josh Whatley found their bearings amongst the Moto3 throng from 21st and 24th respectively on the VisionTrack Hondas, with Ana Carrasco making her return to the World Championship after five years, splitting the pair from 22nd on the BOE SKX.
Ogden made a jump at the halfway stage, promoting himself to 14th with a lap just two-seconds off the best, McPhee doing likewise to ninth alongside his Max Racing teammate Ayumu Sasaki with Red Bull KTM Ajo’s new signing Daniel Holgado rounding out the top ten.
Andrea Migno was on the move as the first practice counted down, the Rivacold Snipers rider joining the top three with his ninth lap of the day before returning to pitlane ahead of the final run.
Tatay hit the top with five minutes to go as the pace began to heat up, Migno looking to challenge before Foggia hit back next time around as he advanced the target with a 2’06.532. The second Snipers of Alberto Surra claimed fourth with Holgado fifth before Toba denied the still injured rookie - after suffering a broken leg during preseason.
Migno sat fastest with less than a minute on the clock thanks to a 2’06.384 but Foggia was far from done, setting the first 2’05 of the weekend to sit six-tenths clear as the chequered flag came out. Tatay trailed the bickering duo at the close of the first practice with late showings from Tatsuki Suzuki and Riccardo Rossi completing the top five.
McPhee completed FP1 14th, 2.1s adrift of Foggia’s best with Ogden and Whatley 23rd and 28th at the flag.
The second instalment found Guevara out front on the Gaviota GasGas Aspar, Yamanaka running second from CIP Green Power’s Toba and McPhee with the second Aspar of Sergio Garcia rounding out the early top five.
Overall pacesetter Foggia enjoyed a steady start from tenth as the session circulated a second shy of his earlier effort. KTM MT Helmets’ Yamanaka taking charge on his fourth lap of the afternoon thanks to a 2’06.471 and the first to improve on his FP1 times, placing him third overall.
CF Moto PruestelGP’s Tatay headed the session at the halfway point, watched on by new Team Manager, Tom Luthi. His 2’06.038 sitting him second overall as he pushed to improve next time around with Migno and Rossi rounding out the top three.
Guevara was found sprinting up pitlane with 15 minutes left to play after his Aspar machine spat out its chain on his eighth lap of the afternoon, with a quick repair job rapidly undertaken. Tech3 KTM’s Deniz Öncü saving his own high speed moment at turn three on his way to eighth overall with Ogden running top rookie in 15th.
Foggia commanded the session as the final ten minutes approached, the Italian’s 2’05.7 however, still short of his previous best as he sat unchallenged in either outing ahead of the final runs.
Five minutes to go and pitlane roared to life once again as the Moto3 pack headed out en masse. The screens ablaze in red as the hot laps began to fly. McPhee won out in the first shuffle as the Scot took the lead on a 2’05.344, Leopard locking out the top three as Foggia and Suzuki sat second and third with Migno, Garcia and Masia neatly behind.
The celebrations were short lived, however, as Guevara swept through at the flag with the first 2’04 of the weekend, his teammate Garcia claiming fifth as he too leapfrogged the riders around him.
CIP Green Power’s Joel Kelso claimed Friday’s top rookie as he secured his place in the top 18, 13th overall and narrowly ahead of the KTM trio of Öncü, Holgado and Adrian Fernandez, with Ogden and Whatley 20th and 29th as the day concluded.
