Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Ayumu Sasaki had a roller coast ride in Saturday’s FP3, setting the fastest Moto3 time of the StyrianGP weekend so far despite crashing out at Spielberg’s turn four in the opening minutes.
Factory KTM rider Jaume Masia claimed second from PruestelGP’s Filip Salac with Jeremy Alcoba and Pedro Acosta completing the top-five after a frantic final seconds. John McPhee secured entry to Q2 thanks to his seventh-place time, a 1’36.159, 0.03s ahead of teammate Darryn Binder.
The Spielberg track was gifted bright and clear conditions for the first free practice of Saturday morning, Sasaki unfortunate to kick off his qualifying day with a high speed crash on his opening hot lap of the 40-minute session. Romano Fenati led the way in the early standings with Xavi Artigas and Dennis Foggia in hot pursuit while Binder held fast overall thanks to his Friday afternoon effort.
Andrea Migno showcased the might of his Rivacold Snipers at the 15-minute mark, setting a 1’36.428 to take the lead of both FP3 and the overall times, with teammate David Salvador sitting second in the session, six-tenths adrift and one-thousandth ahead of Fenati in third.
Mid-session saw the usual Moto3 antics as gaggles of riders collected on track looking for the all-important tow, Niccolò Antonelli maximising his potential with a 1’36.330 lap with Acosta slotting into third. The increase in pace saw Garcia advance to fourth from Carlos Tatay and Foggia, and with Masia also bettering his Friday time, Binder, who was yet to improve and sitting 18th, dropped to eighth overall.
The closing six minutes saw the championship leader find his rhythm and take charge of the standings, 1’36.224 the initial time to beat before he did just that. A regrouped Sasaki joined the top three in the final stages, Garcia demoting him one position as the GasGas rider pushed for second and the late shuffle began.
Masia took over from his team-mate at the top as the first to set a 1’35 lap, Ricardo Rossi staking his claim on the top-three before Garcia once again refined his time. As the chequered flag was raised, Sasaki advanced with a 1’35.933, Masia holding on to second despite failing to improve, while Filip Salac claimed third. Jeremy Alcoba took fourth from Acosta as the GasGas and Petronas riders battled for position, Izan Guevara heading McPhee, Garcia and Binder as Deniz Öncü rounded out the top-10. Rossi, Migno, Stefano Nepa and Antonelli collected the final automatic promotion places with Tatsuki Suzuki the first to face the Q1 fight this afternoon.
