Red Bull KTM’s Pedro Acosta claimed the final Moto3 pole position of his World Championship season.
Late-session effort proved effective for Tatsuki Suzuki as the SIC58 rider bested long-time leader Izan Guevara for front row spoils.
Perfect conditions greeted Moto3 for the first qualifying session of the day. Blue skies and bright sunshine warming the track to 22℃. 13 riders lined up for Q1 with Andi Izdihar absent from proceedings after fracturing his right hand in FP3.
Ayumu Sasaki crashed out of the opening flying laps having yet to set a time, Lorenzo Fellon taking the early lead with 1’40.016 the time to beat. Adrian Fernandez, Jaume Masia and Sergio Garcia claimed the remaining promotion places with their first attempts before the shuffles began.
Leopard’s Xavi Artigas sat fastest next time around, Fernandez consolidating second from Niccolò Antonelli and Masia before Ryusei Yamanaka demoted the KTM rider.
The second runs began with Garcia circulating out on track ahead of the main gaggle. The pack once again collecting as they all waited for their opponents to strike first with the clock counting down.
The GasGas rider claimed the fastest lap of the weekend so far thanks to a 1’39.222 before airing to better next time round. Sasaki suffering a monster highside at turn one and bringing out the yellow flags.
Antonelli hit the top with a 1’39.159 from Garcia, Artigas and Fellon. Masia’s flying lap cancelled due to track limits dropping the KTM man to ninth.
Q2 kicked off with a suffering Joel Kelso setting out on the Green Power CIP machine after his FP3 crash. The replacement rider hitting the deck at turn two moments after setting the morning's third fastest time.
Artigas became an early victim of the shootout with a tech issue at turn two, fellow rookie Guevara heading the times with a 1’39.223 on his opening effort. Andrea Migno claimed second from Dennis Foggia with Suzuki’s P3-worthy lap cancelled due to track limits.
Jeremy Alcoba ran fourth at the halfway stage from Antonelli, Garcia and Acosta with Darryn Binder rounding out the top eight. Romano Fenati sat ninth from Filip Salac, Stefano Nepa and Deniz Öncü with John McPhee and Kelso the final riders to have so far set times in the top 14.
Artigas recovered his Leopard Honda to the garage with five minutes left to play, Fellon, Suzuki, and Carlos Tatay all unclassified at the back of the field.
The final frenzy left Acosta on pole after a last second strike. Suzuki claiming second from Guevara and Migno with Salac and Fellon alongside on the second row. Foggia starts the final race from seventh with Fenati and Antonelli completing an all-Italian row three while Garcia, Tatay and Alcoba dropped out of the top 10. Öncü and Nepa head McPhee on row five with Binder, Artigas and Kelso rounding out the 18 riders.
