The CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team rider put in a superb performance on the first day at MotorLand Aragón and set the second-fastest time. His team-mate David Alonso narrowly missed out on qualifying for Q2 and will have to compete in Q1 tomorrow
The Aragon Grand Prix has got off to a very positive start for Dani Holgado and the CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team. The Spaniard was in fine form on Friday and finished in second place, just 58 thousandths of a second off the day’s fastest time, which on this occasion was set by Iván Ortolá. Australian rider Senna Agius rounded off the top three in the intermediate class, finishing just one tenth of a second behind Ortolá’s time. David Alonso has made progress and is regaining his confidence on the bike. The Colombian fought until the very last lap to secure a place in Q2, but ultimately finished in eighteenth place and will have to compete in Q1 at MotorLand.
Dani Holgado has been in fine form since the first session of the weekend. The CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team rider rode alone throughout the day to focus on his pace, something that will make all the difference in Sunday’s race. After finishing the morning session, Holgado returned to the track in the afternoon to stay at the top of the timesheets and secure his place in Q2. After leading the session and breaking the track record, he was pipped at the post by another rider by a mere 58 thousandths of a second. As a result, his time of 1:49.849 was the second-fastest of the day. His team-mate David Alonso focused his working plan on regaining confidence and a good feel for the bike. The Colombian took small but steady steps forward to lay a solid foundation for the afternoon session. The CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team rider improved on his morning times and fought to qualify within the top fourteen, but ultimately finished in eighteenth place, one tenth of a second off the cut-off.
2nd Dani Holgado 1:49.849 (+0.058): “Today has been a positive day here in Aragón and we got off to a very good start. I struggled a bit in the first session because I didn’t feel quite right on the bike, particularly at the rear. Even so, I’m very happy because we’ve worked really well; we’ve taken a big step forward as a team, especially after the first session, and we’ve managed to achieve a great result. The pace has been very good and I’ve always been riding on my own. It’s important for us to get off to a start like this. Tomorrow we’ll see how the tyres wear and see how I feel for the race. I’ve been trying to fine-tune a few details this summer and today I’ve already seen the results of all that previous work. When you try something new, it’s always a struggle, but now I’m starting to incorporate it into my riding style. I think we’re doing quite well at the moment, but we need to keep our feet on the ground, keep working and enjoy the home Grand Prix. I hope to be on one of the first two rows of the starting grid and I’ll fight to achieve that tomorrow.”
18th David Alonso 1:50.761 (+0.970): “We were a few laps short of making it through to Q2 today. I’m feeling better and better, but I need a bit more time to regain the confidence I had a few races ago. I’m getting there step by step, and I think it’ll be good for me to go through Q1 so I can spend more time on the track and get a better feel for the bike. I need to keep edging closer to the limit and try to push harder and harder. It wasn’t quite enough today, but I think that if we improve a few details tomorrow, we can take another step forward. I want to be able to enter the corners with more determination and precision because that’s something that gives you more speed and allows you to improve your time lap. At Silverstone we changed a lot of things and in the end we lost our way, but this weekend I’m keeping my cool and trying to make things work with the bike I’ve got.”
