The CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team rider battled for pole position in a fiercely contested Moto2 qualifying session and will start the race from third on the grid, whilst his team-mate David Alonso will start from fifth
Dani Holgado remains one of the fastest riders in the category and secured third place in qualifying for the Aragon Grand Prix. Despite suffering a heavy crash in the morning session, the Spaniard managed to bounce back to fight for the top spots on the starting grid in the intense heat at the Aragon circuit. Alonso López took pole position in the intermediate class, followed by Iván Ortolá in second place. David Alonso also took a big step forward on Saturday and will start from fifth place.
Saturday did not get off to the best start for Dani Holgado. The CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team rider suffered a heavy crash in this morning’s free practice session after completing just two laps. The team tried to repair the bike before time ran out, but ultimately failed to get it back on track, meaning he had to tackle the afternoon qualifying session having barely ridden at all. This situation did not deter the Spaniard, who went into Q2 determined to fight for the top positions, just as he had done the previous day. Holgado gave it his all right up to the final lap, when he set his fastest time of the weekend (1:49.634) to secure third place on the starting grid. His team-mate David Alonso also showed great form on the second day at MotorLand. The Colombian continued with the same approach as yesterday and kept improving his feel for the bike from first thing in the morning, which allowed him to go into Q1 with great confidence and get through it without any major difficulties. In Q2, Alonso maintained his form and even continued to improve his times to close the gap on the fastest riders. Thanks to his 1:49.689, the CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team rider will start the race from fifth on the grid and will have the chance to fight for the leading positions once again.
3rd Dani Holgado 1:49.634 (+0.229): “I’m very happy because I achieved my goal of starting from the front row of the grid. We did very well in qualifying, much better than this morning, when I was only able to complete one lap due to a crash. My body is a little sore, but I was able to ride and push to the limit without any problems in qualifying. I’m happy, but I feel bad about the crash, because the team didn’t deserve a mistake like that. I’ll try not to make it again. Tomorrow will be a tough race; many riders who weren’t as strong yesterday, have taken a step forward today.”
5th David Alonso 1:49.689 (+0.284): “It’s been a very complicated weekend. Today we made a big step forward in qualifying, the team did a great job, but I’m still not as comfortable as I’d like. Tomorrow, we have to keep pushing like today to get closer and closer to that comfort. It’s true that we started from a very good position, but in the end all the riders ahead have been setting fast times since yesterday and I’ve only just reached those times, so I’m still a little behind and I think in the race we’ll have to be patient and keep improving our pace lap by lap.”
