The CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team has secured direct entry into Q2 on one of the tightest Fridays of the entire season
Dani Holgado and David Alonso will battle for pole position at the Austrian Grand Prix after setting the third and sixth fastest times respectively on Friday. The CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team riders were just two tenths off the fastest time in the intermediate class. Filip Salac set the pace at the Red Bull Ring in a session where a third of the riders finished the day within half a second of Salac. Iván Ortolá, in second place, came closest to the Czech rider, followed by Dani Holgado in third. David Alonso finished the day in sixth place, two tenths of a second behind the leader.
The riders in the intermediate category were involved in a day of intense action this Friday at the Red Bull Ring. Although the low temperatures, particularly in the morning, made riding difficult, this did not prevent the competitors from coming close to the track record. Among them, the riders from the CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team were some of the most consistent in both sessions. David Alonso felt comfortable despite his arm injury (caused by a crash in last weekend’s qualifying) and in the afternoon lapped half a second faster than in the morning session. The Colombian set his fastest time, 1:32.656, on the penultimate lap and finished the day in sixth place. His team-mate Dani Holgado was also one of the standout riders in Moto2. After finishing the free practice session in the top 10, he took a big step forward in the afternoon to climb the standings. With a time of 1:32.600, Holgado ended the day with the third-fastest time, just two tenths of a second off the top spot.
3rd Dani Holgado 1:32.600 (+0.198): “I’m very happy. It was really tight today; there are a lot of straights, so it’s hard to make a difference. Having someone in front to use for a slipstream helps you improve a few tenths. It might not seem like much, but it’s actually very difficult to achieve. Track conditions were quite tricky this morning, it was very cold, and we’d had a lot of rain yesterday. Even so, we were fast right from the start and very close to the lap record. We’ve had strong starts for several weekends in a row now, so we’re on the right track. I need to review the data with the team, but I think there’s still room for improvement. I’ll study my rivals to see how I can take the next step and go faster. Starting from the first two rows gives you plenty of options to set your own pace right from the opening lap, so we’ll all be giving it our all tomorrow.”
6th David Alonso 1:32.656 (+0.254): “Today felt like a test day for me following my arm injury; although I felt good, I realized I’m still missing something for qualifying. I do feel some discomfort during the track’s only change of direction, but I’m otherwise fine and it doesn’t hold me back. I didn’t quite nail the lap, so I need to keep working a bit more for tomorrow. Things are very tight here in Austria, but given the circuit’s characteristics, it’s not unusual to see so many riders posting such similar lap times. I think tomorrow’s qualifying session will be much the same: being two-tenths off the fastest time could even leave you off the second row. Tomorrow, I want to get more in tune with myself and get closer to my best form so I can fight for pole position. The main thing is to improve on what we achieved today.”
