The CFMOTO Power Electronics Aspar rider finished fifth in the Moto2 qualifying session, whilst David Alonso finished in fourteenth place
CFMOTO Power Electronics Aspar rider Dani Holgado came very close to securing a front-row grid position at the Australian Grand Prix. Just 33 thousandths separated him from the top three, and tomorrow he will start the final race at Phillip Island from fifth on the grid. Saturday’s pole-sitter was the category leader, Manu González, who finished ahead of Barry Baltus in second and Filip Salac in third. Izan Guevara, the Spaniard’s main rival in the title race, will start from sixth position. David Alonso will have to fight his way up the field from fourteenth place in a race that is expected to take place in wet conditions.
The margins in the intermediate class have been extremely thin this season, and every thousandth counts when it comes to securing a place among the frontrunners. The intermediate class also took part in this morning’s free practice session in wet conditions, with Dani Holgado in fifth place and David Alonso in sixth. In contrast, the qualifying session took place in dry conditions, meaning the riders had barely any time to adapt to such completely different situation. Holgado improved on his times from Friday, when conditions were similar to those in Q2, and set his fastest lap (1:30.270) on the penultimate lap. This time, the fastest of the weekend, placed him fifth, just one tenth off pole position. His team-mate David Alonso took a big step forward in wet conditions, and in the afternoon, with the track drier, he tried to close the gap on the front-runners. The CFMOTO Power Electronics Aspar rider went from strength to strength and set his best time (1:30.483) on the final lap, a time that puts him in fourteenth position, three tenths off the leader.
5th Dani Holgado 1:30.270 (+0.148): “I felt much better today, even though the conditions were very changeable. This morning, in wet conditions, I finished in the top five, and that’s important because the race is likely to be in the wet. It wasn’t easy because the track was very tricky and the temperature was low, so there were a lot of crashes. I’ve been gaining confidence bit by bit. I’m happy with the lap times; the team have done a great job and we’ve come very close to the front row. The important thing is that we’ve given it our all. Tomorrow we’ll see how the wet race goes. It’ll be a long, tough one, but we’ll give it our best as always.”
14th David Alonso 1:30.483 (+0.361): “Today was a good day. We’ve taken a big step forward in wet conditions and I’m happy with my riding. It’s all very tight, but personally I’m feeling calm. We’ve worked well all day.”
