The CFMOTO Power Electronics Aspar rider got off to a great start in Japan and achieved the sixth fastest time, while his teammate David Alonso, in seventeenth place, will have to compete in Q1

Dani Holgado continues to occupy the top positions in the standings. CFMOTO Power Electronics Aspar rider achieved the sixth fastest time on Friday, just three tenths behind the fastest Moto2 rider, Jake Dixon. The Briton, who also set a new circuit record, finished the first day of the Japanese Grand Prix ahead of Ayumu Sasaki and Izan Guevara, second and third respectively. David Alonso was only 61 thousandths off the cut-off point, finishing seventeenth, and will have to go through Q1 tomorrow.

The CFMOTO Power Electronics Aspar riders competed in the first day of the Japanese Grand Prix on Friday. The good track conditions were favourable for Dani Holgado and David Alonso, who sought a good set-up to tackle the first race of the overseas tour. Alonso completed this morning's free practice with flying colours, in an outstanding fourth position, just four tenths of a second off the reference time. Dani Holgado, on the other hand, was unable to complete the session after suffering a crash that relegated him to the bottom of the standings. In the afternoon, Holgado managed to turn the situation around and took a big step forward. The Spaniard was almost two seconds faster than in the morning session and climbed up the standings to take sixth position, securing his place in tomorrow's Q2 with a time of 1:48.998. On the other side of the garage, David Alonso did not ride as smoothly as he did in the first free practice session of the weekend. The Colombian and his team made some changes to his bike that prevented him from being as competitive in the afternoon session, although he was able to ride faster. His 1:49.309 placed him in seventeenth position, just a few thousandths off the cut-off for direct entry into Q2. 

6th Dani Holgado 1:48.998 (+0.319): “We finished the first day in Japan happy with sixth place and, above all, with how we've progressed since the morning session, which I couldn't finish due to a crash. In the afternoon, we worked to regain confidence on the bike and be competitive, and although we did well, we have to keep working tomorrow. I also want to take this opportunity to thank the team for the incredible work they did repairing the bike.”

17th David Alonso 1:49.309 (+0.630): “Motegi is a fun circuit on the Moto2 bike. We did a good job in the morning, but in the afternoon, we tried some modifications that didn't help us improve the few tenths we needed to get into Q2. Tomorrow we'll have to go back and find a new direction.”