The CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team rider was just a couple of tenths off the front row on a day when David Alonso failed to make it through Q1

The CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team had mixed results in the qualifying sessions for the Czech Grand Prix. Both team riders had to go through Q1, although only Dani Holgado managed to get through to fight for the top positions. The Spaniard took fifth place, equalling his best result on a Saturday since his Moto2 debut. His teammate David Alonso did not have the same feeling and was unable to qualify for Q2 despite setting his best time of the weekend. The Colombian will start the race from the seventh row, in twentieth. The riders in the intermediate category, most of whom were facing an unfamiliar circuit, had few opportunities to ride in dry conditions after the previous day's rain. Despite this, Holgado and Alonso did not let the circumstances affect them and took to the track ready to make the most of every minute of this morning's free practice. In the afternoon, after making it through Q1, Holgado took a big step forward and continued to improve his times until he was in contention for the front row of the grid. The Spaniard was four tenths off pole position with a time of 1:58.805, which will see him start from the second row of the grid. On the other hand, Alonso tried to adapt as quickly as possible, although the reigning Moto3 world champion had some difficulty finding the best feeling. The rookie in the intermediate category had to settle for a time of 1:59.186, which puts him in twentieth position and will force him to fight his way up from the start of the race.

On the front row of the grid, Barry Baltus will take pole position for the first time in the intermediate category after beating Joe Roberts, who was second, by 20 thousandths of a second. Marcos Ramírez will complete the top three, while championship leader Manu González will start fourth. Another of the protagonists in the fight for the title, Aron Canet, will start eighteenth after crashing during Q2.

5th Dani Holgado 1:58.805: “It was a very positive Saturday. It's been a long time since I felt so good riding the bike. The result was excellent, but what matters most to me is how I feel, the confidence I have and what I can do. I'm happy with how I managed Q1. It's never easy because there were some very good and fast riders, but I stayed calm and was able to do a good job. Yesterday was a pretty tough day overall and we were barely able to ride in dry conditions. It was my first time here and just when I was improving, it started to rain. This morning we wanted to do as many laps as possible to gain experience for the race. I'd love to fight for the podium, but I'm not putting any pressure on myself. We have a good starting position, so we'll take advantage of that to learn from the best riders, although we'll have to manage the tyres well.”

20th David Alonso 1:59.186: “I didn't have enough time this weekend to adapt better. The morning was difficult because there were some corners where I struggled to keep the bike on the line. We made a big change for qualifying and, although I was still struggling, with the second tyre I wanted to ride on my own and follow the same line. When you think you're going fast, you're actually riding slowly, which is the opposite of other circuits. I realised this a little late, but tomorrow we have another chance to do well.”