The entire CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team will occupy the front row of the grid, with Alonso in pole position and Holgado in third, despite both riders suffering crashes during qualifying
The CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team riders have completed one of their best qualifying sessions of the season, but also one of the most chaotic. Although both riders crashed during the session, David Alonso secured his first pole position in the intermediate class and set a new track record at the Brno circuit. The Colombian will be joined on the front row by his teammate Dani Holgado, who finished third. Between them, Filip Salac will start in second place, having been two tenths off Alonso’s time.
David Alonso and Dani Holgado have prepared perfectly for this Sunday’s race and this morning have already made it clear that they intend to fight to the very end for the top positions. Having completed a productive race simulation in free practice and finished in fourth and fifth place, the CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team went into this afternoon’s Q2 with a clear plan. David Alonso started the timed session giving it his all from the very first minute and set the bar very high with a superb lap that put him in first place. The Colombian, however, suffered a crash shortly afterwards, forcing him to miss part of the session. Although he returned to the track in the final minutes to regain his rhythm, his initial time of 1:57.718 was not beaten by any other rider, and he secured his first Moto2 pole position with a two-tenths gap over the second-placed. His teammate Dani Holgado also showed great form from the start. The Spaniard, who had provisionally set the third-fastest time, also suffered a crash just one lap after his team-mate Alonso. Similarly, he was able to return to the track in the final minutes and secured third place thanks to his 1:58.107 on the second lap. This will be the second time that the two CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team riders have occupied the front row of the grid together, following Holgado’s pole position at the Brazilian Grand Prix and Alonso’s second place.
Pole David Alonso 1:57.718: “I went flat out right from the first corner and really enjoyed the lap. To be honest, I was actually hoping for a crash because that would have meant I was feeling confident on the bike and pushing the limits. I tried to save it, but I realised it wasn’t possible and I protected my shoulder so as not to hurt myself. Obviously, it’s better not to crash, but then I went back out on track and the feeling was still good. I’ve been very focused all day today, and before qualifying I arrived at the pits feeling really motivated. Tomorrow it’ll be important to get off to a good start, get a feel for the bike and stay calm. There are riders with more experience on the front row, but I’ll try to fight right to the end so I can say, ‘I’ve given it my all this weekend’. If I manage to win, it’ll be brilliant. I’ll go for it and see how far I can go.”
3rd Dani Holgado 1:58.107 (+0.389): “I didn’t come away from qualifying with a good feeling because I wasn’t able to do my job one hundred per cent. The important thing is to get the most out of the bike and my potential, but I’m happy to have secured a front-row spot as it’s a great position from which to fight tomorrow. The first lap was my best, but I slipped up a bit in the final sector. On the second lap I tried to push harder than usual, the bike’s steering locked up and I crashed. I think I should have stayed a bit calmer because I had a chance to do even better. I was then able to go out again and could have improved my time, but I’m happy with the result. This morning I managed to do a good race simulation; I’ve got great pace and tomorrow we’ll go out there to enjoy ourselves. There are some very strong riders, including my teammate, but I’m also proving competitive. Tomorrow it’ll be a different story – it’ll be very hot and it’ll be important to manage things well to maintain tyre grip. It’ll be a bit of an unknown because nobody has done a simulation in the conditions we’ll have tomorrow.”
