The CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team rider has secured his second pole of the season following a superb final lap. His team-mate Marco Morelli has equalled his best result and will start from fourth on the grid tomorrow
Máximo Quiles will once again lead the Moto3 starting grid. The CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team rider set the fastest time in qualifying on his final lap, beating Joel Kelso by nine thousandths to secure his second pole of the season. The Australian will ultimately start from second place, followed by Brian Uriarte, who set the third-fastest time, three tenths of a second behind Quiles. Morelli was just 24 thousandths off a top-three finish and will start tomorrow’s Dutch Grand Prix race from fourth place.
High temperatures have continued to test the endurance of the Moto3 riders at the TT Circuit Assen. The CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team prepared thoroughly for Sunday’s race during this morning’s free practice session. The management of the 20 laps they will have to tackle will be crucial, which is why Marco Morelli and Máximo Quiles wanted to carry out a race simulation. Morelli continues to perform at a high level and finished fourth. Quiles, however, was unable to complete the session due to a crash that had no serious consequences and finished in the top 10. In the afternoon, both riders took part in Q2 after qualifying yesterday. Both riders adopted a brilliant strategy in the final minutes and, after a pit stop to change tyres, returned to the track with just a few minutes remaining. The Spaniard made the most of his rivals’ slipstreams to put in a magnificent lap in the dying moments, which allowed him to beat the leading time by a few thousandths of a second. Thanks to his 1:40.130, Quiles will lead the starting grid for the second time this season, something he hasn’t done since the Spanish Grand Prix. Marco Morelli also posted an impressive lap time at Assen. The Argentine maintained his positive form and took a step forward with the set-up of his bike, which allowed him to fight for a front-row spot right until the end. The CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team rider set his fastest time of the weekend (as did his team-mate) and finished just 24 thousandths behind the third-placed rider, meaning he will start from fourth position tomorrow and have a good chance of battling in the leading group.
1st Máximo Quiles 1:40.130: “It’s always fantastic to take pole position. It’s true that it’s not quite a ‘real’ time because there was a lot of slipstream, but I’m not worried because I had good pace. I made the most of the situation; I’m very happy with that final lap. Tomorrow is the big day, but we’ve got a good starting point for the race. At last, it was another rider who’s been riding ahead of me. Sometimes, when you’re not quite as strong and people see that I’m not in first place, or I’ve crashed as I did this morning, they think I’m not fast, so this has worked in my favour. This morning’s crash was unexpected and prevented me from doing a race simulation, but I’m not worried. Tomorrow will be a tough race because the heat takes a real physical toll and, on top of that, the grip on the track changes a lot. You have to adapt your riding style, but we’re ready. It’ll be a great race.”
4th Marco Morelli 1:40.430 (+0.300): “I’m very happy with the qualifying result. We’ve taken a step forward, especially this morning, when we worked on the set-up. I’ve also maintained a good, consistent pace to prepare for the race. We know qualifying is a bit chaotic and you never know what’s going to happen, but both the team and I came up with a good strategy that worked out very well for us. We were very close to making it into the parc fermé and securing a front-row start for the first time. Tomorrow we’ll go all out and fight for the podium.”
