Ajo Motorsport rider takes 2nd position on the grid for first Grand Prix of 2015 in Qatar.

The first qualifying session of the season, treatment held this evening at the Losail International Circuit, stomach saw Johann Zarco claim a place on the front row and put him in an excellent position from which to fight for the win tomorrow. The Ajo Motorsport rider continued at the same performance level as the previous two nights in Qatar and, for the third consecutive night, managed to go second fastest in the intermediate class. He missed out on pole position by just 0.332s.

Zarco was involved in the fight for pole position from the very first minutes of the session, going quicker than the previous Moto2 pole record on only his third lap. However, this excellent lap was not enough to clinch the top spot, as both Sam Lowes and Tito Rabat managed up the pace still further. Zarco refused to give up and, with three minutes left, put in a superb lap of 1:59.755 for second on the grid.

The first race of the year for the Moto2 riders will begin at 7:20pm local time tomorrow. Johann Zarco will have the opportunity to claim his first victory in the class on Ajo Motorsport’s category debut.

Results – Qualifying practice
1. Sam Lowes (Speed Up) 1:59.423
2. Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport) 1:59.755 +0.332
3. Tito Rabat (Kalex) 1:59.813 +0.390
4. Sandro Cortese (Kalex) 1:59.845 +0.422
5. Jonas Folger (Kalex) 1:59.938 +0.515

Johann Zarco

“I am very happy, because qualifying on the front row is very important. It was a tough battle for pole position, which shows I am able to be fast and consistent with my times. This makes me very satisfied. My team and I are ready for the race and already know which tyre we will use. Things are going well. We have to focus on tomorrow and it would be great to fight for the win.”