Ajo Motorsport rider gets a spot on the second row of the grid after showing great pace in the intermediate category.

Johann Zarco will start from the second row of the grid for the second Grand Prix of the year tomorrow, held in Austin, Texas (USA). The Ajo Motorsport rider set the fourth fastest time in the Saturday qualifying session, after going fastest in the final practice session. Looking ahead to tomorrow’s race, the Frenchman is confident that the pace he has shown over the past two days will enable a good performance.

Unlike on the first day, today the Moto2 riders started riding in the dry for the third and final practice session. Zarco set the quickest lap, with a 2:10.310. In addition, he continued to maintain and improve a pace that bodes well for the race tomorrow.

The highlight of the day, the qualifying session, saw Zarco maintain one of the best paces in the class, but a hot lap would not come. The Ajo Motorsport rider was unable to lower his best time until the final attempt, with a time of 2:10.102 placing him fourth.

Tomorrow’s race will start at 12:20pm local time. Zarco will try to improve on his best result at this circuit: A sixth place in 2013.

Results (Qualifying practice)
1. Xavier Simeon (Kalex) 2:09.888
2. Sam Lowes (Speed Up) 2:09.942 +0.054
3. Tito Rabat (Kalex) 2:10.077 +0.189
4. Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport) 2:10.102 +0.214
5. Franco Morbidelli (Kalex) 2:10.135 +0.247

Johann Zarco,
“The qualifying session was not bad. We’re not on the front row, but the pace we have is very good. I lowered my best lap time, but other riders did so by even more. I’m not worried. We have shared opinions with the team in order to finish adjusting the setup for the race. If tomorrow morning we ride in the dry, then we can test new configurations and decide. If the race is wet, it will be important to be smart, complete the distance and score as many points as possible.”