Second pole of 2016 for Johann Zarco at Red Bull Ring

13/08/2016

Ajo Motorsport rider sets best time of Austrian GP weekend in qualifying to take Moto2 top spot.

Johann Zarco’s dominance at the Austrian GP continued on Saturday, and the Frenchman will start Sunday’s race from pole position after setting the top time in qualifying. The Ajo Motorsport rider’s pole time was the quickest of the weekend so far, and enabled him to head the grid for the first time since the Catalan GP.
Saturday started much like Friday, with the reigning Moto2 World Champion looking very solid during FP3 and enjoying higher temperatures than the previous day. On his tenth lap, Zarco was able to lower his best time from Friday, putting in a 1:29.598 that allowed him to top the session. He also continued to run a good race pace and worked further on the setup of his Kalex bike.
Zarco was quick to move into second position in qualifying -a place that he occupied for much of the session until he grabbed first on his last stint. On his final lap, the Moto2 World Championship leader took another step forward and put in a 1:29.255 lap to ensure pole.
The Ajo Motorsport rider will seek his fifth win of the season tomorrow, as he attempts to extend a streak that has seen him claim 95 of the last 100 available points. The intermediate category race at the Austrian GP will be held at 12:20pm local time on Sunday.

Results (Qualifying practice)
1. Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport) 1:29.255
2. Franco Morbidelli (Kalex) 1:29.367 +0.112
3. Thomas Luthi (Kalex) 1:29.480 +0.225
4. Marcel Schrotter (Kalex) 1:29.645 +0.390
5. Alex Marquez (Kalex) 1:29.702 +0.447

5 JOHANN ZARCO “Qualifying went very well. Today it was hotter than yesterday, which helped me. I felt much better and more confident with more heat in the tyres, and I pushed hard to take pole position here. I was able to improve as the session went on and on my final stint I saw that I could lower my time and get on pole. We also have a good pace, so I am very calm ahead of the race and very confident. We are at a good level and we need to keep it up tomorrow and in the remaining races. I want to thank the team for the great job with the bike.”

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