The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 rider is just 12 thousandths of a second off pole, with Kaito Toba earning 6th row.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 duo were in action in Q2 for the Grand Prix of Styria on Saturday, making their way directly into the session. In it, Raul Fernandez claimed a spot on the front row of the grid, in second position, with teammate Kaito Toba on Row 6, 17th. Both riders were able to overcome difficulties, on an afternoon in which oil had to be removed from the track before Qualifying 2 got underway.

A step forward was taken by the pair in FP3, as the duo lowered their best times from Friday. Raul Fernandez finished the session 2nd, with a 1:36.130 lap 75 thousandths off the pacesetter. The Spaniard put in 14 laps and focused on continuing the work he had done with his crew on the opening day. Kaito Toba improved his feeling on-board his bike, and placed 12th – 1:36.520 – 4 tenths behind his teammate. The Japanese completed 13 laps of the Austrian track in this practice.

Raul Fernandez and Kaito Toba went directly into Q2, and maintain a perfect record for avoiding going into Q1 in 2020. The start of the session was delayed due to oil on the track, which forced the riders to be extremely careful when the run finally got underway. The Spaniard took second position with a 1:36.482, 12 thousandths off pole and despite several scares along the way. Kaito Toba spent the initial minutes in the garage, and finally went out to qualify 17th – thanks to a 1:38.034 -, to start from the sixth row of the grid.

The 23-lap Grand Prix of Styria gets underway tomorrow at 11 am CEST.

Results – QP
1. Gabriel Rodrigo (Honda) 1:36.470
2. Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:36.482 +0.012
3. Tatsuki Suzuki (Honda) 1:36.534 +0.064
4. Tony Arbolino (Honda) 1:36.575 +0.105
5. Celestino Vietti (KTM) 1:36.645 +0.175
17. Kaito Toba (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:38.034 +1.564

25 RAUL FERNANDEZ

“I am very happy, as we are consistent in Free Practice and qualifying. The team worked well and they are providing me with what I need. Now we have to round off the weekend with a good result in the race, although it will definitely be difficult. It was a pity that, due to the track conditions, I was not able to fully take advantage of the last run. However, I am satisfied and ready for tomorrow.”

27 KAITO TOBA

“We had a tough qualifying session. It’s been a little hard to get a good lap time this weekend, a fact that also hindered us in Q2. However, we made progress with some aspects that will be useful for the race. Tomorrow I will try to push from the start, in order to climb positions and be able to complete this run of three contests with a good result. We will do our best.”