The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 rider sets the fourth time on the opening day of the Teruel Grand Prix, earning a provisional spot in Q2. Kaito Toba places 21st.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo team returned to MotorLand Aragon on Friday to contest the opening day of the Grand Prix of Teruel, Round 12 of the Moto3 World Championship. Raul Fernandez was once again one of the early pacesetters, especially in the afternoon when he finished second. The Spaniard produced the fourth best time overall in FP1 and FP2 – one tenth off the top spot – and is provisionally into tomorrow’s Q2. Kaito Toba ended 21st on Friday, improving his feeling with each stint on track.

After achieving his first World Championship podium last weekend, a motivated Fernandez kept up his pace at the Spanish track to kick off the Grand Prix of Teruel. However, his work was not reflected in his position on the FP1 timesheets, as he was 18th with a 1:59.429 after 11 attempts. Teammate Toba completed 14 laps, the best of which was a 1:59.571 on his final attempt, giving him 21st place.

Track temperature increased in the afternoon, giving Fernandez more confidence. The Spaniard would use that to finish second and he lowered his morning time by 1.2 seconds for a 1:58.220, set on his 7th lap of 13. Toba also took a notable step forward in FP2, achieving a better feeling on-board his KTM Moto3. Finally, the Japanese was 17th with a personal best of 1:59.154, from 16 laps.
Tomorrow morning Fernandez and Toba will use the last Free Practice to set up their respective machines. The Grand Prix of Teruel grid will be decided in Q1 and Q2, at 1:15 pm and 1:40 pm CEST, respectively.

Results – FP1 & FP2
1. Jaume Masia (Honda) 1:58.076
2. Jeremy Alcoba (Honda) 1:58.080 +0.004
3. Romano Fenati (Husqvarna) 1:58.212 +0.136
4. Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:58.220 +0.144
5. Gabriel Rodrigo (Honda) 1:58.268 +0.192
21. Kaito Toba (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:59.154 +1.078

25 RAUL FERNANDEZ

“I’m happy with how today went. In the morning, we tried things out to try to improve our setup, but they didn’t work out as expected. In the afternoon, we returned to the previous configuration and my feeling was very good. The aim for tomorrow will be to get a strong qualifying spot that will allow us to fight in Sunday’s race. I want to thank the team and my family, as it is always special to celebrate a birthday during a Grand Prix.”

27 KAITO TOBA
“It wasn’t an easy start to the Grand Prix for us, as I didn’t feel completely confident on my bike. However, today it seems that we have found the right way to get faster and that is undoubtedly a very positive thing. The objective for tomorrow will be to continue in the same way, improve our lap times and go directly into Q2.”