The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 rider will start the Valencia Grand Prix from fifth position. Teammate Tetsuta Nagashima will be 23rd.

The Moto2 Valencia Grand Prix starting grid was decided in a very close qualifying session on Saturday afternoon. Jorge Martin managed to claim fifth place, for a spot on the second row, and was just 2 tenths off pole position. The Spaniard improved his times from Q1 to Q2, and showed that he is competitive and fast ahead of tomorrow’s race. His teammate, Tetsuta Nagashima, will start the 14th and penultimate round of the season from 23rd, on Row 8.

In FP3, the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 pair had to face mixed conditions, due to light rain during the morning. With 4 minutes remaining, Martin suffered a crash at Turn 4 that prevented him from going back out on track. However, he finished the session 0.6 seconds off the top spot, after stopping the clock at 1:35.341, claiming the 19th position. He completed 16 laps, with Nagashima putting in 17. The Japanese ended the practice 21st, with a time of 1:35.418, less than a tenth behind his teammate and improving on his best effort from Friday.

Martin and Nagashima both went through Q1, where they experienced mixed fortunes. The Spaniard finished second thanks to a 1:34.808 and made the cut for Q2. In that session, the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 rider was fifth fastest and his 1:34.647 lap was just 2 tenths off the pole. He will take off from the second row of the grid on Sunday. Nagashima was ninth in Q1 with his 1:35.179 lap – his personal best of the weekend to date. This result places the Japanese on Row 8, in 23rd.

The 25-lap Moto2 Valencia Grand Prix gets underway at 12:20 pm on Sunday.

Results – QP
1. Stefano Manzi (MV Agusta) 1:34.418
2. Hector Garzo (Kalex) 1:34.431 +0.013
3. Marco Bezzecchi (Kalex) 1:34.494 +0.076
4. Fabio Di Giannantonio (Speed Up) 1:34.524 +0.106
5. Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:34.647 +0.229
23. Tetsuta Nagashima (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:35.179 (Q1 Time)

88 JORGE MARTIN

“I am very happy with the two qualifying sessions that we had today. However, it was a tough day, as after the crash we had to go through Q1, which always involves an extra risk. However, I managed to set a good lap and get into Q2, where I also improved my time. I’m satisfied with the performance and, although tomorrow we will have to work on some finishing touches in the warm-up, we are ready to fight for the podium.”

45 TETSUTA NAGASHIMA

“It was a tough qualifying run for us. However, my feeling wasn’t bad at all; the problem is that everyone went fast today and the difference between one rider and another was very small. In addition, we tried some things that helped us to improve a little – but not as much as we needed. It’s positive for tomorrow, in any case. We are clear about what we need, so we will try to find it on Sunday. The objective is to improve on last week’s result.”