Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 rookie misses out on pole by just 0.068s and tomorrow he will start the Austrian GP from the second position with Remy Gardner fifth.

The Red Bull Ring saw further action on Saturday at the Austrian Grand Prix, with a positive qualifying day for Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2. The team’s two riders made their way into the Top 5: Raul Fernandez will start from the front row of the grid for the seventh time this year, after finishing second in Q2. Remy Gardner is also expected to challenge at the front, taking off from fifth on Row 2.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 duo started Saturday in top form, with both riders running a pace faster than the circuit record for the Austrian track in FP3. Gardner set a stellar time of 1:28.153, on Lap 18 of the 20 that he put in. Alongside him, in second place, Fernandez finished with a 1:28.466, taking a big step forward in terms of his pace and feeling.

In the afternoon, both Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 riders went straight into Q2, after heading the combined timesheets for the three Free Practices. In qualifying, Fernandez battled to second on the grid, just 0.068s off pole position – 1:28.727. The Spaniard will start tomorrow from the front row, with teammate Gardner just behind. The Australian qualified fifth – 1:28.961 – despite suffering a small crash at Turn 1 at the end of the session.

Tomorrow at 12:20 PM local time, the Red Bull Ring hosts the 25-lap Moto2 Austrian Grand Prix.

Results (Qualifying session)
1. Sam Lowes (Kalex) 1:28.659
2. Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:28.727 +0.068
3. Ai Ogura (Kalex) 1:28.802 +0.143
4. Augusto Fernandez (Kalex) 1:28.811 +0.152
5. Remy Gardner (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:28.961 +0.302

87 REMY GARDNER

“We ended the day with a small crash at the end of Q2. It’s a shame because this caused us to miss out on the front row of the grid for tomorrow. It was a tough session, as the heat was higher than it had been in the morning during FP3. However, we are starting from fifth and the important thing is what happens tomorrow. We will learn from today so that it does not happen again and give our one hundred percent.”

25 RAUL FERNANDEZ

“I’m happy, as both this morning and in qualifying I felt very good. We were competitive with both the hard and soft compounds, and that is important. I’m really enjoying myself every time I get on the bike, which was the main objective for this weekend. We have once again shown that we are strong, so we will do our best to keep it that way. Tomorrow in the race I want to enjoy myself, since that is when things turn out the best for us.”