The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 rider qualifies in second place at the Mandalika International Circuit, whilst Pedro Acosta is 10th despite suffering a crash in Q2.

The starting grid for the first ever Moto2 race at the Mandalika International Circuit was set on Saturday, with both Red Bull KTM Ajo riders going straight into Q2 thanks to their Friday times. Augusto Fernandez took second position and he will start the Indonesian Grand Prix contest from the front row. Pedro Acosta secured a spot on Row 4, in 10th place, for Round 2 of the season.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo duo had to contend with a wet track in the FP3, due to heavy rain that fell until shortly before the start of the session. Fernandez had a great showing and was one of the most competitive riders. Finally, the Spaniard placed second, after stopping the clock at 1:49.276 on his fourth out of 12 attempts. Teammate Acosta continued to gain experience in the rain aboard a Moto2 machine. After completing 14 laps, the current Moto3 World Champion took seventh position with a time of 1:49.610.

Thanks to their great work in the three Free Practices, the pair went straight into Q2. Despite the delicate conditions on the track, Fernandez claimed second, thanks to a 1:35.901 lap. He will take off from the front row at the Mandalika International Circuit. Acosta crashed at Turn 2 with 1 minute left in the session, preventing him from making a final assault on the timesheets. He finally placed 10th with a time of 1:36.751 and he will be on Row 4.

The Moto2 Indonesian Grand Prix race will get underway on Sunday at 1:20 PM local time and is scheduled for 25 laps. It will be the first ever contest for the intermediate class at the newest track on the calendar.

Results (Qualifying session)
1. Jake Dixon (Kalex) 1:35.799
2. Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:35.901 +0.102
3. Sam Lowes (Kalex) 1:35.953 +0.154
4. Somkiat Chantra (Kalex) 1:36.260 +0.461
5. Bo Bendsneyder (Kalex) 1:36.337 +0.538
10. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:36.751 +0.952

#37 AUGUSTO FERNANDEZ

“I’m happy to have qualified on the front row of the grid. It will be important to be up at the front tomorrow, as we don’t know what the contest will be like – especially the final stages. The weather conditions at this track are constantly changing, and that has prevented us from doing as many laps as the race distance, and from finding out how the dry and wet tyres really behave. This makes the second half of the contest uncertain. It will be a tough Sunday. I can take away the fact that my feeling on the bike is good, and that we have taken a big step forward compared to yesterday. We’ll see what happens tomorrow and, as always, we’ll give our all to have a great performance.”

#51 PEDRO ACOSTA

“We have done a good job, but we still have a lot to do. We have to take a step forward, especially in terms of grip. Luckily, I didn’t suffer any injuries in the crash in qualifying and, despite this, we were able to place on the fourth row of the grid. This is part of my learning process, and we mustn’t forget that this is my first year in the class. Tomorrow we will go out there and enjoy ourselves; we will be at our best and we will try to complete a good race.”