The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 talent will start from the second position, with teammate Jaume Masia in 10th place

The starting grid for the Italian Grand Prix was set on Saturday at the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello today. The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 duo secured two places in the Q2, after a solid last free practice this morning. In the afternoon, Dani Holgado achieved his best grid position to date, finishing second, and tomorrow he’ll start the race from the first row. His teammate, Jaume Masia, will begin the contest from 10th, on Row 4.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 duo approached the last Free Practice of the weekend with a clear objective of making it directly into Q2. In an FP3 held in dry conditions, Holgado took a big step forward, improving his time from Friday and placing second, 0.2 tenths off the top spot with a 1:56.793, set on his 14th lap of a total of 16. Masia continued to work hard and adjust the setup of his bike throughout the 13 laps he completed this morning. Finally, he finished 14th with a 1:57.670.

In the afternoon, both riders entered straight into Q2. In the session, Holgado enjoyed his best qualifying performance to date, placing second and just 0.097 thousandths of a second off the pole with a 1:56.908. The rookie will start from the front row for the first time. On the fourth row, Masia will take off from 10th position, thanks to his 1:57.532.

The 20-lap Moto3 Italian Grand Prix takes place on Sunday at 11 AM local time.

Results (Qualifying session)
1. Deniz Öncü (KTM) 1:56.811
2. Dani Holgado (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:56.908 +0.097
3. Dennis Foggia (Honda) 1:57.094 +0.283
4. Sergio Garcia (GasGas)1:57.232 +0.421
5. Izan Guevara (GasGas) 1:57.236 +0.425
10. Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:57:532 +0.721

#5 JAUME MASIA

“We went directly into Q2, which was the goal, and finally we qualified on the fourth row. It’s not a bad position and gives a chance to fight for the victory. This is a circuit where there are many slipstreams, so we will have to be very alert in the race. We still have room for improvement, so this afternoon we will work hard together with the team to try to be as prepared as possible tomorrow.”

#96 DANI HOLGADO

“I’m very happy with the result. At this circuit it is important to be as high up as possible, because people will want to overtake quickly and there are some very strong riders who are sure to try to escape. The race will be tough, because it looks like it’s going to rain. If it’s dry, I expect a race with a fairly small but very tight group. There is a lot of slipstreaming in this track and we will have to fight. The team are working very hard for me to adapt quickly to the bike and, after a tough start to the season due to injury, we are taking steps forward and things are working well. We will try to carry this over to tomorrow and, hopefully, we can have a good race. I go well at this circuit and we’re confident.”