Jaume Masia finishes tenth in Free Practice on Friday at Assen. Dani Holgado is eighteenth

Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 riders took part in the first two Free Practice sessions for the Dutch GP on Friday. Heavy rain affected a day in which Jaume Masia finished in tenth position overall, making his way provisionally into Q2. Dani Holgado makes his debut in Assen this weekend, and progressively improved on Day 1 before finishing in eighteenth place. Tomorrow he will fight to break into Q2.

The Dutch GP got underway in rainy conditions. Masia was among the fastest riders from the start, reaching the Top 5. Holgado faced FP1 with the aim of learning a new circuit for him in his rookie season. Masia finished in ninth with a time of 1:54.306, set on his seventh lap of 16. Holgado was 24th through a 1:56.496, after riding fifteen laps.

In FP2, rain held off, although the track remained wet from earlier rainfall. Masia made steady improvement throughout the session, and in the final minutes was among the Top 10. Holgado was comfortable from the get-go, and worked to establish a good setup. Both riders improved their times from the morning. Masia finished in tenth with a time of 1:50.356, after completing 17 laps. Holgado was eighteenth thanks to his 1:51.105, achieved on his last lap.

Moto3 qualifying will be held on Saturday. Q1 will start at 12:35 PM, with Q2 at 1 PM local time.

Results (Combined practice times FP1- FP2)
1. David Muñoz (KTM) 1:49.491
2. Tatsuki Suzuki (Honda) 1:49.672 +0.181
3. Ryusei Yamanaka (KTM) 1:49.723 +0.232
4. Scott Ogden (Honda) 1:49.947 +0.456
5. Andrea Migno (Honda) 1:50.947 +0.579
10. Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:50.356 +0.865
18. Dani Holgado (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:51.105 +1.614

#5 JAUME MASIA

“The conditions were difficult, but we improved lap by lap, which is the most important thing. In the second session it didn’t rain, but the track was very wet. Even so, we made progress. We’ll see what weather awaits us tomorrow for FP3 and qualifying.”

#96 DANI HOLGADO

“It was a bit of a difficult day because the track was tough, although we took a step forward in FP2. We have to improve the bike a little, because it’s hard for me to brake – especially with the rear, but we already know where the problem is so we can work on it. Tomorrow we will take another step forward to go straight into Q2.”