Jaume Masia and Dani Holgado finished ninth and eleventh respectively in free practice

The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 riders completed the first day of the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring. Jaume Masia and Dani Holgado have improved their times in FP2 to place ninth and eleventh respectively.

The first Free Practice of the weekend began in the rain and with delicate track conditions. Nevertheless, Masia worked hard to find a good feeling at the Red Bull Ring. After the opening minutes he occupied 13th place, and tried to stay among the Top 10 for the remainder of the session. Holgado quickly felt comfortable despite the conditions, and improved his times steadily to put himself amongst the pacesetters. Dani Holgado completed FP1 in second position with a 1:50.647 time, achieved on his last lap. Jaume Masia would drop to 24th, his best time being a 1:52.979 on his 15th lap of 17.

The pair started the afternoon’s FP2 session working as a team and setting a high pace. Both riders were in the top positions from the start and made steady progress lap after lap. In the final minutes, following a brief stop in the garage, Masia took the top spot. However, his final attempt at a hot lap would be disallowed, meaning he would have to settle for ninth, courtesy of a 1:42.116 set on his 18th lap of 21. Holgado would also have his final attempt scrubbed, leaving him eleventh. His 1:42.165 time, on his 17th lap, was his quickest of the day.

Moto3 qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix will take place on Saturday. Q1 will start at 12:35 PM and Q2 at 1 PM local time.

Results (Combined practice times FP1 – FP2)
1. Dennis Foggia (Honda) 1:41.774
2. Deniz Öncü (KTM) 1:41.816 +0.042
3. John Mcphee (Husqvarna)1:41.823 +0.049
4. Tatsuki Suzuki (Honda) 1:42.035 +0.261
5. Diogo Moreira (KTM) 1:42.080 +0.306
9. Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:42.116 +0.342
11. Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:42.165 +0.391

#5 JAUME MASIA

“I felt good today. I worked with Dani and we have gathered a lot of data. We improved a lot compared to the first Free Practice and I’m happy, despite the fact that the last lap was cancelled. Now it is time to analyse everything we have done today, so that tomorrow we can fight for the best position on the grid.”

#96 DANI HOLGADO

“Today we worked as a team together with Jaume, and it worked out very positively. It was the step we were missing, so I am very happy. We communicated well with each other and we rode fast. We have adapted well to the new track and this could be a strong point for me. When I set my fastest lap they cancelled my time, but I have the pace and we can get a good result.”