Jaume Masia finishes ninth and Dani Holgado nineteenth in Free Practice

The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 riders completed the first day of the Australian Grand Prix on Friday. Jaume Masia and Dani Holgado worked to adapt to a circuit that has not been visited since 2019. Navigating delicate track conditions, Masia finished ninth on Friday, and Holgado 19th.

FP1 started with low temperatures that reduced grip. Masia and Holgado took to the track after the first few minutes of the session had passed, focused on finding a good feeling on the Australian circuit. Masia was one of the early pacesetters and tried to stay in the Top 10, and a 1:41:014 on his last lap placed him in twelfth. Holgado completed his first laps at Phillip Island with a good feeling, despite the difficult surface and strong winds. After completing fifteen laps, a time of 1:40.307 put him sixth.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 duo tried to improve their times from the start of FP2, although damp areas of the track prevented them from increasing the pace initially. Masia was the first to improve his times and, after completing 16 laps, a 1:38:576 on his penultimate attempt allowed him to finish in ninth. Holgado felt comfortable in the afternoon session and continued to work in search of a good pace for the race. With 10 minutes remaining he suffered a crash, escaping unharmed, and went on to complete a total of 12 laps. Despite besting his times from FP1, he failed to provisionally make the cut for Q2 and finished 19th.

Moto3 qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix will take place on Saturday from 12:35 PM local time.

Results (Combined practice times FP1 – FP2)
1. Ayumu Sasaki (Husqvarna) 1:37:797
2. Tatsuki Suzuki (Honda) 1:37.986 +0.189
3. Diogo Moreira (KTM) 1:38.205 +0.408
4. Izan Guevara (GasGas) 1:38.330 +0.533
5. Sergio Garcia (GasGas) 1:38.355 +0.558
9. Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:38:576 +0.779
19. Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:39.369 +1.572

#5 JAUME MASIA

“I’m happy with the opening day. Both sessions were a bit crazy due to the changes in the conditions and we have had to adapt. We are working well, now we need to review a couple of details, but we are in the Top 10, so it’s positive. Tomorrow we will continue working to go even better.”

#96 DANI HOLGADO

“I have a good feeling, despite the crashes. We are fast and I have a lot of confidence on the bike. The conditions were difficult, especially due to the weather and the water on the track, but we are happy. Tomorrow we have a good opportunity to move on to Q2 and to continue working.”