Pedro Acosta will start in fifth position and Albert Arenas from tenth place at the Argentina Grand Prix.

Qualifying was held at the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit on Saturday, and both Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 riders went straight through to Q2. Pedro Acosta took fifth, with Albert Arenas tenth.

The rain that fell overnight in Argentina meant that the track conditions on Saturday were very different from those of the previous day. In addition, the presence of both dry and wet areas also caused difficulties on Saturday morning. Acosta and Arenas remained in the box for a large part of Practice 3, with their spots in Q2 already secured. Acosta went out in the last few minutes to put in a few laps and check the state of the track, finishing in 20th with a time of 1:48.164. Arenas followed a similar strategy to his teammate, and placed 27th after completing 4 laps and setting a 1:49.747. Acosta was third fastest overall, with Arenas twelfth.

In Q2, Acosta and Arenas participated in an intense fight for the top positions on the grid. Acosta was in the Top3 after the opening laps and remained on the front row until the final stretch of the session. On a fierce last lap several riders squeezed past him, and he was eventually given the fifth best time with a 1:42.674 set on his fourth attempt of nine. He will start the Argentina Grand Prix from the second row of the grid. Arenas progressively lowered his times to take tenth position thanks to a 1:43.021, which put him on the fourth row.

The Moto2 race takes place tomorrow Sunday, 2nd April, at 12:15 PM local time at the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit.

Results (Qualifying session)
1. Alonso Lopez (Boscoscuro) 1:42.472
2. Aron Canet (Kalex) 1:42.513 +0.041
3. Somkiat Chantra (Kalex) 1:42.520 +0.048
4. Jake Dixon (Kalex) 1:42.586 +0.114
5. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:42.674 +0.202
10. Albert Arenas (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:43.021 +0.549

#37 PEDRO ACOSTA

“We have taken a big step forward from last year here in Argentina. We have been competitive from the start of the weekend and have worked well for the race. It will undoubtedly be a long and closely contested race, in which we will have to manage the tyres very well. We are strong and we will see how far we can go.”

#75 ALBERT ARENAS

“I’m still focused on improving some aspects of my riding to be more effective with the bike. I am working a lot with the team and we are taking steps forward. Today we went fast despite the conditions and, although our starting position is not ideal, we will try to be as consistent as possible. Our main objective is to improve this and finish the Argentinian Grand Prix with a good result.”