The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider places second in qualifying, while Albert Arenas will take off from 29th.

Red Bull KTM Ajo had to contend with completely different weather conditions to the previous day in qualifying on Saturday at the Buddh International Circuit, as rain forced Pedro Acosta and Albert Arenas to adapt quickly. Acosta was the second fastest in the intermediate class, whilst Arenas will start 29th.

Practice 3 was used to fine-tune the setup for the Indian circuit. Acosta lowered his times and the Moto2 series leader remained one of the fastest riders as he worked on race pace. He set his best time, a 1:51.725, on his fifth lap, and finished in second place after being usurped in the final moments. Arenas continued to work on adapting to the track with discomfort in his shoulder. He managed to take another step forward and improved his bst time from Friday, with a 1:53.330 which placed him in 28th.

Arenas had to go into Q1 for the first time this season. Rain ahead of the session changed the conditions and forced greater precautions to be taken, as he finished in 29th position with a time of 2:05.562. In Q2, Acosta also had delicate track conditions to navigate, although in his case it was due to a mix of dry and wet areas. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider set the standout time and was on course for pole, until he was again bested in the closing moments. After trying to improve his time on the last lap, he missed out on pole by 0.032s, and will start from second position for the ninth time this year.

The Moto2 Indian Grand Prix will be run over 18 laps on Sunday, September 23rd at 1:45pm local time.

Results (Qualifying)
1. Jake Dixon (Kalex) 2:01.924
2. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 2:01.956 +0.032
3. Sergio Garcia (Kalex) 2:02.192 +0.268
4. Zonta Vd Goorbergh (Kalex) 2:02.271 + 0.347
5. Darryn Binder (Kalex) 2:02.602 +0.678
29. Albert Arenas (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 2:05.562 *Q1 time

#37 PEDRO ACOSTA

“It is a circuit where things could easily happen tomorrow, so it was important to get to the front. We have taken one more step forward in wet conditions, which is one of the points we are working to improve. At the end of the session the track was drier and that allowed us to push a little more. We are at the front, and tomorrow we will try to have a good race
and manage to hold on well in the final straight.”

#75 ALBERT ARENAS

“We continue working on recovery. The most positive thing is that, after the way yesterday’s sessions went, today my shoulder felt better. I improved my feeling on the bike, although we know that it is a somewhat slow process. We are on the right path to continue improving everything, so it was important not to get worse. The conditions in qualifying weren’t the best because we had very few laps to adapt to the wet conditions. I didn’t want to risk anything. Tomorrow we will try to take another step forward in the race.”