The two Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 riders have secured his presence in Q2 for the second consecutive Grand Prix and will battle for Pole Position at Mandalika.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 riders had a great Friday in Mandalika, with Daniel Muñoz and Collin Veijer making their way directly into Q2 for the Indonesian Grand Prix. Muñoz took third place in Practice, his best such result in an intermediate class training session, while Veijer finished the session in 9th place.

The level of demand was increased by the hot conditions in Mandalika, where track temperatures reached 47°C and humidity over 70%. However, the riders were able to run a fast pace, close to the circuit record.

Veijer got off to a good start, opting to split the weekend’s opening session into two parts and riding some 20 laps. The Dutchman began by focusing on his race pace. Then on his second run, he turned his attentions to setting a fast time, moving into 16th place – just over 8 tenths off the top spot. His best lap of the morning was a 1:34.082. Muñoz had a similar session to his teammate, focusing first on completing a long run. After a trip back to the pits, he managed to lower his best time to 1:34.101, better than that which he achieved last season at Mandalika by more than 5 tenths. Just 0.019 thousandths behind his teammate, he was 18th -also 8 tenths behind the morning pacesetter.

In the afternoon, for Practice, temperatures had risen yet further, to 58º degrees on track, and humidity was at 68%.

Muñoz managed to take a significant step forward compared to Free Practice 1. On a good initial run he earned his best time of the session, with a 1:33.251 that placed him second. He began his Time Attack with a place in Q2 practically secured, and although he was unable to lower his time further, his best lap -very close to the previous circuit record- was almost a second faster than his morning marker. Muñoz finished Practice in third place, and with 18 laps completed, securing his sixth Q2 appearance out of seven rounds with Red Bull KTM Ajo. Veijer completed one more lap than his teammate, and also earned a spot in Q2 after a strong final stint. In the first part of the session, he prioritised making a long run to work on his pace. Needing to make a move in the Time Attack, on his penultimate flying lap he sealed his place in Q2, placing 9th with a 1:33.479, 6 tenths quicker than his time from FP1.

All in all, great news for Red Bull KTM Ajo in Moto2, which will once again have both riders directly in Q2 after a great Practice session in Mandalika. Veijer and Muñoz will take part in Free Practice 2 on Saturday, starting at 9:25 a.m. (local time). The battle for Pole Position at the Indonesian Grand Prix will begin at 2:05 p.m.

Practice Results
1. Manuel Gonzalez (Kalex) | 1:32.996
2. Daniel Holgado (Kalex) | 1:33.186 (+0.190)
3. Daniel Muñoz (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:33.251 (+0.255)
4. Tony Arbolino (Boscoscuro) | 1:33.307 (+0.311)
5. Jake Dixon (Boscoscuro) | 1:33.313 (+0.317)
9. Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:33.479 (+0.483)

#95 COLLIN VEIJER

“This morning was quite difficult for us. We tried to learn all we could, because this is a new track for us with a Moto2 bike. I had some good memories here from Moto3, but with this bike we had no references and the track changes a little bit in the intermediate class. The feeling was ok, but we know that we can improve more tomorrow. Of course, in Practice we did a good job, but I think we can still find something on Sectors 2 and 4. We’ll work hard this afternoon to see where we can do better on Saturday.”

#17 DANIEL MUÑOZ

“I’m very happy. We rode here last year, but it was a bit difficult, so it seems to be going well for us this time. This morning, we worked a little more on our race pace and then we looked for a good one-off lap, and the results in both sessions were good. The team are helping me a lot, and we’ve found the right path to follow, so I’m looking forward to continuing that tomorrow -as we need to achieve a good grid position.”