The Spaniard takes first place in FP2, followed by the two Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 riders managing to secure spots on the third row of the grid.

Saturday action at the Valencia Grand Prix was a resounding success for Red Bull KTM Ajo, who finished the second day of action with good results. Collin Veijer and Daniel Muñoz managed to take places on the third row of the grid, finishing seventh and eighth, respectively, in Q2. Earlier in the morning, Dani led his ever World Championship session in the FP2, with Collin in fifth.

Under slightly more favourable conditions than on Friday, FP2 proceeded smoothly with track temperatures of 13ºC.

Muñoz made a positive start and was amongst the leading positions, continuing his form from Friday. With the aim of working with used tyres to prepare for the race, he focused on pace, leaving a short Time Attack for the end of the session. Nevertheless, he made a statement with a 1:32.372 on the last of his 15 flying laps, breaking the circuit record and topping a first practice session as a Moto3 World Championship rider. Veijer also had a great practice session, employing a similar approach to his teammate. Feeling good after his first stint, in which he also centred his strategy on preparing for Sunday, the Dutchman also employed a short Time Attack, culminating in a 1:32.688 on his final attempt. He completed a total of 15 laps, with the last taking him to fifth place in FP2.

In the afternoon, the track temperature rose to 20°C. In total, some thirteen riders —including the Red Bull KTM Ajo duo— broke the circuit record set by Muñoz in FP2.

There was further steady improvement for Veijer throughout Q2. After starting his first outing in 13th place, he entered the pits a lap later than his teammate and went back out alongside some of the strongest riders in the class. It was then that he jumped up the timesheets to seventh. With 9 laps completed, his 1:32.098 was his best of the weekend by a significant margin, and 0.6 seconds faster than on Saturday morning. He earned eighth place on the grid for the season finale. Muñoz was speedy from the start, leading the pack to move into fourth place on his first flying lap. On his second attempt, the Spaniard managed to climb onto the front row, having opted to pit a lap earlier than the rest of the field. After his brief stop in the box, he came back out and set his best lap of the weekend, reaching second place. However, the final minutes of the session were frantic, and a series of riders relegated Muñoz to eighth place, just ahead of his teammate and with only 12 thousandths of a second separating them. With a final time of 1:32.109 from his 9 laps, he finished his third consecutive Qualifying session in the Top 10.

In conclusion, it was a positive and promising second day for Red Bull KTM Ajo, who are aiming for a double good result tomorrow to close out the longest season in the history of the championship. The 22-lap Moto2 Valencia Grand Prix rounds off the season for Red Bull KTM Ajo on Sunday from 12 p.m. local time.

Qualifying Results
1. Daniel Holgado (Kalex) | 1:31.715
2. Izan Guevara (Boscoscuro) | 1:31.873 (+0.158)
3. Senna Agius (Kalex) | 1:31.886 (+0.171)
4. Albert Arenas (Kalex) | 1:32.020 (+0.305)
5. Manuel Gonzalez (Kalex) | 1:32.065 (+0.350)
7. Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:32.098 (+0.383)
8. Daniel Muñoz (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:32.109 (+0.394)

#95 COLLIN VEIJER

“It was a good day overall. The feeling in the morning got better and better, and the pace was okay too. After that, we also went well in Qualifying, especially on our second run. The lap time was good and the grid position is also enough for us to enjoy a positive race tomorrow. Of course, we need to take another step for tomorrow and also get a great start; but if we do that, we can enjoy ourselves here. The crowd are amazing this weekend, so we’ll try to wrap it up well and have a great last race for the team, who did an amazing job this season by my side.”

#17 DANIEL MUÑOZ

“It was a great day in Valencia today. We felt really good this morning, both in terms of race pace and on a single lap, and we even managed to set a new circuit record. However, we couldn’t quite put together a perfect lap this afternoon, and that took its toll. Tomorrow, the goal will be to get a good start and try to enjoy my last race with the team as much as possible. I’m eager to deliver a good result for everyone and end the year the way we deserve, in front of a fanbase that I’m sure will support us in every way possible.”