An atypical day in Brazil sees the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 duo secure spots in the Top 10 on the grid.

A strange Saturday at the Autodromo Internacional Ayrton Senna saw a long and uncertain wait for action due to the state of the surface. Brian Uriarte and Alvaro Carpe managed to secure good qualifying positions for the Brazilian Grand Prix, with the former at the back of the second row, and the latter taking off from the front of Row 4 after being the fastest guy in Q1 and securing his presence in Q2.

After Friday’s uncertainty over the conditions on track, sunshine greeted the riders on Saturday in Brazil. With a track temperature of 29°C and 78% humidity, the Moto3 riders were able to easily improve on their Friday times.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo duo both had an eventful morning session, with each suffering a respective crash and escaping without injury.

The first to hit the gravel was Uriarte, who lost his front end at Turn 9 on his maiden flying lap. Despite the high speed of the incident, he was able to walk away -and even rejoin the action during the final 15 minutes after the red flag. Starting in last place on the timesheets after failing to set a lap time at the beginning of the session, the rookie climbed to 17th with a 1:28.199, and put in a total of 10 laps. He shaved two and a half seconds off his best lap from Friday.

Carpe also had a crash, in a more aggressive highside at Turn 11. It proved to be a dangerous spot on the track, as in just one minute, three riders fell at that same corner, forcing the session to be interrupted to confirm that the track was in inacceptable condition. Carpe had to visit the Medical Centre to rule out any injuries, and was able to return to the pits of his own accord. He would go on to participate in the final minutes of FP2, but was unable to improve his best time further, meaning he finished 19th with a best time of 1:28.233, putting in 14 laps. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider did manage to improve his best time from Day 1 by more than two and a half seconds.

Following a delay due to the track conditions, the qualifying sessions had to be held after the MotoGP Sprint Race. Just past 5pm, Moto3 Q1 finally got underway with a track temperature of 40°C and 49% humidity, making it some of the best conditions of the weekend.

Uriarte had a good Q2, even leading the session during his first run. He set a time of 1:26.835, more than a second faster than in the morning, making him the rider to beat. However, the session ended in misfortune for him, with a crash while on course for a record-breaking time. He escaped uninjured, although he couldn’t maintain his pole position or front-row spot. After putting in 7 laps, he earned sixth position.

For Carpe, Q1 was largely uneventful. He topped his first qualifying session and, after a tyre change, went back out to secure his place in Q2 with a 1:27.070. In Q2, however, he struggled to put together a good lap until almost the end of the session, slightly improving his Q1 best with a 1:27.000, which earned him tenth on the grid. Between the two sessions, Carpe completed a total of 15 laps.

After a long and uncertain day, things finally looked up for Red Bull KTM Ajo, who managed to turn a difficult day around with both riders finishing in the Top 10 in Q2. The 24-lap Moto2 Brazilian Grand Prix will take place on Sunday from 12 p.m. local time.

Qualifying Results
1. Joel Esteban (KTM) | 1:26.241
2. Valentin Perrone (KTM) | 1:26.447 (+0.206)
3. Hakim Danish (KTM) | 1:26.448 (+0.207)
4. Veda Pratama (Honda) | 1:26.506 (+0.265)
5. Marco Morelli (KTM) | 1:26.560 (+0.319)
6. Brian Uriarte (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:26.835 (+0.594)
10. Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:27.000 (+0.759)

#83 ALVARO CARPE

“Today went much better than yesterday. I got used to the track and understood how to ride the bike here, so I’m satisfied with the progress, especially since the conditions were good. We worked well and found some speed, so the feeling for the race is good. We’ll see what the weather is like, but we’re ready to fight with the group and try to get a good result.”

#51 BRIAN URIARTE

“It was a good day today, despite the circumstances. I escaped unharmed from the slides off track, so I’m ready for tomorrow and more motivated than ever for the race. The second row is a great spot, as it will make things a bit easier for us at the start. We’ll try to stay near the front until the end and enjoy our first race in Brazil as much as possible.”