The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 duo came close to securing the front row, but they were a little bit unlucky on the final metres of the last flying lap.

Brian Uriarte and Alvaro Carpe’s Saturday at Le Mans saw the pair take places on the third row of the grid. After a strong FP2, Uriarte almost took provisional Pole Position during his final flying lap, but it was ruled out for him exceeding the track limits. Similar story for Carpe, who, having secured a place in Q2, managed to move into first place in the final moments, but the Spaniard ran into traffic in the final sector and had to settle for eighth place.

In contrast with the forecasts, the sun once again shone brightly at Le Mans on Saturday morning, with track temperatures very similar to Friday’s FP1 session (14°C, with 70% humidity), allowing the Moto3 riders another session in favourable conditions.

Carpe had a good start to the session, and was among the three fastest riders without needing any references to follow. As the laps progressed, he gradually dropped down the order, focusing on his race pace until the end of FP2, which he completed in two runs. With two minutes remaining and his tyres showing some signs of wear, Carpe set his best time of the weekend across two consecutive fastest laps, climbing to second position with a 1:40.507, 6 tenths faster than his quickest time from Friday. The Spaniard completed 15 laps in total. Also putting in 15 laps was Uriarte, who took another step forward in his adaptation to the French circuit. After an initial run to adjust some setup details on his bike, he went back out on track to try and push harder, riding alone and reaching the provisional top spot with four minutes remaining. His 1:40.583 ultimately positioned him in fourth place, just 3 tenths off the fastest time and slightly quicker than his previous best.

In the afternoon, conditions remained stable, and once again, the Moto3 riders were able to complete Qualifying without any adverse weather: Ambient temperature was at 22°C, with 50% track humidity.

In Q1, Carpe used his first run to set himself up in fourth place -albeit without improving on his time from FP2. After a quick trip to the pits, he went on to make a statement on his first flying lap. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider pushed hard, lowering his time to 1:40.890 to provisionally take the top spot. After several of his rivals lowered their lap times, he dropped to fourth place, but with a great final lap, Carpe clocked a 1:40.688 to lead Q1 and secure his place in Q2. He put in a total of eight laps. The Spaniard started out behind Maximo Quiles at the beginning of Q2, managing to match his best time from the first session on his first flying lap and moving up to ninth. After another tyre change, he challenged for Pole, but ran wide at Turn 10 while overtaking another rider and had to settle for eighth on the grid. With six laps completed, Carpe’s best was a 1:40.419, his fastest of the weekend to date.

Uriarte had a good first run in Q2. With two consecutive flying laps, he rose to fifth place, improving his best time from Saturday by 2 tenths of a second. After this positive first attempt, he switched tyres and prepared for the final stretch of the session. Following several unsuccessful attempts, he managed to put together a great lap behind several riders, which put him in first place initially. Unfortunately, the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider also ran wide at the finish line, and as such his time was invalidated. That left his 1:40.341 as his best time, putting him seventh on the grid.

All in all, it was a good Saturday for the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 team, who came close to turning Q2 into a great result ahead of tomorrow’s race. The 20-lap Moto2 French Grand Prix takes place on Sunday at 11 a.m. (local time).

Qualifying Results
1. Adrian Fernandez (Honda) | 1:40.044
2. Maximo Quiles (KTM) | 1:40.184 (+0.140)
3. Joel Kelso (Honda) | 1:40.204 (+0.160)
4. Marco Morelli (KTM) | 1:40.260 (+0.260)
5. David Muñoz (KTM) | 1:40.280 (+0.236)
7. Brian Uriarte (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:40.341 (+0.297)
8. Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:40.419 (+0.375)

#83 ALVARO CARPE

“I’m happy on one hand, as I felt quite fast today and we managed to get into Q2. However, it’s a shame about the last lap in Qualifying, as I was aiming for pole, but I encountered another rider on my line and it wasn’t to be. I hope I have some luck at the start tomorrow and get through the first three laps without any problems. From there, I’m convinced we can enjoy a good race and try to fight for a solid result here at Le Mans.”

#51 BRIAN URIARTE

“I’m very happy with today overall. I think we did a good job, especially in qualifying. It’s a shame about that small mistake on the last corner, as we could have been second on the grid, but we’ll have to make a good start to turn that around. There are plenty of overtaking opportunities here, so I’m feeling confident. I’m looking forward to the race and enjoying it to the fullest in front of these fans, who are known for their passionate support, just like ours in Spain.”