The rookie makes it through Q1 and comes very close to the front row in Q2. Carpe leads Free Practice 2, but has to settle for 12th on the grid.

Brian Uriarte secured fourth position in Q2 for the Italian Grand Prix, after being the fastest rider in Q1 – his first experience in such a session this season. Alvaro Carpe couldn’t finish Saturday with an impressive a result, despite leading in Free Practice 2, and will have to start 12th on the grid.

The opening hours of Saturday action were much more conducive to riding than Friday at Mugello, the 28ºC track temperature and 75% humidity giving the Moto3 field the opportunity to quickly lower their lap times.

Carpe had a very productive session, and after 14 laps came away with the positive feeling he had been searching for over the previous day. During his first run, he strung together a series of good laps to provisionally move into sixth place, just 4 tenths of a second off the top spot. After a pit stop, the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider fitted a soft tyre for a Time Attack, and claimed the fastest time in a session for the fourth time this season. His 1:55.052 was the best lap of the weekend by a significant margin at that stage. Uriarte stepped up his pace during the opening laps, riding both alone and in a group, to climb into the Top 5. He retained that position until the final moments, when he rode alongside his teammate to gain a reference for his closing flying laps. Ultimately, with rivals also making improvements late on, Uriarte dropped to ninth place with a best time of 1:55.491, after 16 laps, improving more than one second his best Friday laptime.

In the afternoon, Uriarte went out for Q1 in very similar conditions to the morning, although slightly hotter: 47ºC track temperature and only 30% humidity.

 Uriarte dominated Q1 from start to finish, going out alone on his first run and setting two consecutive fastest laps, which immediately put him in the lead with a 1:55.574 -slightly faster than his FP2 time. After his pit stop, most of his rivals waited for the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider to return to the track to use him as a reference, but this backfired as it ended up preventing them from completing a single flying lap before the chequered flag. With the top spot in Q1, after just five laps, Uriarte managed to go through Q1 cleanly. In Q2, Uriarte had a remarkable first run, provisionally placing him third before his tyre change. He lowered his previous best time by almost 3 tenths of a second, setting a 1:55.092. Once again, in Q2 the riders pushed their emergence from the pits to the limit, leaving them with no opportunity for further flying laps. Finally, a last-gasp improvement from a rival moved Uriarte into fourth place, which was nevertheless his second-best qualifying result of the season. He completed five laps and was just 2 tenths of a second off pole position.

Carpe had a slightly less favourable start and couldn’t find a group that was as strong as that of his teammate. He had to settle for 12th at the end of his first stint, then found himself in the same situation as his teammate, with traffic on track and riders waiting for a tow, which prevented him from improving his time. He placed 12th on the grid, with a best time of 1:55.511 after only five laps completed.

All in all, it was a good Saturday for Red Bull KTM Ajo in Moto3, as they topped Free Practice 2 and got both their riders into Q2. With both riders securing places on the first four rows of the grid, the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello will host the Moto3 Italian Grand Prix race on Sunday, starting at 11 a.m. (local time).

Qualifying Results
1. David Almansa (KTM) | 1:54.862
2. Hakim Danish (KTM) | 1:54.880 (+0.018)
3. Joel Kelso (Honda) | 1:54.987 (+0.125)
4. Brian Uriarte (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:55.092 (+0.230)
5. Jesus Rios (Honda) | 1:55.173 (+0.311)
12. Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:55.511 (+0.649)

#83 ALVARO CARPE

“The day went well, especially the morning, where we felt really good and were able to go fast. In the afternoon we were hoping to be a few more positions further up on the grid, but qualifying is always a bit chaotic here at Mugello, so we remain confident we can have a good race. Tomorrow we’ll need to get a good start, be cautious on the first few laps, and put on a good show for the rest of the race. I feel ready to fight, and tomorrow will be a close race, so we’ll be going all out and trying to get a good result.”

#51 BRIAN URIARTE

“I’m happy with today. Qualifying went very well, although we could have done more if everyone in general’s strategy hadn’t been so strange. We worked well this morning, we have a good pace, and I’m ready for Sunday’s battle, which I’m sure will be intense. The second row of the grid is a good starting point, so we’ll try to get a good start, avoid any problems, and try to put on a show for everyone who comes out to watch -I’m sure there will be plenty of people in the stands.”