The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 rider finishes 13th in Practice and secures his place in the fight for Pole Position on his birthday. Uriarte is 18th and will go through Q1 in a new track for him.

Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Moto3 first day in Hungary saw one of their riders classifying through Q2 and the other going to Q1. Birthday boy Alvaro Carpe was second in Free Practice 1, then achieved 13th place in Practice. Brian Uriarte took 14th position in the morning and 18th in the afternoon in his first ever day at Balaton Park.

It was a slightly cloudy morning at Balaton Park, albeit dry for FP1, with a temperature of 19°C and 65% humidity.

Carpe got off to a good start, running in the group and firmly in the Top 10 during his first run. After a pit stop to fine-tune his setup, the Spaniard came back out to try and get a better feel for the Hungarian circuit, and succeeded in style. Riding alone, he improved his time twice in a row, ultimately finishing second, just a tenth of a second behind the pacesetter with a 1:47.063, Carpe completed 16 laps at Balaton Park. Uriarte got things underway gradually, starting a period of adaptation for the rookie, who was unfamiliar with Balaton Park and without extensive experience of tracks with the same characteristics of tight corners and frequent changes of direction. After his first stint, Uriarte remained in the Top 20, just under two seconds behind the leader. Following initial feedback in the pits with his team, the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider resumed the session and significantly improved his previous best time, which was enough to secure 14th place with a 1:47.917. From his 15 laps, Uriarte was only 9 tenths of a second off the pace in his first session at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

In the afternoon, the sky remained overcast in Balaton, bringing wind but no rain. Track temperatures reached 38ºC and 51% of humidity for Moto3 Practice.

Carpe managed to get into the Top 4 early on. However, he suffered a small crash at the entrance to Turn 9, forcing him to return to the pits early. Fortunately, both the rider and his bike were undamaged, allowing them to return on track within just a few minutes to compete in the final part of the session. Carpe, who had been dropping down the order during his time in the pits, tried to improve on his previous time, but it wasn’t possible. His 1:47.022, after 17 laps, put him 13th and was enough to make it into Q2. Uriarte started in a direct Q2 qualifying spot during his first run. After that, he attempted a Time Attack to try and secure the position, but unfortunately, it slipped away in the final minutes. The rookie finished 18th, with a time of 1:47.387, 7 tenths faster than in the morning. With 16 laps to his name, he will have the opportunity to put in extra kilometers in Q1 on Saturday.

In conclusion, it was a good start in Hungary, although there is still a lot of work ahead for the two Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 riders, who will be aiming to take another step forward tomorrow at Balaton Park. Free Practice 2 will take place from 8:40 a.m. (local time), before the Qualifying sessions begin. Uriarte will take part in Q1, that will start at 12:45 p.m. Then, will start Q2 at 1:10 p.m. with Carpe fighting for the top spots of the grid.

Practice Results
1. Maximo Quiles (KTM) | 1:46.296
2. Veda Pratama (Honda) | 1:46.657 (+0.361)
3. David Almansa (KTM) | 1:46.689 (+0.393)
4. David Muñoz (KTM) | 1:46.773 (+0.477)
5. Joel Kelso (Honda) | 1:46.832 (+0.536)
13. Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:47.022 (+0.726)
18. Brian Uriarte (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:47.387 (+1.091)

#83 ALVARO CARPE

“I’m happy with today, even though we couldn’t put together a good lap at the end of Practice. Tomorrow we’ll try more things to feel more competitive, so it’s time to focus on taking that extra step. The crash was a minor setback; it doesn’t affect our confidence or my fitness, so we’re more than ready for the second day in Hungary. I think we can do well here, so we’re going to work to be faster tomorrow and be in the positions we deserve to reach.”

#51 BRIAN URIARTE

“This was a productive day at a new circuit for me. It’s a difficult track and different from most of the ones on the calendar, so adapting isn’t easy, but we’re on the right path. After all, we were only a second off the pace, and we know where we can close the gap, so I’m confident we can get even more out of ourselves tomorrow. We’ll have to go through Q1, but it’s good for us to be able to do more laps at Balaton, so we’re ready and eager for an important day tomorrow.”