Both Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 riders make it into Q2 for the Indonesian Grand Prix after a positive Friday.

Alvaro Carpe took fourth place and Brian Uriarte seventh in Practice at the Mandalika International Circuit, where the Indonesian Grand Prix takes place this weekend. Overcoming significant heat and humidity from early in the morning, the Spanish duo made solid progress in preparation for a second race in as many weekends.

Mandalika offered hot, sunny conditions on Friday morning, and track temperatures hit 44°C during Free Practice 1.

Carpe got off to a strong start, carrying over the kind of consistency he had demonstrated in Japan last weekend. He was constantly in the Top 4 and alternating between riding alone and using reference points on his first run, then fine-tuned details of his setup for his second stint. When back on track, he set several personal best laps, including a 1:38.041 significantly faster than at this stage of the weekend in last year’s event. He finished the session in second place, after completing 18 laps. Uriarte began the process of getting to know the circuit, much like he had done in Japan. He focused on racking up as many kilometres as possible, as part of a group that included his teammate. The rookie finished his first stint in 15th place, still some way off the leaders. In the final part of the session, he again shared the track with other riders, continuing his adaptation. On his final flying lap, when poised to make a significant jump up the timesheets, traffic hampered Uriarte’s effort; he posted a 1:39.018 to take 14th place, putting in 18 laps.

In the afternoon, the Red Bull KTM Ajo riders went back out for Practice, in which track temperatures rose considerably -to 65°C.

Carpe had another solid session from start to finish, working alone and making the most of the afternoon with some 19 laps. He led the way in the first part of Practice, fitted new tyres for the final Time Attack phase, and improved his lap time to 1:37.558. He took fourth place without ever needing to follow other riders for a reference. Uriarte took a significant step forward on Friday afternoon -as has become customary for him when visiting a new circuit. He successfully broke into the Top 10 right from the start, running as high as fourth for much of the session. Already on course to go directly into Q2, he lowered his time again on his antepenultimate attempt, to secure seventh, clocking a 1:37.791. It was more than 1.2 seconds faster than his morning time.

All in all, it was another great Friday for the Spanish duo from the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 team, who not only qualified directly for Q2 but also made a strong impression at Mandalika, putting them in the running for the top spots this coming Sunday. Both riders will go straight into Q2 on Saturday at 1:10 p.m. (local time). Earlier in the morning, they will take part in Free Practice 2 at 8:40 a.m.

Practice Results
1. David Almansa (KTM) | 1:37.169
2. Maximo Quiles (KTM) | 1:37.257 (+0.088)
3. Matteo Bertelle (KTM) | 1:37.427 (+0.258)
4. Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:37.558 (+0.389)
5. Adrian Fernandez (Honda) | 1:37.654 (+0.485)
7. Brian Uriarte (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:37.791 (+0.622)

#83 ALVARO CARPE

“The weekend has started off quite well. We still have room to improve a couple of important aspects of the bike, but overall, I’m quite satisfied with this Friday in Indonesia. We pushed to the limits and now know how to manage things, so we’ll try to take another step forward tomorrow. My pace riding on my own is good, as is my consistency, and we’ve also tested quite a few tyres, so we’re pleased. Now we need to have a good qualifying session; I’m sure we can make significant improvements there if we have good reference points.”

#51 BRIAN URIARTE

“It was a good first day. Free Practice 1 wasn’t easy, but it helped us learn a great deal and understand how to approach the rest of the weekend. Later on, in the afternoon, we took a solid step forward to secure a spot in Q2 more comfortably. We still have plenty of room for improvement, but the foundation is good. Conditions here aren’t easy, and we already encountered a lot of heat today, so we’ll need to keep that factor very much in mind, in terms of both the physical demands and tyre degradation, for Sunday.”