AirAsia-SIC-Ajo Team´s Zulfahmi Khairuddin starts from second row for season´s 14th Moto3 GP held on Sunday on Motegi circuit in Japan.
Khairuddin´s best time with his KTM factory bike in qualifying session was 1.58, stuff 951, pharmacy which allowed him to fourth place. Khairuddin found a good pace in Japan already on Friday. His lap time was third fastest in the free practice session.
“I like this track and I am pleased how everything has gone so far. My team has done once again a great job with my bike.”
Khairuddin, who is eight in championship standing, doesn´t take a pressure of taking his first podium position. Even if it has been so close already for the few times.
“The most important thing is to get to the finish and to have a best possible position. My race pace is in a good level so I can be confident. I just have to make a bit more aggressive performance than I have done so far. The fight and succeeding in the leading group require that. This will be an important race which affects to the whole end of the season”, Khairuddin highlights.
The pole position in the season´s fourth latest GP was taken by Briton Danny Kent with a time of 1.58,371, from which Khairuddin was 0,580 seconds behind. The pole position was Kent´s first of his career. Kent bet Spanish Maverick Vinales, who qualified second, by 0,203 seconds. The championship leader Sandro Cortese was third 95 thousandth of a second from Vinales.

AIRASIA GRAND PRIX OF JAPAN
Moto3 Qualifying Practice Classification:
1. Danny Kent Great Britain, Red Bull KTM Ajo, KTM 1.58,371
2. Maverick Vinales Spain, Blusens Avintia, FTR Honda + 0,203
3. Sandro Cortese Germany, Red Bull KTM Ajo, KTM + 0,298
4. Zulfahmi Khairuddin Malaysia, AirAsia-Sic-Ajo, KTM + 0,580
5. Alessandro Tonucci Italy, Team Italia FMI, FTR Honda + 0,701
6. Luis Salom Spain, RW Racing GP, Kalex KTM + 0,726
7. Jonas Folger Germany, Mapfre Aspar Team Moto3, Kalex KTM + 0,754
8. Louis Rossi France, Racing Team Germany, FTR Honda + 0,842
9. Efren Vazquez Spain, JHK t-shirt Laglisse, FTR Honda + 0,916
10. Romano Fenati Italy, Team Italia FMI, FTR Honda + 0,988
11. Miguel Oliveira Portugal, Estrella Galicia 0,0, Suter Honda + 1,123
12. Niccolo Antonelli Italy, San Carlo Gresini Moto3, FTR Honda + 1,281
13. Alex Rins Spain, Estrella Galicia 0,0, Suter Honda + 1,282
14. Arthur Sissis Australia, Red Bull KTM Ajo, KTM + 1,315
15. Alberto Moncayo Spain, Andalucia JHK t-shirt Laglisse, FTR Honda + 1,533
23. Niklas Ajo Finland, TT Motion Events Racing, KTM + 2,015