Jaume Masia finishes Friday practice in eighth, with Dani Holgado eighteenth

Jaume Masia and Dani Holgado started the San Marino Grand Prix this Friday. Their day, contested in tricky conditions, saw the former provisionally earn a spot in Q2, with his teammate Holgado needing to find an improvement in FP3 on Saturday.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 riders worked to find a good feeling from the start of FP1. Masia occupied the top positions on the timesheets, but a crash at Turn 15 after 8 laps left him unable to resume the session, and his 1:44.062 best time left him 24th. Holgado made a steady improvement amidst delicate track conditions. The rookie’s last lap was his fastest, as he posted a time of 1:43.268 which placed him 13th.

In the afternoon session the track conditions have improved notably, which allowed the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 riders to fight for a provisional place in Q2. Masia progressively climbed up the order, through to his final laps. After a last pit stop of the session, he went back out and finished eighth with a time of 1:42.426. Holgado was consistently inside the Top 15, but the presence of a large group of riders on track prevented him from setting a last hot lap, and his 1:42.987 put him 18th overall on Friday.

Moto3 qualifying for the San Marino Grand Prix will be held on Saturday, starting at 12:35 PM, local time.

Results (Combined practice times FP1 – FP2)
1. Dennis Foggia (Honda) 1:41.608
2. Ayumu Sasaki (Husqvarna) 1:41.990 +0.382
3. Tatsuki Suzuki (Honda) 1:42.154 +0.546
4. Sergio Garcia (GasGas) 1:42.158 +0.550
5. John McPhee (Husqvarna) 1:42.278 +0.670
8. Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:42.426 +0.818
18. Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:42.987 +1.379

#5 JAUME MASIA

“Today was a bit of a tough day at Misano. I had a crash in FP1 that didn’t allow me to complete the session. In FP2 we were able to provisionally get into Q2, which was the important thing. Now it’s time to let my foot recover, since I have some pain after the crash, and continue working for tomorrow.”

#96 DANI HOLGADO

“We were fast throughout the day, although this morning we found it a little harder. The track conditions were somewhat delicate and there was little grip, but we adapted well. In FP2 we had a good pace and I felt comfortable. We weren’t able to put together a complete hot lap, but tomorrow we have another good opportunity to go straight into Q2.”