Dani Holgado places fourth on day one, with Jaume Masia in fifth.

Amidst changeable track conditions, the Thai Grand Prix got underway this Friday at Buriram. Jaume Masia and Dani Holgado worked to find a good feeling and set times that would put them provisionally into Q2. After improving their pace in FP2, Holgado was fourth overall, followed by Masia in fifth.

FP1 was held in wet conditions, although the rain would hold off during the session. Masia broke into the Top 10, then moved further up the order before clocking a 1:51.798 on his penultimate lap of 18, putting him second. Holgado quickly felt comfortable at a new track for him and occupied a place in the Top 3 in the early stages. The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 rider showed great confidence and upped his pace to finish FP1 in tenth position, with a time of 1:52.628.

With the track conditions mixed in FP2, the pair avoided taking too many risks early in the session, although they progressively improved their times. As the asphalt dried out, Masia made his way into the Top 5, then secured second position in the session with a time of 1:44.423, just before the chequered flag fell. Holgado continued to adapt to a new circuit and a time of 1:44.393 on his last lap put him fourth. Holgado finished the day fourth on the combined timesheets and Masia fifth.

On Saturday, qualifying sessions for the Moto3 Thailand Grand Prix will take place from 12:35 PM local time.

Results (Combined practice times FP1 – FP2)
1. Ayumu Sasaki (Husqvarna) 1:43.503
2. Tatsuki Suzuki (Honda) 1:43.694 +0.191
3. Ricardo Rossi (Honda) 1:44.330 +0.827
4. Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:44.393 +0.890
5. Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:44.423 +0.920

#5 JAUME MASIA

“It was a strange first day because of the track conditions. We’re working well and we’ve got a good result ahead of FP3. We are clear about things and we know where we have to improve. Now it’s time to continue in the same way, in order to do better in qualifying.”

#96 DANI HOLGADO

“Today we took an important step as this is a circuit that I didn’t know before, and it was even more important to feel good after coming off a difficult weekend in Japan. Starting off like this gives me extra motivation. We were fast and competitive, and that is very positive. Thailand is not an easy circuit, but there are corners that are favourable for my riding style. Tomorrow we will try to be strong from the start and fight for the front row again.”