Following an FP1 held in mixed conditions, the rookie manages to secure a spot in Q2 -despite suffering a heavy crash. Alvaro Carpe places 18th and will have to go through Q1.

Brian Uriarte took tenth place in Friday’s Practice for the San Marino Grand Prix. He ultimately secured his place in Q2 despite suffering one of the heaviest crashes of his Moto3 World Championship career. Fortunately, he escaped without any injury, though he narrowly avoided being hit by his teammate, Alvaro Carpe. Carpe himself had a difficult Practice session and finished in 18th place.

There were mixed conditions for the start of Free Practice 1, with the sun out over the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli but the track surface wet following overnight rain. Track temperature was 19°C.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo duo waited until just ten minutes remained in the session before heading out, by which time the surface allowed for the use of slick tyres. Riding carefully, with the sole aim of getting a feel for the circuit, both riders completed the final segment of the session in one continuous run.

Uriarte initially broke into the Top 15 after his second flying lap. Riding alone, he managed to lower his time consistently, but was unable to challenge for the higher positions as others rode with slicks in the final stages. He placed 14th with a best time of 1:51.217, after completing six laps in total. Carpe followed a similar approach, with both riders spending less time on track than most of the rest of the field. He improved gradually on the damp surface, and secured 19th place with a best lap of 1:52.177.

Practice was held in completely dry conditions, giving the Moto3 riders their first chance to push to the limit at the San Marino Grand Prix. With a track temperature of 34°C, both Red Bull KTM Ajo riders headed out for the afternoon session.

Uriarte made a strong start, breaking into the Top 5 within just a few minutes. Looking to adapt, he also wanted to clock a fast lap that would send him straight through to Q2. However, after his first pit stop and during one of his hot laps, the Spaniard was thrown from his bike between Turns 13 and 14 after running wide, requiring four riders to take evasive action. With little time left, Uriarte ultimately secured tenth place, clocking a best time of 1:41.697 after putting in 16 laps. Carpe took a somewhat cautious approach, gradually adapting to the track conditions and moving into the Top 14 with twenty minutes of the session remaining. In the closing stages, he struggled to find the optimal setup for a Time Attack and also ran into traffic -including being one of the riders to avoid his teammate. Carpe posted a 1:42.014, placing 18th -just a tenth of a second off the cutoff- and will have to go through Q1 for the fourth time this season. He completed 16 laps.

After a difficult and tricky Friday, Red Bull KTM Ajo pair will face tomorrow a crucial day at Misano. Carpe will participate in Q1 on Saturday starting at 12:45 p.m. (local time), while Uriarte will compete in Q2 starting at 1:10 p.m. Before this, both will take part in Free Practice 2 at 8:40 a.m. to open the second San Marino GP day.

Practice Results
1. David Almansa (KTM) | 1:40.767
2. Joel Kelso (Honda) | 1:41.169 (+0.402)
3. Maximo Quiles (KTM) | 1:41.325 (+0.558)
4. Marco Morelli (KTM) | 1:41.398 (+0.631)
5. Rico Salmela (KTM) | 1:41.427 (+0.660)
10. Brian Uriarte (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:41.697 (+0.930)
18. Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:42.014 (+1.247)

#83 ALVARO CARPE

“It hasn’t been an easy or comfortable day for us. We couldn’t do much riding this morning because the track conditions didn’t allow for taking too many risks, and the afternoon didn’t go particularly well either. We have a lot of work to do on the bike to improve the feeling for tomorrow. We have to stay optimistic; tomorrow we’ll have the chance for an extra fifteen minutes on track if we make it into Q2. We’re focused on that and looking ahead to Saturday -there’s no time to dwell on what happened today.”

#51 BRIAN URIARTE

“It was a positive day, even though we couldn’t ride much this morning due to the track conditions. Things went very well in the afternoon, despite that heavy crash I had. I ran wide and hit the kerb, which caused me to go down. Despite the big impact, it was just a scare; we were able to pick the bike up and even complete two more laps to get back on the pace. We’re still feeling both eager and confident, so we’re going to go all-out tomorrow. Let’s see how things go this Saturday at Misano.”