Lopez bounces back from a crash to go fastest

Alonso Lopez has picked himself up from an early crash to set the pace in FP3 for the Moto2™ class at the Gran Premio Gryfyn di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini. The +Ego Speed Up rider had a spill at Turn 4 of the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli but eventually clocked a 1:36.107 on his final run, meaning he is the fastest rider heading into qualifying this afternoon. In fact, Lopez’s margin is more than two tenths of a second over the field, with Jake Dixon (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team) second and Aron Canet (Flexbox HP40) third, while World Championship leader Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) only just made it into the top 14 which goes directly to Q2.

Zero to hero for Lopez

Celestino Vietti (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) set the benchmark on Friday and his 1:36.573 in FP2 was still the best time until Albert Arenas (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team) and Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) had turns at the top as FP3 moved towards its halfway point. Arenas was quickest on a 1:36.379 while Vietti had closed back in to just a thousandth of a second slower before Lopez made his charge in the final five minutes. Canet subsequently went to second on a 1:36.355 but was usurped when Dixon set a 1:36.310, with Arenas consolidating fourth when he improved slightly to a 1:36.367.

Vietti was classified fifth, and Fernandez sixth on a 1:36.386, with the latter’s session coming to a premature end when he had a tumble at the fast Turn 15 with eight minutes remaining. Rounding out the top 10 were Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo), Fermin Aldeguer (+Ego Speed Up), Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia), and Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team). Also in the top 14, in FP3 and on combined terms, were wildcard Mattia Pasini (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team), Jorge Navarro (Flexbox HP40), Ogura, and Filip Salac (Gresini Racing Moto2™). Ogura had a spill not long into his first run and continued to struggle for pace but was quick enough to make it into Q2 by 0.097 seconds, the margin over 15th placed Bo Bendsneyder (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team).

A bruising session

Bendsneyder, however, might have played a part in preventing Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team) from getting into Q2, and his on his way to see stewards. Roberts was 16th-fastest but personal-best to the second sector when he came up on the Dutchman riding slowly on the race line, and had to ease off. A yellow flag for a Pasini crash then effectively locked him out of the top 14. Lopez, Ogura, Fernandez, and Pasini represented just half the crashes during the session, with Keminth Kubo (Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team) going down twice, while Dixon, Zonta Van Den Goorbergh (RW Racing GP), and Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Italtrans Racing Team) did so once each.

Will we see more drama in qualifying? There’s only one way to fine out – catch Q1 later on Saturday at 15:10 (GMT +2)!

Moto2™ Combined Top 10:

1. Alonso Lopez (+Ego Speed Up) – 1:36.107
2. Jake Dixon (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team) + 0.203
3. Aron Canet (Flexbox HP40) + 0.248
4. Albert Arenas (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team) + 0.260
5. Celestino Vietti (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) + 0.273
6. Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) + 0.279
7. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) + 0.366
8. Fermin Aldeguer (+Ego Speed Up) + 0.415
9. Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) + 0.417
10. Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) + 0.473

CLICK HERE FOR FULL RESULTS!