Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) got his 2023 Moto3™ campaign off to a perfect start taking pole position at the Grande Prémio TISSOT de Portugal. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) bagged a front row in his first Q2 as a full-time GP rider, setting the 2nd fastest time of the day 0.374s away from pole position. Joel Kelso (CFMoto PruestelGP) also made a flying start to 2023, bagging his first GP front row in 3rd spot.
It was a hard-fought battle in Q1 as the riders wanted a taste of the Q2 glory. It was Xavier Artigas (CF Moto PruestelGP) who won the Q1 battle snatching the top spot early on in the session with 1:47.694, and no one able to better it. The closest anyone got to the Spaniard was 0.200s as Tastuki Suzuki (Leopard Racing), with Colin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) and Riccardo Rossi (SIC58 Squadra Corse) taking the final two Q2 spots.
Q2 got underway for the first time in 2023 with the Moto3™ riders eager to start the season on a high. The two SIC58 Squadra Corse riders Kaito Toba and Riccardo Rossi were the first to go top with identical lap times of 1:47.606. But wasn't long before Ayumu Sasaki stamped his authority, smashing the lap record, and setting a lap time 0.4s faster than anyone else with 9 minutes to go.
Despite late charges from Rueda and Kelso, the lap time set by the 'Crazy Boy' stood strong at the top of timesheets. The attention now moves to Sunday's race for the Moto3™ grid, and the Japanese rider will not have it easy. As well as a strong front row, Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Tech3), Ivan Ortola (Angeluss MTA Team), and David Alonso (GASGAS Aspar Team) will be looking to charge through from the 2nd row on the grid.
Make sure not to miss any of the action tomorrow with the Moto3™ set to commence on Sunday at 11:00 local time (GMT)
Top 10:
1. Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarana Intact GP) – 1:46.798
2. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) + 0.374
3. Joel Kelso (CFMoto PruestelGP) + 0.450
4. Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Tech3) + 0.614
5. Ivan Ortola (Angeluss MTA Team) + 0.716
6. David Alonso (GASGAS Aspar Team) + 0.721
7. Xavier Artigas (CFMoto PruestelGP) + 0.733
8. Deniz Oncu (Red Bull KTM Ajo) + 0.763
9. Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing + 0.782
10. Stefano Nepa (Angeluss MTA Team) + 0.791