Arbolino seals maiden Moto2™ pole in Misano, Garcia P24

Saturday was full of action for the Moto2™ grid, with Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) storming to an incredible pole position at the Gran Premio Red Bull di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini. The Italian set a remarkable 1:35.229, claiming a maiden pole position in the intermediate class. Arbolino will start ahead of Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Celestino Vietti, who was a mere 0.011s behind in a closely fought battle. Meanwhile, Ai Ogura (MT Helmets – MSI) took third, claiming a front-row start with big points on offer on Sunday.

Garcia struggles on Saturday

It was an intense end to Practice 2 on Saturday morning, with Aron Canet (Fantic Racing) finishing fastest and Championship leader Sergio Garcia (MT Helmets – MSI) missing out. Garcia finished 15^th and was not the only key contender missing out, with Alonso Lopez (Beta Tools SpeedUp) down in 20^th. Lopez would end Q2 quickest and would be joined in Q2 by Bo Bendsneyder (Preicanos Racing Team), Filip Salac (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) and Senna Agius (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP). The big drama in Q1 came from Garcia, who did not make the Q2 cut and is now forced to start from P24.

It was a dramatic beginning to Q2, with Dennis Foggia (Italtrans Racing Team) and Manuel Gonzalez (QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2™) crashing in the opening five minutes. Meanwhile, Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team) stole top honours in the early stages, setting an impressive 1:35.521. The #10's topped the standings before fast times arrived with two minutes remaining and Arbolino was able to pip Moreira for pole position.

Work to do for some key contenders

Canet heads the second row, starting in a strong fourth after the #44 saved a crash on the exit of Turn 4. Canet was 0.237s adrift from Arbolino’s benchmark and ended the session ahead of Moreira, who dropped to fifth position – maintaining a strong result. The #10 spent most of the session at the top, finishing in front of Albert Arenas (QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2™).

Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing Team) is back on the third row in seventh, aiming to secure crucial Championship points. The American starts alongside Lopez, who after battling through Q1 will start from eighth place. The #21 has tough competition, starting in the middle of Roberts and Gonzalez after the #18 recovered to P9. Further back, Fermin Aldeguer (Beta Tools SpeedUp) is forced to start from 10^th ahead of CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team’s Jake Dixon in 14^th.

Join us on Sunday, with lights out for the San Marino GP at 12:15 local time (UTC +2), so make sure you keep up to date with everything on motogp.com!

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