WWR Racing’s Andrea Migno won the last lap dash to set a quick time at the end of Moto3™ FP2 at the Gran Premio Michelin® de Aragon, the Italian’s 1:58.566 was 0.086 better than FP1 pacesetter Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) while Tony Arbolino (VNE Snipers) completes the top three.
???? @M16NO strikes late to top #Moto3 FP2!
— MotoGP™ ???????? (@MotoGP) September 20, 2019
The Italian denies FP1 pacesetter @TatsukiSuzuki24 with the last lap of the session! ????#AragonGP ???????? pic.twitter.com/1r6htuyBIk
Suzuki was the only rider in FP1 to set a 1:58 lap time and his time stood strong at the top of the combined standings until the very last moments of FP2. Arbolino was the only rider inside the top 14 who had improved his Friday morning time in the first 15 minutes of the afternoon session, and it wasn’t until the clock ticked down towards the 15-minute mark when we saw plenty of changes. Championship leader Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing) was 13th in FP1, but the Italian had managed to get himself up to P6 on the combined standings.
As the riders headed into pitlane with seven minutes to go, Albert Arenas (Gaviota Angel Nieto Team) was setting the pace in FP2 but Suzuki remained top overall. MotorLand Aragon fell silent as the Moto3™ waiting game began, with the riders heading out for a one-lap shootout with three minutes remaining. Red sectors were lighting up the timing screens and it was Suzuki who beat his own time by 0.4 seconds, but Migno would leave it as late as possible to fire in the best time of the weekend to beat the Misano winner’s time by 0.086.
Migno jumps from 4th to 1st in FP1 to FP2 to lead the lightweight class field into a potentially wet Saturday. Suzuki finishes 1st and 2nd on Friday in Aragon to look like a strong contender for another race win on Sunday afternoon, with Arbolino jumping from P15 in FP1 to P3 in FP2 to once again sit at the sharp end of the field. WWR’s Jaume Masia sits P4 at the end of Day 1, 0.218 off his teammate’s time after a solid day sitting inside the top five.
Ayumu Sasaki (Petronas Sprinta Racing) completes the top five on Friday in Aragon having gone quicker on his final flying lap, the Japanese rider leaps into P5 from a P9 finish in FP1. Filip Salac (Redox PrüstelGP) slips from P5 to P6 but it was nevertheless a positive day for the young Czech rider, with Riccardo Rossi (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3) having a good showing in P7 on the combined times, the Italian was 2.977 seconds off the pace and 28th in FP1. After finishing P2 in FP1, John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) completes Day 1 in eighth while rookie Ai Ogura (Honda Team Asia) and Arenas completing the top 10.
Title contender Aron Canet (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) couldn’t improve his FP1 time in FP2 and, subsequently, the Spaniard sits P16 and currently misses out on an automatic Q2 place. Rival Dalla Porta sits 11th overall.
Not a lot of room through the tight turn 1! ????@FilipSalac12 and @AyumuSasaki1 almost get tangled up! ????#AragonGP ???????? pic.twitter.com/t6YW4KGRuq
— MotoGP™ ???????? (@MotoGP) September 20, 2019
Will the rain arrive on Saturday morning? If it does, the top 14 from FP2 will be the riders heading straight into the second part of qualifying. Migno leads the way, but all eyes will be pointing to the skies at 09:00 local time (GMT+2) on Saturday morning for Moto3™ FP3.
Top 10 combined:
1. Andrea Migno (WWR) 1:58.566
2. Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) + 0.086
3. Tony Arbolino (VNE Snipers) + 0.166
4. Jaume Masia (WWR) + 0.218
5. Ayumu Sasaki (Petronas Sprinta Racing) + 0.448
6. Filip Salac (Redox PrüstelGP) + 0.537
7. Riccardo Rossi (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3) + 0.550
8. John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) + 0.556
9. Ai Ogura (Honda Team Asia) + 0.568
10. Albert Arenas (Gaviota Angel Nieto Team) + 0.618
Click here for the full results!