Friday pacesetter Kaito Toba (CIP Green Power) will lead the Moto3™ field into qualifying at the Barwa Grand Prix of Qatar as FP3 conditions didn’t allow for any improvements to be made in the combined standings. The Japanese rider’s 2:04.839 set in FP2 sees the 2019 Qatar race winner beat Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Gabriel Rodrigo (Indonesian Racing Gresini Moto3) by less than tenth as Free Practice for the lightweight class draws to a close.
The weather was the winner in that session! ☀️@KaitoToba's overall benchmark remains unbeaten! ????#Moto3 | #QatarGP ???????? pic.twitter.com/b0dXCgIm6X
— MotoGP™???? (@MotoGP) March 27, 2021
A sunlit Losail International Circuit on Saturday afternoon saw Sergio Garcia (GASGAS Gaviota Aspar) top the times with a 2:05.064, not far away from his best time of the weekend but not enough to move Spaniard up the pecking order. Nevertheless, Garcia is the fourth fastest rider heading into qualifying, with both he and fifth place Jason Dupasquier (CarXpert PrüstelGP) also within a tenth of Toba.
Remember, the top 14 will all head straight into Q2 later this evening. Niccolo Antonelli (Avintia Esponsorama Moto3) crashed unhurt in FP3 but sits P6, with Jeremy Alcoba (Indonesian Racing Gresini Moto3), John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing), Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team) and Maximilian Kofler (CIP Green Power) completing the fastest 10 riders in Moto3™ Free Practice. Carlos Tatay (Avintia Esponsorama Racing), Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing), Ayumu Sasaki (Red Bull KTM Tech3) and rookie Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) are the other automatic Q2 runners.
The experienced heads of Darryn Binder (Petronas Sprinta Racing) and Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) will face Q1 later on, as will plenty of other fast and hungry riders. Tune in for Moto3™ qualifying at 17:30 local time (GMT+3) to witness the first pole position shootout of 2021!
Top 10 combined:
1. Kaito Toba (CIP Green Power) – 2:04.839
2. Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) + 0.042
3. Gabriel Rodrigo (Indonesian Racing Gresini Moto3) + 0.068
4. Sergio Garcia (GASGAS Gaviota Aspar) + 0.096
5. Jason Dupasquier (CarXpert PrüstelGP) + 0.099
6. Niccolo Antonelli (Avintia Esponsorama Moto3) 0.102
7. Jeremy Alcoba (Indonesian Racing Gresini Moto3) + 0.182
8. John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) + 0.219
9. Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team) + 0.263
10. Maximilian Kofler (CIP Green Power) + 0.268
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL RESULTS!