Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) snatched at his chance to take his 2nd pole position of the year at the Gran Premio Michelin® de la República Argentina with a stunning 1:48.539. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) threatened pole position from start to finish but didn't quite have enough in the tank, finding himself 0.608s shy of pole position. The final spot on the front row went to Diogo Moriera (MT Helmets -MSI) ahead of what is the closest thing to a home Grand Prix for the young Brazilian.
It was all or nothing in Q1 as the riders battled it for their last chance for Q2 glory. Ivan Ortola (Angeluss MTA Team) snatched the top spot in Q1, with a dominant display in the second half of the session. The closest anyone got to the Spaniard was 0.083s as Deniz Öncü ensured his chance at pole position taking the second Q2 spot. The rookie Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) joined his teammate in the top 3 of the session, also consolidating a Q2 spot with Ryusei Yamanaka (GASGAS Aspar Team) snatching the final promotional place.
As the green flag waved the Q2 session underway, the riders swarmed to the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit in search of that perfect qualifying lap. Fresh from topping Q1, Deniz Öncü initially took control of the session, putting himself at the top of the timesheets early on, with Moreira and Ortola right on his tail.
With six minutes left of the session, the rookie Rueda who made his way up from Q1 crashed out of the session. The Spaniard was able to get his KTM machine back to the box to make it back out to cross the line just in time for one more bite at the cherry, but only managed 13th place.
WHAT A LAP! ????
— MotoGP™???? (@MotoGP) April 1, 2023
Back-to-back POLE POSITIONS for @AyumuSasaki1! ????#ArgentinaGP ???????? pic.twitter.com/mP9mTi7ghA
WHAT A LAP! ????
— MotoGP™???? (@MotoGP) April 1, 2023
Back-to-back POLE POSITIONS for @AyumuSasaki1! ????#ArgentinaGP ???????? pic.twitter.com/mP9mTi7ghA
Make sure not to miss any of the action tomorrow with the Moto3™ set to commence on Sunday at 11:00 local time (GMT -3)
Top 10:
1. Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) – 1:48.539
2. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) + 0.603
3. Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI) + 0.675
4. Ivan Ortola (Angeluss MTA Team) + 0.775
5. Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing) + 0.805
6. Tatsuki Suzuki (Leopard Racing) + 0.878
7. David Alonso (Autosolar GASGAS Aspar M3) + 0.915
8. Scott Ogden (VisionTrack Racing Team) + 1.006
9. Andrea Migno (CIP Green Power) + 1.103
10. Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Tech3) + 1.126