Two Brits set to start from the front row in Moto2™ for the first time ever, with Fernandez taking second to split the duo.
Free Practice pacesetter Jake Dixon (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team) claimed a dream debut Moto2™ pole position in qualifying at the Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia thanks to a 1:35.799, making him the 50th different rider to take a Moto2™ pole position. Second place went the way of Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) as the Spaniard missed out by 0.102s, with Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) taking P3 to make it the first time in Moto2™ history that two British riders start from the front row.
Q1
A trio of key names in the form of Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia), Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team) and Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP) found themselves in Q1, and in the end none would end up progressing into Q2 either. Instead, it was Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia), Bo Bendsneyder (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team), Jeremy Alcoba (Liqui Moly Intact GP) and Simone Corsi (MV Agusta Forward Racing) who moved through to take part in the pole position battle.
Q2
Chantra came straight out in Q2 and went top of the timesheets in the early stages as Jorge Navarro (Flexbox HP40) and Cameron Beaubier (American Racing) took tumbles – separately – at Turn 2. Albert Arenas (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team) then also fell foul of Turn 2, with all riders ok but the yellow flags causing some laps to be cancelled.
Two British riders then climbed to the summit with five minutes to go, with Dixon leading Lowes by 0.154s and Fernandez on the provisional front row ahead of Chantra. Bendsneyder then pounced up to P5, as another rider then crashed at Turn 2. This time, it was reigning Moto3™ World Champion Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) – rider ok. In the closing stages, there were very few improvers. Dixon held onto P1 to bag his first intermediate class pole position, with Fernandez then pipping Lowes and the two the only riders to get within 0.4s of the top.
The Grid
Behind Dixon, Fernandez and Lowes, Chantra claims a commendable P4 after coming through Q1. The Thai rider starts ahead of Bendsneyder and Arenas, who holds onto P6 despite his crash. World Championship leader Celestino Vietti (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) will launch from P7, and the Italian has compatriots Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) and Corsi for company on Row 3. Acosta, meanwhile, starts from P10 – and the rookie has a Long Lap Penalty to contend with in the race. Beaubier and Fermin Aldeguer (MB Conveyors Speed Up) join Acosta on the fourth row in P11 and P12 respectively.
Don’t miss the Moto2™ race at 13:20 local time (GMT+8)!
Moto2™ FRONT ROW
1 Jake Dixon (inde GASGAS Aspar Team) – Kalex – 1’35.799
2 Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) – Kalex – +0.102
3 Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) – Kalex – +0.154
Jake Dixon: “Honestly, it’s so good, it’s just… I know its only pole but it’s the first step to go on to the next step. I feel like I’ve finally been given the package from the team. My team have been amazing all year. From the first minute I got on the bike in November, I felt such a transformation. Honestly, I’m not riding any different and Ive not just grown in talent. I’ve been faster all the preseason, all the first two races so it’s not just one race. Now people are finally seeing what all my family and friends know I can do.”
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