First row start for Manuel Gonzalez at the Balaton Park Circuit
In the Moto2 premiere at the Balaton Park Circuit in Hungary, Manuel Gonzalez secured a place on the front row with third place on the grid. Aigus substitute rider Sergio Garcia, on the other hand, will start from the ninth row and therefore has a lot of work ahead of him in the 22-lap race.
The new race track in Hungary measures 4.08 kilometres and presents a particular challenge with its 10 left-hand and 7 right-hand corners. Fluid passages, demanding braking points and very few overtaking opportunities make the course a real test.
However, championship leader Manuel Gonzalez seems more than up to the challenge. He finished in the top three in all sessions – starting with the fastest time in FP1 and finishing third in practice. In FP2, the fast Spaniard improved further and made a confident start to Q2, which he finished in third place after yet another strong performance. The 23-year-old led the qualifying session at times, but in the end he was an incredible 0.082s short of the pole position.
Sergio Garcia is also eagerly awaiting the race. The Spaniard is standing in for Senna Agius, who suffered a serious crash in Austria, and had to contend with two challenges – the new equipment and the obstacles of an unfamiliar track. Garcia finished 25th in practice on Friday and therefore had to compete in Q1. However, he was able to improve significantly over the course of the weekend, improving his time by over 1.4 seconds between Friday and FP2 on Saturday morning. In Q1, however, he was unable to confirm this personal best, ultimately finishing in 13th place and will therefore start the race from 27th position in row nine.
The extremely close field promises an exciting 14th race of the season, which not only Hungarian fans are looking forward to. The race will start on Sunday at 12:15 p.m. (CEST).
Results
FP1
1. Manuel GONZALEZ/ SPA/ KALEX – 1'41.362
2. Adrian HUERTAS/ SPA/ KALEX – 1'41.496 (+0.134)
3. Filip SALAC/ CZE/ BOSCOSCURO – 1'41.559 (+0.197)
24. Sergio GARCIA/ SPA/ KALEX – 1'43.031 (+1.669)
Practice
1. Diogo MOREIRA/ BRA/ KALEX – 1'41.213
2. Filip SALAC/ CZE/ BOSCOSCURO – 1'41.385 (+0.172)
3. Manuel GONZALEZ/ SPA/ KALEX – 1'41.389 (+0.176)
25. Sergio GARCIA/ SPA/ KALEX – 1'42.444 (+1.231)
FP2
1. Aron CANET/ SPA/ KALEX – 1'40.570
2. Manuel GONZALEZ/ SPA/ KALEX – 1'40.713 (+0.143)
3. David ALONSO/ COL/ KALEX – 1'40.728 (+0.158)
21. Sergio GARCIA/ SPA/ KALEX – 1'41.590 (+1.020)
Q1
1. Zonta VD GOORBERGH/ NED/ KALEX – 1'40.856
2. Aron CANET/ SPA/ KALEX – 1'40.922 (+0.066)
3. Barry BALTUS/ BEL/ KALEX – 1'41.021 (+0.165)
13. Sergio GARCIA/ SPA/ KALEX – 1'42.064 (+1.208)
Q2
1. Diogo MOREIRA/ BRA/ KALEX – 1'40.380
2. Zonta VD GOORBERGH/ NED/ KALEX – 1'40.430 (+0.050)
3. Manuel GONZALEZ/ SPA/ KALEX – 1'40.462 (+0.082)
