Rookie duo ready for final battle in Valencia
In the last Moto3 qualifying session of the season at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP team riders Casey O'Gorman and Guido Pini secured 15th and 17th place on the grid in the fifth and sixth rows respectively. This promises to make the season finale another exciting challenge.
At the Portuguese Grand Prix last week, substitute rider Casey O'Gorman immediately impressed with the German team's KTM and attracted attention with strong results. The Irishman also started off well in Valencia, with a promising eighth place in the first free practice session. In the decisive practice session, he finished 12th and once again secured himself the direct entry into Q2, where he ultimately took 15th place on the grid after a minor slip-up in qualifying dashed his last hopes of improving his position. The fifth row of the grid is a remarkable result in only his fourth World Championship appearance. O'Gorman is now looking forward with excitement to the 20-lap race, which starts at 11:00 local time.
Teammate Guido Pini is contesting his final race for the LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP team this weekend. He will start from 17th position on the sixth row on Sunday and hopes to make up places right from the start of the race with his usual strong performance. The 17-year-old Italian proved he has the potential for strong results in Friday's practice, when he finished fourth with a time of 1:37.856. As the year draws to a close, the Italian is highly motivated to achieve one last top result for himself and the team on the stadium-like, four-kilometre-long track in Valencia.
Results
FP1
1. Alvaro CARPE/ SPA/ KTM – 1'38.357
2. Joel KELSO/ AUS/ KTM – 1'38.443 (+0.086)
3. Adrian FERNANDEZ/ SPA/ HONDA – 1'38.669 (+0.312)
8. Casey O'GORMAN/ IRL/ KTM – 1'39.416 (+1.059)
9. Guido PINI/ ITA/ KTM – 1'39.419 (+1.062)
PR
1. David ALMANSA/ SPA/ HONDA – 1'37.333
2. Adrian FERNANDEZ/ SPA/ HONDA – 1'37.643 (+0.310)
3. Valentin PERRONE/ ARG/ KTM – 1'37.822 (+0.489)
4. Guido PINI/ ITA/ KTM – 1'37.856 (+0.523)
12. Casey O'GORMAN/ IRL/ KTM – 1'38.347 (+1.014)
FP2
1. David ALMANSA/ SPA/ HONDA – 1'37.584
2. Adrian FERNANDEZ/ SPA/ HONDA – 1'37.789 (+0.205)
3. Luca LUNETTA/ ITA/ HONDA – 1'37.819 (+0.235)
14. Guido PINI/ ITA/ KTM – 1'38.282 (+0.698)
15. Casey O'GORMAN/ IRL/ KTM – 1'38.363 (+0.779)
Q2
1. Adrian FERNANDEZ/ SPA/ HONDA – 1'36.990
2. David ALMANSA/ SPA/ HONDA – 1'37.126 (+0.136)
3. Maximo QUILES/ SPA/ KTM – 1'37.165 (+0.175)
15. Casey O'GORMAN/ IRL/ KTM – 1'37.740 (+0.750)
17. Guido PINI/ ITA/ KTM – 1'37.852 (+0.862)
