Gonzalez & Agius take over grid row 2 at the summer-break showdown in Brno
In perfect summer conditions and packed spectator ranks, Manuel Gonzalez and his LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt IntactGP team-mate Senna Agius battled for top times in Q2 at the Automotodrom Brno and impressively secured fourth and sixth places on the second row of the grid at the twelfth round of the season.
Title favourite Manuel Gonzalez put in a strong performance on Friday in Brno with third place on the traditional 5.4-kilometre long circuit. On Saturday, the traces of the rain from the previous day were no longer visible and so Gonzalez followed up with the second-fastest time in the second free practice session. Thanks to the new tarmac, the grip conditions were ideal, which meant that the lap times kept tumbling. Even though it was not quite enough for pole position in qualifying on Saturday, the 22-year-old will start the race on Sunday at 12:15 pm from a promising fourth position and has the best chance of a top result.
Team-mate Senna Agius impressed with a significant improvement over the course of the weekend. After the Australian Moto2 rider finished 18th in the first practice session, the 20-year-old secured a firm place in Q2 with P5 thanks to a strong 1'59.771 in practice. Before the 15-minute qualifying session, Agius continued to work on his race pace (FP2: P9) and improved again in Q2 with a fast 1'58.890. This put him just 0.568 seconds behind pole setter Barry Baltus in sixth place and thus on row two of the grid.
Results
FP1
1. Tony ARBOLINO/ ITA/ BOSCOSCURO – 2'11.078
2. Izan GUEVARA/ SPA/ BOSCOSCURO – 2'11.508 (+0.430)
3. Daniel HOLGADO/ SPA/ KALEX – 2'11.849 (+0.771)
7. Manuel GONZALEZ/ SPA/ KALEX – 2'12.204 (+1.126)
18. Senna AGIUS/ AUS/ KALEX – 2'13.072 (+1.994)
Practice
1. Joe ROBERTS/ USA/ KALEX – 1'59.032
2. Filip SALAC/ CZE/ BOSCOSCURO – 1'59.574 (+0.542)
3. Manuel GONZALEZ/ SPA/ KALEX – 1'59.604 (+0.572)
5. Senna AGIUS/ AUS/ KALEX – 1'59.771 (+0.739)
FP2
1. Joe ROBERTS/ USA/ KALEX – 1'58.444
2. Manuel GONZALEZ/ SPA/ KALEX – 1'58.859 (+0.415)
3. Filip SALAC/ CZE/ BOSCOSCURO – 1'59.103 (+0.659)
9. Senna AGIUS/ AUS/ KALEX – 1'59.439 (+0.995)
Q2
1. Barry BALTUS/ BEL/ KALEX – 1'58.322
2. Joe ROBERTS/ USA/ KALEX – 1'58.342 (+0.020)
3. Marcos RAMIREZ/ SPA/ KALEX – 1'58.579 (+0.257)
4. Manuel GONZALEZ/ SPA/ KALEX – 1'58.711(+0.389)
6. Senna AGIUS/ AUS/ KALEX – 1'58.890 (+0.568)
