Manuel Gonzalez on the front row after a close Jerez qualifying
The 23-year-old Spaniard narrowly missed out on his first pole position of the season on Saturday, while Senna Agius will start the race from fourth place on the second row of the grid with a strong pace.
LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP team riders, Manuel Gonzalez and Senna Agius, put in impressive performances on both days of practices at the Spanish Grand Prix.
After finishing eighth and tenth on a sunny Friday, local hero Manuel Gonzalez remained unfazed by a rainy Saturday morning and ended the session in 22nd place on the timesheet. By the time qualifying began in the early afternoon, the track at the Circuito de Jerez — a circuit familiar to the entire field — had dried out completely.
Posting a fastest lap time with just a few minutes still on the clock, Gonzalez saw himself on pole position for a few moments. At that point, it would have been a dream result for the team, with Senna Agius right behind him in second place. It wasn’t until the final seconds that Dutch rider Collin Veijer and Spaniard Alex Escrig were even faster, albeit by only a tiny margin.
Much to the team’s delight, 20-year-old Agius seamlessly built on his top form from the last race in Texas. The Australian impressed on Friday with a third-place finish in the morning and the fastest time in the crucial Practice session. He also delivered an outstanding performance in the rain-soaked second free practice session, finishing in fifth place. Agius was therefore considered a favourite for pole position but missed his goal by a hair’s breadth in a thrilling qualifying session decided by hundredths of a second.
The race starts at 12:15 p.m. CEST on Sunday.
#SpanishGP Moto2™ - Qualifying Results:
1 Collin VEIJER / NED / Red Bull KTM Ajo / KALEX / 1´39.101
2 Alex ESCRIG / SPA / KLINT Racing Team / Forward / 1´39.158 +0.057
3 #18 Manuel GONZALEZ / SPA / LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP / KALEX / 1´39.196 +0.095
4 #81 Senna AGIUS / AUS / LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP / KALEX / 1´39.255 +0.154