Pole for Sasaki in Portimao and strong performance by rookie Veijer

Ayumu Sasaki finished the first qualifying session of the year for the LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Team's Moto3 squad with a fantastic pole position. Collin Veijer also made a successful start to his season with 14th place on the grid.

After Ayumu Sasaki finished the first two practice sessions on Friday with a fourth place overall, the fast Japanese had his Q2 participation in the pocket with 7th place in the third practice session on Saturday morning. He then crowned his first qualifying session in LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP colours with nothing less than the pole position. 

A master class rookie debut in the Moto3 World Championship was delivered by Collin Veijer. The young Dutchman raced to third place in Q1 and thus directly into Q2 qualifying. There he managed 14th place, which means row five on the grid for the 18-year-old for the 19-lap Portugal Grand Prix.

P3
1. Ivan ORTOLÁ / SPA / KTM - 1’46.971
2. José Antonio RUEDA / SPA / KTM - 1’47.070 (+0.099)
3. David MUÑOZ / SPA / KTM - 1’47.072 (+0.101)
7. Ayumu SASAKI / JPN / HUSQVARNA - 1’47.244 (+0.273)
21. Collin VEIJER / NED / HUSQVARNA - 1’48.229 (+1.258)

Q1
1. Xavier ARTIGAS / SPA / CFMOTO - 1’47.694
2. Tatsuki SUZUKI / JPN / HONDA - 1’47.894 (+0.200)
3. Collin VEIJER / NED / HUSQVARNA - 1’47.913 (+0.219)
4. Riccardo ROSSI / ITA / HONDA - 1’48.092 (+0.398)

Q2
1. Ayumu SASAKI / JPN / HUSQVARNA - 1’46.798
2. José Antonio RUEDA / SPA / KTM - 1’47.172 (+0.374)
3. Joel KELSO / AUS / CFMOTO - 1’47.248 (+0.450)
14. Collin VEIJER / NED / HUSQVARNA - 1’47.854 (+1.056)