The newly-crowned Champion storms qualifying in Valencia, ahead of Suzuki and Guevara.
Newly-crowned Moto3™ Champion Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) signed off from the lightweight class in style on Saturday, with the number 37 saying he was on a mission to take a pole position before he graduates to Moto2™ and getting the job done. His 1’38.668 puts him three tenths clear of Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) in second, with rookie Izan Guevara (Valresa GASGAS Aspar Team) completing the front row after having been fastest on Friday.
Acosta is also the 12th different rider on pole this year, equalling the record for the most in a Moto3™ season from 2019.
Q1
There were some surprises in Q1, including Niccolo Antonelli (Avintia VR46 Academy) and Sergio Garcia (Valresa GASGAS Aspar Team), but both moved through with a 1-2 in the session. So did rookie Xavier Artigas (Leopard Racing), already a wildcard podium finisher at the track, with Lorenzo Fellon (SIC58 Squadra Corse) the final graduate into the fight for pole.
There were two incidents for Ayumu Sasaki (Red Bull KTM Tech3) in a difficult Saturday for the Japanese rider. After the second crash he went for a check up and was declared fit, but is set to line up on the back row.
Q2
Guevara set a 1:39.223 to lead the way in the early stages of Q2, with Q1 graduate Garcia making it a Valresa GASGAS Aspar Team 1-2. That soon changed though, Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team) moving up into P2 after a second flying lap, but the Italian – along with Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) in third – was still a tenth down on Guevara.
The riders then piled back into pitlane before the session burst into life. All the riders would only get one lap in, and the timing screens were littered with orange and red sectors. Garcia, who had been shoved down to P6, climbed back up to P2 but the Spaniard wouldn’t stay there. A flying group of Fellon, Migno, Foggia, Suzuki and finally Acosta all crossed the line in quick succession to fire in personal best times, and it was the 2021 World Champion getting that pole position he so desperately craved.
The Grid
Behind Acosta, Suzuki and Guevara, Migno spearheads Row 2. He’s joined by Filip Salač (CarXpert PrüstelGP) after more good form for the Czech rider this weekend, with Fellon in P6 to equal his best ever.
Foggia is seventh ahead of compatriots Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) and Antonelli in an all-Italian third row. Garcia had to settle for 10th after the late flurry of times, and will be gunning to move through.
The Moto3™ riders will go into battle for the final time in 2021 on Sunday morning at 11:00 local time (GMT+1). Will Acosta go out with a bang before his Moto2™ adventure begins? Tune in to find out!
Moto3™ top three
1 Pedro Acosta – Red Bull KTM Ajo – KTM – 1’38.668
2 Tatsuki Suzuki – SIC58 Squadra Corse – Honda – +0.310
3 Izan Guevara – Valresa GASGAS Aspar – GASGAS – +0.385
Pedro Acosta: “‘I said I didn’t have pressure all year and that’s true but when I came here I felt like if I crash I don’t have a problem because I won’t lose points. From Friday the main target was to get pole this weekend but anyway, now we have our watch!”
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