Moto2: Gardner Takes Austrian Pole, Nagashima 18th After Crash

In spite of rain forecast for Saturday afternoon and Moto2’s time slot for qualifying, the intermediate class of Grand Prix motorcycle racing avoided rain for its qualifying session.

In Q1, it was Marcel Schrotter who topped the session from Joe Roberts, Nicolo Bulega and Lorenzo Baldassarri who all also progressed to Q2. 

In Q2 it was a first pole position of the season for Remy Gardner having looked fast all weekend. The Australian’s aggressive riding style suits the Red Bull Ring quite well with the hard braking zones in the first half of the lap, and the #87 made it work in Q2 to go 0.036 faster than Jorge Martin who took second place, and looked as good as he has all year after struggling in the second Jerez race and Brno. The front row will be completed by Marcel Schrotter. 

Row two will be headed up by championship leader, Enea Bastianini who is once again in the frame for victory tomorrow. The Italian will be joined by Moto2 rookie, Aron Canet, and Sam Lowes, who had been fastest throughout practice in Austria, on the second row. 

Jorge Navarro set the seventh-fastest time in Q2, and will start tomorrow’s race from the front of the third row, to be joined by Luca Marini – who suffered again in qualifying, as in Brno – and Tom Luthi who looks much improved in Austria compared to one week ago in the Czech Republic.

The top 10 in Q2 was rounded out by Marco Bezzecchi who was not able to benefit from the tow of his teammate, Marini, as much as his teammate was able to benefit from his. Joe Roberts and Augusto Fernandez will join the #72 on the fourth row; whilst Lorenzo Baldassarri, Jake Dixon and Nicolo bulega will start from the fifth row.

16th place went to Xavi Vierge, which was actually the slowest time set in Q2 – Somkiat Chantra and Tetsuta Nagashima both failed to set a time, Nagashima having crashed on his first lap. For Nagashima, this is the third weekend in succession where mistakes have cost him in qualifying. In the past two weekends those mistakes have gone on to cost him in the race as well, and something similar in the Red Bull Ring tomorrow would be disastrous for his championship ambitions.

The fastest rider to miss out on Q2 was Stefano Manzi, the MV Agusta rider finishing Q1 in fifth, meaning he will start 19th. The Italian will be joined on row seven by Hafizh Syahrin and Hector Garzo; whilst Edgar Pons will head up row eight tomorrow from Fabio Di Giannantonio and Dominique Aegerter, who continues to replace Jesko Raffin. 

Andi Izdihar finished Q1 in 11th and will start tomorrow’s race from 25th, ahead of last year’s Leopard Honda Moto3 teammates, Marcos Ramirez and Lorenzo Dalla Porta. The final row will consist of Simone Corsi, Bo Bendsneyder and Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin.