Moto2: Roberts on pole in Le Mans as Marini salvages second row start

Qualifying for round 10 of the 2020 Moto2 World Championship, the French Grand Prix, took place in Le Mans at the world famous Bugatti Circuit. Joe Roberts topped the combined free practice times ahead of Marco Bezzecchi, over whom the American had an advantage of 0.110 seconds after the three free practice sessions. 

In Q1, Enea Bastianini topped what was a crucial session for him, as he came into this weekend lying 20 points down in the championship. Joining the #33 in moving through to Q2 was Tom Luthi, despite a crash, as well as Aron Canet and Fabio Di Giannantonio whose weekend was held back by a big crash on Friday that left him with crutches on Saturday.

In Q2, Joe Roberts was able to return his #16 American Racing Kalex to pole position, the third of his season and career. In fact, with Remy Gardner in third place, there will be a somewhat familiar tone to the front row of the grid tomorrow in the Moto2 race, with Sam Lowes slotting his Marc VDS Kalex between Roberts and Gardner. 

It is, then, a strong front row, although that is not to discredit those behind. On row two, it is possible to find Jorge Martin in fourth place despite a crash in the middle of Q2 for the Spaniard, and alongside the 2018 Moto3 World Champion in fifth place will be the rider who pushed him almost all the way in the championship that year, Marco Bezzecchi with a late lap firing the #72 into fifth. On the back of the second row will be Luca Marini, in somewhat heroic fashion following his monster high side at turn five in FP2. No broken bones, but a significant amount of pain that will ensure tomorrow’s 25 laps will be an ordeal for the championship leader. 

Enea Bastianini’s day started off worryingly. He had been given an opportunity to take major points back in the championship from Marini after the #10’s injury, and yet he finished FP3 outside of the top 14 and all the way down in 27th. The #33 got through to Q2 and then was able to qualify ninth, just three places behind Marini for tomorrow’s race, meaning he will have a good opportunity to reduce his 20-point deficit to the championship leader as he starts behind the two Petronas Sprinta Racing riders on the third row, with Xavi Vierge in seventh and Jake Dixon in eighth.

Stefano Manzi completed the top 10 in Q2 and will start from the front of the fourth row tomorrow, ahead of the injured Fabio Di Giannantonio and Aron Canet; while Simone Corsi will start from the front of the fifth row in 13th, ahead of Tom Luthi and Augusto Fernandez. 

Meanwhile, row six will consist of three Spaniards, with Hector Garzo 15th, Marcos Ramirez 16th and Jorge Navarro 18th having not set a time before crashing at turn three almost immediately after Martin went down at the same turn.

The fastest rider to miss out on Q2 was Marcel Schrotter. The German will start from the front of row seven, ahead of Nicolo Bulega and Lorenzo Dalla Porta who both crashed; while Tetsuta Nagashima heads up row eight from Somkmiat Chantra and Hafizh Syahrin. 

Row nine will consist of Edgar Pons, Lorenzo Baldassarri and Bo Bendsneyder; whilst Andi Izdihar heads up row 10 from Kasma Daniel and Piotr Biesiekerski who will start from 30th and last.