Moto2: Lowes Penalty Hands Gardner Pole Position in Misano

Moto2 qualifying in Misano got underway in strange fashion, as Lorenzo Baldassarri and his Flexbox HP 40 team contemplated tyre choice as the green light showed at the end of pit lane. After the three practice sessions, the SKY Racing Team VR46 duo of Marco Bezzecchi and Luca Marini were fastest ahead of Remy Gardner who was third in the combined free practice times.

After Baldassarri’s strange tyre choice discussion with his team at the start of the session, Q1 developed into a more normal Moto2 qualifying session. The fast times were set mostly at the start and the gaps were incredibly close. Fabio Di Giannantonio topped the session, moving through to Q2 along with Hector Garzo and the American racing pairing of Joe Roberts and Marcos Ramirez.

In Q2, Sam Lowes set the fastest time, although all he will get for it is an appearance in the front row press conference and a pole position watch, as he will have to start from pit lane as punishment for his involvement in the crash that took Somkiat Chantra and Jorge Navarro out of the Styrian Grand Prix three weeks ago. 

A late lap from Remy Gardner was enough for second fastest, meaning the Australian will start from pole position for the second time this season having qualified first in Austria. Alongside the #87 on the grid tomorrow will be Luca Marini and Marco Bezzecchi who have been strong all weekend. They will have a tough time dealing with Gardner, though, who proved how strong he can be on the brakes in the Styrian race. 

Enea Bastianini will start from the front of the second row, which is important for the Italian with Marini, championship leader, starting from the middle of the first row. Bastianini is 18 points behind Marini in the championship, and will hope to close some of that gap tomorrow.

Xavi Vierge will start from fifth on the grid, which is positive for the Spaniard as his races in Austria were hampered by poor qualifying performances. Marcel Schrotter completes the second row, as he looks to return to the podium for what would be the second time in three races. 

There was parity between the two Marc VDS riders throughout most of the weekend in Misano, but Augusto Fernandez was unable to match his teammate’s pole-setting pace in qualifying. Instead, Fernandez will start from seventh, at the head of a third row that will be completed by Tetsuta Nagashima and Fabio Di Giannantonio. 

Marcos Ramirez will round out the top 10 on tomorrow’s grid, ahead of Tom Luthi and Jorge Navarro who will join him on the fourth row; whilst Hafizh Syahrin will head up row five on his return from injury having missed the Styrian round. The Malaysian will start alongside Hector Garzo and Lorenzo Dalla Porta – who has clearly made a step this weekend, hence his best qualifying in Moto2 – on the fifth row.

Jake Dixon will start from 16th, which is almost disappointing for the #96 having shown inside the top 10 earlier in the weekend – but this fact is also positive in terms of his development in Moto2. Behind Dixon in Q2 was only Joe Roberts, who will start 17th tomorrow.

Nicolo Bulega was the fastest rider to miss out on Q2, but was fortunate to escape injury after a high-side on the exit of turn two. He looked okay after the crash and should he be fit tomorrow he will start 18th due to the pit lane start penalty of Lowes.

Heading up row seven, therefore, will be Lorenzo Baldassarri, whose 2020 struggles continue. The #7 will be joined on that seventh row by Stefano Manzi and Aron Canet, the Spaniard seemingly discouraged by a crash in FP3.

Simone Corsi was ninth-fastest in Q1, meaning he will start from the front of row eight in 22nd place ahead of Somkiat Chantra and Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin; whilst Bo Bendsneyder was the top NTS down in 12th in Q1 for 25th on the grid and will be joined by Andi Izdihar and Edgar Pons on the ninth row. Jesko Raffin qualified last on his return from illness, and will start 28th.