Moto2: Roberts Returns to Form with Brno Pole

Moto2 qualifying in Brno was a fairly straightforward affair, the low-grip conditions meaning the additional grip provided by the coat of MotoGP Michelin rubber on the surface made an even bigger difference. 

Q1 saw Fabio Di Giannantonio take the biggest profit from this, taking the top sport and moving through to Q2 along with Bo Bendsneyder, Stefano Manzi and Jake Dixon. 

In Q2, Joe Roberts was able to return exactly to the form that saw him take pole position at the opening round in Qatar, as the American took his second career pole. After suffering in both Jerez races, Roberts’ data engineer was able to return to the team this weekend, and that certainly seems to have improved the potential of Roberts who will be aiming for his first career podium tomorrow. 

Sam Lowes qualified second, meaning he has started from the front row in three consecutive races since the beginning of 2016. The Briton is, like Roberts, still without a podium in 2020, but was close in both Jerez races and looks just as competitive this weekend in Brno. A good start will be important for Lowes, but the potential is there for him to take a big result tomorrow. 

Andalusian Grand Prix winner Enea Bastianini qualified third in his quest to claim the points lead in the championship. A poor qualifying for some of his rivals puts the #33 in prime position to take hold of the championship tomorrow. 

Row two will be headed up tomorrow by Hafizh Syahrin who was close to his first ever World Championship front row for much of the session. He was displaced eventually by Lowes, but nonetheless a fourth place start is positive for the Malaysian. Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin will start alongside Syahrin on the second row. 

Row three sees Marcel Schrotter start ahead of an improved Augusto Fernandez, who finally seems to be figuring out the 2020 Dunlop front tyre, and Fabio Di Giannantonio. 

Luca Marini completes the top 10 for the grid, although he will feel he should have been further up after finishing towards the top of the times in most of the sessions this weekend. Fortunately for Marini, his pace is quite strong, and he will have his sights set on Bastianini tomorrow. Jorge Navarro and Xavi Vierge join the Italian on the fourth row. 

Stefano Manzi’s impressive pace this weekend has been somewhat surprising, although his slightly less impressive one-lap speed is more normal for the Italian who appears to be finding his feet this season in the intermediate category. The Italian will be joined on row five by Jake Dixon and Aron Canet, the Spaniard struggling with arm pump this weekend; whilst Marcos Ramirez heads up row six from Bo Bendsneyder and a severely disappointing Lorenzo Baldassarri who was 0.481 seconds slower than Bendsneyder and over three tenths of a second slower than Di Giannantonio’s Q1-topping time.

Nicolo Bulega was the fattest rider to miss out on Q2 and will start down in 19th. It’s something of a shame for the Italian, whose pace has been quite consistent this weekend.

The #11 will be joined by Simone Corsi and Tetsuta Nagashima on row seven, Nagashima having to defend his World Championship lead from 21st on the grid. 

A crash early on for Remy Gardner limited the Australian’s chances of advancing to Q2, and he was unable to improve on eighth place. Gardner will start from the front of row eight alongside Dominique Aegerter, who is replacing the ill Jesko Raffin this weekend for NTS, and Hector Garzo who was 10th-fastest for 24th on tomorrow’s Moto2 grid.

Somkiat Chantra was 11th-fastest in Q1, and will start from the head of row nine in 25th, ahead of a remarkably underwhelming Tom Luthi in 26th and Edgar Pons in 27th, the Spaniard not able to translate his impressive Andalusian form to Brno. 

The final row will be fronted by Lorenzo Dalla Porta, with Andi Izdihar and Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin joining the reigning Moto3 World Champion on row 10.