Moto2 Dutch TT, Qualifying: Aldeguer Leads All-Boscoscuro Front Row

Moto3 is back this weekend after a three-week break since the Moto2 Italian Grand Prix in Mugello. Sergio Garcia leads the riders’ standings after seven rounds, but Joe Roberts is the most recent winner after his Mugello triumph. Fermin Aldeguer took pole position in qualifying, as Boscoscuro put four bikes in the top five places on the grid.

Qualifying

Fermin Aldeguer took pole position in qualifying for the Moto2 Dutch TT, as Boscoscuro dominated once again.

The Italian chassis brand locked out the front row with Ai Ogura and Sergio Garcia second and third, respectively, behind pole sitter Aldeguer. The fourth Boscoscuro of Alonso Lopez was briefly fourth, before being pushed back to fifth by the final attempt of Manuel Gonzalez. Albert Arenas came through Q1 to qualify on the back of the second row in sixth.

Tony Arbolino was seventh, but his disgust at a front slide in turn six on his final lap suggested he thought more was possible. Diogo Moreira and Jake Dixon join the Italian on row three, while Celestino Vietti heads up the fourth row in 10th, where he is joined by Senna Agius and Marcos Ramirez, the lone American Racing rider in qualifying after Joe Roberts’ broken collarbone saw him declared unfit on Friday.

P2

Somkiat Chantra was fastest in Moto2 P2 at Assen and set a new lap record as he topped the session by over a-tenth-of-a-second.

Manuel Gonzalez was second-fastest, ahead of Aron Canet, while Fermin Aldeguer and championship leader Sergio Garcia completed the top five. Ai Ogura rounded out the top six, while the positive signs showed by Tony Arbolino on Friday continued into Saturday, the Italian ending seventh in P2.

Alonso Lopez, Celestino Vietti, and Marcos Ramirez completed the top 10, while Jeremy Alcoba, Darryn Binder, Diogo Moreira, and Jake Dixon took the final four Q2 spots. All of the riders in the top 14 were inside the lap record that existed for Moto2 ahead of this weekend, a 1:36.000 set last year by Ai Ogura.

After their respective crashes in P1 on Friday afternoon, neither Filip Salac nor Joe Roberts took part in P2. Salac remained in hospital overnight and was declared unfit, while Joe Roberts was declared unfit yesterday afternoon due to a broken collarbone.

P1

Fermin Aldeguer was fastest in Moto2 P1 at Assen, a session which was red flagged in the first minutes.

The reason for the red flag was Filip Salac, who eventually walked away after crashing at turn seven. Joe Roberts crashed there later on, too, the American, winner in Mugello last time out, then being taken to the medical centre after the session and there was declared unfit with a collarbone fracture.

Roberts had just gone to the top of the times when he crashed, but would later be replaced by Aldeguer, while Ai Ogura bumped Roberts to third in the standings.

Sergio Garcia was fourth, ahead of Tony Arbolino who was encouraging in fifth, while Aron Canet completed the top six. Alonso Lopez was seventh, ahead of Manuel Gonzalez, Somkiat Chantra, and Albert Arenas who rounded out the top 10. The final four provisional Q2 positions were taken by Marcos Ramirez, Bo Bendsneyder, Jake Dixon, and Zonta van den Goorbergh.

FP

At one point in Moto2 Free Practice at Assen, Boscoscuro locked out the top four positions. Ai Ogura ended fastest of all of them, ahead of his MT Helmets MSI (which also topped the Moto3 Dutch TT Free Practice with Ivan Ortola) teammate Sergio Garcia.

Aron Canet, on the Fantic Racing Kalex, broke the Boscoscuro dominance by finishing the session third-fastest, ahead of the Speed Up Racing duo of Alonso Lopez and Fermin Aldeguer.

Jake Dixon was sixth, ahead of Tony Arbolino, Celestino Vietti, Joe Roberts (ninth despite an early crash), and Marcos Ramirez who completed the top 10.