Qatar Moto2, Lusail Practice | Masia swings in the rain as surprise shower dampens Friday activities

Rookie Jaume Masia enjoyed the unexpected fillip of ending the opening day of action for the 2024 Moto2 World Championship curtain raiser in Qatar as the rider to beat in a sparsely contested Practice 1 session held in unexpectedly wet conditions.

The Spaniard – who arrives in Moto2 on the back of winning the 2023 Moto3 World Championship – was one of only four riders to set a time during the sodden 35mins evening session after rain, which started falling in the closing stages of Moto3 P1, continued into the evening track running.

Catching many unawares given the scorching conditions usually associated with the Middle Eastern nation – a factor that dictates exactly why much of the event is held after dark – it led to most of the bemused Moto2 riders to sit the session out entirely despite it counting towards Q1 and Q2.

However, unlike MotoGP in normal circumstances, Moto2 riders will get a second bite of the cherry in the hunt for the all-important Top 14 positions that will guarantee them safe passage into Q2 by going again on Saturday morning when it is forecast to be back to dry conditions.

In the meantime though, the absence of riders on track allowed some welcome international airtime for the two teams who did send their riders out – Pertamina Mandalika GASUp and KLINT Forward Racing – with Masia the one to go quickest of the quartet, ahead of team-mate Bo Bendsneyder. Forward Racing’s Alex Escrig and Xavier Artigas followed in third and fourth.

The result, coming on Masia’s first weekend in Moto2, represents another memorable moment in Qatar for the youngster after clinching the Moto3 title at the same venue in November.

With P1 proving a washout, a more representative look at the form book in Lusail therefore defaults to FP1, even though the session itself won’t count towards anything.

In that session – held in daylight hours – Fermin Aldeguer consolidated his status as favourite by topping the timesheets, preventing an upset in the form of Zonta van den Goorbergh, the young Dutchman spending the session creeping up the timesheets before holding firm until the very final stages when he was overhauled by his Spanish rival.

Celestino Vietti was third fastest on the KTM Ajo, while Jake Dixon was fourth best, the CFMoto Aspar rider nearly taking the top spot but for a mistake on a lap with three red sectors.

🇶🇦 ⏱️ 2024 Qatar Moto2 Lusail | Practice 1 Results

Friday | Conditions – Wet