MotoGP 2026
Round 17 – Mandalika – Saturday
MotoGP Qualifying
Raul Fernandez converted his Friday pace into a maiden MotoGP pole position at Mandalika, putting the Trackhouse Aprilia at the head of the grid with a 1m28.852.
That was just over a tenth quicker than Marco Bezzecchi, with Fabio Di Giannantonio completing the front row on his 28th birthday. Fernandez’s Friday benchmark of 1m28.725 remained the outright lap record.
It was Aprilia’s sixth consecutive pole, while the two riders at the head of the championship lined up together on row two. Marc Marquez qualified fourth, a little over three-hundredths ahead of Jorge Martin, with Fermin Aldeguer sixth after progressing through Q1.
Ai Ogura also came through Q1, despite crashing at Turn 12, and qualified seventh ahead of Alex Marquez and Pedro Acosta. Aldeguer’s late Q2 crash at Turn 16 brought out yellow flags that interrupted Bezzecchi’s final bid for pole.
Francesco Bagnaia headed the fourth row from Franco Morbidelli and Fabio Quartararo. Bagnaia also received an official warning for failing to sufficiently reduce his speed under yellow signals during Q2.
Alex Rins narrowly missed the Q1 cut and qualified 13th, ahead of Enea Bastianini and Luca Marini. Brad Binder was 16th, while a Turn Three crash contributed to Jack Miller’s difficult qualifying session and left the Australian 17th.
MotoGP Sprint Race
Marc Marquez turned a weekend that looked firmly tilted towards Aprilia into a championship gain, winning a dramatic Mandalika Sprint to reclaim a four-point series lead.
The defending champion capitalised on first-corner carnage that eliminated pole-sitter Raul Fernandez and Marco Bezzecchi, then took the lead when Jorge Martin had to surrender a substantial lead to manage his front tyre pressure.
Martin subsequently recovered ground before a late mistake dropped him off the podium, leaving Ai Ogura and Fabio Di Giannantonio to chase Marquez to the flag. Less than nine-tenths covered the first three after 13 laps on a track registering 63 degrees.
The drama began immediately. Di Giannantonio attacked up the inside of Marquez into Turn One, with Bezzecchi and Fernandez alongside as the four riders converged.
Di Giannantonio’s move forced Marquez to pick up his Ducati; Bezzecchi reacted in turn, and contact between the two Aprilias sent both into the gravel. Marc’s knee brushed the back of Di Giannantonio’s boot, causing the Italian to accidentally shift gears and mess up his corner entry.
Martin watched the incident develop from fifth on the grid and found an inside route to emerge in the lead. Marquez slotted into second, with Ogura third ahead of Di Giannantonio and Acosta.
By the end of the opening lap, Martin and Marquez had nearly a second over Ogura. Martin then began stretching the field, setting the fastest lap of the race on lap four and building an advantage of around 1.7 seconds by the end of lap five.
Behind Marquez, Ogura, Di Giannantonio and Acosta remained close enough to keep the Ducati rider working. Marquez responded with his first lap in the 1m29s on lap six, then set his best time on lap eight, but Martin still held nearly 1.4 seconds as they began lap nine.
That was when the race changed. Martin looked around and slowed, allowing Marquez through before resuming just ahead of Ogura. Having started from the second row, Aprilia had set his front tyre pressure in anticipation of running behind other riders. His immediate escape into clear air had instead left the pressure too low, prompting dashboard warnings and the decision to follow Marquez to rebuild temperature and pressure.
Marquez completed lap nine with a lead of around nine-tenths, but Martin immediately began closing again. At the end of the following lap, little more than three-tenths separated the championship rivals, with Ogura and Di Giannantonio still in contention.
Acosta’s challenge had meanwhile been interrupted by a long-lap penalty for three track-limit infringements. The KTM rider served it on lap ten and dropped behind Alex Marquez into sixth.
Martin remained within half a second of the lead with two laps remaining, but a moment at Turn 15 on the penultimate lap proved costly. A rear slide on entry was followed by a front-end moment as he tried to recover, sending him wide and opening the door for both Ogura and Di Giannantonio.
Ogura began the final lap around three-quarters of a second behind Marquez and reduced that to half a second at the finish, but could not get close enough to launch an attack. Di Giannantonio completed the podium, with Martin fourth, almost two seconds behind the winner.
It was Marquez’s eighth Sprint victory of the season, his first at Mandalika and a record-extending 23rd overall. He now leads Martin 343 points to 339, while Bezzecchi’s fifth Sprint retirement of the year leaves him 59 points behind. Ducati also moved three points clear of Aprilia in the constructors’ standings.
Marc Marquez
“The goal for this Sprint was not to lose too many points to Martín, and tomorrow will be the same, so I’m definitely very happy with today’s result. It doesn’t matter whether a circuit is favourable or not; you always need to have full confidence in your abilities. I wanted to attack Martín in the early stages, but after a moment on lap three, I realised it was difficult to stay so close to him. My pace kept improving and, after he had an issue, I simply tried to maintain a safety margin in the lead, as I was aware of our struggles in T2.”
Martin rues a missed opportunity
Martin’s early pace had suggested Aprilia was on course to salvage victory after losing two of its strongest contenders at the first corner. His pressure problem and subsequent mistake instead produced a six-point swing towards Marquez.
Jorge Martin
“Today we missed a chance to win. I was having a good race and controlling the gap. Then I tried to manage the front tyre pressure as best I could, even dropping in behind Márquez, but in the end I made a mistake, and that was where I lost any chance of getting back past him. It all started with the front tyre pressure problem, though. We have the speed, and I think tomorrow will give us another good chance to have a strong race.”
Aprilia technical director Fabiano Sterlacchini acknowledged that the team should have allowed more margin with its pressure setting, describing the humid conditions as an additional complication.
Fabiano Sterlacchini
“We also had a front tyre pressure problem with Jorge, at a circuit where the high humidity makes it hard to find the right balance. We should have built in a bit more margin, but that’s what happens when you run everything on the limit. Let’s put it right tomorrow. The speed is there, and we’re confident all four of our riders can have a good race.”
Ogura and Di Giannantonio complete the podium
Ogura’s second place was his fourth Sprint podium of the season, all of them runner-up finishes. It also moved him to within one point of Acosta in their battle for fourth in the championship.
The result exceeded Ogura’s expectations after two crashes during the weekend and a passage through Q1. He reported good performance in the fast corners but said confidence in the tighter sections remained an area to improve before the Grand Prix.
Ai Ogura
“This podium means a lot to us. We’re having a difficult weekend – two crashes and we had to go from Q1 to Q2. To fight for an important position in the Sprint was something we didn’t expect, so it was definitely a good one for us and we also collected some important data. During the Sprint race I could see that we have no problem in the fast corners, but in the tight ones I struggle to find the confidence to push even harder. I think that’s where we need to improve and we need to focus on tomorrow. Physically I’m OK on the bike, so this is good. But, if we want to fight for a similar position tomorrow, we have some work to do.”
Di Giannantonio’s birthday podium was his sixth in a Sprint this season and 12th overall. He felt more had been possible, but said contact at the start cost him positions and that following closely overheated his tyre, making an overtaking attempt too risky.
Fernandez injured in first-corner clash
Fernandez’s day deteriorated further after the Sprint, with Trackhouse team principal Davide Brivio confirming a fracture to the Spaniard’s right index finger. Fernandez reported significant pain in the finger he uses to brake and was unsure whether he could contest the Grand Prix, with the team planning to assess him in warm-up.
He was also angry about Bezzecchi’s positioning before the crash, accusing the factory Aprilia rider of squeezing him towards the outside as they approached the first corner.
Raul Fernandez
“Marco did a really good step and tried to overtake me – he put the bike close to mine and started to push me out of the track. This is the most frustrating thing of today. It’s not clean when you move like this that is not really nice and I’m not happy with that. He didn’t give me space; two Ducati’s overtook us and we crashed.”
Bezzecchi was unhurt and gave a more measured account in Aprilia’s release, pointing to the need to react to the riders around him. Saturday’s stewards’ report listed no sanction over the collision.
Marco Bezzecchi
“Unfortunately, at the start we were all bunched up, and more often than not you have to adapt to what’s happening around you. It’s a shame because we had done everything right up to that point, but we still have the Grand Prix, so now we’re trying to keep our spirits up and finish the weekend as well as we can. Obviously, I’m not happy right now, but I’m still positive and fired up because we’ve worked well, and I’m confident in the kind of work we’ve done.”
Acosta penalised as Alex Marquez takes fifth
Alex Marquez finished fifth after a controlled ride from eighth on the grid. The Gresini rider emphasised patience and avoiding mistakes on a circuit where an error can cost substantial time, with the same approach planned for Sunday’s longer race.
Acosta brought the leading KTM home sixth. He linked his three track-limit breaches to severe instability while trying to match the others through Sector Two, describing substantial shaking. He considered fifth the best result available on the day.
Aldeguer finished seventh after a weekend interrupted by repeated crashes. Progressing through Q1 had at least provided useful mileage, and the Spaniard reported gradual improvement despite physical difficulties.
Bagnaia held eighth throughout the Sprint and resisted Quartararo’s late pressure, the pair separated by only two-tenths at the flag. Bagnaia said he struggled to generate enough energy in the rear tyre, which took seven laps to reach temperature, leaving him unable to exploit his stronger late-race pace.
Quartararo collected the final point while still sore from Friday’s crash. Rins recovered to tenth after being delayed on the opening lap, passing Miller, Moreira, Marini and Binder along the way.
Bastianini finished 11th after dropping from 14th on the grid to 16th at the end of lap one. Late passes helped him recover ground, but he reported understeer and tyre difficulties when following other riders. He expected to need the medium front for the Grand Prix despite not being comfortable with that option this season.
Miller finds a better direction for Sunday
Miller finished 13th after recovering from a frustrating morning. The Australian said reduced grip and an overly stiff rear setup had compromised his practice and qualifying, before changes restored his feeling for the Sprint.
He spent much of the race battling around the edge of the top twelve and identified Honda’s acceleration as a particular obstacle when trying to pass Marini. Pramac team director Gino Borsoi considered a return to the points a realistic Sunday target.
Jack Miller
“It was a decent day overall, although we missed the mark a little this morning in Free Practice 2 and qualifying. The grip level had dropped overnight, and the rear of the bike was much too stiff with the setup we were trying, so I struggled to get the feeling I wanted. I also had a small crash after pushing a bit too hard, but we managed to get things back in the right direction for the Sprint.
“The race itself was pretty decent. We found a better setup, and the bike felt competitive from start to finish. I got stuck behind Marini for quite a while, which made it difficult to make a pass because the Honda has so much acceleration. We had a bit of a battle, and by the time I finally got through, the race was almost over. But the pace was encouraging, and I think we’re in reasonable shape for tomorrow.
“I’ll stick with the medium tyre for the Grand Prix. It feels more stable over the longer distance, especially when the temperature rises, and I’m confident it can last the race. The circuit is physically demanding, particularly through the changes of direction, so recovery will be important tonight. Hopefully, we can get the tyre pressures right tomorrow and have a stronger race.”
Johann Zarco finished immediately ahead of Miller in 12th, making him the leading Honda after starting 20th. The Frenchman used the Sprint to assess the medium rear tyre and reported some advantages, providing useful information for the longer race.
Morbidelli was 14th after struggling to extract performance from new tyres in the opening laps. He recovered ground as the race progressed, but wanted to make better use of the package from the start on Sunday.
Marini’s excellent launch took him from 15th to ninth, but declining grip left him defending rather than advancing, and he eventually finished back in 15th.
Binder’s early progress was undone by a rear slide and excursion at Turn 16 late in the race, leaving him 16th. The KTM rider had been in the top-ten battle before the mistake.
Moreira had climbed from 21st to 12th on the opening lap before a lack of front-end confidence contributed to his slide to 17th. The Brazilian adopted a more conservative approach to avoid a crash as the Sprint progressed.
Maverick Vinales finished 18th and reported improving strength through Mandalika’s rapid changes of direction, although finding confidence in the KTM remained a priority.
Toprak Razgatlioglu completed the Sprint in 19th after dislocating his right shoulder in a morning practice highside. The shoulder was put back into place before he returned for qualifying, but he reported pain and reduced strength during the race.
Aleix Espargaro finished 20th and said his physical discomfort had made simply completing the Sprint the priority. He and Honda were still assessing the best course of action for Sunday.
Sunday presents a different test
Marquez can enjoy a valuable Saturday success, but the circumstances of the win and his own assessment suggest the 27-lap Grand Prix will be a tougher proposition. Martin had demonstrated the pace to pull clear before his pressure problem, while Bezzecchi remains confident in Aprilia’s preparation. Fernandez’s injury introduces uncertainty over another rider who had looked capable of fighting at the front.
The Ducati rider’s pace improved during the Sprint, but he openly acknowledged that limiting the points lost to Martin remained his Sunday objective. Saturday has bought him a small championship cushion; a Martin victory with Marquez second would be enough to reverse the lead by one point.
The Indonesian MotoGP Grand Prix is scheduled for 1500 local time on Sunday, October 11, or 1800 AEDT.
Mandalika Sprint Race Results
 |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Time/Gap |
| 1 | M. Marquez | Duc | 19m37.125 |
| 2 | A. Ogura | Apr | +0.509 |
| 3 | F. Di Giannantonio | Duc | +0.835 |
| 4 | J. Martin | Apr | +1.947 |
| 5 | A. Marquez | Duc | +3.410 |
| 6 | P. Acosta | KTM | +5.478 |
| 7 | F. Aldeguer | Duc | +7.036 |
| 8 | F. Bagnaia | Duc | +10.039 |
| 9 | F. Quartararo | Yam | +10.248 |
| 10 | A. Rins | Yam | +13.288 |
| 11 | E. Bastianini | KTM | +16.834 |
| 12 | J. Zarco | Hon | +17.646 |
| 13 | J. Miller | Yam | +18.285 |
| 14 | F. Morbidelli | Duc | +18.956 |
| 15 | L. Marini | Hon | +19.227 |
| 16 | B. Binder | KTM | +19.293 |
| 17 | D. Moreira | Hon | +19.562 |
| 18 | M. Viñales | KTM | +23.472 |
| 19 | T. Razgatlioglu | Yam | +23.834 |
| 20 | A. Espargaro | Hon | +38.336 |
| Not Classified | |||
| DNF | R. Fernandez | Apr | DNF |
| DNF | M. Bezzecchi | Apr | DNF |
MotoGP Qualifying
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Time/Gap | Speed |
| 1 | R. Fernandez | Apr | 1m28.852 | 315.7 |
| 2 | M. Bezzecchi | Apr | +0.109 | 319.5 |
| 3 | F. Di Giannantonio | Duc | +0.196 | 318.5 |
| 4 | M. Marquez | Duc | +0.266 | 319.5 |
| 5 | J. Martin | Apr | +0.300 | 318.5 |
| 6 | F. Aldeguer | Duc | +0.380 | 314.8 |
| 7 | A. Ogura | Apr | +0.427 | 318.5 |
| 8 | A. Marquez | Duc | +0.534 | 318.5 |
| 9 | P. Acosta | KTM | +0.556 | 319.5 |
| 10 | F. Bagnaia | Duc | +0.934 | 321.4 |
| 11 | F. Morbidelli | Duc | +0.938 | 316.7 |
| 12 | F. Quartararo | Yam | +0.985 | 313.9 |
| Q1 | ||||
| 13 | A. Rins | Yam | +0.982 | 312.1 |
| 14 | E. Bastianini | KTM | +1.027 | 319.5 |
| 15 | L. Marini | Hon | +1.185 | 320.4 |
| 16 | B. Binder | KTM | +1.396 | 319.5 |
| 17 | J. Miller | Yam | +1.505 | 313.0 |
| 18 | M. Viñales | KTM | +1.652 | 316.7 |
| 19 | T. Razgatlioglu | Yam | +1.680 | 309.4 |
| 20 | J. Zarco | Hon | +1.851 | 317.6 |
| 21 | D. Moreira | Hon | +1.873 | 319.5 |
| 22 | A. Espargaro | Hon | +2.215 | 313.9 |
MotoGP Championship Points
|
||
|---|---|---|
| Pos | Rider | Points |
| 1 | M. Marquez | 343 |
| 2 | J. Martin | 339 |
| 3 | M. Bezzecchi | 284 |
| 4 | P. Acosta | 247 |
| 5 | A. Ogura | 246 |
| 6 | F. Di Giannantonio | 237 |
| 7 | R. Fernandez | 216 |
| 8 | F. Bagnaia | 166 |
| 9 | A. Marquez | 163 |
| 10 | F. Aldeguer | 125 |
| 11 | E. Bastianini | 116 |
| 12 | L. Marini | 104 |
| 13 | B. Binder | 99 |
| 14 | D. Moreira | 74 |
| 15 | F. Quartararo | 67 |
| 16 | F. Morbidelli | 57 |
| 17 | J. Zarco | 48 |
| 18 | J. Mir | 33 |
| 19 | J. Miller | 28 |
| 20 | A. Rins | 24 |
| 21 | T. Razgatlioglu | 18 |
| 22 | M. Viñales | 12 |
| 23 | I. Lecuona | 9 |
| 24 | A. Fernandez | 6 |
| 25 | P. Espargaro | 5 |
| 26 | S. Chantra | 3 |
| 27 | T. Nakagami | 3 |
| 28 | C. Crutchlow | 0 |
| 29 | J. Folger | 0 |
| 30 | L. Savadori | 0 |
| 31 | M. Pirro | 0 |
| 32 | A. Espargaro | 0 |
Moto2 Qualifying
Izan Guevara increased the pressure on championship leader Manuel Gonzalez with a record-breaking pole position at Mandalika, while Senna Agius was left facing a recovery ride after a disappointing qualifying session.
Guevara became the first Moto2 rider to lap the Indonesian circuit in the 1m31s, his 1m31.963 securing a fifth pole of the season and his first back-to-back poles in the intermediate class.
Alex Escrig had held provisional pole for much of Q2 and finished less than a tenth behind the Pramac rider. David Alonso made a late improvement to complete a front row featuring three different chassis manufacturers: Boscoscuro, Forward and Kalex.
Alonso’s final attack pushed team-mate Daniel Holgado back to fourth, ahead of Daniel Muñoz and Ivan Ortola. Joe Roberts and Collin Veijer both progressed through Q1 to qualify seventh and eighth, with Tony Arbolino completing the third row.
Gonzalez was only a little over four-tenths from pole but qualified tenth, leaving the championship leader with work to do from the fourth row. His advantage over Guevara stands at 10.5 points.
Izan Guevara
“Starting from pole is important, but the race will be difficult because Manu [Gonzalez] and the other riders have a strong pace, very similar to mine. I expect a close battle at the front with Manu, [David] Alonso, and the other competitive riders. I’ll try to manage the race well, stay focused, and fight for the best possible result right to the final lap.”
Guevara credited his confidence to a growing understanding of the Boscoscuro and how to work with the tyres. Pramac team manager Alex De Angelis cautioned that a new Pirelli tyre option, and the prospect of different choices across the field, made it difficult to judge everyone’s race pace.
Gonzalez had been fourth in both Friday afternoon Practice and Saturday morning’s session, but reported a front-grip problem when releasing the brakes in qualifying. That prevented him from committing fully and left Intact searching for a better balance ahead of the race.
Manuel Gonzalez
“It wasn’t an easy day for us because we made a few changes compared to yesterday. Of course, we realize that with what we did today, we can have a very fast motorcycle. We had some strengths, but also some weaknesses. In the afternoon, however, we had a problem with the front end of the bike when releasing the brakes: The front wheel closed because I had no grip. That’s why I couldn’t give 100 percent in qualifying, and for that reason, I wasn’t able to set a strong lap time. We now need to gain a much better understanding of many things compared to yesterday and focus clearly on preparing the best-balanced motorcycle for tomorrow so that I can put on a great comeback on a track where I really enjoy riding. We know we can do it.”
Agius starts 13th after revised grid
Agius had good reason to expect more from qualifying after finishing fifth on Friday afternoon and second in Saturday morning practice. However, the Australian struggled to reproduce that feeling during the time attack and qualified 14th, just over half a second from pole.
Penalties elsewhere in the field promote Agius to 13th on the revised grid, at the head of the fifth row. Filip Salac and Zonta van den Goorbergh start immediately ahead of him, completing the fourth row behind Gonzalez.
Senna Agius
“Qualifying today was tough, even though it’s been a good weekend so far here in Indonesia and I’ve felt very comfortable on the bike. Unfortunately, qualifying didn’t go as we’d hoped, since I didn’t have the best feel for the bike. In Moto2, you pay for even the smallest thing. That’s why I want to bounce back in tomorrow’s race and, as always, score as many points as possible. We’ll keep our spirits high, because we’re doing a fantastic job and we’re not giving up. It wasn’t an easy day, but we’ll take the positives with us into Sunday and give it our all.”
The revised grid also places Alonso Lopez 17th and Aron Canet 27th, while Barry Baltus must start from the back in 28th. Their penalties alter the starting order from the qualifying classification.
Guevara’s team-mate Alberto Ferrandez qualified 26th but moves to 24th on the revised grid. Returning from the right collarbone injury sustained in Austria, the rookie reported increasing discomfort and was concentrating on learning Mandalika, managing his workload and gaining experience.
The title implications are clear. Assuming full race points, a Guevara victory would require Gonzalez to finish third to preserve his championship lead. Fourth would instead put Guevara ahead by 1.5 points.
The 22-lap Moto2 Grand Prix starts at 1315 local time on Sunday, October 11, or 1615 AEDT.
Mandalika Moto2 Qualifying Results
 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Time/Gap | Speed |
| 1 | I. Guevara | Bos | 1m31.963 | 259.6 |
| 2 | A. Escrig | For | +0.098 | 258.9 |
| 3 | D. Alonso | Kal | +0.210 | 259.6 |
| 4 | D. Holgado | Kal | +0.251 | 256.5 |
| 5 | D. Muñoz | Kal | +0.309 | 255.9 |
| 6 | I. Ortola | Kal | +0.382 | 258.9 |
| 7 | J. Roberts | Kal | +0.393 | 258.9 |
| 8 | C. Veijer | Kal | +0.399 | 257.7 |
| 9 | T. Arbolino | Kal | +0.403 | 260.2 |
| 10 | M. Gonzalez | Kal | +0.413 | 256.5 |
| 11 | A. Lopez | Kal | +0.433 | 256.5 |
| 12 | F. Salac | Kal | +0.444 | 258.9 |
| 13 | Z. vd Goorbergh | Kal | +0.528 | 256.5 |
| 14 | S. Agius | Kal | +0.537 | 255.9 |
| 15 | J. Rueda | Kal | +0.684 | 258.9 |
| 16 | T. Furusato | Kal | +0.767 | 260.2 |
| 17 | B. Baltus | Kal | +0.801 | 255.9 |
| 18 | A. Sasaki | Kal | +0.849 | 260.2 |
| Q1 | ||||
| 19 | L. Lunetta | Bos | +0.722 | 259.6 |
| 20 | A. Huertas | Kal | +0.757 | 260.2 |
| 21 | A. Piqueras | Kal | +0.830 | 261.5 |
| 22 | A. Canet | Bos | +0.944 | 259.6 |
| 23 | M. Aji | Kal | +0.959 | 252.9 |
| 24 | C. Vietti | Bos | +1.150 | 257.1 |
| 25 | X. Zurutuza | For | +1.196 | 260.8 |
| 26 | A. Ferrandez | Bos | +1.439 | 260.2 |
| 27 | D. Öncü | Bos | +1.529 | 259.6 |
| 28 | S. Garcia | Kal | +2.002 | 258.3 |
Moto2 Championship Standings
|
||
|---|---|---|
| Pos | Rider | Points |
| 1 | M. Gonzalez | 245.5 |
| 2 | I. Guevara | 235 |
| 3 | I. Ortola | 181.5 |
| 4 | D. Alonso | 166 |
| 5 | D. Holgado | 154 |
| 6 | S. Agius | 152 |
| 7 | F. Salac | 144 |
| 8 | C. Vietti | 133 |
| 9 | A. Lopez | 117.5 |
| 10 | C. Veijer | 75.5 |
| 11 | T. Arbolino | 75.5 |
| 12 | D. Muñoz | 72 |
| 13 | A. Escrig | 63 |
| 14 | B. Baltus | 60 |
| 15 | D. Öncü | 47.5 |
| 16 | J. Roberts | 44 |
| 17 | A. Huertas | 42 |
| 18 | J. Rueda | 37 |
| 19 | L. Lunetta | 23 |
| 20 | A. Sasaki | 21 |
| 21 | A. Ferrandez | 17.5 |
| 22 | A. Canet | 17.5 |
| 23 | T. Furusato | 15 |
| 24 | Z. vd Goorbergh | 13 |
| 25 | S. Garcia | 11 |
| 26 | A. Piqueras | 4 |
| 27 | M. Aji | 3 |
| 28 | M. Ramirez | 0 |
| 29 | X. Zurutuza | 0 |
| 30 | U. Orradre | 0 |
| 31 | J. Navarro | 0 |
| 32 | D. Foggia | 0 |
| 33 | J. Roulstone | 0 |
| 34 | M. Pawelec | 0 |
Moto3 Qualifying
Brian Uriarte secured his third pole position of the season at Mandalika as all three riders still able to deny Maximo Quiles the championship locked out the front row.
Uriarte’s 1m36.861 put the Red Bull KTM Ajo rookie less than a tenth ahead of David Almansa, with team-mate Alvaro Carpe completing the front row. Quiles qualified sixth after a crash interrupted his session, leaving the championship leader with riders to pass if he is to settle the title in Indonesia.
With track temperatures reaching 65 degrees, Uriarte established the benchmark on his third lap. Quiles was initially his closest challenger, but a low-speed fall at Turn 16 disrupted the Aspar rider’s qualifying. He kept the bike running and returned to the pits, although he was unable to improve his earlier time when the riders returned for their final runs.
Almansa had been down in tenth before the final runs, but produced a strong last lap to claim second. That maintained an impressive weekend for the championship’s nearest challenger, who had topped both Friday sessions and finished second to Quiles on Saturday morning.
Adrian Fernandez briefly moved onto the front row before Carpe’s final lap relegated him to fourth. Guido Pini qualified fifth, putting both Leopard Hondas ahead of Quiles on the second row.
Home favourite Veda Pratama heads the third row in seventh, followed by Matteo Bertelle and Adrian Cruces. Casey O’Gorman completed the top ten despite crashing at Turn One late in Q2.
The leading ten riders were covered by just over seven-tenths, while Quiles was only around a third of a second from pole. Uriarte’s pole time remained outside Quiles’ outright circuit record of 1m36.690.
Kelso promoted to 19th on revised grid
Joel Kelso faces a recovery ride after qualifying 23rd, although a series of penalties moves the Australian forward four places to 19th, at the head of the seventh row.
Kelso had crashed at Turn 15 during Saturday morning practice and finished ninth in Q1, missing the final transfer position by just over two-tenths.
Scott Ogden topped Q1 ahead of Hakim Danish, David Muñoz and Leo Rammerstorfer. The final place in Q2 was decided by just three-thousandths, with Rammerstorfer edging out Valentin Perrone.
Muñoz went on to qualify 14th but starts 17th after a three-place penalty for contact with Ruche Moodley while overtaking at Turn Six. This is his third race weekend back after a lengthy injury absence, at the circuit where his injury troubles began a year earlier.
Ogden, Rammerstorfer, Eddie O’Shea, Moodley and Zen Mitani each received six-place grid penalties for excessively slow sectors during qualifying. Danish was sent to the back of the grid for slow riding on the racing line and disrupting other riders, while Kiattisak Singhapong received an official warning for slow sectors.
The reshuffle promotes Rico Salmela from 16th in qualifying to 14th on the grid despite his Turn Ten crash in Q2. Perrone and Ryota Ogiwara start 15th and 16th, with Muñoz and Marco Morelli immediately ahead of Kelso.
Quiles faces another title opportunity
Victory would guarantee Quiles the Moto3 championship, while second would also be enough provided he finishes ahead of Almansa.
His remaining title rivals have given themselves the best possible starting positions to keep the contest alive. Uriarte, Almansa and Carpe occupy the entire front row, while Quiles must negotiate the two Leopard Hondas as well if he is to turn his sixth-place start into a title-clinching result.
The 20-lap Moto3 Grand Prix starts at 1200 local time on Sunday, October 11, or 1500 AEDT.
Mandalika Moto3 Qualifying Results
 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Time/Gap | Speed |
| 1 | B. Uriarte | KTM | 1m36.861 | 215.5 |
| 2 | D. Almansa | KTM | +0.087 | 217.7 |
| 3 | A. Carpe | KTM | +0.243 | 222.2 |
| 4 | A. Fernandez | Hon | +0.317 | 221.7 |
| 5 | G. Pini | Hon | +0.342 | 219.0 |
| 6 | M. Quiles | KTM | +0.355 | 218.1 |
| 7 | V. Pratama | Hon | +0.385 | 217.3 |
| 8 | M. Bertelle | KTM | +0.545 | 220.8 |
| 9 | A. Cruces | KTM | +0.642 | 220.4 |
| 10 | C. O’Gorman | Hon | +0.703 | 218.6 |
| 11 | R. Yamanaka | KTM | +0.752 | 221.7 |
| 12 | J. Rios | Hon | +0.779 | 219.5 |
| 13 | J. Esteban | KTM | +0.897 | 220.8 |
| 14 | D. Muñoz | KTM | +0.980 | 219.5 |
| 15 | S. Ogden | KTM | +1.278 | 220.8 |
| 16 | R. Salmela | KTM | +1.630 | 220.8 |
| 17 | L. Rammerstorfer | Hon | +1.974 | 220.8 |
| 18 | H. Danish | KTM | +2.758 | 219.9 |
| Not Classified | ||||
| 19 | V. Perrone | KTM | +1.323 | 220.4 |
| 20 | R. Ogiwara | KTM | +1.426 | 223.1 |
| 21 | E. O’Shea | Hon | +1.446 | 222.2 |
| 22 | M. Morelli | KTM | +1.533 | 218.1 |
| 23 | J. Kelso | Hon | +1.535 | 219.5 |
| 24 | K. Singhapong | Hon | +1.557 | 222.2 |
| 25 | Z. Mitani | Hon | +1.634 | 216.8 |
| 26 | R. Moodley | KTM | +2.272 | 218.6 |
Moto3 Championship Standings
|
||
|---|---|---|
| Pos | Rider | Points |
| 1 | M. Quiles | 326 |
| 2 | D. Almansa | 199 |
| 3 | A. Carpe | 191 |
| 4 | B. Uriarte | 187 |
| 5 | M. Morelli | 146 |
| 6 | V. Perrone | 120 |
| 7 | H. Danish | 105 |
| 8 | V. Pratama | 105 |
| 9 | M. Bertelle | 96 |
| 10 | R. Salmela | 81 |
| 11 | A. Cruces | 79 |
| 12 | G. Pini | 70 |
| 13 | C. O’Gorman | 70 |
| 14 | J. Kelso | 67 |
| 15 | J. Esteban | 66 |
| 16 | E. O’Shea | 65 |
| 17 | A. Fernandez | 62 |
| 18 | D. Muñoz | 61 |
| 19 | J. Rios | 49 |
| 20 | R. Yamanaka | 39 |
| 21 | S. Ogden | 30 |
| 22 | D. Gonzalez | 7 |
| 23 | M. Uriarte | 6 |
| 24 | C. Buchanan | 5 |
| 25 | L. Rammerstorfer | 4 |
| 26 | Z. Mitani | 2 |
| 27 | R. Moodley | 1 |
| 28 | K. Singhapong | 1 |
| 29 | N. Carraro | 0 |
| 30 | R. Ogiwara | 0 |
| 31 | L. Abruzzo | 0 |
| 32 | E. Gutierrez | 0 |
MotoGP Calendar
|
|||
|
Rnd
|
Date
|
Event
|
Circuit
|
| 1 |
01 Mar
|
Thai
|
Chang International Circuit
|
| 2 |
22 Mar
|
Brazil*
|
Autodromo Internacional Ayrton Senna
|
| 3 |
29 Mar
|
US
|
Circuit of the Americas
|
| 4 |
26 Apr
|
Spain**
|
Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto
|
| 5 |
10 May
|
France
|
Le Mans
|
| 6 |
17 May
|
Catalonia
|
Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
|
| 7 |
31 May
|
Italy
|
Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello
|
| 8 |
07 Jun
|
Hungary
|
Balaton Park Circuit
|
| 9 |
21 Jun
|
Czech
|
Automotodrom Brno
|
| 10 |
28 Jun
|
Netherlands
|
TT Circuit Assen
|
| 11 |
12 Jul
|
Germany
|
Sachsenring
|
| 12 |
09 Aug
|
GB
|
Silverstone Circuit
|
| 13 |
30 Aug
|
Aragon
|
MotorLand Aragon
|
| 14 |
13 Sep
|
San Marino
|
Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli
|
| 15 |
20 Sep
|
Austria
|
Red Bull Ring-Spielberg
|
| 16 |
04 Oct
|
Japan
|
Mobility Resort Motegi
|
| 17 |
11 Oct
|
Indonesia
|
Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit
|
| 18 |
25 Oct
|
Australia
|
Phillip Island
|
| 19 |
01 Nov
|
Malaysia
|
Petronas Sepang International Circuit
|
| 20 |
08 Nov
|
Qatar
|
Lusail International Circuit
|
| 21 |
22 Nov
|
Portugal
|
Autodromo Internacional do Algarve
|
| 22 |
29 Nov
|
Valencia
|
Circuit Ricardo Tormo
|
