The Autosolar GASGAS Aspar Team’s Izan Guevara has held onto pole position at the Gran Premio Animoca Brands de Aragon in a nervous conclusion to Moto3™ Q2. Just 0.095 seconds separated the World Championship leader and Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max’s Ayumu Sasaki at the end of the session, when Guevara had been left vulnerable given he was too late to go for a final time attack and try to improve on his 1:57.868. On the other hand, his team-mate and nearest rival for the title, Sergio Garcia, continued to be shuffled back and is set to start 12th on Sunday at MotorLand Aragon.

Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Ajo) had been quickest once everyone had been through for one flying lap in Q2, on a 1:58.027, before Sasaki responded with a 1:57.963 next time through. Guevara then clocked a 1:57.868 to be the pace-setter with five minutes to go, but the final time attacks still to come.

With the slipstream so important down Aragon’s back straight, there were the usual track position games at the start of the session and then again at the start of the final runs – even in terms of rolling bikes out of their boxes in pit lane, in some cases! Guevara left his run a little bit too late, however, and took the chequered flag before he had a chance to start another flying lap.

Fortunately for him, the first two rows did not change. Behind Guevara, Sasaki, and Holgado on the starting grid will be Tatsuki Suzuki (Leopard Racing), John McPhee (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max), and Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing). Suzuki managed a 1:58.271 on his first run and McPhee a 1:58.296, while Foggia improved to a 1:58.363 on his final lap to consolidate sixth position.

Rounding out the top 10 were Ivan Ortola (Angeluss MTA Team), Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo), Stefano Nepa (Angeluss MTA Team), and Xavier Artigas (CFMoto Racing PruestelGP). Q1 fast man Carlos Tatay (CFMoto Racing PruestelGP) snatched 11th with the chequered flag out, while Garcia just got a spot on Row 4.

There was frustration for Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech3), who blitzed FP3 but then pulled off the race track early in Q2 with an apparent technical problem. He and bike got back to the pits and while his KTM was eventually re-fired, it would be seconds too late for him to make it back around and start another hot lap before the chequered flag came out. The Turk will start 13th, ahead of Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia), Adrian Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Tech3), David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports), Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI), and Riccardo Rossi (SIC58 Squadra Corse). Neither of the latter two set a time in Q2, with Moreira having a crash at the Reverse Corkscrew – rider okay.

Back in Q1, Kaito Toba had knocked CIP Green Power team-mate Joel Kelso out of the all-important top four in the final minute before the chequered flag, but that was not the end of the drama. Toba suffered the same fate when Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team) improved on his final lap, only for Furusato to oust Migno from Q2 just moments later. The wash-up of all of that is that Migno is set to start 19th, ahead of Toba, Ryusei Yamanaka (MT Helmets – MSI), and Kelso. Elia Bartolini (QJMotor Avintia Racing Team) qualified 29th after a crash in Q1 at Turn 17, while debutant Alessandro Morosi (MT Helmets – MSI) did not set a time after a spill at Turn 9. Unfortunately, Alberto Surra (Rivacold Snipers Team) was declared unfit after sustaining a fractured left wrist in a crash in FP3 and will take no further part in the weekend.

Can Guevara press home his advantage on Sunday at Aragon? Warm Up is due at 09:00 (GMT +2), then it’s lights at 11:00!

Moto3™ Q2 Top 10:

1. Izan Guevara (Autosolar GASGAS Aspar Team) – 1:57.868
2. Ayumu Sasaki (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max) + 0.095
3. Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Ajo) + 0.169
4. Tatsuki Suzuki (Leopard Racing) + 0.403
5. John McPhee (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max) + 0.428
6. Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) + 0.495
7. Ivan Ortola (Angeluss MTA Team) + 0.536
8. Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) + 0.539
9. Stefano Nepa (Angeluss MTA Team) + 0.680
10. Xavier Artigas (CFMoto Racing PruestelGP) + 0.807