Gonzalez Leads Practice Sessions in Qatar
Manuel Gonzalez clinched the top spot in both the afternoon session under the sun and the initial Moto2 session under the floodlights on Friday, dominating the practice for round four of the championship in Qatar.
The Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP rider consistently remained near the top of the timesheets throughout the second session. However, it was his performance with just eight minutes remaining that solidified his lead and secured his entry into Q2 with the fastest time.
His best lap time of 1m 57.073s, while falling short of the lap record set during the hotter conditions later in the Moto2 season in Qatar, still represents an excellent start to the weekend. This follows a challenging 22nd place finish in Austin, after he took a chance with tire choices.
Aron Canet came the closest to challenging Gonzalez’s time, finishing just 0.022 seconds behind for Fantic Racing Lino Sonego, achieving his best time in the final minute of the session and climbing from tenth place.
Another Kalex rider, Daniel Holgado, had initially topped the session before settling for third, as the manufacturer exerted considerable influence in Lusail. He finished as the top rookie on the opening day.
Deniz Oncu was close behind, placing fourth for Red Bull KTM Ajo, while early session leader Albert Arenas dropped to fifth for Italjet Gresini. Zonta van den Goorbergh improved significantly to claim sixth place for RW – Idrofoglia Racing GP.
Barry Baltus secured seventh for Fantic Racing, with Marcos Ramirez leading the American Racing riders in eighth, in contrast to his teammate Joe Roberts, who finished 22nd. Rookie David Alonso managed to secure ninth, while Jake Dixon completed the top ten despite a crash at turn 15 during the session.
