Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp made a step on qualifying day at the Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto. Manuel Gonzalez successfully negotiated a top-4 result in Q1 and went on to secure 16th place in Q2. Soichiro Minamimoto also took part in Q1. The rookie put in a solid performance in only his third Moto2 shoot-out. He will start the Gran Premio MotoGP de España from 29th place on the grid.
Gonzalez needed an extra lap at the start of Q1, but then clocked a 1‘41.937s on lap 3 to slot into second place. Confident that he had done enough, he then headed to the pits and sat out the remainder of the session. He was pushed down to fourth in the final minutes, but his hot lap was enough to see him through to Q2.
The local hero set a 1‘42.052s best time on his first run in Q2, before heading to the pits. At the time, it held him in 15th place. With over three and a half minutes on the clock, he started his second run. However, he was unable to find a time improvement. He ended the session in 16th position.
Minamimoto started Q1 strong, positioning himself in eighth place on his benchmark lap. Though he improved to a 1‘43.788s on his second try, he was not able to climb up the order. As the session progressed, the pace quickened. The Japanese rider found himself in 15th position as the chequered flag came out. He will start tomorrow‘s race from 29th on the grid.
