Gonzalez Aims for Top Result in Sepang Starting from Front Row of the Grid

11-11-2023

Gonzalez Aims for Top Result in Sepang Starting from Front Row of the Grid

Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp‘s Manuel Gonzalez got the job done in the sweltering Grand Prix of Malaysia Moto2 Q2 session, securing third place on the grid. Kohta Nozane took part in Q1 and will start tomorrow‘s race from P28.

Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp‘s Manuel Gonzalez secured his third front-row start of the 2023 Moto2 season on the Grand Prix of Malaysia Saturday. An early hot lap earned him third place on the grid. Kohta Nozane also booked progress on the second day of riding at the Sepang International Circuit. He took part in the Q1 session this afternoon and took 28th place on the grid.

Gonzalez was quickly up to speed in Q2. A 2‘05.815s on lap 2 briefly put him in second place before settling into third. Unable to better his time on his next try, the Spaniard quickly headed into pit lane. With six minutes remaining, he resumed his qualifying efforts. Though he didn‘t improve on his next three tries, the earlier lap was fast enough to keep him in third place.

Nozane‘s objective for the Saturday was to make another step. He took part in the afternoon‘s 15-minute Q1 session, and his benchmark lap held him in tenth place for a while. He put his head down as the times quickened, but the Japanese rider didn‘t find a time improvement. His 2‘07.377s, set on lap 2/7 had him take 14th place in the Q1 rankings and puts him in 28th place on the grid for tomorrow‘s Malaysian GP.

The Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp duo will be back in action tomorrow at 13:15 local track time (GMT +8) for the race.

Manuel Gonzalez

Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp

"The Sepang circuit, for me, it‘s amazing! Last year we had a great weekend, and this year we came here with high expectations. Yesterday and this morning we were struggling to be fast. I wasn‘t very comfortable with the bike, but we changed it and made a big step for qualifying. A shorter bike, more aggressive, but I was more comfortable on the bike, and I could push, even in this heat. I knew that the tyre would be destroyed on the second hot lap, so I tried to push a lot on the first. I made a small mistake, so I think our potential is a bit higher. It‘s a bit of a surprise to me to be so fast in qualifying, but tomorrow it‘s not so important to be fast on a new tyre: it‘s more important to feel good on a used tyre. It will be difficult, but let‘s try to fight!"

Kohta Nozane

Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp

"I was able to set a good pace in P3 this morning. I pushed hard in Q1 as well, but it wasn‘t enough. It‘s been a difficult qualifying. My feelings were not bad, but they were also not good enough to achieve a good result. It‘s a pity, because I would have liked to be further towards the front of the grid. I aim to make up some positions at the start and go from there. I‘ll do my best tomorrow, as always."

Gelete Nieto

Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp, Sports Director

"We are really happy about this super result after the tricky practice! Manu did his best lap time on his first run, he was doing very well. All the riders are very close. Here every 0.1s is important and makes a difference. Tomorrow it will be hard and very hot, but we have the advantage that we‘ll start from the first row.

"Kohta didn‘t have his best day. He hasn‘t been able to improve his lap time from P3. For tomorrow, it will be important for him to do a good start, to stay with his group, and to finish the race."