Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team Take P10 & P16 on Thai GP Grid

01-10-2022

Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team Take P10 & P16 on Thai GP Grid

Today, Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team‘s Manuel Gonzalez and Keminth Kubo took part in a Q2 session together for the first time. They made the most of a second day of all dry sessions at the Chang International Circuit to build confidence and took 10th and 16th position on the grid respectively for tomorrow‘s Thailand Grand Prix.

The Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team was on the pace at the Chang International Circuit on Day 2 of the Thailand Grand Prix. Manuel Gonzalez got hot laps in to secure P10 on the grid, equalling his best Moto2 qualifying result so far. Despite a crash, Keminth Kubo made it through Q1 and will start his home GP from P16.

Gonzalez was quick to show his pace in the Moto2 Q2 session. The rookie has taken a liking to the Thai circuit, and quickly climbed up to sixth place in the early stages. Though he wasn‘t able to improve on his best time, a 1‘36.316s set on lap 4/9, his qualifying bid was good enough to keep him in tenth place, equalling his best qualifying result of the 2022 season at the Argentina GP.

Kubo had to take part in Q1, but his confidence was high. He easily secured a place in the top 4, and even with a late crash he held on to second place in the Q1 rankings. The result allowed him to promote to Q2. The local hero had done well to get his bike back to the garage in time for the next 15-minute shoot-out, but the damage to his bike affected his result. He completed 8 laps in Q2 and set a best time of 1‘37.360s on his final try, which earned him 16th place on the grid.

Gelete Nieto

Sports Director

"Today I'm very happy with how things have turned out. We were very fast in the sessions. Both our riders have entered Q2, so today has been very positive. I was really impressed by Manu‘s performance today. It's not easy to come back from the situation he had in Japan and take a top-10 position on the grid, but he makes it look very easy! I'm happy to see he's feeling confident. He knows he‘s fast, and he feels comfortable on the bike. To achieve a good result tomorrow, it will be very important for him to position himself well in the first three laps, so that will be his goal. I have to say that I was very surprised about Kubo's laps. In Q1 he managed to do a 1'36.1s and actually rode several 1'36s laps. Despite the crash, he entered Q2. He needed a bit of time to get up to speed again but was still able to secure 16th place, which is a good result for him. I can see that he's very motivated and eager to fight for points tomorrow."

Manuel Gonzalez - P10 (1'36.316)

Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team

"It was a super Saturday! I was fast already at the start of FP3 with the hard tyre. When I tried the soft to do a faster lap time, I didn‘t feel that good, so I didn‘t improve as I wanted. In Q2 I did a good lap, but it was possible to improve even more. Even so, I am very happy for this top 10, and I will try to find the last two tenths for tomorrow‘s race."

Keminth Kubo - P16 (1'37.360)

Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team

"We improved the lap time in the morning, but not enough to enter Q2 directly. I talked a lot with my crew chief, Alessandro Finelli, about the setting of the bike, and we found a solution we thought should be the right one for Q1. Our target was of course to enter Q2, and we were right. I made a big step. My second lap was the fastest. I tried to continue, and I made a mistake. I had a small crash, ending the session eight minutes early. My lap time was fast enough, and I tried to continue like this also in Q2. But I had some little problems with the bike caused by the crash that made me not able to stop it well. I have to thank my team, that prepared my bike in time for the last session. I'll do my best for them tomorrow!"

Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team - 2022 - Thai GP - Saturday