Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team Show Determination in Qatar Moto2 Qualifying

05-03-2022

Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team Show Determination in Qatar Moto2 Qualifying

The Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team completed their first qualifying day. Manuel Gonzalez and Keminth Kubo took part in Q1 and secured 24th and 26th place on the grid.

Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team‘s Manuel Gonzalez and Keminth Kubo gained a lot of experience on their second day at the Losail International Circuit. The two debutants impressed with their determination during the Moto2 Q1 session, securing 24th and 26th place respectively on the grid.

Gonzalez missed out on joining the Q2 session by a hair due to a crash in FP3. Though he hurt his shoulder and collarbone and was in considerable pain when riding the bike, he was still able to take part in Q1. The young talent gave it some welly, showing great speed. Saving the best for last, he set a 2‘00.551s best time, on lap 7/7, that earned him 10th in Q1 and 24th place on the grid.

Kubo used the second day to get more familiar with the Losail circuit as well as his Moto2 bike. His objective for qualifying was to set his best lap of the weekend so far, and he succeeded. Clocking a promising 2‘01.033s on lap 5/7, put him in 12th position in the Q1 timesheets and in 26th place for tomorrow‘s start of the first Grand Prix of the 2022 season.

Find out more about the Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team, Gonzalez, and Kubo on our brand new website: yamahavr46mastercampteam.com.

Gelete Nieto

Sports Director

"I‘m satisfied about the work we did today. Both sides of the garage did a great job, and the riders felt very comfortable on their bikes. Manuel had a good pace and nearly had the opportunity to enter directly into Q2, but unfortunately, he crashed during FP3 and had to take part in Q1. He injured his shoulder, so he couldn‘t push because of the pain. The most important thing for tomorrow is that he‘s OK and that he can finish the race. The goal for him is to just gain as much experience as he can. Kubo is improving all the time. Today he is 0.7s faster than yesterday. That‘s a big step for him! He is gaining more confidence every time he goes out with the bike and that‘s positive."

Manuel Gonzalez - P24 (2'00.551)

Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team

"I‘m a bit disappointed about today‘s result. I felt really good on the bike, but during FP3 I crashed, and it had a big impact on my right shoulder and collarbone. During the qualifying I was almost crying because of the pain. Riding was very difficult. Anyway, I think we have a good potential for tomorrow if the shoulder is OK, because I feel very good on the bike. The team worked perfectly. Currently, we‘re not where we would like to be, but that‘s racing! Tomorrow I will fight for a satisfactory result that I can be happy about!"

Keminth Kubo - P26 (2'01.033)

Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team

"The second riding day is done. During FP3, I found some problems on the bike, but at the end of the sessions we could solve and fix these. I improved a lot during qualifying, now I‘m more confident with the bike and with the tyres. I‘m happy with the result! This is a good start considering that this is my first qualifying day in the Moto2 World Championship. The race is tomorrow, I‘ll do my best!"