Sasaki and McPhee secure second row at Silverstone

2019-08-26 09:55
PETRONAS Sprinta Racing Moto3 riders Ayumu Sasaki and John McPhee will both line up on the second row for tomorrow’s British Grand Prix, after finishing Moto3 qualifying at Silverstone in fourth and sixth respectively. Securing their places alongside each other and showing strong pace, the pair are confident that they can convert good grid spots into even better finishing positions.

Sasaki was forced to progress from Q1 to Q2 after a small error in this morning’s final practice session, but it proved no hurdle to him as he set a lap time early in Q2 that locked down one of his best qualifying positions of the season to date. Feeling comfortable on the PETRONAS Sprinta Racing bike and keen to get stuck into the fight tomorrow, Sasaki is sure that he can make forward progress when the lights go out.

McPhee is also going into his home race pleased about his potential, showing quick race pace throughout practice but also able to set a time in qualifying fast enough to join his team-mate on the second row. Keen to get clear track and one of the first riders to set a time in Q2, he knows that his real strengths will show in tomorrow’s race and is raring to get going in front of his home crowd.

Tomorrow’s 17-lap race at Silverstone will start at 1120 local time (1820 Malaysian time).




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Result
John McPhee
6th (+0.757)

Result
Ayumu Sasaki
4th (+0.697)

“I’m happy with the result because my race pace has been really strong all weekend but with so many long straights it can be difficult to set one flying lap at Silverstone. Going out with only one other rider was always going to be a risky strategy, but it ended up being enough for the second row and that was the target. I feel like I can be really fast in the race but I had to be in the top six in qualifying, so now we’ve ticked that box, we can concentrate on tomorrow. Even though a few people have really good pace, it’ll be hard to break away from the group and we’re going to have a typical Moto3 fight.”


“We made a mistake in FP3 and I set my fastest lap after the chequered flag went out. I was disappointed not to be in Q2, but the good feeling was always there. In Q1, I made a good lap and in Q2 I was able to set a good time early on before everyone started cruising around. In the end, fourth is a good place to be because it means we’ll start in front of the group and hopefully be able to have a strong race. I just need to focus on the race, make a good start, and see what happens. It’ll be a big group race because that’s what happens at Silverstone, but I’ve got a good feeling about it.”
Moto3 Qualifying Results - British Grand Prix
POS. RIDER NUM TEAM TIME
1 Tony Arbolino 14 VNE Snipers 2'11.631
2 Lorenzo Dalla Porta 48 Leopard Racing 2'11.710
3 Raul Fernandez 25 Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team 2'12.112

Source: SIC Racing Team

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