Career-best qualifying for Britain’s Max Cook

2020-10-06 06:08
The British Talent Team rider will start from fifth for all three FIM Moto3™ Junior World Championship races in Aragón

British Talent Team’s Max Cook has secured a best-ever FIM Moto3™ Junior World Championship qualifying result of fifth ahead of Rounds 5 and 6 of the series at MotorLand Aragon on Saturday and Sunday. Heavy rain and strong winds made life extremely difficult for even the most experienced FIM Moto3™ JWC riders but even more so for the remaining Junior Talent Team riders, most of whom were making their first trips to the Alcañiz circuit.

Briton’s Cook, however, put his years of wet weather riding in the UK to good use to clinch a place on the second row of the grid as he aims to become the first British rider to take a FIM Moto3™ JWC podium in nearly six years. The 17-year-old suffered a broken pelvis at Round 3 just one month ago but has returned to action in fine form.

AP Honda’s Tatchakorn Buasri has also managed to clinch a career-best qualifying result in what is only his second appearance on the FIM Moto3™ JWC stage. The Thai rider collected a handful of points in Jerez despite starting 31st and will be aiming for a similar charge through the field across the weekend.

Lining-up 21st on the grid, and on row seven alongside the Thai rider, will be British Talent Team’s Scott Ogden, who continues to learn the technical Aragon circuit on his first visit. The Yorkshireman will have his eyes firmly set on bagging a third top ten finish of the year by the time the weekend comes to an end.

Asia Talent Team’s Takuma Matsuyama will start Saturday and Sunday’s races from 23rd on the grid after an early crash in the kinder weather conditions of the first qualifying session saw him complete only five laps. Indonesia’s Mario Aji put his Astra Honda Racing machine 26th on the grid ahead of starting his first FIM Moto3™ JWC race of 2020 on Saturday afternoon.

The first of three races at MotorLand Aragon is lights out on Saturday October 3rd at 13:00 (GMT+2) as all five JTT riders look to make strides forward now that the worst of the weather has passed through the hills of Teruel.

Source: Dorna Sports

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