All-time lap records smashed at COTA

· David Alonso (Kalex) secured pole position in the Moto2™ qualifying session of the 2026 Grand Prix of the United States. On his third lap, the Spanish rider set a time of 2’05.203, earning the top spot on the grid as well as a new all-time lap record for the circuit. Compared with the previous record established by Manuel Gonzalez last year, Alonso was almost 2.2 seconds quicker, a result achieved also thanks to the performance delivered by the Pirelli supersoft SCX rear solution, making its debut on this track. Barry Baltus qualified second and Alonso Lopez third, both also riding Kalex machines. In qualifying, all riders used the SC1 soft compound at the front and the supersoft SCX at the rear.

· In Moto3™, Spain’s Álvaro Carpe (KTM) took pole position using a medium SC2 front and a soft SC1 rear, the same combination chosen by third-placed Argentine Valentin Perrone (KTM), while Ireland’s Casey O’Gorman, who qualified second, opted for the soft SC1 at the front. With a lap time of 2’12.107, Carpe also set a new all-time lap record on his fifth lap, improving by more than 1.8 seconds on the previous record set by Matteo Bertelle in 2025 (2’13.939). As many as 17 riders lapped faster than the former circuit record during qualifying.

· Over the first two days, both track and air temperatures fluctuated significantly. For both classes, the coldest session was Saturday morning’s FP2, with air temperatures of 15 °C and track temperatures of 21 °C. Friday afternoon Practice sessions were the hottest so far, with the track reaching 47 °C and ambient temperatures close to 30 °C. Qualifying took place with track temperatures of 37 °C and air temperatures of 20 °C.

New lap benchmarks set at COTA, also thanks to the SCX rear
 
“After racing at COTA for two years and collecting valuable data on the behaviour of our tyres, this year we decided to offer Moto2™ riders a softer rear option, the supersoft SCX. Using this compound, always in combination with the SC1 soft front, all riders were quicker than in the past and the circuit lap record was significantly improved from the very first Friday session, with Alonso later taking pole position and setting a new lap record that was 2.2 seconds faster than the previous one.
However, the supersoft SCX is a compound that performs best at higher temperatures. Although riders have so far used this rear option almost exclusively over the first two days, for tomorrow’s race it will be important to carefully evaluate the choice based on track and air temperatures: if these were to be relatively low, the most suitable solution would be the SC0 soft, while those opting to use the SCX would need to manage it carefully over race distance. If temperatures were instead to be high, the SCX would offer a performance advantage over the SC0.
In Moto3™, too, despite having the same tyres available as last year, we have seen a significant improvement in lap times and achieved a new circuit record. This was due both to a better understanding of our product and to track conditions that were more favourable than last year’s conditions. As for tyre choice for tomorrow’s race, riders will opt for the SC1 soft at the rear, while at the front each will choose their tyres according to their own riding style.”