Gonzalez returns to Moto2 pole as Pratama makes Moto3 history

· Second pole of the season for Gonzalez. Following his pole position at the Italian GP, Championship leader Manuel Gonzalez (Kalex) claimed his second Moto2™ pole of the season at the Australian Grand Prix, with a lap time of 1’30”122 ¾ just three tenths of a second shy of the all-time lap record, despite the track still being damp after the morning rain. Barry Baltus and Filip Salač followed in second and third, completing an all-Kalex front row. All riders opted for the soft SC1 front tyre and the D0922 development medium rear in qualifying.

· Historic first pole for Indonesia. With a time of 1’35,299, Veda Pratama (Honda) made history in Moto3™, becoming the first Indonesian rider in Grand Prix motorcycle racing history to claim pole position. Like every other rider on track, Pratama opted for the soft SC1 front and medium SC2 rear. Newly crowned World Champion Máximo Quiles (KTM) and home favourite Joel Kelso (Honda) completed the front row in second and third, respectively, both opting for medium SC2 tyres at the front and rear.

· Rain and falling temperatures. Conditions were markedly different from Friday, when air temperatures reached 28 °C and track temperatures neared 50 °C during FP2. On Saturday, intermittent rain left the track damp throughout the day, with air temperatures peaking at just 17 °C and track temperatures dropping below 18 °C in the morning. By qualifying, track temperatures had risen to between 24 and 28 °C, while the air remained at 17 °C. Temperatures are expected to fall further tomorrow, with rain highly likely.

Challenging qualifying on slick tyres in cold, damp conditions
 
“Friday may prove to be the only day of the weekend with a completely dry track and mild temperatures. Conditions changed significantly overnight, with intermittent rain continuing into Saturday morning. This limited track evolution and reduced the relevance of Friday’s dry-weather data. With rain also highly likely tomorrow, the wet-weather tyres used in this morning’s FP2 could once again play an important role.
Today posed a particular challenge for teams and riders, who had to continually adapt their bike set-ups to the changing conditions. FP2 took place in the wet, while the track varied considerably during qualifying, with some sections remaining damp, others drying out, and light rain falling during Moto3™ Q2. Temperatures were also significantly lower than on Friday, with track temperatures falling from almost 50 °C on Friday afternoon to just over 25 °C during qualifying.
Despite these challenging conditions, the slick tyres delivered strong performance. In Moto2™, all riders opted for the soft SC1 front and the medium D0922 rear, while in Moto3™, everyone used the medium SC2 rear, with both available front compounds proving effective. These could remain the preferred choices for tomorrow’s races if conditions are dry. Should the rain return, riders will be able to rely on the DIABLO Rain tyres already used in this morning’s FP2”.