Record debut for the new Pirelli rear tyre in Moto2

· Aron Canet (Kalex) took pole position for tomorrow’s Moto2™ race with 2’02.482, but the fastest rider ever was the Spaniard Manuel Gonzalez (Kalex) who in Friday afternoon’s Practice lapped in 2’02.111, setting the new all-time lap record and improving that achieved by Ai Ogura in 2024 by more than 8 tenths. In qualifying, all riders used the new soft rear solution in E0125 specification paired with the soft SC1 on the front tyre.

· In Moto3™ qualifying, all riders used soft SC1 compound rear, coupled with SC1 front tyres in most cases. José Antonio Rueda (KTM) took pole with 2’09.449. Also on KTM, Álvaro Carpe and Angel Piqueras, complete the front row. Rueda set the fastest time using a SC1 front tyre, while Carpe and Piqueras opted for the medium SC2. In Practice, Álvaro Carpe set a new all-time lap record in 2’09.104, improving by just over a tenth and a half the previous time set by Ivan Ortolà last year.

· The air and track temperature of these first two days were quite low. Friday afternoon Practice were the hottest sessions for both classes, with 19 degrees Celsius of air and about 40 degrees of asphalt temperature. Today’s qualifying took place with 18 degrees of air and 26 degrees of asphalt temperature.

Positive first feedback on the new soft rear tyre for Moto2™
 
“A new rear development solution – the E0125 specification – intended for Moto2™ riders made its debut at Silverstone. This tyre uses the same compound as the standard soft SC0, but a different structure. The first feedback received from riders is positive: in yesterday morning’s FP1, they compared it with the SC0, perceiving greater stability, even under braking, and more grip, which is why the E0125 was then chosen by everyone for the following sessions, including qualifying. Sensations also confirmed by lap times, since Gonzalez managed to set the new all-time lap record already in FP1 on Friday morning, while in yesterday afternoon’s Practice as many as 22 out of 24 riders fell below the previous record set by Ogura in 2024 and Gonzalez improved it by more than 8 tenths. And they could almost certainly have improved further in qualifying if it hadn’t rained on the night between Friday and Saturday, effectively resetting the evolution of the track, and if temperatures in qualifying had been in line with those of yesterday’s Practice. In any case, it is almost certain that the new rear soft tyre will also be the go-to option for tomorrow’s race, in combination with the front soft SC1. Even in Moto3™ the track record lap set last year has been retouched, however, in this case, the tyres were the same as last season’s, so the improvement has been less evident and mainly due to setup and greater familiarity with our product”.