Manuel Gonzalez (QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2™) stole a maiden pole position in the final 20 seconds of qualifying at the Grande Premio Tissot de Portugal, beating new Fermin Aldeguer (Beta Tools SpeedUp) to the honour.
Aron Canet (Fantic Racing) lines up on the outside of the front row.
After struggling to set a fast lap in Practice, 13 riders took to action in Q1, with Somkiat Chantra (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia), Ai Ogura (MT Helmets – MSI), Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team), and Senna Agius (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) all making their way into Q2. As Q2 got underway, the pace was heating up as Aldeguer dipped into the 1:41 bracket and track temperature rose to 36C.
In the closing stages, nobody could catch Aldeguer until the last minute of the session when Canet and Gonzalez snatched pole position from the Spaniard. In a final lap attempt, Aldeguer gave it everything – but this time it was second at the line, giving Gonzalez a career first pole position and an all-time lap record in the delight to the Gresini squad.
Behind the trio on the front row of the grid will be Qatar GP winner Alonso Lopez (Beta Tools Speed Up), who pushed to the limit at the final corner. Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing Team) springboarded from 11th to fifth in the final five minutes, and capping off a great Saturday for the QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2™ team was Albert Arenas, who lines up for the Portuguese GP sixth. On the third row will be both MT Helmets – MSI riders of Ogura and teammate Sergio Garcia, with Chantra joining them in P9.
