2018 Argentina Moto2 and Moto3 Saturday Results
Moto2 qualifying was set alight, in spite of increasingly heavy rain in the closing minutes, by a stunning pole-snatching lap by Xavi Vierge. As with Miller, it was his first time.
Lorenzo Baldassarri (Pons HP40 Kalex) had seemed safe, after setting best lap on his fourth tour, before the weather got worse. But the Spanish Dynavolt Kalex rider laid on a breathtaking display of brinkmanship on the now sodden surface, to take his first pole by less than three tenths.
It was a climax to a session that saw some big names struggling, and brought forth other unexpected heroes.
Among them returned ex-Moto3 champion Danny Kent (Speed Up), on the front row in third; Jorge Navarro (Federal Oil Kalex) forging through to fifth, to start between fourth-fastest Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Kalex) and returnee Sam Lowes (SII KTM).
Another strong showing from Remy Gardner (Tech 3), fastest in the wet FP3, put him ninth, on row three next to title contenders Miguel Oliveira (KTM) and Alex Marquez (Kalex); while American rookie Joe Roberts (NTS) also impressed in the wet, qualifying tenth.
Qatar winner Pecco Bagnaia (Kalex) was languishing in 15th, one place ahead of Brad Binder (KTM).
GRAN PREMIO MOTUL DE LA REPÚBLICA ARGENTINA
Moto2 Qualifying Classification 2018
Termas de Río Hondo, Saturday, April 07, 2018
| 1 | 97 | Xavi VIERGE | SPA | Dynavolt Intact GP | Kalex | 262.3 | 1’56.137 | |
| 2 | 7 | Lorenzo BALDASSARRI | ITA | Pons HP40 | Kalex | 260.5 | 1’56.408 | 0.271 / 0.271 |
| 3 | 52 | Danny KENT | GBR | MB Conveyors – Speed Up Racing | Speed Up | 258.7 | 1’56.536 | 0.399 / 0.128 |
| 4 | 54 | Mattia PASINI | ITA | Italtrans Racing Team | Kalex | 268.1 | 1’56.591 | 0.454 / 0.055 |
| 5 | 9 | Jorge NAVARRO | SPA | Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 | Kalex | 265.0 | 1’56.679 | 0.542 / 0.088 |
| 6 | 22 | Sam LOWES | GBR | Swiss Innovative Investors | KTM | 262.2 | 1’56.830 | 0.693 / 0.151 |
| 7 | 44 | Miguel OLIVEIRA | POR | Red Bull KTM Ajo | KTM | 269.3 | 1’57.006 | 0.869 / 0.176 |
| 8 | 73 | Alex MARQUEZ | SPA | EG 0,0 Marc VDS | Kalex | 265.9 | 1’57.070 | 0.933 / 0.064 |
| 9 | 87 | Remy GARDNER | AUS | Tech 3 Racing | Tech 3 | 258.5 | 1’57.166 | 1.029 / 0.096 |
| 10 | 16 | Joe ROBERTS | USA | NTS RW Racing GP | NTS | 261.4 | 1’57.263 | 1.126 / 0.097 |
| 11 | 77 | Dominique AEGERTER | SWI | Kiefer Racing | KTM | 266.3 | 1’57.582 | 1.445 / 0.319 |
| 12 | 10 | Luca MARINI | ITA | SKY Racing Team VR46 | Kalex | 263.6 | 1’57.621 | 1.484 / 0.039 |
| 13 | 32 | Isaac VIÑALES | SPA | SAG Team | Kalex | 261.3 | 1’57.677 | 1.540 / 0.056 |
| 14 | 4 | Steven ODENDAAL | RSA | NTS RW Racing GP | NTS | 258.9 | 1’57.813 | 1.676 / 0.136 |
| 15 | 42 | Francesco BAGNAIA | ITA | SKY Racing Team VR46 | Kalex | 261.2 | 1’57.891 | 1.754 / 0.078 |
| 16 | 41 | Brad BINDER | RSA | Red Bull KTM Ajo | KTM | 264.0 | 1’57.898 | 1.761 / 0.007 |
| 17 | 36 | Joan MIR | SPA | EG 0,0 Marc VDS | Kalex | 267.4 | 1’58.058 | 1.921 / 0.160 |
| 18 | 40 | Hector BARBERA | SPA | Pons HP40 | Kalex | 265.5 | 1’58.342 | 2.205 / 0.284 |
| 19 | 13 | Romano FENATI | ITA | Marinelli Snipers Team | Kalex | 262.8 | 1’58.534 | 2.397 / 0.192 |
| 20 | 23 | Marcel SCHROTTER | GER | Dynavolt Intact GP | Kalex | 262.2 | 1’58.585 | 2.448 / 0.051 |
| 21 | 27 | Iker LECUONA | SPA | Swiss Innovative Investors | KTM | 264.4 | 1’58.614 | 2.477 / 0.029 |
| 22 | 24 | Simone CORSI | ITA | Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2 | Kalex | 258.7 | 1’58.673 | 2.536 / 0.059 |
| 23 | 45 | Tetsuta NAGASHIMA | JPN | IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia | Kalex | 259.1 | 1’58.813 | 2.676 / 0.140 |
| 24 | 51 | Eric GRANADO | BRA | Forward Racing Team | Suter | 260.5 | 1’58.991 | 2.854 / 0.178 |
| 25 | 64 | Bo BENDSNEYDER | NED | Tech 3 Racing | Tech 3 | 260.3 | 1’59.630 | 3.493 / 0.639 |
| 26 | 5 | Andrea LOCATELLI | ITA | Italtrans Racing Team | Kalex | 260.3 | 1’59.677 | 3.540 / 0.047 |
| 27 | 89 | Khairul Idham PAWI | MAL | IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia | Kalex | 262.6 | 2’00.166 | 4.029 / 0.489 |
| 28 | 20 | Fabio QUARTARARO | FRA | MB Conveyors – Speed Up Racing | Speed Up | 259.2 | 2’00.295 | 4.158 / 0.129 |
| 29 | 95 | Jules DANILO | FRA | Nashi Argan SAG Team | Kalex | 260.9 | 2’00.428 | 4.291 / 0.133 |
| 30 | 21 | Federico FULIGNI | ITA | Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2 | Kalex | 256.9 | 2’00.438 | 4.301 / 0.010 |
| 31 | 63 | Zulfahmi KHAIRUDDIN | MAL | SIC Racing Team | Kalex | 257.5 | 2’01.770 | 5.633 / 1.332 |
| 32 | 62 | Stefano MANZI | ITA | Forward Racing Team | Suter | 259.9 | 2’02.644 | 6.507 / 0.874 |
2018 Argentina Moto2 and Moto3 Saturday Results
Seventeen-year-old Italian Toni Arbolino timed it perfectly in Moto3 to make it three maiden pole-sitters. With the session run on slick tyres but with damp patches and a constant threat of light showers, the Marinelli Snipers Honda rider set a lap five seconds slower than the record with 13 minutes to go. Directly thereafter, a light shower meant his top slot was safe.
“I saw the rain on my helmet, and I decided – push, push.”
Unusually, he was joined on the front row by two KTMs, but then a block of Hondas made it seven of the dominant Japanese bikes in the top ten.
Marco Bezzecchi (Redox KTM) was displaced by Arbolino, but stayed second; Argentine rider Gabriel Rodrigo (RBA KTM) pleased the highly vocal home fans by completing the front row, though more than half-a-second off Arbolino’s time.
Row two had three Hondas, with Norrodin heading Bastianini and Di Giannantonio; and the third another trio, with Antonelli heading title contenders Canet and frequent pole-sitter Martin.
Migno (KTM) completed the top ten.
GRAN PREMIO MOTUL DE LA REPÚBLICA ARGENTINA
Moto3 Qualifying Classification 2018
Termas de Río Hondo, Saturday, April 07, 2018
| 1 | 14 | Tony ARBOLINO | ITA | Marinelli Snipers Team | Honda | 224.0 | 1’53.782 | |
| 2 | 12 | Marco BEZZECCHI | ITA | Redox PruestelGP | KTM | 228.4 | 1’54.088 | 0.306 / 0.306 |
| 3 | 19 | Gabriel RODRIGO | ARG | RBA BOE Skull Rider | KTM | 224.1 | 1’54.330 | 0.548 / 0.242 |
| 4 | 7 | Adam NORRODIN | MAL | Petronas Sprinta Racing | Honda | 225.0 | 1’54.346 | 0.564 / 0.016 |
| 5 | 33 | Enea BASTIANINI | ITA | Leopard Racing | Honda | 226.0 | 1’54.361 | 0.579 / 0.015 |
| 6 | 21 | Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO | ITA | Del Conca Gresini Moto3 | Honda | 222.0 | 1’54.363 | 0.581 / 0.002 |
| 7 | 23 | Niccolò ANTONELLI | ITA | SIC58 Squadra Corse | Honda | 223.8 | 1’54.366 | 0.584 / 0.003 |
| 8 | 44 | Aron CANET | SPA | Estrella Galicia 0,0 | Honda | 220.3 | 1’54.380 | 0.598 / 0.014 |
| 9 | 88 | Jorge MARTIN | SPA | Del Conca Gresini Moto3 | Honda | 225.3 | 1’54.388 | 0.606 / 0.008 |
| 10 | 16 | Andrea MIGNO | ITA | Angel Nieto Team Moto3 | KTM | 229.8 | 1’54.562 | 0.780 / 0.174 |
| 11 | 5 | Jaume MASIA | SPA | Bester Capital Dubai | KTM | 221.8 | 1’54.568 | 0.786 / 0.006 |
| 12 | 75 | Albert ARENAS | SPA | Angel Nieto Team Moto3 | KTM | 229.3 | 1’54.649 | 0.867 / 0.081 |
| 13 | 71 | Ayumu SASAKI | JPN | Petronas Sprinta Racing | Honda | 226.9 | 1’54.799 | 1.017 / 0.150 |
| 14 | 10 | Dennis FOGGIA | ITA | SKY Racing Team VR46 | KTM | 227.3 | 1’54.988 | 1.206 / 0.189 |
| 15 | 48 | Lorenzo DALLA PORTA | ITA | Leopard Racing | Honda | 225.5 | 1’55.323 | 1.541 / 0.335 |
| 16 | 11 | Livio LOI | BEL | Reale Avintia Academy | KTM | 224.0 | 1’55.458 | 1.676 / 0.135 |
| 17 | 22 | Kazuki MASAKI | JPN | RBA BOE Skull Rider | KTM | 226.6 | 1’55.514 | 1.732 / 0.056 |
| 18 | 84 | Jakub KORNFEIL | CZE | Redox PruestelGP | KTM | 224.6 | 1’55.516 | 1.734 / 0.002 |
| 19 | 24 | Tatsuki SUZUKI | JPN | SIC58 Squadra Corse | Honda | 225.6 | 1’55.604 | 1.822 / 0.088 |
| 20 | 65 | Philipp OETTL | GER | Sudmetal Schedl GP Racing | KTM | 226.2 | 1’55.800 | 2.018 / 0.196 |
| 21 | 72 | Alonso LOPEZ | SPA | Estrella Galicia 0,0 | Honda | 222.1 | 1’55.982 | 2.200 / 0.182 |
| 22 | 17 | John MCPHEE | GBR | CIP – Green Power | KTM | 222.4 | 1’56.107 | 2.325 / 0.125 |
| 23 | 41 | Nakarin ATIRATPHUVAPAT | THA | Honda Team Asia | Honda | 219.0 | 1’56.176 | 2.394 / 0.069 |
| 24 | 27 | Kaito TOBA | JPN | Honda Team Asia | Honda | 223.9 | 1’56.222 | 2.440 / 0.046 |
| 25 | 40 | Darryn BINDER | RSA | Red Bull KTM Ajo | KTM | 215.8 | 1’56.333 | 2.551 / 0.111 |
| 26 | 42 | Marcos RAMIREZ | SPA | Bester Capital Dubai | KTM | 218.9 | 1’56.478 | 2.696 / 0.145 |
| 27 | 8 | Nicolo BULEGA | ITA | SKY Racing Team VR46 | KTM | 219.6 | 1’57.976 | 4.194 / 1.498 |
| 28 | 76 | Makar YURCHENKO | KAZ | CIP – Green Power | KTM | 217.4 | 2’00.087 | 6.305 / 2.111 |
