After sixty-nine races, Scott Ogden is a Moto3 polesitter. This makes him the first British rider to take the pole position in Moto3 since John McPhee in 2020. David Almansa and Guido Pini will join Ogden on the front row in tomorrow’s race.
Rainy conditions and the display of red and yellow flags marred both Moto3 qualifying sessions. We’ve compiled all the key moments you need to know before we race in the German GP.
Buchanan Comes Back Fastest in Q1
We started the first Moto3 Qualifying session at the Sachsenring circuit in cool, wet conditions. With fifteen minutes and only four advancing to Q2, the competitors needed to keep it clean to get a position on the grid for tomorrow.
However, there was one rider who did not participate. Vicente Pérez withdrew from the rest of this weekend’s events at the German GP due to a wrist injury sustained in Mugello that was giving him some discomfort. His crash with Leonardo Abruzzo in Friday’s FP1 session would not have helped.
Lenoxx Phommara, in his debut Moto3 weekend, sadly bowed out early. The 18-year-old Swiss rider crashed as he came into Turn 8. Cormac Buchanan slid off into Turn 3, but rejoined. It was enough for him to place first and advance with Eddie O’Shea, Valentín Perrone, and Noah Dettwiler.
Early Red Flags Led to a Short Run for Pole Position
David Muñoz, Ogden, and Adrián Fernández had already proven their speed and form on the winding track this weekend. But this is where it would count to get them the best position in the race. With chilly and rainy conditions continuing at the challenging German track, it added another level of expertise needed.
The Q2 competitors flew out of the pit lane as the next session began. Before the riders could even set their first flying lap times, the yellow flags were out as Pini hit the greasy white lines and came down in Turn 8. Unfortunately, the Liqui Moly bike crashed into one of the air barriers and deflated it. The session was red-flagged to give the German GP marshals enough time to redeploy the fencing.
Thanks to the quick work of the marshals, we were back out to finish the remaining 10 minutes. With less time to set their lap times, riders were quick off the mark. José Antonio Rueda, Ángel Piqueras, Joel Kelso, and Perrone were the first to do so, but were immediately pushed down the timesheet.
Muñoz took several risks to get the pole position. Unfortunately, the #64 pushed it too far, coming off at the same turn as his teammate Pini. Another yellow flag followed this as Álvaro Carpe had his own meeting with their air fence. Two back-to-back yellow flag conditions resulted in several lap times being cancelled before the checkered flag.
Top 12 On the Grid
After just missing out on Q2 and needing to serve a long lap penalty tomorrow, Nicola Carraro will be struggling to make his way through the grid in the race. Can Ogden turn a first-time pole into a Moto3 Grand Prix win in Germany? Or, can the championship leader, José Antonio Rueda, make his way back up from twelfth?
Now, having experienced wet track conditions in the Free Practice 2 and both qualifying sessions, the riders are well-prepared for whatever Sunday can throw at them.