With damp conditions halting improvements in Moto2™ P3, Tony Arbolino (Elf MarcVDS Racing Team) heads into Q2 on top of the standings following his 1:43.172 that was set during Friday's P2 of the Gran Premio Michelin® de la República Argentina. The Italian will have his sights set on pole position but will have to fend off the likes of Filip Salac (QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2™) and Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) who round out the top 3 after all three practice sessions.
P3 honours in the damp conditions went the way of Alonso Lopez (CAG SpeedUP) who finished the session fastest ahead of Somkiat Chantra (IDEMISTU Honda Team Asia) and Jordi Torres (Solunion GASGAS Aspar Team). The track did dry out enough for slick tyres toward the end of the session, but the times remained just under two seconds away from Arbolino's benchmark.
As the riders head to Qualifying Arbolino will be looking to defend his top spot, but championship leader Acosta will be looking to set things straight after a cancelled lap in P2 halted his chances of going top. Equally, the Portuguese Grand Prix poleman Salac cannot be discounted as he currently sits in 2nd place in the combined practice times. Jake Dixon (Solunion GASGAS Aspar Team) and Somkiat Chantra also have shown a strong pace throughout practice, and with confirmed Q2 spots in 4th and 5th will be eager to taste glory.
Also competing in Q2 will be championship contender Aron Canet (Pons Wegwow Los4), and you would not want to bet against the Valencian in a bid for the top spot. Surprises could also come from the budding young talents Fermin Aldeguer (CAG SpeedUp) and Manuel Gonzalez (Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team), who also have secured Q2 spots and showed strong pace around the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit.
The Q1 battle for Q2 honours will be equally as hotly contested as riders such as Sean Dylan Kelly (American Racing), Celestion Vietti (Fantic Racing), Darryn Binder (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP), and Dennis Foggia (Italtrans Racing) will look to battle it out for their final chance of a Q2 spot.
Make sure to tune in for Moto2™ Qualifying which is at 13:45 local time (GMT -3)!
Top 10 combined:
1. Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) – 1:43.172
2. Filip Salac (QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2™) + 0.066
3. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) + 0.080
4. Jake Dixon (Solunion GASGAS Aspar Team) + 0.121
5. Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) + 0.126
6. Aron Canet (Pons Wegow Los40) + 0.154
7. Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) + 0.233
8. Fermin Aldeguer (Beta Tools SpeedUp) + 0.268
9. Bo Bendsneyder (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team) + 0.436
10. Alonso Lopez (Beta Tools SpeedUp) + 0.472