Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing) is proving he means business in Moto3™ as he put himself on pole position in a drenched qualifying at the Monster Energy British Grand Prix. The Spaniard's 2:25.072 was enough to fend off Scott Ogden (VisionTrack Racing Team) who secured his first Grand Prix front-row with an impressive 2nd place on home soil. Championship leader Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Tech3) joins the Brit on the front-row, eager to keep his title rival Masia in his sights.
Pole position in the end goes the way of @jaume_masia! 👏
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) August 5, 2023
That's his second pole of the season! 💪#BritishGP 🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/RNaYTaZXfH
Masia was posting fast lap after fast lap, and as the clock ticked down he posted the pole time in the closing stages. Ogden was in hot pursuit as he latched onto the rear wheel of the Leopard machine to take P2. The Brit did go on to improve further as he set the fastest time of the session, but with the yellow flags displayed was forced to settle for 2nd place. Holgado was also threatening pole but two crashes in the wet conditions denied the Spaniard pole position.
On the second row, it was Riccardo Rossi (SIC58 Squadra Corse) who snatched the front spot with Joel Kelso (CFMoto Racing PruestelGP) and Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) joining him in 5th and 6th. Ivan Ortola (Angeluss MTA Team) will front row 3 in P7, with Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Tatsuki Suzuki (Leopard Racing) finishing Q2 in 8th and 9th respectively.
The Moto3™ riders' attention now turns to the race on Sunday, make sure not to miss any of the action as it commences at 11:15 local time (GMT +1).
1. Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing) - 2:25.072
2. Scott Ogden (VisionTrack Racing Team) +0.363
3. Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Tech3) +0.535
4. Ricardo Rossi (SIC58 Squadra Corse) +0.604
5. Joel Kelso (CFMOTO Racing PruestelGP) +0.635
6. Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) +0.818
7. Ivan Ortola (Angeluss MTA Team) +0.911
8. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +1.113
9. Tatsuki Suzuki (Leopard Racing) +1.162
10. Stefano Nepa (Angeluss MTA Team) +1.183