The battle for the Moto2 title has taken an exciting turn on this Friday (14) of the Valencia GP, as Daniel Holgado ended the day at the top of the table with a time of 1min32s408, despite crashing out on turn 2 after a fall. The Spanish rider was the fastest of the day and led a top-3 completed by Jake Dixon and Daniel Muñoz, in a session where the differences were minimal throughout the entire time sheet.
Holgado achieved the fastest time in the final moments, but didn’t get to enjoy it for long, as moments later, he lost control of the bike while braking and ended up in the gravel. Nevertheless, he maintained the lead and reinforced the good momentum he’s been experiencing, even on a day marked by incidents for his teammate, David Alonso, who had fallen earlier.
However, the main point of attention during the practice was Diogo Moreira, who finished only 19th and will have to compete in the Q1 qualifying session. The Brazilian, who is fighting for the title, spent almost the entire session outside the direct qualification zone and, despite late attempts, couldn’t improve enough to advance. As a result, he faces the Q1 for the first time since the Czech GP.
The pressure increased even more because his direct rival for the title, Manuel Gonzalez, appeared in the top-10 and secured a direct spot in the Q2. The difference between the two was small for most of the activity, but the Spanish rider was more consistent towards the end of the practice and finished with a solid tenth place.
The top-5 of the day also included Izan Guevara, who recovered from a strong crash in the first practice to register a competitive time, and the surprising Alex Escrig, who maintained a good pace throughout the activity. Both reinforced how tight the battle is in Valencia, where just a few milliseconds have separated entire blocks of riders.
In addition to Moreira, other strong names like Aron Canet and Alonso himself will also be in the Q1.
