Diogo Moreira has scored a first grand prix pole position in qualifying for Round 12 of the Moto3™ World Championship at the Monster Energy British Grand Prix. It was also a maiden pole for MT Helmets – MSI, and Ryusei Yamanaka even gave the new-for-2022 team a double front row result by qualifying third. Splitting them at the head of the starting grid at Silverstone will be the Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team’s Izan Guevara, who was 0.068 seconds off the pace, with his World Championship-leading team-mate Sergio Garcia managing 11th-fastest in Q2.

Moreira set his pole time of 2:10.951 early in Q2 – on his initial flying lap, to be precise. Izan Guevara (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) then slotted into second position with just under five minutes to go by clocking a 2:11.019 on what was his own first crack. With a minute left, Yamanaka used a tow from both of the Leopard Racing Hondas to help himself set a 2:11.029 which put him into third position, and that would be the front row – marking a first ever Brazilian pole position in the lightweight class.

Riccardo Rossi (SIC58 Squadra Corse) had topped Q1 and would go on to claim fourth on the grid with an early 2:11.059, ahead of Stefano Nepa (Angeluss MTA Team) on a 2:11.131 and Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech3) on a 2:11.180. Leopard duo Dennis Foggia and Tatsuki Suzuki head up Row 3 of the grid, on which they will be joined by Ayumu Sasaki (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max), while John McPhee (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max) rounds out the top 10.

Garcia came from Q1 to qualify 11th on a 2:11.570, 0.619 seconds off the pace, with Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Ajo) taking 12th. Behind them on the grid will be Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team) from Kaito Toba (CIP Green Power), Xavier Artigas (CFMoto Racing PruestelGP), Lorenzo Fellon (SIC58 Squadra Corse), Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia), and Ivan Ortola (Angeluss MTA Team).

Back in Q1, 16 riders started but the focus was on two in particular – Garcia and Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo), the latter of whom is fifth in the riders’ standings. The World Championship leader was only ninth-fastest when he set a 2:11.558 to jump to second, which bumped Masia out of the top four cut-off. Garcia would be shuffled back to third by the end of the session but that was mission accomplished so far as he was concerned.

David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports), on the other hand, got into fourth with the chequered flag out but was only there for a brief period before he was bumped out by an even later improvement for Artigas. Muñoz is therefore set to start Sunday’s race from 19th position and will share Row 7 with Adrian Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Tech3) and Masia. Joshua Whatley was 12th for the session and therefore 26th on the grid having gone out and set a 2:12.631 after he had to push his VisionTrack Racing Team Honda up pit lane in the opening minutes.

Will Moreira turn a first pole position into a first win? Can Garcia hold on to his slim Championship lead? Warm Up is next on Sunday at 09:20 (GMT +1), then it’s lights out at the Cathedral of Speed at 11:20!

Moto3™ Q2 Top 10:

1. Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets MSI) – 2:10.951
2. Izan Guevara (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) + 0.068
3. Ryusei Yamanaka (MT Helmets – MSI) + 0.078
4. Riccardo Rossi (SIC59 Squadra Corse) + 0.10
5. Stefano Nepa (Angeluss MTA Team) + 0.180
6. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech3) + 0.229
7. Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) + 0.255
8. Tatsuki Suzuki (Leopard Racing) + 0.294
9. Ayumu Sasaki (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max) + 0.506
10. John McPhee (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max) + 0.609