20.08.2022

KTM to attack home MotoGP™ Grand Prix from 12th place after Q2 qualification

MotoGP 2022 - Round 13 of 20, Red Bull Ring - Qualification

Brad Binder KTM MotoGP 2022 Austria Qualification © KTM Images/Polarity Photo

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Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rushed around the Red Bull Ring for qualification at the 2022 CryptoDATA Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich and saw Brad Binder classify on the fourth row in overcast and warm conditions. In the Moto3™ category rookie Daniel Holgado secured his first Pole Position and Red Bull KTM Ajo teammate, Augusto Fernandez, was 3rd fastest in Moto2.

KTM to start home Grand Prix from 12th position on the grid
Q1 running for Miguel Oliveira and the Tech3 KTM Factory Racing duo
Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Daniel Holgado toasts his first GP Pole Position in Moto3
Angel Piqueras wins the first sprint in the latest episode of the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup

The threat of summer rain hovered over the Red Bull Ring with stormy conditions creating uncertainty in the Spielberg area for practice and qualification of the thirteenth round of the MotoGP season. Luckily the key sessions in preparation for the popular Austrian date on the calendar remained dry as KTM’s race teams in the respective classes pushed for the highest grid positions and also adapted to the new layout with the Turn 2a and 2b chicane curves reducing the overall top speed of the course.

KTM’s MotoGP wing arrived on home turf with two victories and three podium finishes in the previous seven editions of the Grand Prix and since the world championship travelled back to the site in 2016. After sailing directly through to Q2, it was Binder who vied for real estate at the front of the grid, cheered on by a decent sized crowd in the KTM fan zone and grandstand. The South African logged eight laps in Q2 and set his fastest in the final attempt. It was good enough for 12th and 0.7 of a second from Pole.

Miguel Oliveira was extremely quick in the mixed conditions during Friday’s FP1 and worked on reaching the same pace in the dry during the afternoon and Saturday morning. The Portuguese tried valiantly to enter Q2 but missed the top two spots by just over two tenths of a second. Tech3 KTM Factory Racing’s Remy Gardner and Raul Fernandez were 12th and 13th in Q1, translating to 22nd and 23rd for Sunday’s grid.

Moto3 gets the Grand Prix underway with 23 laps of action at 11.00, followed by Moto2 at 12.20 (25 laps) and then the 28-lap MotoGP affair at 14.00 CET.

Brad Binder: “I did my best and gave everything I could and it ended up with a 12th today but the conditions were a bit more tricky this afternoon. It was harder to do a lap-time in qualifying than it was in FP3 this morning. In general, I think our pace is good so let’s see. I’m excited and I know we can do a lot better than our position today.”

Miguel Oliveira: “Qualifying was tough. We knew going through to Q2 would be difficult and we didn’t quite have enough in the pocket to play with. We’ll analyze what we can improve for tomorrow. For sure the race will be a bit better for us – it’s usually like that – and we just need to make a good start and good recovery with the positions.”

Remy Gardner:“Of course I am disappointed about my lap cancellation because it would have been a good one. Our pace is not so bad, but it is not amazing either. We have room to improve and go a bit faster. I look forward to the race tomorrow and I think that we can have a good one. Full gas!”

Raul Fernandez: “Today we really focused on making improvements on the bike but also on how I feel on it. I think that we had a good pace today and I hope that we can have a good race tomorrow. The weather looks a bit uncertain, so we'll just have to wait and see what happens. I have enjoyed today, and look forward to tomorrow.”

KTM GP Academy

Pole Position in Moto3 was taken by Spanish rookie Daniel Holgado. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider was just 10 hundredths of a second faster than Ayumu Sasaki in the Q2 session and now rolls to the peak of the first row. Other KTM RC4 runners filled the top six. Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Deniz Öncü was 3rd fastest, ahead of young Brazilian Diogo Moreira in 6th with the final spot of the second row. Jaume Masia was 12th and Adrian Fernandez in 22nd.

Daniel Holgado: "It's my first pole and it's even more special because it is the team's home Grand Prix. I'm very happy with my last lap, especially with the last sector. Tomorrow it will be important that we are starting on the front row because with the new chicane everyone will want to overtake. Tomorrow we will try to win and enjoy ourselves in Austria."

Moto2 championship leader and winner of the last three Grands Prix in a row, Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Augusto Fernandez, qualified in 3rd position in Austria. The Spaniard is in hot form and regularly placed at the top of the time sheets in Free Practice. He was just 0.16 of a second from Pole Position in Q2 and will be hunting his next trophy tomorrow. Teammate Pedro Acosta was back on track after injury and was an impressive 6th on his Moto2 debut at Red Bull Ring.

The ninth and tenth races of the 2022 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup saw action in Spielberg with the first outing taking place on Saturday afternoon. A close-run affair saw Pole sitter Angel Piqueras take the checkered flag as series front-runner Jose Rueda finish as runner-up.

Results Qualifying MotoGPCryptoDATA Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich

1. Enea Bastianini (ITA) Ducati 1:28.772

2. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA) Ducati +0.024

3. Jack Miller (AUS) Ducati +0.109

4. Jorge Martin (ESP) Ducati +0.186

5. Fabio Quartararo (FRA) Yamaha +0.231

12. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +0.764

17. Miguel Oliveira (POR) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (Q1) 1:29.613

22. Remy Gardner (AUS) Tech3 KTM Factory Racing (Q1) 1:30.397

23. Raul Fernandez (ESP) Tech3 KTM Factory Racing (Q1) 1:30.475

Results Qualifying Moto2 CryptoDATA Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich

1. Ai Ogura (JPN) 1:33.933