Scott Redding will start his home Grand Prix from the front row of the grid, after finishing third fastest in tricky conditions during this afternoon's qualifying session. Mika Kallio will start from 18th on the grid, after struggling with set-up issues throughout free practice and qualifying.
With rain threatening right from the start of this afternoon's 45-minute qualifying session, Redding wasted no time in staking his claim for a front row start. The 19-year-old Briton topped the timesheet with his third lap and then went on to improve his time further as the session progressed.
Redding was knocked back to second place by a hard charging Pol Espargaro, but looked all set to reclaim pole position with his final flying lap, until Tom Lüthi had a near crash right in front of him and he lost vital tenths as a result.
The weather for tomorrow's 18-lap Moto2 race remains unpredictable, but Redding is confident he has the pace whatever the conditions.
Kallio was severely hampered by machinery problems during today's free practice and qualifying sessions. The 29-year-old Finn was unable to dial in the front suspension to provide the level of feedback required and, as a result, struggled to get the bike turned in the blustery conditions.
Kallio tried a number of changes to the bike during practice and qualifying to try and rectify the problem, but without success. The Marc VDS rider and his crew have since been through the data, which points to a mechanical issue with the front forks and this will be investigated further this evening.
Scott Redding #45: 3rd - 2'08.616
"The conditions during qualifying were really tricky. The wind was really strong in places, but it was also completely unpredictable. Just like yesterday you had to take your chance at a fast lap whenever you could, which is one of the reasons we just went for it from the start, the other reason being that it looked like it was going to rain at any second. I was looking good for my first pole position but, once again, it eluded me. The front row will do nicely though. I'm looking forward to the race tomorrow. We've got a good set-up whatever the weather decided to throw at us but I'd prefer to race without the wind that has caused so many problems the last two days. Hopefully I'll be able to give the crowd something to cheer about tomorrow, as their support has been fantastic all weekend."
Mika Kallio #36: 18th - 2'10.202
"The bike just hasn't felt right all day, despite us changing virtually everything we could to improve things. On turn in there is no feeling from the front and the bike is moving around a lot underneath me. The same is true on corner exit when I get on the gas, the front of the bike is all over the place and it's moving around a lot more than it should. We weren't able to solve the problem in practice and qualifying, but looking at the data now it seems we have a mechanical problem with the front forks. These will now be stripped and, I hope, that's what the problem turns out to be so we can fix it. If it's not that, then we have some serious thinking to do tonight."
Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal
"With high winds and rain showers it can't have been too pleasant for the British fans sat out there on the circuit today, so I'm glad Scott gave them something to cheer about during qualifying. He did a great job, banging in a quick lap right at the start just in case it rained, but then going on to improve further when it stayed dry. He was close to his first pole position, but the front row is good enough for the race tomorrow. I know he'll be aiming for his first Moto2 race win tomorrow, but I'll be happy if he finishes on the podium. Mika had a disappointing qualifying session, after struggling with the bike. It looks like we have a problem with the front forks, but we'll know more once they're out of the bike and stripped down. If we can fix the problem then I'm confident that a top ten finish is still a realistic goal for Mika in the race tomorrow."
Marc VDS Racing Team Press Release
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