A stunning late attack from Tito Rabat saw the Marc VDS Racing rider claim the first ever Moto2 pole position at the new Circuito Termas de Rio Hondo in Argentina this afternoon.
A breathless lap of 1.43.961 kept the Spaniard’s 100% pole position record intact in 2014 at the end of a super close qualifying session that saw the top three split by just 0.077s.
Mika Kallio will start his 200th World Championship race from 14th on the grid, the Finn qualifying just under 0.4s from the top six on a day where he struggled for optimum grip on the abrasive new surface.
Tito Rabat // 1st // 1’43.961
“It has not been an easy weekend with the difficult track conditions, so I am very happy to be in pole position again. On the first day I had problems with rear grip and today problems with the front and it is very difficult to understand the grip because the track is changing constantly. We found a good solution and I made a very good lap time, but the most important thing is the race tomorrow. Many riders are very close and it will be key to make a good start and then a lot will depend on who can save the tyres the best for the final laps.”
Mika Kallio // 14th // 1’44.715
“I can’t be happy because 14th certainly isn’t a true reflection of my speed. I used the soft option tyres at the start of the session but then I had no more because this track is so aggressive for tyre wear that we’ve had to use a lot of tyres already. At the end I had to finish on the hard front and rear because I need to keep a soft option for tomorrow in case we decide that’s what we will race with. We’ve got a lot of information now with the hard tyres and I think for the rear we will have to use that one for the best performance over a race distance. The starting position isn’t good but my race pace is strong and if I can be cool at the start then anything is still possible.”
Marc VDS Racing Team Press Relase
