Jake Dixon qualified on the 3rd row of the grid for Sunday’s Moto2 curtain raiser in Thailand, while Filip Salac posted the 16^th fastest time.

While Friday was hot, the first qualifying day of the 2025 Moto2 season was hotter still with Elf Marc VDS Racing Team riders Jake Dixon and Filip Salac tackling the Chang International Circuit in tough conditions and track temperatures of 57 degrees.

New for 2025, Saturday morning’s FP2 session didn’t count toward who participated in Q2, allowing riders to focus solely on their race settings. And qualifying was as tight as ever, with just 0.945s covering all 18 riders in Q2.

Jake Dixon, 8^th – 1’35.030

Jake used FP2 as a chance to post a race-simulation. Over 16 laps, he showed solid rhythm, posting many laps in the mid 1’35s on used tyres. He was 14^th at the close of play.

Jake decided on a strategy with his team-mate before Q2 in which the Briton would lead Filip around during the first run, with roles reversed in the second.

As he found himself outside the top 15 with minutes to go, Jake used his team-mate as a reference just ahead on his final circuit to jump to 8^th, with a time that was less than 0.4s from pole sitter Manuel Gonzalez.

“The second day here in Thailand is done. I’m relatively happy. I did a long run this morning and I was pretty content with it. I was more or less where I thought we’d be with that. I need to improve a few things with my riding to try and compliment the bike more than what I’m currently doing. For sure, there’s always something to learn and I’m learning a lot. As a team, we’ll try to keep working hard. It’s been hot this weekend, but it’s the same for everyone. I’m looking forward to the race tomorrow to see what we can do!”

Filip Salac, 16^th – 1’35.322

Like his team-mate, Filip intended to do one long run in FP2 but found his front feeling to be far from ideal. After stopping to make adjustments, he returned to the track to post the 16^th fastest time.

Using Jake as a reference ahead in the first half of Q2, Filip was unable to make a clean lap. And despite his best efforts in the final minute, he slipped to 16^th, even if his final time was just 0.6s off pole.

Still, the Czech rider is confident he has the rhythm to fight for a better place in Sunday’s 22-lap race.

“Another hot day in Buriram. It was a difficult day for us to be honest. Our strategy in FP2 was to do one long run but after lap five I was struggling with the front feeling. when the front tyre dropped, I was losing the front a lot and wasn’t comfortable. So, I stopped to try and adjust a bit. I went out and it was a bit better, but still not perfect. Then in Q2 I had a strategy with Jake. In the first outing I would go behind him and he’d go behind me in the second. But I was not able to make a clear lap. On the average lap time it wasn’t bad. The speed is there, but I was struggling to stop the bike and was wide many times. On this track, where the gap is so small if you make a mistake, it really costs you. I feel confident for the race. Our pace isn’t bad. We will see tomorrow how the first race with the Boscoscuro will be. It’ll be tough as it’s really hot, but we’re ready to give our all!”