Tony Arbolino missed out on a second successive pole position by just 0.010s at the Misano World Circuit on Saturday, but will start from a competitive 3^rd, while team-mate Filip Salac qualified 12^th.

• The unstable conditions which had engulfed the Emilia Romagna region of Italy during the week were a distant memory on Saturday, meaning Elf Marc VDS Racing Team riders Tony Arbolino and Filip Salac rode under sunny skies and in ambient temperatures of 24 degrees in qualifying.
• There is a slightly revised schedule for race day in the 14^th round of the season. Everything starts an hour earlier than normal, meaning the 22-lap Moto2 race will get underway at 11.15 local time.

/// TONY ARBOLINO, 3^rd – 1’34.945

• Having topped Friday afternoon’s session by nearly 0.4s, Tony was competitive on Saturday morning, as he placed 3^rd in the P2 session.
• The 24-year old was immediately under the previous lap record with his very 1^st lap of Q2 before he then lowered the lap record by another 0.2s the next time around. Although he was demoted to 3^rd, Tony has finished each session this weekend inside the top 3.

“I’m feeling good and competitive again”

“It was another pretty good Saturday! Getting on the front row was such an important goal for me today. I gave everything on my fastest lap and thought it was enough for pole position. But we just missed out. Anyway, I’m feeling good and competitive again here at Misano. We’ve always been in the top positions all weekend long. Tomorrow will be an important day. It would be so nice to go to the overseas races with another podium and another fight for the victory. That’s the aim for us so let’s focus on a few small details to improve this evening and go for it on Sunday!”

/// FILIP SALAC, 12^th – 1’35.439

• Filip started the day extremely well, as his late lap time in the morning P2 session was good enough for 2^nd place, just 0.017s off the top place.
• A small set-up change ahead of Q2 meant Filip wasn’t quite as comfortable in the 15-minute Q2 shootout. Despite his best efforts, the Czech rider could only manage 12^th, 0.5s off pole position.

“We did a good lap but I felt like I was really on the limit”

“Actually, it was a pretty good day for us! In the morning I was able to set a good lap time which was quite important, because I was feeling good. In the afternoon we made a very small change to the set-up but my feeling was a bit worse. Considering that, we did a good lap but I felt like I was really on the limit throughout Q2. Unfortunately, I’ll be starting from 12^th position. It’s not that far, but it will be a bit more difficult like this. Anyway, let’s try and enjoy it like the last race we had here, when I got my best result of the season. The team is working amazingly well and I want to thank them for everything they’re doing for me. I’ll give it my best shot tomorrow.”