Riders had just a brief window at the start of Saturday’s Q2 session at the Japanese Grand Prix to set a fast time, meaning Elf Marc VDS Racing Team riders Tony Arbolino qualified 10^th and Filip Salac 18^th.

• The weather played havoc with the Moto2 class at the Mobility Resort Motegi on Saturday. First, Saturday morning’s P2 session started in wet conditions, before drying just enough for riders to fit slicks in the final 10 minutes.
• A shower of rain arrived just as Q2 was starting in the afternoon. Not wet enough for wet tyres, riders had just a short window to set a competitive lap time on slicks before conditions worsened further.

/// TONY ARBOLINO, 10^th – 1’54.056

• Tony got 9 laps of experience with wet tyres in P2 before he fitted slicks for the final five minutes. His final lap of the session lifted him to 6^th.
• Tony was in a big group of riders at the beginning of Q2 and went 10^th with his 1^st flying lap. He returned to the pits hoping the rain would relent.

“I’m going to squeeze everything out of my package”

“It was a tricky day. I didn’t feel bad this morning when the track was drying. But when we went out in Q2 it was already spitting with rain so it was really difficult to understand just how much we could push on a track that was getting wetter. It wasn’t the best qualifying I ever had but we need to think tomorrow will be another scenario in different conditions. So, we need to be focussed on that and try to do the maximum. One thing is for sure: I’m going to squeeze everything out of my package and push so hard to make up positions. I’m still confident of a good race and a good result!”

/// FILIP SALAC, 18^th – 1’56.762

• Filip did a total of 15 laps in the P2 session on wet tyres and gradually got faster as the session went on, posting his fastest time on his final lap. But his times weren’t comparable to the riders who had switched to slicks.
• The Czech rider then had two big moments on the 1^st flying lap of Q2. Thinking there was a mechanical issue, he pitted. But track conditions had deteriorated by the time he returned, meaning his fastest lap was only good enough for 18^th.

“I had two near high-sides on the left-hand side”

“It was a bad day for us with bad luck. In qualifying it started to rain and I had two near high-sides on the left-hand side. I was thinking something wasn’t right because it was a similar feeling when I crashed earlier in the year at a test in Aragon. For safety reasons I stopped and changed the rear tyre. By the time I got back out it was too late, because the track was wet. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to manage a good lap time. I know tomorrow we’ll do a good race because our pace is strong. I’ll give my everything to be fighting toward the front!”