Sepang, Malaysia – 24 October 2015: Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider Álex Márquez will start tomorrow’s 19-lap Moto2 race from the third row of the grid after a record-breaking qualifying session at a sultry Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia today.

Márquez set a best time of 2.07.515 on his ninth lap, but just when he was preparing to push for an improved lap time in the decisive final minutes, spots of rain emerging from thunder-filled skies prevented lap times from dropping further.

The 19-year-old has been a permanent fixture inside the top 10 throughout this weekend’s action and he is confident that he’s found a set-up to cope with the extreme heat and slippery track surface at Sepang tomorrow.

Tomorrow’s race concludes the demanding sequence of three flyaway races in Japan, Australia and Malaysia on successive weekends before the season ends in Valencia early next month.

Álex Márquez: 9th – 2’07.515
“I am satisfied with a top ten on the grid because this track on a Moto2 bike is a completely different challenge to Moto3. We have concentrated a lot on my riding style and I have made a good improvement in learning the different lines and braking points. We didn’t make a good step in FP3 because we were saving tyres for the time attack in qualifying. In qualifying I am sure I could have improved by another three-tenths before the rain came, so for tomorrow we have to be ready for a very physically and mentally demanding race. My rhythm is good and if I can stay with the front group for the first half of the race then I am sure we can get a positive result. We knew rain was coming so we put in the new tyres at the beginning but I still think I could have done a better lap time without the rain at the end.”

Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal
“I have to say that I am happy with ninth position from Alex because this is not an easy track to come to for the first time in Moto2. It is very long and technical and you need experience to go fast. So I think he did a good job to finish inside the top ten. It was a shame that we couldn’t use all of the new tyres at the end of the session with the rain because I think it was possible to get on the second row. His pace has improved a lot from FP1 and if we can improve again in the warm-up I’m confident he can go with the second group in the race.”