Livio Loi will start tomorrow’s Czech Republic Moto3 Grand Prix from the eighth row of the grid, after qualifying in 23rd position at Brno this afternoon. Jules Danilo will start his second wild card appearance of the season from 34th on the grid.

Loi has struggled all weekend to find a good feeling with the Kalex-KTM, specifically with a lack of feedback from the front, which has left him lacking confidence in the bike through the faster turns on the Brno circuit. Loi’s crew managed to make improvements to the set-up ahead of this afternoon’s 40-minute qualifying session, which allowed the 16-year-old Belgian to improve his previous best lap by more than 0.7s.

For Danilo it’s been a tough weekend so far. The 18-year-old has had to readapt to the Kalex-KTM machine after two races aboard a Suter Honda, as well as learning his way around a circuit at which he’s never raced before. Danilo managed to improve his lap time with each free practice session, but dropped back to 34th position in qualifying after missing a fast wheel on his final flying lap.”

Livio Loi #11: 23rd – 2’09.922
“We made some changes to the setting of the bike today, moving nearer to the set up we had last weekend in Indianapolis, and there was a small improvement. On corner entry the bike still doesn’t want to turn in, which means I’m exiting wide and can’t get on the gas, which loses me time. We’ll look again for more improvements in warm up, but I think a decent result is possible tomorrow. My starts have improved and, if I can get away with the group in front, a points scoring finish is still a realistic target.”

Jules Danilo #95: 34th – 2’11.338
“At the start of qualifying I was in a quick group, which helped me to find a good rhythm straight away. After we switched to the soft rear tyre, which I really like, I was again in a fast group, but I didn’t realise just how quick I was going and pulled into the pits after going 0.8s quicker through the third sector. When I returned to the track I was on my own and couldn’t make the time. I’m looking forward to the race tomorrow and, if I can get away with the group ahead of me, then achieving my goal of a finish inside the top 25 is possible.”

Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal
“It’s been a difficult weekend for Livio. You need confidence in the front tyre through the fast turns here at Brno, but the lack of feedback is causing Livio some issues. The bike wants to run wide on corner entry, which means he’s missing the apex, running wide and then has to wait to get on the gas. Small changes made a difference in qualifying, but it’s still going to be tough for him tomorrow. Even so, if he gets away cleanly and rides at the level we know he can, he could well be in the points tomorrow. Jules has made steady progress, improving his lap time in every practice session. He was unlucky to miss out on doing the same in qualifying today, after making a mistake with his first fast run, but I’m confident he’ll achieve his goal of a top 25 finish tomorrow in the race.”