Moto2: 41 Riders Set Out on Historic First Qualifying

Along with the MotoGP and 125GP qualifying events, Qatar is playing host this weekend to the first running of the Moto2 race class, which is replacing the 250GP race action from this day forward. 41 riders were on hand for qualifying on Saturday, and despite the large field of entry, only 4.4 seconds separates all these racers (3.5 seconds if you drop Bernat Martinez and his last position Bimota). While the names may be unfamiliar, the racing is sure to be extremely close (we can’t even fathom what Turn 1 is going to look like).

There are a few familiar faces though, namely Toni Elias who took the very first pole position of the new racing class. Another familiar name is Alex de Angelis, who will start from the second row in 4th position, after being ousted from hit MotoGP rider last year. As we get to know the riders of Moto2 we’ll also see a vetting process on which manufacturer put together the best chassis for the single motor class.

A quick look at the qualifying sheet, and it seems that there is no one bike that stands above the rest of the field. Our best guess would at least peg the Suter machine as being the best bang-for-the-buck, with three bikes in the Top 10 and being the cheapest bike in the paddock. Tech3 as a team is looking very strong, but of course we still have Sunday’s race day to see where the proof is in the pudding. We can’t wait.

Results from Moto2 Qualifying at the Losail International Circuit at Doha, Qatar: