Japanese rider on the second row for Round 5 after a solid Saturday for the Junior Talent Team
In scorching temperatures at MotorLand Aragon, the Junior Talent Team had a solid qualifying day at Round 5 of the FIM CEV Repsol Moto3™ Junior World Championship – with Japanese rider Ai Ogura leading the way for the team on the second row, set to start sixth and only 0.018 seconds off the top five. A top ten finisher last season at the venue, he’ll be aiming even higher this year.
Former Asia Talent Cup Champion Somkiat Chantra is next up for the Junior Talent Team, with the Thai rider taking P11 in the Aragon heat but again, it was close and Chantra was less than a tenth off a place in the top ten. Returning teammate Yuki Kunii, who comes back from injury and subsequent surgery, wasn’t far behind either – an impressive showing from the Japanese rider. He’ll line up 17th but was only three tenths off Chantra in a tight field.
Gerry Salim also showed good pace as he cut a second and a half off his best lap in the second session of the day. Starting P22, the top twenty will be the Indonesian’s aim – as well as some points as he aims to keep progressing.
Progressing was the buzzword, meanwhile, for the British contingent. Tom Booth-Amos, whose torrid season so far has seen him fighting for the lead in Estoril before a spate of bad luck and injuries, is back on track for Round 5 and he qualified in P27. For his first race back and at an unfamiliar venue, a quarter of the field in his rear view mirrors is a job well done – and he’ll be looking firmly forward on race day.
There’s one race for the Junior Talent Team ranks at the spectacular and challenging MotorLand Aragon, with the FIM CEV Repsol Moto3™ Junior World Championship headed out on track for lights out on Sunday at 13:00 (GMT +2).
