Japanese rider ahead after a solid day for the JTT in qualifying
Yuki Kunii leads the Junior Talent Team charge after qualifying for the final round of the FIM CEV Repsol Moto3™ Junior World Championship, with the Japanese rider returning in style to secure a spot in the top ten – locking out the third row in P9. That’s where he’ll launch from in his final races with the team before he moves up into the World Championship, and he’ll be looking to go out on a high at a venue that saw him a winner earlier in the season.
Compatriot Haruki Noguchi is next up and he wasn’t too far in arrears either as his progress continues to impress. He’s only a couple of tenths back from Kunii and on the fourth row in P12. Right behind him? Another familiar face; that of fellow rookie Mario Aji. The Indonesian was, again, close to his teammate and he’ll start 15th – a good position from which to aim for a good haul of points on Sunday.
British rider Max Cook, meanwhile, begins his final round of the year inside the top 20 but only a tantalising tenth off the top 15 rounded out by Aji, with the midfield almost impossibly tightly packed in and mere hundredths separating positions. For Cook, it’s not even that as the Brit set an identical fastest laptime to the rider just ahead of him. Those hundredths also affect Billy Van Eerde as the young Aussie impressed to get within a tenth of Cook, meaning he just starts on the row behind. But the tight competition ensures it’s everything to play for on Sunday, with two races seeing a slew of riders able to score, and some score big – amongst whom will doubtlessly be the Junior Talent Team.
The season finale is upon us and the JTT is certainly in a position to head out of 2019 swinging – so tune in for Race 1 at 11:00 (GMT +1) on Sunday, before Race 2 rounds out the year at 14:00.
