Moto3 India Qualifying: Jaume Masiá hero after the flood, disaster for Daniel Holgado

It's time for the first Moto3 qualifying in India. At the end of the suspense, it was Jaume Masiá who took a remarkable pole position, in the rain. These two sessions promised to be particularly tasty in view of the action proposed during P3 this morning. As a reminder, it was Diogo Moreira (KTM MT Helmets MSi) who finished in the lead, he who had been relatively discreet since the start of the season. Collin Veijer, rookie at Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP, was not far away, as he has been since the start of the weekend. Jaume Masiá (Honda Leopard Racing) remained in ambush and could legitimately claim pole. On the other hand, Q1 should not be missed! Daniel Holgado fell this morning, condemning him to go through this stage for the third time in a row. Just like Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo), who held his left wrist after a highside while returning to the pits!

Everything is so unpredictable in Buddh! So, even if you know the result of these qualifications, Come relive the progress of these two sessions with us! Before we begin, here is a table which summarizes the known facts:

 

Buddh Moto3™	2023
P1	2'00.324 Jaume Masia
P2	1'59.566 Collin Veijer
P3	1'59.375 Diogo Moreira
Q1	1'59.070 Deniz Öncü
Q2	2'09.336 Jaume Masia
Course
All time lap record	1'59.375 Diogo Moreira

 

It starts off badly for Deniz Oncu ! He is now penalized with a long lap in addition to a start from the back of the grid for not having respected the black flag this morning. The Turk is running with a broken finger, and the team has decided to appeal.

 

 

From the start of the session, Kaito Toba (Honda Sic58 Squadra Corsica) is illustrated, but this same Deniz Oncu, despite his penalty, goes first under 2'00. You absolutely have to be in the top four to progress to Q2. Daniel Holgado is also on the leg.

 

 

Deniz Oncu still improves despite the pain, but be careful to Scott Ogden (Honda TrackVision Racing). In the last moments, Daniel Holgado manages to climb into second position, Öncü not being threatened. Ryusei Yamanaka (Gaviota GasGas Aspar Team) is third qualified, just ahead Scott Ogden. These are the four selected for Q2. Kaito Toba is the first injured party.

Well, that's what we thought! The turn of Daniel Holgado is deleted well after the end of Q1, and he thus moves to fifth, out of the Q2 group! What a disaster for the championship leader, who certainly didn't need that! Kaito Toba takes its place.

 

 

Results of Q1 Moto3 of the Indian Grand Prix at Buddh Circuit:

 

 

Yes but everything could change, because the rain seems to be coming! These episodes can be particularly violent in this part of the world. Umbrellas are out. The downpour is heavy, dense, leaves no respite. Plus, the wind is starting to pick up.. It's a real tropical rain that falls on the Buddh circuit. Due to these conditions, the session is postponed. The sky has become extremely black, it is the flood, see instead:

 

 

Roman Fenati (Honda Snipers Team), with an ankle injury, will miss the Indian and Japanese Grand Prix. Definitely! After more than 40 minutes of waiting due to rain, the Moto3 riders are finally on track! Drivers must adapt to these new conditions very quickly if they want to achieve pole.

 

 

Jaume Masia is the first to record a reference time, but it is difficult to say what it is worth. In 2'14.515, he is much faster than the second, namely the specialist in these conditions Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia). Each lap, we see improvement from many drivers, including Matteo Bertelle (Honda Snipers Team) and Diogo Moreira, in particular. Jaume Masia is still the favorite, but it's impossible to say who will achieve the best time at the very end of this session.

 

 

Clearly, the Spaniard seems to have more speed than his opponents. Can pole even escape him? Scott Ogden, since Q1, has been dangerous but still far from the Leopard driver. Besides, the first three ride Hondas, an interesting fact.

 

 

It's over on Buddh's side! Jaume Masia takes pole position by further improving his mark, and enjoys a lead of seven tenths over Matteo Bertelle. Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP), exercise specialist, is third. In the last lap, the fall of Ryusei Yamanaka caused the yellow flags to come out, which bothered a lot of competitors.

 

 

Results of Q2 Moto3 of the Indian Grand Prix at Buddh Circuit:

 

 

Classification credit: MotoGP.com

Cover photo: Honda Leopard Racing