Moto3 continues its merry way on the Mandalika circuit in Indonesia, this time with P2. A decisive session before qualifying, it leaves no room for error. David Alonso (CFMoto Aspar Team) was obviously one of the favourites, having won in style in the last Grand Prix. However, despite his status as a scarecrow, he was very discreet until the start of this session and had only finished 13th in P1!
For the first time, the world championship leader seemed to be in trouble. It was necessary to count on the Honda riders, in particular Angel Piqueras (Honda Leopard Racing) and his teammate Adrian Fernandez, not forgetting, of course, a very fast Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP), which had set the clocks ablaze yesterday. In short, this Indonesian GP left room for surprises.
Before we begin, here is a table which summarizes the known facts:
|
Moto3™ Indonesia, Mandalika |
2023 |
2024 |
| FP | 1'40.590 Diogo Moreira | 1'38.799 Angel Piqueras |
| P1 | 1'39.855 Deniz Oncu | 1'37.942 Colin Veijer |
| P2 | 1'38.781 James Masia | 1'37.384 Luca Lunetta |
| Q1 | 1'39.606 Taiyo Furusato | |
| Q2 | 1'39.085 Diogo Moreira | |
| Course | Moreira, Alonso, Muñoz (See here) | |
| All time lap record | 1'38.781 Jaume Masia 2023 | 1'37.384 Luca Lunetta |
The sky is partly cloudy when this 30-minute morning session begins, the last chance to go straight to Q2 for the 27 drivers, with temperatures of 29° in the air and 40° on the ground, as well as a significant wind at 13 km/h.
Green flag and here we gooooooooo! 🚦# Moto3 P2 is underway in Mandalika! ✊#IndonesianGP ️ pic.twitter.com/5pma9bBwiw
- MotoGP @ 🏁 (@MotoGP) September 28, 2024
At the end of the first flying round, it is David Munoz (BOE Motorsports) who proved to be the quickest to get going by posting 1'39.095, which he confirmed on the next pass in 1'38.291.
First improvements to make it to Q2! ⚔️📈
Steps forward from @david64official and @Taiyofurusato72 ????#IndonesianGP ️ pic.twitter.com/FzATVJLaZB
- MotoGP @ 🏁 (@MotoGP) September 28, 2024
Luca Lunetta (SIC58 Squadra Corse) then takes over in 1'37.554, which is clearly the new circuit record, then continues in 1'37.384. The session promises to be a good one!
A new benchmark, courtesy of Luca Lunetta ⏱️🔥
That's a 1:37.384 from the Italian, now ahead of @TatsukiSuzuki24 👌#IndonesianGP ️ pic.twitter.com/h9y6g8jyGW
- MotoGP @ 🏁 (@MotoGP) September 28, 2024
Angel Piqueras then makes a violent mistake in turn #11 but gets back up instantly. His bike seems very damaged and his session compromised…
That's a nasty one! 😱
Fair play to @AngelPiqueras18 who got back up in no time after such a big hit! 👍💥#IndonesianGP ️ pic.twitter.com/W1Dukc6P3n
- MotoGP @ 🏁 (@MotoGP) September 28, 2024
David Alonso then reassures his fans by positioning himself second but remains almost half a second behind the new record holder of the Indonesian track.
Midway through the session, Tatsuki suzuki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna) completes the top three ahead of the unfortunate Angel Piqueras.
Seven minutes from the checkered flag, the two drivers of the Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 team are on the ground, Jacob Roulstone having made a mistake and his teammate Daniel Holgado unable to avoid it and falling very violently on his head.
Teammates @daniholgado96 and Roulstone had a massive off 😱
Glad to see that both are on their feet 👍#IndonesianGP ️ pic.twitter.com/gjSkWQcnBs
- MotoGP @ 🏁 (@MotoGP) September 28, 2024
David Almansa (Kopron Rivacold Snipers Team) suffered a highside with two minutes left in the session, as did Luca Lunetta for the second time this weekend, while Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) moves up to 2nd place ahead of Filippo Farioli (SIC58 Squadra Corsica). Great overall performance from Paolo Simoncelli’s team!
Luca Lunetta, the rider to beat, has gone down at Turn 8! 😱
In the meantime, teammate Filippo Farioli moves up to 3rd 📈#IndonesianGP ️ pic.twitter.com/0siYI0BmwC
- MotoGP @ 🏁 (@MotoGP) September 28, 2024
Moto2 P3 result at the 2024 Indonesian Grand Prix:
Classification credit: MotoGP.com
