Japanese Ayumu Sasaki (Husqvarna) secured pole position for the Moto3 Portuguese Grand Prix, as the Portimao circuit produced a blistering pace on race day and set the tone for the starting lineup on Sunday.
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Sasaki delivered a lap of 1:46.798, a new benchmark that eclipsed prior performances.
In the first division, Spaniard Xavier Artigas (CFMoto) topped the session, while the fastest four riders had to drop into the second division to advance, with Japan’s Tatsuki Suzuki (Honda) among them, joined by Dutchman Collin Veijer (Husqvarna) and Italian Riccardo Rossi (Honda). The only female rider in the field, Ana Carrasco (KTM) from Spain, finished thirteenth, lining up twenty-seventh for the Portuguese race.
Marc Márquez’s spectacular return with a dominant pole in Portimao
Fully engaged in the second classification, the Japanese rider Kaito Toba emerged as the early reference in the category, yet the class is known for its changing fortunes as the session unfolds. Following Toba, Xavier Artigas, Joel Kelso from Australia, and Ayumu Sasaki of Japan moved into the front row as the schedule progressed.
Strategies remained familiar to observers from recent seasons: many riders were chasing a strong wheel from the front to set a competitive time. Sasaki appeared determined to improve the record, and in the second run he pushed to a 1:46.798, a time that seemed unattainable by rivals throughout the entire qualifying period.
With less than three minutes remaining, Joel Kelso (CFMoto) climbed to second place behind Sasaki, but 17-year-old Spaniard José Antonio Rueda (KTM) surged 0.096 seconds faster than Sasaki, vaulting into third. Although most riders attempted another late time attack, the margin for top honors remained tight. In the end, Sasaki held the pole position as the session wrapped up, staying on track in the closing moments for one final run of evaluation.
Ultimately, Ayumu Sasaki’s pole time stood firm, with Colombian-born Spaniard Daniel Holgado (KTM) and Iván Ortola (KTM) securing second place in the queue. José Antonio Rueda and Joel Kelso earned the front row positions for the season’s first pole opportunity, echoing a strong Madrid performance by David Alonso (GasGas) in the earlier rounds.
Spain’s Xavier Artigas (CFMoto), Turkey’s Deniz Öncü (KTM), and Spain’s Jaume Masiá (Honda), along with Italian Stefano Nepa (KTM) and Japan’s Kaito Toba, all claimed top-three status in the combined ranking, with Italian Riccardo Rossi in fourth. A cluster followed just behind, featuring Spain’s David Muñoz, the Dutchman Collin Veijer, and Japan’s Tatsuki Suzuki, with Brazilian Diogo Moreira, Japan’s Ryusei Yamanaka (KTM), and Spain’s David Salvador (KTM) close by in the pecking order.