Thai Grand Prix Moto2 Qualifying Sees Chantra Lead and a Tight Session
Colt Somkiat Chantra, known as Kalex, aged 23, claimed his first local pole in the country’s official standings of the season at the Thai Grand Prix Moto2, held at the Chang International track in Buriram. World championship leader Augusto Fernández, riding a Kalex, finished eighth on the grid as the session closed.
This season has seen ten different pole sitters in Moto2, with Chantra joining the ranks alongside Italian Tony Arbolino and Japanese Ai Ogura in the chase for the interim championship lead. Both Arbolino and Ogura have been strong competitors as the campaign unfolds, pushing Fernández to maintain his relative advantage in the standings.
In the most recent race, Celestino Vietti topped the first qualifying group with a 1:36.038, while teammates Sam Lowes and Marcel Schrötter, both on Kalex, and Spaniards Fermín Aldeguer and Marcos Ramírez also posted competitive times. The session featured several dramatic moments as riders pushed to the limit before the lights turned red.
Fermin Aldeguer made multiple attempts to climb into the second tier of classification, but Celestino Vietti managed to secure a strong result despite a late‑race crash. Vietti qualified seventh and started twenty‑first on the grid after the final run. Thai rider Keminth Kubo,DK Kalex, Dutch rider Bo Bendsneyder, also on Kalex, and American Joe Roberts, on Kalex, lined up behind Vietti in the later stages of the session.
Another setback hit Aron Canet, who again faced difficulties on track in Turn Five. In the second division, Englishman Jake Dixon led early on before being displaced from the top spot by a pack of Spaniards. Alonso López on Boscoscuro and Somkiat Chantra on Kalex were among those challenging the leaders for position.
The session opened with a flurry of improvements as the classification evolved rapidly. Chantra posted 1:35.625 as a benchmark, with Arbolino and Vietti close behind, demonstrating the seasoned experience of Thai asphalt specialists in the first qualifiers for the weekend.
Moments later, a track incident near the second and third sectors saw Spaniard Albert Arenas and American Joe Roberts crash. Roberts escaped the bike and rolled away with minor injuries, heading to the medical clinic for checks, while Arenas was unable to continue. The incident underscored the thin margin between success and retirement during qualifying.
As the clock ticked down, riders pushed to shave fractions off their personal bests, with Chantra maintaining the reference time and the main contenders chasing him. Arbolino and Ogura remained in pursuit, while Pedro Acosta also displayed strong pace, initially resting in second before moving to fourth as the final minutes elapsed.
World Championship leader Augusto Fernández endured another tricky qualifying session, finishing eighth as the flag fell. He aimed to improve but could not secure a front-row start, lining up on the third row along with Jake Dixon and Jorge Navarro, both on Kalex machinery.
The first row featured Arbolino and Ogura at the front, with Acosta, Vietti, and Alonso López claiming positions just behind. Somkiat Chantra held fourth in a field of fast contenders, while Manuel González and Cameron Beaubier, both Kalex riders, occupied the deeper strata of the top ten. Dutch rider Bo Bendsneyder and Spaniards Jeremy Alcoba and Albert Arenas completed the top five squads, setting the stage for an intense and unpredictable race weekend ahead.