Joe Roberts earned pole position during FIM Moto2 World Championship qualifying Saturday at the Mugello circuit, in Italy. Riding his OnlyFans American Racing Team Kalex on Pirelli control tires, 26-year-old Roberts lapped the 3.2-mile (5.3 km) road course in 1:49.877. Not only was that good enough to top the field of 31 riders, it was also good enough to break the All-Time Lap Record of 1:49.926, which was set by Alonso Lopez during Saturday morning’s practice.
Sergio Garcia was second-best with a lap of 1:49.955 on his MT Helmets – MSI Boscoscuro, while Lopez claimed the third and final spot on the front row with a time of 1:50.132 on his MB Conveyors SpeedUp Boscoscuro.
More, from a press release issued by Pirelli:
Standard Pirelli tyres for the new all-time lap records in Mugello
Pole position for Roberts in Moto2™ and Alonso in Moto3™ who also set the new lap records using the same tyres available for purchase to any rider
The qualifiers for the Italian Motorcycle Grand Prix round, which is being held at the Mugello International Circuit, had Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing Team/Kalex) in Moto2™ and David Alonso (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team/CFMOTO) in Moto3™ taking pole position for the respective races on Sunday.
In Moto2™, American Joe Roberts did his fast lap in Q2 with a time of 1’49.877, which is also the new track lap record, breaking Pedro Acosta’s 2023 record by almost seven tenths of a second.
In Moto3™, David Alonso continues to shine, once again fastest in all the sessions and, already in free practice on Friday morning, setting the new all-time lap record on the Tuscan track for the Moto3™ category, only to improve on it consistently in each session, all the way to P2 on Saturday where, with a time of 1’53.926, he shattered the previous record definitively by more than 2 seconds.
Giorgio Barbier
Motorcycle Racing Director
New records with standard tyres available for purchase on the market
“For this GP, we had decided to rely on the standard allocation made up exclusively of factory tyres, and I’d say that the decision has proven to be adequate, given the fact that, here in Mugello, we have once again abundantly broken the all-time lap records in both classes. In Moto3™, Alonso’s time is incredible. He broke the previous record by more than 2 seconds! At the moment, the Columbian rider seems to have a bit more than the others, but we should point out that, besides him, another 17 riders also dropped below the previous track record, so it is not just a matter of a single rider’s skill, but rather a collective improvement. In Moto2™, the all-time record was also broken by a considerable amount – more than six tenths of a second. These results were not obtained with prototype tyres, but with standard tyres which are available for purchase regularly on the market. In other words, this means that any rider can purchase the exact same tyres used by Roberts and Alonso, put them on their own bike, and come turn laps on this same track. We are not talking about a technology transfer, but rather making available to every rider in the world, the exact same tyres as the Moto2™ and Moto3™ champions. As for the races tomorrow, in Moto2™, we expect that the soft solutions will be the most used, both at the front and at the rear. In Moto3™, the medium SC2 seems to be the favourite at the front, combined with the soft SC1 rear or, in the event that the asphalt temperatures should increase significantly, possible with the medium SC2.”
Tyres On Pole
Moto2™
In qualifying, all the riders used the soft SC0 rear compound, almost always combined with the soft SC1 front. Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing Team/Kalex) took pole position with a time of 1’49.877 on the sixth of his seven laps. This time also sets the new all-time track lap record, improving on Pedro Acosta’s 2023 record by almost seven tenths of a second.
In the qualifiers, all of the top ten riders in the standings dropped below the previous track record, but in P2, the nine fastest riders had already beaten Acosta’s time.
Moto3™
After being fastest in all the sessions, Columbian rider David Alonso (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team/CFMOTO), took pole position with a time of 1’54.194 for the race tomorrow using tyres in medium SC2 compound at the front and soft SC1 compound at the rear. Behind him, completing the front row of the grid, are Spaniards Iván Ortolá (MT Helmets-MSI/KTM), with the same compounds chosen by the pole man, and Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo/KTM), who went with soft SC1 tyres on the front and rear.
In addition to taking his fourth pole position of the season, David Alonso set the new all-time track lap record for the Moto3™ class with a time of 1’53,926, more than 2 seconds faster than the previous record set by Tatsuki Suzuki in 2021.
More, from a press release issued by OnlyFans American Racing Team:
American Racing Team riders to start from front rows at Mugello
Mugello, Italy – June 1, 2024 – Joe Roberts has secured the pole position for the
Italian Grand Prix at Mugello, his first pole position in the 2024 season. Roberts
dominated the qualifying session, setting a new all-time lap record and
solidifying his status as a leading contender in the 2024 Moto2 championship.
Marcos Ramirez showcased an incredible recovery today, coming through Q1 to
Q2, where he ultimately qualified on P6. Starting from the second row in
tomorrows Grand Prix, the team is excited to for both riders to fight in the front.
As the team prepares for tomorrow’s race, we extend our gratitude to our fans
and sponsors for their support.
Qualifying Results
Joe Roberts – P1 | 01:49.877
Marcos Ramirez – P6 | 01:50.358
