Moto3 Qatar: Binder breaks record for first pole of the season
Darryn Binder lowered his own best time to a new lap record in the closing stages of Q2 to claim the first pole position of the Moto3 season in Qatar.
As the floodlights came on in Doha the action heated up - The Petronas Sprinta racing rider had set the standard with a lap already good enough to break the old record at the start of the session after hard passes on both Carlos Tatay and Romano Fenati saw him pull out an advantage.
The South African returned for a final run and slashed his time further as he chased down Jaume Masia .He passed the KTM but not before contact between the pair which was referred to race direction.
Binder crossed the line with a record 2m 04.075s lap to secure just his second ever pole start.
Mind games and strategy from the Honda man and his crew saw him ease out of the first qualifying session. With a lap over a second faster than the rest under his belt Binder made moves for a final run. A complete fake-out on leaving the pits saw the majority of riders rush to follow in his footsteps, when instead he remained seated, helmet on.
Second went to rookie Izan Guevara, just 0.203s slower. The Gas Gas Gaviota Aspar rider arrives as the Moto3 junior champion and immediately made his presence felt. His speed caught the eye of the second Petronas rider, John McPhee, who followed him around the track to claim the final front row spot.
Jeremy Alcoba had spent much of the session second to Binder but will line up fourth for Gresini in an emotional weekend for the team.
He is joined on row two by fellow countryman Jaume Masia, his final run around with Binder saw him climb to fifth. Kaito Toba - who arrived in qualifying fastest with his Friday time not bettered in FP3 - will sit in sixth for CIP Green Power.
Gabriel Rodrigo claimed a solid seventh on the second Gresini entry. Sergio Garcia will start eighth on the other Gas Gas Gaviota machine.
Riccardo Rossi (BOE Owlride) was not far behind on the timesheets for ninth, while Niccolo Antonelli used his experience to pick up the pace and complete the top ten for Avintia Esponsorama.
Promising rookie Pedro Acosta had been top of FP1 and will start eleventh for Red Bull KTM Ajo.
Fenati judged his final run all wrong after getting it right to progress from the first qualifying session and ended Q2 with no time to his name.
Similarly, 2020’s polesitter Tatsuki Suzuki was the biggest loser in Q1 - already behind the curve after missing the Qatar test following a positive Covid test, the SIC58 Squadra Corse rider pulled into the pits before his final flying lap looking for a tow.
The Japanese rider ended up at the front of the group of riders he left with, but in the end it was all academic - they were too slow on their out lap and reached the start/finish line just as the chequered flag came out. That left Suzuki last with no time registered to his name.
