Today’s Moto2 qualifying session at Estoril was a crash fest and all about how to avoid a damp patch at turn 1, but Stefan Bradl once again took the pole position, his third consecutive one this season, snatching it from Thomas Luthi in the dying minutes of the session.
Bradl won his first race in Moto2 on the Portuguese circuit last year on a Suter chassis before his Keifer Racing team switched to Kalex.
Next to Bradl and Luthi on the front row will be with Julian Simon for Aspar Suter.
Reigning 125cc world champion Marc Marquez, who crashed out in the first two races of the season, will be starting in fourth, while a suprising Dominique Aegerter took fifth for Technomag-Suter, just before crashing out.
Gresini’s Michele Pirro grabbed the sixth spot, and his team mate Yuki Takahashi was seventh.
Kenan Sofuoglu will start in eighth and he was only one of the very long list of riders who fell that included Alex De Angelis, Claudio Corti, Thomas Luthi (very early in the session), Pol Espargaro, Yonny Hernandez, Ricky Cardus, Ratthapark Wilairot, Tito Rabat, Kenan Sofuoglu, Dominique Aegerter, Anthony West and Michele Pirro.
Closing out the top ten were Jules Cluzel and Pol Espargaro, while points leader Andrea Iannone once again struggled during qualifying and will be taking off in the 14th spot.
Moto2 Estoril Qualifying results:01- Stefan Bradl – Viessmann Kiefer Racing – KALEX Moto2 – 1’41.
59102- Thomas Luthi – Interwetten Paddock Moto2 – Suter MMXI – + 0.
16303- Julian Simon – Mapfre Aspar Team – Suter MMXI – + 0.
31404- Marc Marquez – Team Catalunya Caixa Repsol – Suter MMXI – + 0.
48205- Dominique Aegerter – Technomag CIP – Suter MMXI – + 0.
55206- Michele Pirro – Gresini Racing Moto2 – Moriwaki MD600 – + 0.
62807- Yuki Takahashi – Gresini Racing Moto2 – Moriwaki MD600 – + 0.
66808- Kenan Sofuoglu – Technomag CIP – Suter MMXI – + 0.
71609- Jules Cluzel – NGM Forward Racing – Suter MMXI – + 0.
80910- Pol Espargaro – HP Tuenti Speed Up – Speed Up S-11 – + 0.
86511- Aleix Espargaro – Pons HP 40 – KALEX Moto2 – + 0.
90212- Alex Baldolini – NGM Forward Racing – Suter MMXI – + 0.
95513- Scott Redding – Marc VDS Racing Team – Suter MMXI – + 0.
97214- Andrea Iannone – Speed Master Team – Suter MMXI – + 1.
00015- Bradley Smith – Tech 3 Racing – Tech 3 Mistral 610 – + 1.
15216- Axel Pons – Pons HP 40 – KALEX Moto2 – + 1.
15517- Simone Corsi – Ioda Racing Project – FTR Moto M211 – + 1.
25318- Raffaele De Rosa – Desguaces La Torre G22 – Moriwaki MD600 – + 1.
36219- Mattia Pasini – Ioda Racing Project – FTR Moto M211 – + 1.
40520- Ricard Cardus – QMMF Racing Team – Moriwaki MD600 – + 1.
48921- Xavier Simeon – RTL Sport Team – Tech 3 Mistral 610 – + 1.
52922- Mika Kallio – Marc VDS Racing Team – Suter MMXI – + 1.
54923- Tito Rabat – Blusens STX – FTR Moto M211 – + 1.
59824- Ratthapark Wilairot – Thai Honda Singha SAG – FTR Moto M211 – + 1.
69525- Randy Krummenacher – GP Team Switzerland – KALEX Moto2 – + 1.
75526- Mike Di Meglio – Tech 3 Racing – Tech 3 Mistral 610 – + 1.
77527- Kenny Noyes – Avintia STX – FTR Moto M211 – + 1.
80828- Alex De Angelis – JiR Moto2 – MotoBI – + 1.
88129- Anthony West – MZ Racing Team – IAMT RP2 – + 2.
06930- Claudio Corti – Italtrans Racing Team – Suter MMXI – + 2.
08331- Javier Fores – Mapfre Aspar Team – Suter MMXI – + 2.
11932- Valentin Debise – Speed Up – Speed Up S-11 – + 2.
41933- Yonny Hernandez – Blusens STX – FTR Moto M211 – + 2.
49934- Santiago Hernandez – Blusens STX – FTR Moto M211 – + 2.
76435- Robertino Pietri – Italtrans Racing Team – Suter MMXI – + 3.
24436- Mashel Al Naimi – QMMF Racing Team – Moriwaki MD600 – + 3.
50937- Kev Coghlan – Aeroport de Castello – FTR Moto M211 – + 3.
78938- Steven Odendaal – MS Racing – Suter MMX – + 4.
964Insomma, 1/3 dello schieramento di partenza a terra con la maggior parte dei protagonisti costretti domani ad una rimonta con la certificata incognita delle mutevoli condizioni climatiche.