The inaugural Moto3 class with their 250cc four stroke, single cylinder machines having replaced the 125cc class started today’s 2012 season with the first official practice session at the Losail circuit in Qatar.
Topping the timesheets, as everyone more or less expected is this year’s title favourite Maverick Vinales, who took the lead on his penultimate lap to dethrone Luis Salom who led for most of the session.
The Avintia FTR-Honda rider then bettered himself with a last lap flyer and post 2.
9.
762.
Luis Rossi (FTR-Honda) took second with his last lap and finished just 0.
218 from Vinales and the only two riders to break the 2.
10 mark.
Luis Salom (Kalex KTM) ended up in third and 0.
539s off pace followed by Miguel Oliveira who was the last rider to be within a second from Vinales.
Sandro Cortese was fifth, followed by GP rookie Romano Fenati on a FTR-Honda who took 6th on his first time at the Qatar circuit.
Niklas Ajo was 7th with Zulfahmi Khairuddin, Héctor Faubel and Alexis Masbou closing out the top ten.
Lap times will probably drop as the track becomes more rubbered.
Moto3 Qatar FP1 results:1 25 Maverick VIÑALES Blusens Avintia FTR Honda 2′09.
7622 96 Louis ROSSI Racing Team Germany FTR Honda 2′09.
9803 39 Luis SALOM RW Racing GP Kalex KTM 2′10.
3014 44 Miguel OLIVEIRA Estrella Galicia 0′0 Honda 2′10.
3855 11 Sandro CORTESE Red Bull KTM Ajo KTM 2′10.
8806 5 Romano FENATI Team Italia FMI FTR Honda 2′10.
9227 31 Niklas AJO TT Motion Events Racing KTM 2′10.
9738 63 Zulfahmi KHAIRUDDIN AirAsia-Sic-Ajo KTM 2′11.
2379 55 Hector FAUBEL Bankia Aspar Team Kalex KTM 2′11.
29010 10 Alexis MASBOU Caretta Technology Honda 2′11.
37711 23 Alberto MONCAYO Bankia Aspar Team Kalex KTM 2′11.
53812 41 Brad BINDER RW Racing GP Kalex KTM 2′11.
84713 27 Niccolo ANTONELLI San Carlo Gresini Moto3 Honda 2′11.
92214 84 Jakub KORNFEIL Redox-Ongetta-Centro Seta FTR Honda 2′12.
03315 99 Danny WEBB Mahindra Racing Mahindra 2′12.
07816 42 Alex RINSEstrella Galicia 0′0 Honda 2′12.
15317 19 Alessandro TONUCCI Team Italia FMI FTR Honda 2′12.
33618 89 Alan TECHER Technomag-CIP-TSR TSR Honda 2′12.
54219 53 Jasper IWEMA Moto FGR FGR Honda 2′12.
83620 61 Arthur SISSIS Red Bull KTM Ajo KTM 2′13.
07021 77 Marcel SCHROTTER Mahindra Racing Mahindra 2′13.
55722 26 Adrian MARTIN JHK T-Shirt Laglisse Honda 2′13.
60523 32 Isaac VIÑALES Ongetta-Centro Seta FTR Honda 2′14.
38124 21 Ivan MORENO Andalucia JHK Laglisse FTR Honda 2′14.
61125 51 Kenta FUJII Technomag-CIP-TSR TSR Honda 2′14.
74826 8 Jack MILLER Caretta Technology Honda 2′14.
94327 9 Toni FINSTERBUSCH Cresto Guide MZ RacingMZ-RE Honda 2′15.
25828 52 Danny KENT Red Bull KTM Ajo KTM 2′18.
415 94 Jonas FOLGER IodaRacing ProjectIoda 2′28.
610 15 Simone GROTZKYJ Ambrogio Next Racing Oral 2′32.
135 3 Luigi MORCIANO ITA Ioda Team Italia Ioda 7 Efren VAZQUEZ SPA JHK T-Shirt Laglisse Honda