Darryn Binder with promising row 3 start, Tulovic P24
Darryn Binder's ninth place on row three gives hope of a points-winning Australian Grand Prix for the LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Team's Moto2 squad. Lukas Tulovic once again faces yet another challenge at the 16th race of the season, starting from row 8.
Whereas a week ago the tropical heat of Indonesia made things difficult for the riders, freshening Pacific winds and mild temperatures around 20°C on Phillip Island, the Mecca of Australian motorsport, are creating completely new challenges.
Darryn Binder improved noticeably in the course of the practice session from Friday to Saturday and clearly feels comfortable on his Kalex machine. He finally managed to go straight into Qualifying 2, where he fought his way onto the third row of the grid. From ninth position, the 25-year-old will go into the Aussie battle with a good feeling. The South African hopes to keep pace with the leading group and score a lot of points.
Lukas Tulovic is back Down Under after four years. The demanding track and difficult conditions in qualifying ultimately resulted in tenth place in Qualifying 1, which the German consequently did not get beyond. The 23-year-old's feeling for his Kalex is nevertheless positive, which is why last year's Moto2 European Champion will start the presumably stormy Australian Grand Prix in good spirits from 24th place on the grid in row 8.
Whether the Moto2 race can take place an hour earlier at 11:15 a.m. local time (02:15 a.m. CEST), as newly planned, will depend on the weather conditions, because the forecasts predict nothing good with squalls and heavy rain. For this reason, Moto2 will also be given a ten-minute warm-up session in the morning in order to be able to adjust to the possibly changed conditions.
Results
P1
1. Fermín ALDEGUER/ SPA/ BOSCOSCURO – 1'32.794
2. Pedro ACOSTA/ SPA/ KALEX – 1'33.003 (+0.209)
3. Aron CANET/ SPA/ KALEX – 1'33.238 (+0.444)
19. Darryn BINDER / RSA / KALEX – 1'34.552 (+1.758)
23. Lukas TULOVIC/ GER/ KALEX – 1'34.954 (+2.160)
P2
1. Fermín ALDEGUER/ SPA/ BOSCOSCURO – 1'32.548
2. Aron CANET/ SPA/ KALEX – 1'32.686 (+0.138)
3. Jake DIXON/ GBR/ KALEX – 1'33.098 (+0.550)
14. Darryn BINDER / RSA / KALEX – 1'33.910 (+1.362)
21. Lukas TULOVIC/ GER/ KALEX – 1'34.280 (+1.732)
P3
1. Fermín ALDEGUER/ SPA/ BOSCOSCURO – 1'32.128
2. Joe ROBERTS/ USA/ KALEX – 1'32.578 (+0.450)
3. Sergio GARCIA/ SPA/ KALEX – 1'32.708 (+0.580)
13. Darryn BINDER / RSA / KALEX – 1'33.456 (+1.328)
18. Lukas TULOVIC/ GER/ KALEX – 1'33.827 (+1.699)
Q1
1 Filip SALAC/ CZE/ KALEX – 1'32.943
2. Celestino VIETTI/ ITA/ KALEX – 1'33.052 (+0.109)
3. Barry BALTUS/ BEL/ KALEX – 1'33.084 (+0.141)
10. Lukas TULOVIC/ GER/ KALEX – 1'33.917 (+0.974)
Q2
1. Fermín ALDEGUER/ SPA/ BOSCOSCURO – 1'31.888
2. Aron CANET/ SPA/ KALEX – 1'32.230 (+0.342)
3. Alonso LOPEZ/ SPA/ BOSCOSCURO – 1'32.572 (+0.684)
9. Darryn BINDER / RSA / KALEX – 1'32.946 (+1.058)
