Here’s the thing about Friday at Phillip Island: the margins are always razor-thin, but this was something else. Izan Guevara, riding for BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2, managed to lay down a 1:30.016 that put him right at the top of the timesheets when Moto2 Practice drew to a close. That time was just enough to pip home hero Senna Agius of Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP by a slender 0.018s. Unreal.
Right behind them, rounding out a top three covered by a mere 0.272s, came David Alonso for the CFMOTO Power Electronics Aspar Team. And Alonso was not even the only Aspar machine making noise. His teammate Daniel Holgado dragged his bike to P4 in Practice despite taking a heavy crash at Turn 10 with just over 20 minutes left on the clock. Just 0.003s further back in fifth place sat Filip Salač representing the OnlyFans American Racing Team, capping off a frantic flurry of late improvements as the session hit its dramatic final stages.
Further down, the rest of the pack kept things incredibly tight, with three more riders finishing less than four tenths adrift of Guevara's benchmark. That group included sixth-fastest Alonso Lopez of ITALJET Gresini Moto2, followed by Alex Escrig for the KLINT Racing Team, and crucially, World Championship leader Manuel Gonzalez riding for Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP. Gonzalez heads into what is shaping up to be a wet and wild weekend at Phillip Island sitting 0.371s slower than Guevara, but the most important stat for the championship leader is that he is safely straight into Q2.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for everyone near the top of the points table. Ivan Ortola, currently sitting third in the standings for QJMOTOR - R.O.M.E.A – MSI, missed out on the automatic cut. For the first time this season, the Spaniard is going to have to fight his way through Q1 if he wants any shot at a front-row start here in Australia.
