Sasaki on the fifth row in red hot Mugello, Van den Goorbergh escapes injury after heavy crash

Ayumu Sasaki qualified in 15th place on Saturday afternoon for the Italian Grand Prix at the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello. The Japanese rider advanced from Q1 to Q2 and ultimately achieved his best qualifying result of the season so far. His teammate, Zonta van den Goorbergh, was also very fast in Q1 but suffered a heavy crash due to a high-sider.

This weekend marks the ninth Grand Prix of 2025, held at the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello. The action began on Friday under bright sunshine and temperatures exceeding 30°C. By the end of the day, Zonta van den Goorbergh and Ayumu Sasaki had not secured direct passage to Q2, finishing 18th and 19th respectively.

Saturday again saw very warm conditions at the Italian circuit, with both RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP riders taking part in Q1. Van den Goorbergh started off very strong but then suffered a heavy fall due to a high-sider. Fortunately, the Dutchman escaped almost unscathed, but it meant he ultimately qualified 27th for the Moto2 race of the Italian Grand Prix.

His teammate Sasaki managed to secure a spot in Q2 by setting the fourth-fastest time in Q1. In the second qualifying session, the Japanese rider clocked the 15th fastest lap – his best qualifying result of the season so far.

Ayumu Sasaki (P15 – 1’50.370 / +0,625) :
“Today we had our best qualifying of the year so I’m happy with that. The lap time was very good and we ended in 15th position. I expected a bit more in terms of position when I went to Q2, but everyone was very fast and this was all I could do. We have a good race pace after the long run we did this morning, we found some things we can improve for tomorrow. We need to make sure to make these improvements work and finish the race, and then finally score some points which is the target.”

Zonta van den Goorbergh (P27 – 1’53,198 / +3,543):
“It was bound to happen at some point, but I would’ve preferred a different moment. It’s my first crash of 2025 and it was a big one – I’m lucky I could walk away from it. We were fast this morning and everything felt good. In the afternoon, the plan was to go out on my own, but in the final sector I suddenly encountered a large group of riders waiting. That forced me to abort the first lap, and in the second lap I was hindered again. I had to take a different line to complete the lap, but that ultimately led to the crash. The fall caught me by surprise; I didn’t expect the rear to step out there. I was on a very fast lap at that moment, so something like this can happen. My apologies to the team for the crash, but days like this are part of racing. Tonight, it’s important to be as fit as possible for tomorrow, and then tomorrow the goal is to ride a strong race.”

Jarno Janssen – RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP team manager:
“Both riders were in Q1 today and things initially looked promising, especially for Zonta. But when you’re riding on the limit things can go wrong, and unfortunately that’s what happened. He was on a very fast lap but crashed heavily. Fortunately, he didn’t suffer any injuries, though he’ll undoubtedly feel the effects tomorrow morning. It’s going to be a very tough race and a big challenge to achieve a good result from that starting position. In any case, we have to give it our all and hope for something positive.

Ayumu was able to progress from Q1 to Q2, which in itself is already a very good performance. He ended up qualifying 15th, which continues the trend of the past few weeks – we are gradually making progress. I think we can be quite satisfied with this position, even though it will also be a long and difficult race for him tomorrow. Still, it gives us hope for a good result.”

The Moto2 race, consisting of 19 laps, will start Sunday afternoon at 12:15 PM at the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello.