Sasaki secures 13th starting position at rainy Sachsenring, Van den Goorbergh 22nd

Ayumu Sasaki qualified 13th for the Moto2 race at the Sachsenring on Saturday afternoon. In cool and very rainy conditions, the Japanese rider managed the 13th fastest lap in the second qualifying session, achieving his best qualifying result of the season. Zonta van den Goorbergh will lead the eighth row from 22nd place on the grid.

The German Grand Prix began on Friday with favourable conditions at the Sachsenring. Ayumu Sasaki impressed in the afternoon session with a sixth-fastest time, securing direct placement into Q2. Zonta van den Goorbergh was only two-tenths slower than his teammate but ended the day in 19th, meaning he had to take part in Q1.

Saturday was wet throughout, with all sessions taking place in rainy conditions. Van den Goorbergh gradually gained confidence on the wet German asphalt but ultimately finished eighth in Q1, putting him 22nd on the grid. Sasaki struggled in Q2 but managed to set the 13th fastest time, securing his best starting position of the season.

Ayumu Sasaki (P13 – 1’36.273 / +2.786):
“I was able to qualify in 13th position, which is positive. The conditions were very difficult today and I struggled with rear grip. I know I’m not the only one with that issue but we have to look into it and try to improve. Otherwise, I think our day was quite good and hopefully it will be dry tomorrow. We don’t really know what the race pace will be, but I think we will be able to keep up. Let’s make sure we make a good start and then I’ll try to follow the group in front of me. The target is to finish inside the top 10 tomorrow.”

Zonta van den Goorbergh (P22 – 1’35.202 / +1.574):
“We’re still searching a bit for the right balance, which is causing us to lack grip and not be able to fight for more. Normally, these are the kind of conditions where I perform well, but that wasn’t the case today. With the lap time I set in Q1 I would have been competitive in Q2, but in any case we’re still in the process of figuring things out. We’ll have to wait and see what the weather will be like tomorrow. We’re getting closer and that’s the most important thing, so the goal will be to close the gap tomorrow and see if we can get a bit more out of it.”

Jarno Janssen – RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP Team Manager:
“It was a day with tough conditions. The Sachsenring is a circuit that can’t really be compared to any other, but we were in a good place yesterday. Ayumu ended the day in sixth and Zonta in nineteenth, with just 0.2 seconds separating them. Then you hope you can carry that form into today, but the conditions were very tricky. Things didn’t come easy in the rain, and especially with Zonta, we’re facing some challenges. The conditions will likely be different again tomorrow, so we’ll have to approach the race as it comes. We need to make sure we’re in a good position in the first few laps—then anything can happen.”

The 25-lap Moto2 race at the Sachsenring will start Sunday afternoon at 12:15.