Sasaki to start San Marino Grand Prix from fourth row, Van den Goorbergh sixteenth in Misano

Ayumu Sasaki qualified twelfth on Saturday afternoon for the San Marino Grand Prix. The Japanese rider advanced from Q1 to Q2 at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, where he eventually set the twelfth fastest time. Zonta van den Goorbergh went straight through to Q2 but crashed during his fastest lap, meaning he will start Sunday afternoon’s Moto2 race from sixteenth on the grid.

The sixteenth Grand Prix of the 2025 season got underway on Friday under sunny skies at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. Zonta van den Goorbergh ended the first day with the seventh fastest time, securing a direct spot in Q2, while RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP teammate Ayumu Sasaki missed out on a direct Q2 entry by just a tenth of a second, finishing sixteenth.

Saturday again brought sunshine on the Adriatic coast, and after the second free practice session it was time for qualifying. In Q1 Sasaki posted the fourth fastest time, which was enough to move him through to Q2. In that second qualifying session the Japanese rider recorded a 1’34.591, falling less than four tenths short of pole position, which placed him twelfth on the grid for the San Marino Grand Prix.

Van den Goorbergh was on a very fast lap in the closing stages of Q2 but went over the limit going into Turn 8, which caused him to crash. The Dutchman was unhurt but had to settle for sixteenth place.

Ayumu Sasaki (P12 – 1’34.591 / +0,375):
“I am happy about today’s qualifying, we managed to improve from Friday and this morning’s session. In terms of setup we made quite a big step forward, and I also improved the feeling with the bike. We still have to make some further improvements for the race of tomorrow, and then I think we can fight for the top ten. I will try my best tomorrow and hopefully we will have a good race.”

Zonta van den Goorbergh (P16 – 1’34.861 / +0,645):
“I gave my maximum today, unfortunately that maximum was just a little too much in Q2. I was under pole time in the first sector but in the second sector it went wrong. Because of that, we are starting a bit further back than I would like, but sometimes that’s just part of it. We’ll see what we can do in the race tomorrow.”

Jarno Janssen – RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP team manager:
“It was another positive day here in Misano. Zonta had already secured a direct spot in Q2 on Friday, while Ayumu finished inside the top four in Q1 and therefore also advanced to Q2. Once again the gaps in the Moto2 class are extremely small, and even if you are less than four tenths slower than the polesitter, you still end up on the fourth row. In any case, we know that Ayumu is capable of delivering a strong race and we will all do our very best to make that happen.

Zonta got off to a strong start in Q2 but unfortunately had a small crash in the closing stages of the session. At that moment he was going very fast, and sometimes it can happens that you lose the front. In this class you are always riding on the limit – especially in qualifying – so that’s part of the game. With both riders we have a good starting position, so now let’s make sure we turn this into a strong race result.”

The 22-lap Moto2 race at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli will start on Sunday afternoon at 12:15h.