Tough qualifying for RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP in Thai heat

The first qualifying session of 2025 at the Chang International Circuit in Thailand proved to be a tough one for RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP. Ayumu Sasaki qualified in 21^st position in his debut weekend with the Dutch team, while Zonta van den Goorbergh was unable to go beyond 26^th place in qualifying.

After successful test days in the cooler European climate, RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP travelled to Thailand where the conditions were vastly different, with tropical temperatures nearing 40°C. The first day ended with Sasaki in 18^th place and Van den Goorbergh in 22^nd, meaning both riders had to take part in Q1.

In that Q1 session, Sasaki set the seventh-fastest lap time, securing him 21^st place on the grid for the first Grand Prix of the year. Van den Goorbergh had shown his pace earlier in the morning with a strong third-fastest time, but due to a grip issue he was unable to replicate that performance in qualifying. With a disappointing 12^th place in Q1, the 19-year-old Dutchman will have to start Sunday’s Moto2 race from 26^th on the grid.

Ayumu Sasaki (P21 – 1’35.302 / +0,668):
“It was a difficult qualifying session with the hot temperatures. However, we did manage to improve ourselves from previous practice sessions and I felt good with the bike, which is important. It’s a shame we missed going to Q2 as the lap times were very close. I think we could have done a little bit better in terms of lap time. I know where I improved and I know where I still need to improve, so I will try to prepare as much as I can for tomorrow. It’s going to be a very tough race and I expect there to be big groups, because the lap times are so close. I will do my very best and try to finish inside the points’ positions.”

Zonta van den Goorbergh (P26 – 1’35.458 / +0,824):
“It’s a shame how we ended the day after starting so strong with a third place in the morning session. Everything felt better than yesterday, and I was able to push much harder, which was also reflected in the lap times and in the video footage where the bike looked solid. I already said yesterday that I felt good, and that showed with that third position.

However, in the afternoon under the warmer conditions, there was nothing left of that; I had many of the same issues as yesterday, including losing the rear a few times. We don’t yet know exactly where these problems are coming from, but it is strange that we went from being outside the top twenty on Friday to suddenly being in the top three on Saturday morning, only to drop back outside the top twenty again.

It wasn’t just a single fast lap this morning; my overall pace was significantly higher. The data clearly shows that we are losing a lot of grip when exiting the corners, and with these long straights that costs us a lot of time. When entering the corners, I was just as fast as in the morning, so it’s clear where we are losing time.

In any case, we’ll stay calm and try to figure out where these issues are coming from. Hopefully, we’ll have some answers tonight so we can have a good race tomorrow. It’s only the first race of the season, and I know the speed is there. We’ll try to get the feeling back for what will be a very long and tough Grand Prix tomorrow.”

Jarno Janssen – RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP team manager:
“We started the day very well with a third-fastest time for Zonta in the second free practice, and everything seemed under control. After yesterday we made several changes to the bike, and since things worked out well in the morning, the surprise for us as a team was quite big in the afternoon. It just wasn’t there, and that is disappointing of course, especially when you feel like you can be competitive.

We know that track conditions change throughout the day and become increasingly challenging, but that’s the same for everyone. It’s up to us to handle that as best as possible. It will be a tough race but I still believe we can go home with some points, even though it will be very difficult from this starting position.

On Ayumu’s side we can’t be too dissatisfied, even though there was possibly a bit more to gain. He wasn’t able to improve by a few extra tenths and he’s not happy about that himself, but we will have to build on this with him. There is a lot of potential, and he knows where he is losing time at the moment and where things need to improve.”

The Moto2 race over of 22 laps of the Chang International Circuit will start on Sunday at 13:15h local time, 07:15 Central European time.