Van den Goorbergh storms to fourth place in qualifying at COTA, P24 for Sasaki
Zonta van den Goorbergh qualified fourth on Saturday afternoon for the Moto2 race at the Circuit of The Americas. The Dutch rider had already secured a direct spot in Q2 on Friday and demonstrated an impressive pace. RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP teammate Ayumu Sasaki faced a tougher challenge on the demanding American circuit and qualified in 24th place.
Friday’s action at the Circuit of The Americas began in heavy rain as predicted. Both sessions were held in wet conditions, with Zonta van den Goorbergh securing a direct Q2 spot by setting the 12th-fastest time. Ayumu Sasaki was not far off but had to go through Q1 after ending in 18th.
On Saturday the sun was shining in Texas, and after a final practice session the qualifying sessions took place in the afternoon. Van den Goorbergh put in a very strong performance, setting a lap time of 2’07.790 to qualify fourth for the Grand Prix of the Americas. This marks his best qualifying result since November 2024, when he secured a front-row start at the season-ending Grand Prix in Barcelona.
Sasaki struggled more in his first weekend on a Moto2 machine at the challenging Circuit of The Americas, setting a best lap time of 2’08.894 in Q1. As a result, the Japanese rider will start Sunday’s 16-lap Moto2 race from 24th on the grid.
Zonta van den Goorbergh (P4 – 2’07.790 / +0,358):
“I’m definitely satisfied with today’s qualifying result. After yesterday’s rain, we had a dry and warm day as predicted, although the track was still far from fully dry this morning. Fortunately, conditions improved in the afternoon, and we managed to qualify in fourth place. Of course, I’m happy with that, especially since this morning was quite challenging, and I didn’t have the best feeling with the bike. We worked hard to make some changes, and in the end, it paid off. Naturally, you always want more, but we can certainly be pleased with fourth place. Now, all focus shifts to tomorrow, where we aim to achieve another strong result.”Ayumu Sasaki (P24 – 2’08.894 / 1,539):
“It was a difficult day and I was struggling to have a good feeling. We were not so slow but the level is high and everyone is going very fast. We have to check all the data tonight and work hard ahead of tomorrow’s race. I think we still have possibilities to have a good race. We need to focus and try to improve tomorrow, then we’ll see where we end up.”Jarno Janssen – RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP team manager:
“We had a really good day. Zonta secured a great spot on the second row with the fourth-fastest time—it was a very strong qualifying performance from him. This morning, we were still searching for the right setup, but securing fourth place is a great boost heading into tomorrow. It gives a lot of confidence for the race, and he’s showing that he has the speed. If he can stay with the front group, great things are possible.On Ayumu’s side, we’re still trying to find the right direction. It didn’t quite come together today, which is unfortunate. There is certainly room for improvement—we all know that—so we need to make sure he has the confidence to take that next step. The gaps are small, so it won’t be easy, but this is another race where we need to learn and take the positives from.”
The Moto2 race at the Circuit of The Americas will start on Sunday at 12:15 local time, 19:15 Central European time. Please note: in the night from Saturday to Sunday, the clocks in Europe will move forward by one hour due to the start of daylight-saving time.