Archie McDonald clinched the pole position for the European Stock race at the Algarve International Circuit on Saturday. The rider set the fastest time of the session late in qualifying on the Portimão track.
In the first qualifying session, the final four spots in Q2 were contested. Jose Luis Armario (SuperHugo 44 Team/Yamaha) topped the session, with Joan Santos (Yamaha GV Racing) second, trailing by 0.148s.
Gonçalo Capote (EasyRace Team/Yamaha) and Kylian Nestola (SF Racing/Yamaha) also advanced to Q2. Manuel Rocca (Team Zivimotor/Yamaha) narrowly missed out, finishing fifth, just 0.145s short of qualification.
In Q2, Mario Mayor (Yamaha GV Racing) led for most of the session. However, McDonald (MRE Talent/Yamaha) surpassed him near the end, clocking his penultimate lap at 1m45.751s, 0.171s faster, securing pole position.
Adrián Rodríguez (SF Racing/Yamaha) will start third on the grid. The championship leader, Lorenzo Dalla Porta, is not participating in this round. Mayor, currently second with 20 points fewer, has an opportunity to overtake the Italian in the standings.