Deniz Öncü translated his dominance in the Moto3 Thai GP practice sessions into a pole position. Despite not posting a faster time than this morning, the Turkish rider was fast enough in qualifying to secure the top spot.
After the initial flying laps, Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets-MSi/KTM) was leading ahead of Ryusei Yamanaka (Gaviota GasGas Aspar) … although several riders only completed their first laps a bit later.
One of them was Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo), who had set the pace in the free practice sessions. During the early stages of qualifying, he returned to the pits after completing three laps without registering a timed lap.
The top two riders held their positions for a long time, while Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) moved into third place. Inside the last five minutes, Öncü finally set a valid fast lap, taking the top spot, beating Moreira by 0.057s.
In the final minutes, some crashes caused yellow flags, making it challenging for any further improvements. No one could overtake Öncü, who thus secured the pole position. Moreira and Sasaki complete the first row of the grid. Jaume Masiá (Leopard Racing/Honda), the championship leader, will start from seventh place.
Results:
Overall qualifying results: