American Racing’s Joe Roberts set a new Losail International Circuit lap record in FP2 at the QNB Grand Prix of Qatar to end top of the timesheets in the Moto2 class yesterday. Roberts’ 1:58.421 was 0.248 clear of intermediate class sophomore Marco Bezzecchi (SKY Racing Team VR46) and his teammate Luca Marini closed out the top three on Day 1.
After topping Free Practice 1 (FP1) earlier in the day, Tom Luthi (Liqui Moly Intact GP) had a tricky start to his FP2 after crashing at Turn 14 while on a session best lap. There were no such troubles for Tetsuta Nagashima (Red Bull KTM Ajo) though as the Japanese rider, who finished P11 in FP1, shot to the top of the times with the fastest lap of the weekend. In the early stages, plenty of riders were beating their FP1 times, with Marini and Bo Bendsneyder (NTS RW Racing GP) going well in the opening exchanges.
Having finished P4 in FP1, Augusto Fernandez (FlexBox HP 40) then took over the P1 baton with around 25 minutes remaining. However, the Spaniard then suffered a crash at Turn 5 which ended his session early.
There was plenty of movement on the times to come as Nicolo Bulega (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) climbed to P3, with Marini then going P1 as he and Bezzecchi continued to work together under the floodlights, just as they did in the opening session. But the Italian stranglehold wouldn’t last long as there was an American express was turning up the wick.
Roberts was setting the timing screens alight and the number 16 went P1 with a new lap record in FP2, beating Marini by over three tenths. It was a phenomenal day for Roberts having picked up P5 in FP1, and the same can be said for SKY Racing Team VR46. On the last lap, Bezzecchi would leapfrog ahead of Marini for P2 on the timesheets as the riders in P7 and P8 in FP1 claimed P2 and P3 in FP2.
Exactly half a second off Roberts’ time in P4 was Nagashima, a good improvement for the new Red Bull KTM Ajo recruit from FP1 to FP2, with Xavi Vierge (Petronas Sprinta Racing) having a better afternoon to finish P5 overall, the Spaniard crashing in FP1. Fernandez slipped to P6 after his FP2 tumble to end 0.653 off the pace, with Bendsneyder having a great FP2 to finish P7 overall on Day 1, the Dutchman claimed P18 after the opening session of 2020.

Fernandez ends fastest in Moto3
Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Raul Fernandez had the honour of sitting at the top of the timesheets at the close of the opening day of the 2020 Moto3 World Championship, just 0.018 of a second adrift of Aron Canet’s fastest-ever lightweight lap around the Losail International Circuit.
All but four of the Moto3 contenders improved on their FP1 lap, including yesterday morning’s second-fastest rider Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse), as the sun began to set in the Doha desert, as FP1’s pacesetter Sergio Garcia (Estrella Galicia 0,0) slipped back to third quickest. Separating the two talented Spanish teenagers in the top three was South African Darryn Binder (CIP Green Power), who ended just over a tenth away from Fernandez’s 2:04.577.
Honda Team Asia’s Ai Ogura was again just outside the fastest three in fourth, thanks to his final lap of the session, with compatriot and former teammate Kaito Toba a place further back in fifth. Rivacold Snipers Team’s Tony Arbolino was the first man not to dip beneath the 2:05 barrier in sixth place, just ahead of fellow Italian Andrea Migno (SKY Racing Team VR46).
Leopard Racing’s Jaume Masia was three-quarters of a second away from top spot in eighth ahead of Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) and Friday’s fastest rookie Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech 3). Fellow rookies Yuki Kunii (Honda Team Asia) and Carlos Tatay (Reale Avintia Racing) provisionally claimed the final Q2 spots in 13th and 14th place.
After Migno and Albert Arenas (Aspar Team) both crashed out of FP1, nobody slipped off during the second session of the day for the lightweight class. 
 (MotoGP.com)