The Moto3™ action resumed on Saturday morning, fresh and early, with Practice 2 followed later on by the final qualifying sessions of the season at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. In chilly conditions in the morning, both Daniel Holgado and Jacob Roulstone qualified directly to Q2, before they respectively went on to qualify in 5th and 9th on the grid for the final race of the 2024 Moto3™ World Championship.

Fastest man on Friday, Daniel Holgado approached Saturday morning with good confidence with just one thing to do, retain that Q2 ticket almost already acquired on the opening day of the Motul Solidarity Grand Prix of Barcelona. The cold track conditions of a mid-november day meant that not many riders were able to improve their times from Practice 1 on Saturday morning. Ivan Ortola and David Alonso could find a way though, to take the top 2 spots of the combined practices. Daniel Holgado’s 1’46.568 had him in third in the combined standing, safe to head to qualifying 2 later on in the day. In Q2, Dani’s best of run 1 was a 1’46.550 provisionally having him in P4. The Spaniard returned on track as just 2 '30 remained, and that left us with typical Moto3™ scenes, with everyone waiting for each other at the exit of the pitlane. Luckily, there was enough time for the Spaniard to get a final shot, but no further improvements were made. Colin Veijer’s late improvement, Dani’s contenter for the 2nd position in the world championship, meant that the Dutch man progressed to P2 on the grid, while Daniel Holgado will start his final race in Moto3™ from 5th.

Just outside of the top 14 in P15 on Friday, rookie Jacob Roulstone was one of the few riders to find a way to take his lap times down in Practice 2. A late improvement to 1’46.751, confirming the Australian’s good form on the Catalan layout, had him third fastest of the morning session, a result that powered him into 6th of the combined practices, with a direct Q2 ticket in the pocket. Just after lunch time, it was time to fight for the final pole position at stake. Jacob, eager to do well on his final weekend as a rookie in the lightweight class, started with a best in 1’47.267 that had him in P12 before the strategic break. As all riders waited for each other in the pitlane, the rookie went ahead on his own for the final laps. The Aussie improved to 1’46.814, leaving him in 8th as other riders began their last flying lap. With just Veijer improving, his final position was a P9, a great qualifying result for Roulstone as he looks to finish his season in the best way possible.

There is just one race left in Moto3™, so you don’t want to miss it on Sunday at 11:00 local time (GMT+1), for 18 laps of madness. Daniel Holgado and Colin Veijer are currently equals in the world championship standing, who will be the 2024 runner-up? Let’s find out tomorrow!