Terol starts Dutch GP from front row

The top four riders in the 125cc show no signs of letting anybody else into the chase for honours here in Holland, leaving the field trailing by a full second in this afternoon’s qualifying practice. Bancaja Aspar pair Nico Terol and Bradley Smith dominated the session along with Marc Márquez and Pol Espargaró, although Márquez picked up the pace in the final minutes to secure pole for a race that looks set to be just as close as Silverstone five days ago.

Nico set two fast laps with nineteen minutes remaining to sit in provisional pole whilst Smith, who made a late pit-stop to try and improve the rear grip of his Aprilia, ran into traffic on his return to the track but pulled a last gasp lap out of the bag to leap above his team-mate and secure second spot. Terol, who set the quickest top speed today of 220.1km/h, struggled in the final two sectors but his pace in the first half of the lap, which matched Marquez, was enough to secure his second consecutive front row start.

3rd Nico Terol 1.42.865 (18 laps): “I’m very satisfied with my performance over the past two days because I have felt good since I got here and my pace has been consistent. In qualifying I was making great progress but when I put the second tyre on and tried to push we didn’t move forward as we hoped. There are still a couple of sections where we can improve but we have a good base and that is important for the race. Marc set a great lap at the end and he’s the man to beat tomorrow. I worked really hard to get on the front row and if somebody tries to escape we should be in a good position to give chase. Marc has a better pace than the rest of us but things tend to level out in the race and I think we can fight with him for the win. The race will be tough because the top four guys all have a good pace but I feel confident.”

Source: Aspar Team