Salom on first row for title decider
Moto3 World Championship leader Luis Salom is prepared to challenge for the 2013 title in the definitive final race tomorrow. The young rider dominated the third practice session and crossed the line just 16 thousandths of a second behind the pole setter in the qualifying session. He will launch tomorrow’s race from the center of the front row, flanked by his two title rivals, Alex Rins and Maverick Viñales. Zulfahmi Khairuddin again placed in the top ten and will start from one end of the third row in ninth position, while Arthur Sissis will start from the eighth row in the twenty-third.
A mechanical problem forced Luis Salom to lose twenty minutes of the final free practice session, but an excellent job by the entire Red Bull KTM Ajo team allowed the Spanish rider to improve on his previous outings by not only setting the fastest the time of the session but setting a new circuit record of 1:39.879 as well. Team mates Arthur Sissis and Zulfahmi Khairuddin also improved their times from yesterday while they worked to determine a perfect setup ahead of the qualifying session, with Sissis marking a 1:41.090 to put him thirteenth fastest in the session and Zulfahmi Khairuddin following with a 1:41.268 in seventeenth.
After climbing aboard his KTM for the qualifying session, Luis Salom completed nineteen laps, setting his best time on lap sixteen stopping the clock at 1 minute, 39 seconds and 475 milliseconds, just 16 thousandths off of the pole position. Confirming the confidence in their setups, Zulfahmi Khairuddin set a time of 1:40.627, returning him into the top ten, and will start from ninth on the grid on row three. Team mate Arthur Sissis finished among a group of eighteen riders –six through twenty-fourth– all of whom were within one second of each other. The Australian rider will launch the race from eighth row on the grid in position twenty-three.
The 2013 Moto3 World Championship will be decided tomorrow at 11.00am when the red lights go out and 24 laps for the title begin. Luis Salom will be seeking his eighth win of the season, while Zulfahmi Khairuddin will try for a repeat of his podium last year and Arthur Sissis will try for a top ten finish for his first time at the circuit.
Luis Salom “Qualifying was very good, and it’s just a pity that we missed out on pole by so little –just 16 thousandths of a second. We had some mechanical issues, but I am not worried about them because tomorrow it will all be resolved. I am very happy, because my pace is very good. Tomorrow’s race will be very special for me and good to watch for the fans.”
Source: Ajo Motorsport
