Dani Holgado and David Alonso were unable to secure direct entry into Q2 on a very eventful Friday in the intermediate category

The intermediate category saw its usual work schedule disrupted on the first day of the Dutch Grand Prix. Track conditions caused by several crashes in Moto3 delayed the start of Moto2 activity by more than an hour. Once the day resumed, Filip Salac was the fastest rider on Friday. The Spaniard Aron Canet took second place, followed by current championship leader Manu González. The CFMOTO Inde Aspar team riders did not have the best start to the weekend, as Dani Holgado and David Alonso struggled to find good feelings at the TT Circuit Assen. The duo in the intermediate category finished in nineteenth and twentieth position respectively, meaning they will have to go through Q1 tomorrow. 

The weather forecast predicted wet free practice for the intermediate category as well. However, the delay caused by the track conditions after numerous crashes in Moto3 led to a new situation for the Moto2 riders. The CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team riders took to the track with slick tyres in search of a positive first contact with one of the most technical circuits on the calendar. Both Holgado and Alonso had some difficulty riding smoothly with the Moto2 and finished the morning at the back of the standings. In the afternoon, both riders had another opportunity to progress in their adaptation to the Dutch track. The afternoon practice session was also held in dry conditions, and both riders significantly improved their times in search of a position that would qualify them directly for Q2. However, the progress made was not enough, and Holgado finished in nineteenth position with a time of 1:36.224, followed by his teammate David Alonso in twentieth, two thousandths behind. The CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team riders will have to give their all tomorrow to secure a place in Q2 and be in contention for a good starting position for Sunday's race.

19th Dani Holgado 1:36.224 (+1.355): “We had a bit of bad luck with the yellow flags today. I also made a mistake and exceeded the track limits. That's how it is, sometimes these things happen, but the important thing is that the speed wasn't bad. The time could have been better, but I know we could have made it straight through to Q2. It's okay, we're feeling good and tomorrow we have another chance to keep working. It's a circuit where you must have very clear reference lines and I'm struggling a bit because it's very different from Moto3, but we have room for improvement. Jorge Martínez ‘Aspar’ has given me some very good advices on how to save time on a lap, and it has been useful. We just have to keep improving in those areas. Tomorrow will be a good day to gather data, take a step forward in terms of lap times and make a good tyre choice for the race, so we will go for more and try to improve on today's result.”

20th David Alonso 1:36.226 (+1.357): “I'm struggling to find a way to ride fast at Assen. I've been trying different things, but they're not working out. It already happened to me in Moto3, on this type of circuit I find it a little harder to ride naturally. It's a style that I find more difficult and that I'm trying to work on it this weekend. It's important to have very clear lines, although it's a bit frustrating to see that things aren't working out as I would like. Jorge Martínez Aspar's comments are very helpful; they always help us to keep moving forward. Physically, I'm feeling fine, my finger has healed and it's not something that's stopping me from riding.”