The CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team riders have confirmed their participation in Q2 after finishing the day in fourth and fifth position

Máximo Quiles and Marco Morelli have had a great start to the season in Thailand and will compete in the first Q2 of the year. The CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team riders set the fourth and fifth fastest times of the day on their debut at the Thai circuit and ended the day feeling very positive. The Spanish rider was also just a few thousandths off the top three in the standings, which were led by Spaniard David Almansa, followed by Álvaro Carpe and Valentín Perrone.

The CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team completed the first session of the season with a clear idea: to get to know the circuit and go from strength to strength in order to arrive at the first race of the year with maximum confidence. Máximo Quiles only needed four laps to be half a second faster than many of his rivals, although his goal was to focus on himself to find a good set-up and fight for Q2. In the afternoon, a light rain just before the start of the session forced the riders to take extra precautions. The CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team duo made a big leap forward from their morning times, with both improving their lap times to occupy the top spots in the standings. Quiles rode alone and closed the gap on the leading riders. With a time of 1:41.226, he was just two tenths of a second off the top spot. His teammate Marco Morelli followed closely behind and achieved an outstanding fifth position thanks to his 1:41.370.  This means that both riders in the smaller category will be able to fight for the top positions on the starting grid in the qualifying session for the Thai Grand Prix.

4th Máximo Quiles 1:41.226 (+0.236): “I'm very happy with today's work. I'm a rookie in Thailand, but it went very well. I really enjoyed the first session and I like this track a lot. In the afternoon, the track was a bit wet, and I didn't want to take too many risks, but with new tyres I improved my feeling a lot. The track wasn't perfect, and there wasn't much grip. I was able to ride alone but looking for the limits. I felt comfortable and was able to set a good time. Today, I did what I had to do: focus on myself. Every time I go out on track, I'm going to keep improving. If I want to be fighting for races and for the title, I have to keep my head and stay calm. And when it's time to show my fighting spirit, I'll show it.”

5th Marco Morelli 1:41.370 (+0.380): “We've finished the first ‘real’ day. I was really looking forward to this moment. In the first session, I worked on adapting to the track and getting to know it well, always riding with the same tyre. We improved the set-up and did some simple work that will be very useful for Sunday's race. The afternoon was a little more stressful, but we managed to go straight through to Q2. For now, we've achieved our first goal and I hope we continue to be in Q2 in the future.”