The CFMOTO Valresa Aspar Team rider has started the Grand Prix of the United States at the top of the Moto3 states on top. His team-mate Marco Morelli, in ninth place, has also secured his place in Q2

Máximo Quiles has started the Grand Prix of the United States in the same way he finished the Grand Prix of Brazil: leading the Moto3 timesheets. The CFMOTO Valresa Aspar Team rider was the fastest on the first day of practice and he also improved the track record by almost two tenths. His team-mate Marco Morelli has also secured a place in Q2 after finishing in ninth, although he was just one tenth off the top three. Guido Pini was the second-fastest rider on Friday, followed by Álvaro Carpe in third.

The CFMOTO Valresa Aspar Team enjoyed a perfect morning to kick off the third round of the season. Máximo Quiles drew on last year’s experience to make it clear that he will be one of the big favourites this weekend by setting the second-fastest time in free practice. His teammate Marco Morelli also got off to a positive start and, although it was his first time at the Circuit of the Americas, he finished in fifth place. In the afternoon came the first major challenge of the weekend: securing a place in Saturday’s Q2. The CFMOTO Valresa Aspar Team riders took to the track ready to give it their all, especially Máximo Quiles, who quickly improved on his morning times to move to the top of the standings. Despite briefly losing the lead, Quiles kept pushing hard to improve on his morning time by more than half a second and reclaim first place. His 2:13.757 also set a new track record. Meanwhile, his teammate Marco Morelli continued to adapt to the American circuit and needed more laps to secure a place in Q2. The Argentinian didn’t give up and completed a superb final lap that saw him go straight into the top 10 with a time of 2:14.373.

1st Máximo Quiles 2:13.757: “I felt really good on the bike today and had a great feeling. The team is doing a brilliant job to get me feeling this good right from the first session. I was keen to start the weekend with good conditions from the get-go. It’s a brilliant circuit because it’s where I made my debut last year and where it all began. I’m really enjoying it because it’s a track that suits my style. It was quite hot in the afternoon and I was pushing a bit to the limit. I had a good time, but I had to ease off a bit to be able to learn properly. I need to calm down a bit more, ride more calmly because on the first out I had a few scares. The positive thing is that I understand why they happened and it’s under control. I’m learning more and more how to handle each situation and I still have room to keep improving.”

9th Marco Morelli 2:14.373 (+0.610): “I’m facing a new circuit again and this time it’s been a bit more complicated. I like the track, but we need to keep improving the set-up bit by bit. It’s the first day; we’ve stayed close to the top times, but the good thing is that we’ve got plenty of room for improvement. Tomorrow morning’s practice will be very important to prepare for qualifying and keep improving our feel for the bike. We’ll make the most of it; I’m convinced we’ll take another step forward.”