The Openbank Aspar Team driver will start the Dutch Grand Prix again from first position, seven days after achieving it in Germany
The Openbank Aspar Team rider Jordi Torres repeats on pole position seven days after achieving it in Germany. Torres will start for the second consecutive Grand Prix from the first position on the grid after the Italian Mattia Casadei, who had been the fastest in qualifying practice, received a penalty for incorrect tyre pressure. In this way, Torres also takes the track record, which with the new Ducati has already dropped by almost two seconds compared to last season. Matteo Ferrari and Eric Granado will accompany him in the front row. Héctor Garzó, third classified overall, will start the last Grand Prix before the summer break behind his rivals, from the fourth row.
Torres had been second in both practice sessions and has arrived at the qualifying with clear ideas. The Spanish will start ahead of his main rivals for the title and will try to take advantage of this situation to close the first part of the season as the clear leader of the category. His Openbank Aspar Team teammate María Herrera will start from eighteenth in tomorrow's two races. The Spanish has completed the first free practice with the aim of adapting to the track with the new Ducati, but she has suffered a tyre problem in the first practice which has changed her plans. In the afternoon, Herrera has had to compete in a Q1 in which the presence of riders from the top 5 has made it difficult for her to get through to the second qualifying session. Herrera, who has suffered the increase in temperature on the track, has not been able to improve his morning time and will have to push tomorrow from eighteenth position to fight with the group.
Pole Jordi Torres 1:40.743: “It has been a very good day, we have finished at the top in all the sessions. Tomorrow we will have to defend ourselves a lot. We are at a stage of the season in which everybody wants to be at the front to get their job done before the break. We have to be aware of our race situation and don’t make any mistakes. Everything can happen tomorrow, but we will focus on getting on with our work. Our rivals will give their 100%, but we'll give the best too.”
18th María Herrera 1:44.024: “The qualifying has been quite complicated. I had to improve in some parts and that's why I have tried to follow other riders, but it has not worked out well. The practice has been also difficult: in the first one I have not been able to try anything because of a problem with the tyre and in the second one I have improved, but I was backward because of the problem of the first free practice. Tomorrow we can be in the group if we concentrate the maximum.”