Moto3 thriller at Le Mans: Fernandez snatches pole from Quiles, tire-warmer chaos for Rios

Poles at the last second, saves, crashes, plot twists: here’s how Moto3 qualifying went at Le Mans.

Pole position for Adrian Fernandez with his final breath over Maximo Quiles, Italians further back with a last-gasp save by Matteo Bertelle, and a tire warmer stuck in Jesus Rios’s bike right as he headed out for the final attack! Dazzling, drama-filled Moto3 qualifying at Le Mans, featuring the best laps of the weekend. Times had already dropped in the morning’s FP2, clearly faster than yesterday’s FP1, with a 1:40.255 by Adrian Fernandez versus the 1:41.252 by Alvaro Carpe, closing in on David Munoz’s 1:40.211 benchmark from Practice. But qualifying was even better—here’s how it went.

Guido Pini and Nicola Carraro were among the standouts in this first session to decide the starting grid for the GP at Le Mans. Right away we note a slide by the Tuscan Leopard Racing rider, with a quick return to the box, while the battle for the top four spots heats up. Also on the report are crashes for Mitani and O’Gorman, while Alvaro Carpe lays down the hammer and grabs Q2, along with Adrian Cruces, Cormac Buchanan, and Guido Pini, who got going again a few minutes after his fall.

The list of 18 is complete; now the fight begins for the front spot on the grid for this French Grand Prix. Maximo Quiles quickly takes the lead and holds it for a long time, until a blazing Brian Uriarte arrives—but his lap is deleted for track limits... Then Adrian Fernandez goes all-out and snatches the top grid slot! Pole position for the Leopard Racing rider over the Moto3 leader and Aspar Team standard-bearer, with Joel Kelso in third. And the Italians? Matteo Bertelle is 9th, Guido Pini 11th. No shortage of drama: Jesus Rios heads back out for the final attack with the tire warmer still attached to the rear wheel! The other riders point it out immediately; the Spanish rookie stops at the side at pit exit and, helped by a marshal, manages to rip it off and get going!

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