Qualifying
Moto2 2024
Round 13

Challenging Saturday at Misano for Chantra and Aji

sm Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli

The IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia Moto2 riders faced a tough day at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli during the San Marino Grand Prix qualifying session.

Challenging Saturday at Misano for Chantra and Aji

Thai rider Somkiat Chantra, who showed promising pace during Friday's practice sessions, was unable to maintain that momentum, finishing the day in 22nd position for tomorrow’s race. Meanwhile, Indonesian rookie Mario Aji struggled to find the proper pace in qualifying, ending the session in 28th place.


Hiroshi Aoyama
Hiroshi Aoyama
After today's Moto2 qualifying session, we experienced excellent weather, but the high track temperatures created challenging conditions. Both Somkiat Chantra and Mario Aji gave their best effort to achieve good results, but unfortunately, their hard work did not pay off as expected.
It was a stressful session for both riders, and neither was able to advance to Q2. Starting from these positions won’t be easy for tomorrow’s race, but we need to focus on improving and pushing harder from the beginning. The lap times are very close between riders, so there was potential for a better result today. However, we will give it our all tomorrow to secure a good result.

Somkiat Chantra
Somkiat Chantra 35
IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia
We’ve just completed Qualifying here at Misano. This morning, during the final practice session, I crashed while pushing to secure direct access to Q2. In Q1, I tried to push hard from the start, but despite my efforts, I wasn’t able to achieve the desired result.
We improved our lap time slightly, but it wasn’t enough to move into Q2. It’s disappointing to start from P22, but we will give our maximum effort tomorrow to achieve the best possible result.

Mario Aji
Mario Aji 34
IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia
Today was a tough day for me. There were a few unexpected issues, particularly in the last sector. While the feeling was better compared to the practice sessions, it wasn’t enough to deliver a competitive result. This track is particularly difficult for me.
Now, we will evaluate what needs to change and focus on addressing the weak points during the race. Although it was a difficult day, I won’t shy away from the challenge. I will work hard, accept my mistakes, and learn from them. This is all part of the process. Tomorrow, I will look to gain valuable experience from both the race and the other riders, as well as learn lessons for the next race at Misano.


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