2014 Circuit of the Americas Qualifying Results
The winner of 2014 Moto2 Championship’s opening round at Qatar’s Losail, Marc VDS Racing’s Tito Rabat, secured the pole at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas.
The Spaniard, who won at COTA last season, posted a 2:10.135 around the 3.426-mile circuit containing 20 corners. Joining him on the front row will be Johann Zarco (AirAsia Caterham Moto Racing) and Dominique Aegerter (Technomag carXpert).
Rabat outpaced Zarco by 0.266 of a second for the top spot on his Kalex machine, but Zarco’s Caterham team will also be pleased to be on the front row at just their second Grand Prix.
Aegerter was 0.287 of a secondoff pole to secure his first ever front row start. Just behind the Swiss rider on the grid is Belgium’s Xavier Simeon (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) who heads a second row which also features Spanish duo Julian Simon (Italtrans Racing Team) and Maverick Viñales (Pons HP 40)German Moto2 rookie Jonas Folger (AGR Team) qualified seventh, ahead of Italian Simone Corsi (NGM Forward Racing) and Japan’s Takaaki Nakagami (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia) on row three.
Another German Marcel Schrotter (Tech 3) rounded out the top ten and therefore heads the fourth line of the Austin grid.
There were crashes for Sandro Cortese (Dynavolt Intact GP), Thomas Luthi (Interwetten Paddock Moto2) and Axel Pons (AGR Team) but all escaped unharmed, a relief for Cortese after a big accident on Friday and the heavy crash he suffered in Qatar.
As for the solo American on the grid, Caterham Racing’s Josh Herring 27th, 2.495 of a second off Rabat’s time.
The Moto2 race at the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas takes place at 1:20 p.m. ET Sunday.
