Soaring asphalt temperatures exceeding 55 degrees Celsius greeted the 18 intermediate class riders as the Moto2 Q2 session got underway just past 2 PM at the Mandalika Circuit, surpassing last year's thermal levels. This blistering heat set the stage for a tense grid battle, especially with the ongoing trend of 17 other riders aiming to expand the diverse list of pole-sitters after 16 previous events saw 11 different athletes claim the premier starting slot.
The early spotlight fell firmly on Izan Guevara, who entered the session as the slight favorite following his strong pace in practice and back-to-back Grand Prix victories. However, the rest of the field had entirely different plans, immediately launching their time-attack runs under the fierce tropical sun to challenge the championship contender.
A major surprise emerged from the Forward Racing garage as Alex Escrig stamped his authority at the top of the timesheets for a significant portion of the session. The Spanish rider set a blistering pace, keeping himself comfortably ahead of rivals like Ivan Ortola and Filip Salac during the first wave of flying laps.
Meanwhile, championship leader Manuel Gonzalez endured a difficult afternoon trying to secure a competitive grid position. The Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP rider struggled to string together a clean lap, having to manage a massive near-crash moment before eventually having his fastest lap time cancelled for exceeding track limits, relegating him down the order to tenth.
As the final minutes ticked down, Guevara delivered the ultimate response by becoming the first Moto2 rider to break into the 1:31 bracket, snatching provisional and ultimate command from Escrig. Behind the top spot, Escrig held on for second while David Alonso surged into the front row with a deficit of just 0.210 seconds.
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