Soaring track temperatures reaching a blistering 65 degrees Celsius failed to hinder David Almansa as he blazed to the top of the timesheets during Friday's Moto3 Practice at the Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit for the Indonesian Grand Prix, securing a direct spot into Q2.
From the moment the 35-minute session got underway, riders were immediately tested by the severe tropical conditions in Lombok. The scorching asphalt presented immense challenges regarding tire grip, leading to early drama on track as Hakim Danish suffered a heavy highside crash at turn 10, while Joel Kelso also went down at turn 10.
Amidst the grueling battle to tame the circuit, the battle at the sharp end of the field immediately ignited. Almansa and Maximo Quiles set the early pace at the summit of the timing screens, while Alvaro Carpe and Brian Uriarte also consistently showed strong competitive speed near the front.
As the session reached its tense final minutes, the fight for the crucial top-four spots intensified dramatically. Local favorite Veda Pratama experienced anxious moments when the Honda Team Asia rider temporarily slipped down to fifteenth position, but a brilliant late recovery saw the Indonesian youngster secure twelfth place to guarantee a direct ticket to Q2 in front of his home fans.
At the front of the field, Almansa remained untouchable as the LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP rider clocked a benchmark lap time of 1'37.169. He finished 0.088 seconds clear of Quiles in second, with Matteo Bertelle rounding out the top three. Meanwhile, the biggest heartbreak belonged to David Munoz, who missed out on a direct Q2 spot by a agonizing nine-thousandths of a second and will now be forced to battle through Q1 on Saturday.
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