Superpole Highlights:
- A formidable Beatriz Neila (Ampito Crescent Yamaha) makes it two in a row, the Spaniard topping the Superpole timesheets at Balaton Park just as she did at the recent UK Round.
- Hot on her heels, championship leader Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Racing Team) who fought to the last to close just three tenths from polesitter Neila.
- A podium finisher at Donington, Chloe Jones (GR Motosport) is clearly keen to continue that positive trend. A frontrunner in both Friday’s sessions, the British rider scored her best Superpole result to date to qualify a strong third for Race 1.
- A tenacious Roberta Ponziani (Klint Forward Racing Team) was not put off by a crash in morning practice. Despite losing most of that session, the determined Italian bounced back to place fourth in qualifying.
- Also fighting at the sharp end today was Pakita Ruiz (PR46+1 Racing Team), a convincing performance by the Spaniard ensuring her of a fifth-place finish.
- Currently third in the championship standings, Sara Sanchez (Terra&Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR Team) had to work hard today but was rewarded with a spot on the second row of the grid.
- Motivated by strong results at the previous round, a determined Lucie Boudesseul (GMT94-YAMAHA) ultimately set the seventh fastest time, just two tenths from fourth-placed rider Ponziani.
- Keen to boost her points tally this weekend, New Zealander Avalon Lewis (Carl Cox Motorsports) started strong today, qualifying a strong eighth and joined on the third row by Natalia Rivera (Terra & Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR Team), in ninth position.
P1 | Beatriz Neila | Ampito Crescent Yamaha | 1’53.526
“This is my second consecutive pole so I’m really happy with that. Qualifying was a little bit tricky in terms of the conditions and traffic, but I got the result I wanted. Balaton seems like a good track for me, as I was able to finish first this morning too. I like the track and will be doing my best to repeat what I’ve done so far in Saturday’s race. It’s a new track for everyone but it looks like Maria and I have a bit of an advantage. I hope there’ll be a group of us in the race, but it may be just the two of us; we’ll see.”
P2 | Maria Herrera | Klint Forward Factory Team | 1’53.866
“This is my first time here as I wasn’t able to test beforehand. I felt good from the outset though and was able to improve my times, lap by lap, throughout the day. In qualifying I think I could have done pole, but a rider hindered me on my fastest lap. I’m happy with the result anyway, as the front row is always positive. We can still improve a little in terms of riding style and bike setup, we’ve already done a lot, but I think we can do more for tomorrow. We need to finish ahead of Beatriz in the race or at least score as many points as possible; I expect a hard fight.”
P3 | Chloe Jones | GR Motosport | 1’54.120
“I’ve had a really good Friday. A lot of the riders hadn’t lapped here before today, while I was able to test here a couple of weeks ago, so I was very fortunate in that respect. It was fairly easy to get back up to speed again today and we had a good practice and Superpole, which hopefully sets me up for a strong weekend. I feel I’ve done my homework and have tried to learn any way that I can, walking the track, looking at other riders’ data, many little things that can help. I’m definitely aiming for the podium; I got a taste for it at Donington and it would be very special if I could do it again here.”
Superpole Results
1. Beatriz Neila (Ampito Crescent Yamaha) 1’52.526s
2. Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Racing Team) +0.340s
3. Chloe Jones (GR Motosport) +0.594s
4. Roberta Ponziani (Klint Forward Racing Team) +1.011s
5. Pakita Ruiz (PR46+1 Racing Team) +1.069s
6. Sara Sanchez (Terra & Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR Team) +1.174s
