KUALA LUMPUR: Petronas Yamaha Sepang Racing Team’s (SRT) Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli gave Malaysian fans much to cheer about after notching a 1-2 in qualifying at the Spanish Motorcycle Grand Prix in Jerez on Saturday.
Rookie Quartararo took pole after laying down a blistering one minute and 36.880s lap in Q2 which was also a new all-time lap record for the circuit.
Danilo Petrucci had set the previous record of 1:36.957s earlier this weekend.
Morbidelli was not far off his teammate with his 1:36.962s good for second. Repsol Honda's Marc Marquez completed the front row on 1:36.970s.
It is definitely a proud achievement for SRT as the fledgling team are only three races old. SRT is the first-ever Malaysian owned team competing in the premier class.
Meanwhile, Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah, who has struggled since the start of the season, settled for 23rd on the grid from 24 riders after notching 1:40.042s in Q1.
The Red Bull KTM Tech3 rider admitted it was tough in qualifying.
“I didn’t have a good feeling with the bike today (Saturday). We tried to find a decent setup, but in the end, it has been a bit disappointing for everybody," said Hafizh.
"To be honest, I was a bit confused as we tried many different things and in the end, it was difficult to break the 1:40s mark.
"We need to make a step forward and try tomorrow (Sunday). I hope we can stay with some other riders during the race.”
Petronas Sprinta Racing's Khairul Idham Pawi withdrew from the Moto2 race after suffering fractures on the little finger of his right hand. He sustained the injuries during a crash in practice on Friday.