MotoGP Aragon: McPhee ‘feeling strong, excited for race’

Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max’s John McPhee had a strong Saturday at Motorland Aragon as he claimed fifth in Moto3 qualifying.

Having spent Friday suffering from brake issues, McPhee was back to his best for day two, as he repeatedly circulated in the top ten from the outset. With his place in Q2 secured from eighth in FP3, the Scot completed the day’s progress with a 1’58.296 to sit fifth and in the middle of the second row for Sunday’s 19-lap race, directly behind teammate Ayumu Sasaki in second.

“Today was definitely a positive day!” McPhee said on Saturday evening. “Since FP3 I felt good with the brakes again, this was a positive step, of course. In this way I was able to focus on my riding.

“I am fifth on the grid and the second row is a great starting point. I feel very strong.

“Regarding the race distance, we need to see, Because now this is my weak point. Overall things are going more positively, so I am excited for the race tomorrow.”

While the on-track action proved successful for the Max Biaggi-led squad, pitlane saw otherwise with an altercation between two team members and Tech3 KTM’s Adrian Fernandez, resulting in both internal and championship sanctions.