The Monster Yamaha Tech3 pair starred in today’s nail-biting qualifying shootout in Austin, Texas to seal two top tier grid positions for the headline event tomorrow. With slippery track conditions occurring this morning, both riders graduated for Q2 courtesy of yesterday’s FP2 times, with Zarco finishing in 4th and Folger in 9th in the combined standings. When the session began, Johann Zarco immediately laid down his pace before storming to a personal best that eventually left him just 0.062 behind Dani Pedrosa and as the top independent rider. Whilst Jonas Folger pushed the limit in the 15-minute shootout at the COTA track and will start the round 3 battle from the middle of the third row on the grid after producing a solid effort. The main event will commence at 14:00 local time, or 21:00 in Europe.

Johann ZARCO - Position: 5th - Time: 2'03.928- Laps: 6

"Today went positively for myself and the team and we are very pleased with the qualifying result for tomorrow’s race. In Q2, we used the soft compound of tyre, like almost everyone else, and my feeling was strong on the Yamaha. I set a solid lap time, and I held third at the end of the session, but then Rossi and Pedrosa, who have a lot of experience, were able to improve their times and I ended up in 5th. The result is still fantastic and I will use this opportunity to push for a great finish. I aim to undertake a solid start and then stay with the top guys for as long as possible and learn from them because this is the best way to gain knowledge. Throughout this weekend my ambition has been to work in preparation for the race, but at the same time, I have been able to post a fast lap time whenever it was necessary. So, I am still learning and I will need some more time to get closer to the front, but at the moment everything is going well which is why I can smile."


Jonas FOLGER - Position: 8th - Time: 2'04.623 - Laps: 7

"I am happy with my qualifying result today and I am looking forward to the fight tomorrow in Austin, Texas. We had a bit of a tricky beginning to the day and I had a few issues in the morning. Yet, the team and I worked hard and we found the correct direction to head toward for the qualifying, and here, I got my confidence back. In the end, we scored a solid 8th place on the starting grid which is positive and I know I can do a good job from there. In Q2, Perhaps we could have found a few more tenths, but I made a small mistake at the end. Nevertheless, I am still pleased and tomorrow, if I ride smart and undertake a strong start plus ride a consistent pace, then I know that we can take a lot of points home."