David Almansa led Moto3 World Championship practice Friday afternoon at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, in Italy. Almansa used his Pirelli-shod Gaviota Leopard Racing Honda to lap the 2.63-mile (4.23 km) track in 1:40.596, which led the field of 27 riders.
His teammate, Adrian Fernandez was second-best with a time of 1:41.094.
Joel Kelso, piloting his LevelUp MTA KTM, claimed the third and final spot on the front with a lap time of 1:41.110.
Valentin Perrone finished the session fourth on his Red Bull KTM Tech3 with a time of 1:41.114.
Championship point leader, Jose Antonio Rueda was fifth at 1:41.219 on his Red Bull KTM Ajo.
More from a press release issued by Dorna:
Almansa fronts Leopard Racing 1-2 in Misano Practice. Fernandez’s P2 sees the Hondas make a rapid start as Kelso completes the front three.
That’s what a great afternoon at the office looks like for Leopard Racing as David Almansa and Adrian Fernandez hand the Honda outfit a 1-2 Friday finish at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, with the session leader 0.498s clear of the field. Almansa’s 1:40.596 was the only time below the 1:41 mark, as Joel Kelso (LEVEL-UP MTA) completed the top three.
Valentin Perrone (Red Bull KTM Tech3) and World Championship leader Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) sail into Q2 after earning P4 and P5 on Friday, with Maximo Quiles (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) sixth quickest after finishing P17 in FP1. Elsewhere, Barcelona podium finisher Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia) finished P7 to head straight into the pole position fight alongside Jacob Roulstone (Red Bull KTM Tech3) and in-form David Muñoz (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP).
Angel Piqueras (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI) squeezed through in P12 on a day where he was confirmed to be moving up to Moto2 with the MSI squad in 2026, while compatriot Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) encountered issues with his KTM that meant the rookie wasn’t able to challenge for a top 14 spot.
Tune into Moto3 qualifying at 12:45 local time on Saturday afternoon!
