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MotoGP Friday practice won't count towards Qatar GP qualifying after sudden rain

The second Qatar Grand Prix practice session will not count towards qualifying for the opening round of the 2024 MotoGP season following a sudden downpour at the Losail International Circuit.

With the track being declared wet on Friday evening due to a short but heavy burst of rain, MotoGP will instead refer to the final practice on Saturday morning (officially referred to as Free Practice 2, despite being the third session in the order) to determine who all will gain an automatic entry into Q2.

Rain hit the Losail circuit for the first time around 7pm local time (4pm GMT), catching the Moto3 field off guard and leading to Ajo rider Jose Antonio Rueda losing control of his KTM at the final corner.

Race control initially announced that the following two sessions in Moto2 and MotoGP classes will go ahead as scheduled, but the riders in the intermediate class weren’t too comfortable with the conditions on track.

While Moto2 practice ran without any major issues, only a handful of riders ventured outside the pitlane, with Gas Up Racing’s Jaume Masia's best effort on the Kalex being more than 15 seconds off the pace set in much more favourable conditions on Friday afternoon.

Source: Autosport

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