Canet clinches classy pole by a tenth and a half

Moto2, Misano: Canet controls FP3 before stunning in qualifying

Aron Canet was the master of Misano on Saturday, the Flexbox HP40 rider smashing the lap record and claiming a tenth pole position of 2022

Canet had already topped FP3 in the morning but, even then, few could have predicted the fireworks to come in qualifying. The Spaniard was on it from the off, immediately setting the pace and then lowering it on his next lap.

Although a number of riders came close, none could match Canet's best of 1m36.258s, set on his third lap of the session. That gave him a tenth and a half advantage over Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo), with Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) just 0.038s further back in third.

The second row will be headed by Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) ahead of Alonso Lopez (CAG Speed Up) and Celestino Vietti (Mooney VR46 Racing Team). Vietti will likely rue a late crash at Turn 1, which prevented him from improving his time, but he may ultimately benefit from Canet's long lap penalty.

Canet was penalised for a track limits infringement during FP3 and will have to take a long lap penalty during the race. That could open the door for his rivals, but Canet will start from pole and will be confident of holding on for the win.