Lap times were incredibly close for the 250cc class again today, with the top eleven separated by just a second in this afternoon’s single qualifying practice for Malaysian Grand Prix. It made for an exciting session in which pole position wasn’t decided until the very last moment, with slipstreams in the final section vital. In the end it was series leader Hiroshi Aoyama who snatched top spot ahead of French rookies Mike Di Meglio and Jules Cluzel, and Spanish pair Hector Barberá and Álvaro Bautista in the intense heat of Sepang.
 
Mapfre rider Di Meglio continued to mark himself out as one of the men to beat here, the Frenchman making the desired improvements to the rear end of his Aprilia this morning before launching an impressive pole challenge in the afternoon. A fast lap behind his team-mate Bautista just a few minutes from the end put him on top of the pile but as he aimed to improve further on his final lap he crashed out at turn seven. Luckily he escaped injury and will be ready to make a bid for victory from the front row in third place. Bautista also crashed today, although only in this morning’s free practice session, in turn six. In the afternoon he set a solid pace and also topped the time sheets for a spell before settling for fifth place on the grid.    

Balázs Németh set out determined to improve his performance today, knocking two seconds off his best effort from yesterday in this morning’s second free practice session. He tried to improve further in the afternoon, taking advantage of the slipstream of other riders, but the intense heat and an off-track excursion late in the session prevented Balázs from qualifying any higher than 20th for what promises to be a gruelling first race for the Hungarian at Sepang. 
 

 
3rd Mike Di Meglio 2.07.232 (15 laps):
“It has been a fabulous day for us. It was still really hot but we got through all the work we had planned, which we knew was crucial because it is so important to have the right set-up for this track. We worked hard from the morning, principally on improving the rear end, which had given us the biggest headache yesterday. I pushed it a little too hard on the last lap because I was really trying for pole and I lost the front end of my Aprilia in turn seven. Luckily I’m not hurt and we’ll continue the fight tomorrow. In these conditions it will be important to get a good start and stick with the lead group over the first few laps.” 
 
5th Álvaro Bautista 2.07.371 (17 laps):
“It’s a shame we missed out on the front row but the lap times are there and our rhythm is good. Luckily Mike was able to make the most of my slipstream so at least the team benefited. I crashed this morning when we were experimenting with things so in the afternoon we stuck to what we thought worked best and just focused on putting a pace together without sending ourselves crazy. There isn’t a lot of difference between the guys at the front and it’s going to be a close and hard race tomorrow because of the heat. We have to make sure we stay in touch from the start because any kind of fight-back is dangerous in these conditions. The set-up isn’t perfect but we are ready to race.”

20th Balázs Németh 2.11.611 (15 laps):
“I struggled quite a lot to get the bike set up this morning but luckily our hard work paid off and I had everything pretty much sorted for the afternoon. The heat prevented me from setting a consistent rhythm but I tried to keep my focus and get the best out of myself. I spent the first few laps trying to pick up a slipstream and managed to get behind Pons and a couple of other riders, who helped me improve my lap times. Little by little I built my confidence and got gradually faster, but I made a mistake at the end of the session and ran off track. It meant I couldn’t improve my time or grid position any further but despite that I think we’ve done a good job and I think we can make even more progress in the warm-up tomorrow morning.”