History at Phillip Island
Veda Ega Pratama carved a new piece of history for Indonesian motorcycle racing. The Honda Team Asia rider seized pole position in the Moto3 qualifying session at the 2026 Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island Circuit, Saturday (24/10/2026) morning WIB, with a time of 1 minute 35.299 seconds.
The achievement made him the first Indonesian rider to secure a front-row start at a Grand Prix. MotoGP's official Instagram account also highlighted the moment with a post reading, "Just made history for Indonesia."
The Struggle from Q1
Veda's path to pole was not easy. An unsatisfactory result in Friday's practice session, where he could only manage 16th place, forced him to start qualifying from the first round (Q1). In Q1, Veda finished fourth with a time of 1 minute 36.383 seconds, behind Guido Pini who was fastest with 1 minute 36.261 seconds, and earned the right to advance to Q2.
In Q2, Veda briefly took second position with a time of 1 minute 35.878 seconds before ultimately surging on the final lap to 1 minute 35.299 seconds. He beat Maximo Quiles, this season's Moto3 world champion, who finished second with a gap of 0.021 seconds, as well as home rider Joel Kelso in third position with a gap of 0.067 seconds.
The challenging track conditions also colored Veda's struggle. The second free practice session took place amid pouring rain that left the asphalt slippery, and Veda took fourth position with a time of 1 minute 44.670 seconds. In Q1, part of the track was still wet and part was beginning to dry, but Veda was still able to maintain speed and advance to the pole position battle.
Capital Heading into Sunday's Race
This pole position opens up a big opportunity for Veda to record his best finish of the season. Previously, the rider from Gunungkidul had twice finished third on the podium, at the Brazilian Grand Prix and the French Grand Prix respectively, and now sits eighth in the provisional Moto3 standings with a collection of 111 points.
The main 21-lap Moto3 race at the 2026 Australian GP is scheduled for Sunday (25/10/2026) starting at 07.00 WIB. A front-row start is crucial capital for Veda to compete at the front from the moment the lights go out.
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