Veda Ega Pratama takes pole for 2026 Australian Moto3 race
The Honda Team Asia rider beat championship leader Maximo Quiles, with Joel Kelso completing the top three at Phillip Island.
Indonesia's Veda Ega Pratama claimed pole position at the 2026 Australian Moto3 round, setting a best lap of 1 minute 35.299 seconds at Phillip Island. The Honda Team Asia rider moved ahead of championship leader Maximo Quiles in the closing stages of qualifying.
Veda reached the second qualifying session after finishing fourth in Q1 amid changeable weather. Guido Pini, Casey O'Gorman and Eddie O'Shea occupied the three places ahead of him in that session.
Five minutes into Q2, Veda was second, trailing Joel Kelso by 0.037 seconds. He later slipped to third while Kelso remained on top midway through the session. Quiles briefly took the lead late on before Veda displaced him.
Quiles secured second on the grid, followed by Kelso in third. Joel Esteban qualified fourth and O'Shea fifth, ahead of Adrian Fernandez, Scott Ogden, Pini, Kiatisak Singhapong and Matteo Bertelle.
Veda sits eighth in the Moto3 standings with 111 points after Fernandez's points were reinstated. Quiles leads the championship with 351 points, with David Almansa and Brian Uriarte completing the top three.
