Red Bull KTM Ajo rider rounds off good weekend in Jerez with third position. Teammate Ricky Cardus places in the points once more, in 14th.

Red Bull KTM Ajo took their second Moto2 podium of the year at the Spanish GP, thanks to a third place for Miguel Oliveira. The Portuguese rider upped his pace throughout the course of the race to reach the rostrum in the final stretch. Ricky Cardus enjoyed another positive performance standing in for Brad Binder, finishing 14th and picking up 2 points.

Oliveira had to regain ground during the race, as on the opening laps the frontrunners broke away from him and he dropped down to seventh. In spite of the distance that separated him from the podium positions, the Portuguese rider improved his pace and began moving up the order, finally entering into the Top 3 with four laps remaining.

In Cardus’ second race with the KTM Moto2 bike, the Spaniard was again amongst the points. He started from the back of the sixth row on the grid, and gained positions throughout the 25-lap contest to join a group of three riders competing for points. In the end, with 14th place, Cardus repeated the result he had achieved in Austin.

Following this result, Oliveira remains third in the overall standings with 59 points, while the injured Brad Binder is 19th -7 points- and Ricky Cardus 23rd -4 points. The next Moto2 World Championship round will take place at Le Mans, France, between May 19th-21st.

Results (Race)
1. Alex Marquez (Kalex) 43:24.350
2. Francesco Bagnaia (Kalex) +3.442
3. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +4.958
4. Mattia Pasini (Kalex) +6.824
5. Luca Marini (Kalex) +6.917
14. Ricky Cardus (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +26.049

Moto2 World Championship Standing 2017
1. Franco Morbidelli (Kalex) 75 points
2. Thomas Luthi (Kalex) 64 points
3. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 59 points
4. Alex Marquez (Kalex) 49 points
5. Francesco Bagnaia (Kalex) 33 points
19. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 7 points
23. Ricky Cardus (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 4 points

44 MIGUEL OLIVEIRA
“After the bad start I made, finishing on the podium is a good result. We cut the gap distance from the start of the race to the end. I’m happy; we have details to improve, but we are working hard on that. After the tests we did here in November, I didn’t think that I could get onto the podium today, so we have taken great strides forward. I did not expect it, and it’s a fairly critical circuit for the tyres, because it’s always very hot and it’s not easy to finish the race. I still lack the calmness to lead a race, but I’m sure the victory will come if we continue to work like this.”

88 RICKY CARDUS
“We suffered a little more today than we did in Austin. The positive side is that, despite me having been out of the World Championship for a year, we have taken two points from both races in a really tough class. Over a single lap I can go fast, but my job here is to improve the KTM. I have some problems at the end of the races that I must work on, because this is not a team that should be finishing 14th. For me it is a dream come true to be in this project; every day I feel more comfortable with the bike and I want to thank the Red Bull KTM Ajo team for all their dedication. We don’t know if I will be riding at Le Mans, but it is a circuit that I like. I wish the best for Brad [Binder] with his recovery.”

AKI AJO – TEAM MANAGER
“We are very happy with our performances in Moto2 so far. Miguel [Oliveira] is doing very well, but we also have to take into account what Brad [Binder] did at the beginning of the season in very complicated circumstances. Hopefully he will be back soon. I also want to thank Ricky [Cardus] for his hard work as a test rider last year and this year. He’s been able to score points in the two weekends that he has ridden with us, so we can’t ask for more. We still have a lot of work to do to reach our goal, but we understand that it takes time. We are very satisfied for the moment.”