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The most successful Portuguese rider in the history of the World Championship will reach a century of Grand Prix appearances this weekend.

Miguel Oliveira will hit another milestone for Portuguese riders in the World Championship this Sunday. The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 rider will take part in his 100th race at the Catalan GP, the latest round of the 2017 season. After becoming the Portuguese rider with the most races contested and becoming the first to earn both a podium and a victory, Oliveira continues to make history for his country. He has a total of 6 victories and 9 podiums to his name from his 99 races to date.

From his debut in 2011 to today, Oliveira has participated in three classes: 125cc, Moto3 and Moto2. It was a year after his first start, in Moto3, that he took his first podium –coincidentally at the Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit that he returns to this weekend. He had to wait until 2015 for his first victory, at Mugello for Red Bull KTM Ajo. That year was his best season to the date, in which he placed runner-up in the World Championship after taking 6 wins and 3 second places. This year, upon his return to the Finnish structure, Oliveira claimed his first Moto2 podium: In Argentina with second position.

44 MIGUEL OLIVEIRA
“It is an honour to be able to reach 100 Grands Prix. It is a reward for me and my family, because we have worked hard to get this far. If I had to single out one of the 99 races I have contested so far, it would be Sepang (Malaysia) 2015, when I won in Moto3 with the Red Bull KTM Ajo team and left the title chase open coming into the last race. On the other hand, my worst memory is the Aragon GP last year, when I broke my collarbone. If I look back, there is some unfinished business from when I couldn’t get a great result when we were racing at Estoril, but I hope that in the future the MotoGP World Championship will return to Portugal –either in Estoril or Portimao– and I can put that right. I hope to be able to continue adding many more GPs to my name, and one day race in MotoGP.”