Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 compete in the first of three days at the Losail International Circuit, with both riders setting competitive times.

With just one week left before the 2021 Moto3 World Championship starts, the Red Bull KTM Ajo began the 3-day Official Test at the Losail International Circuit on Friday. Jaume Masia was one of the most competitive riders throughout the three sessions held and finished sixth in the combined timesheets. Pedro Acosta, in his first experience at Qatar, was 12th.

Due to difficult track conditions, both riders had little riding time in the morning. Masia set the second best time of the first session – 2:09.053 – and was just 13 thousandths off the top spot. He put in four laps, whilst teammate, Pedro Acosta, contributed five and was tenth quickest, setting a 2:10.844.

At midday, the conditions improved and Masia continued to clock competitive times, lowering his morning personal best with a 2:06.969 that earned him second in the practice. Over his 14 laps of the Qatari track, he continued fine-tuning the setup of his KTM Moto3 machine. Acosta used the session to improve his feeling on the bike and shave tenths off his fastest attempt with every outing, eventually setting a 2:07.233 for sixth place.

In the afternoon, the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 riders were able to confirm the feeling they had in the morning. Masia set his personal best of the day with a 2:05.864 on his penultimate lap of a total of 19. He was sixth in the session and overall, within a tenth of the top spot. Acosta followed the trend, and after 18 laps he ended Friday in 12th position with a 2:06.605.

Jaume Masia and Pedro Acosta still have two days of testing in Qatar in which to further set up their KTM bikes, preparing for the start of the 2021 World Championship next weekend at Losail.

DAY 1 – COMBINED SESSIONS
1. Darryn Binder (Honda) 2:05.750
2. John McPhee (Honda) 2:05.776 +0.026
3. Filip Salac (Honda) 2:05.790 +0.040
4. Dennis Foggia (Honda) 2:05.792 +0.042
5. Gabriel Rodrigo (Honda) 2:05.862 +0.112
6. Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 2:05.864 +0.114
12. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 2:06.605 +0.855

#5 Jaume Masia
“I’m happy with how the first day of work in Qatar went. The feeling was quite good from the first session onwards, so we didn’t have to adjust a lot of things on the bike. We were working on setting a strong pace with used tyres, and I’m satisfied with how it went. I feel motivated to face the next two days and keep pushing.”

#37 Pedro Acosta
“The first day of testing in Qatar went well. This circuit is new for me and, with that in mind, we did a great job. We were competitive and were in the upper half of the timesheets in all three sessions today. In general, I’m happy with the work we have done today, and tomorrow we will continue to do our best.”