Solid start to Italian Grand Prix for Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3

28/05/2021

Jaume Masia and Pedro Acosta complete the first two Free Practice sessions of the weekend on opening day at Mugello.

 

The Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello hosted the opening day of the Italian Grand Prix on Friday, kicking off the sixth round of the 2021 season. Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 started the weekend well, with two productive Free Practice sessions. Jaume Masia finished 10th on the combined FP1 and FP2 timesheets, earning a provisional place in Q2 tomorrow. Pedro Acosta was 16th, despite suffering a crash in the afternoon and not being able to improve his times in the final stages of the practice.

The day began well, with dry conditions and bright sunshine at Mugello for FP1. The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 duo were cautious at the start of the session, getting reacquainted with the Italian track after two years away. In the second half of the practice, Masia took a step forward and, with his last attempt, set a time of 1:58.387 that took him to third position. The Spaniard completed 15 laps, whilst Acosta put in 14. The latter devoted his efforts to gaining confidence and experience, placing 14th after stopping the clock at 1:59.377.

In the afternoon, the pair were able to lower their times, as well as confirming their good feeling at the track. Masia was fast throughout a FP2 that he finished in 10th position, with a 1:57.543 set on his ninth lap of 16. Acosta was enjoying a positive session but, with 15 minutes remaining, a crash at Turn 15 hindered his progression. The rookie was unable to remount, and ended the practice 16th, with a 1:57.918.

Tomorrow morning the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 riders will have one last chance to get their KTM bikes ready before qualifying. At 12:35 PM local time, Q1 for the Italian GP will begin, followed by Q2 at 1 PM.

Results (Combined practice times FP1-FP2)

1. Darryn Binder (Honda) 1:56.661
2. Dennis Foggia (Honda) 1:56.857 +0.196
3. John McPhee (Honda) 1:56.942 +0.281
4. Romano Fenati (Husqvarna) 1:57.170 +0.509
5. Gabriel Rodrigo (Honda) 1:57.256 +0.595
10. Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:57.543 +0.882
16. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:57.918 +1.257

5 JAUME MASIA

“I’m quite happy with how things went today. We set a strong pace when riding alone and without using any other riders as references. Tomorrow morning, we will do our best in FP3 to make it directly into Q2, as I think Friday’s times will be improved upon. In general, I feel good about the work we did today.”

37 PEDRO ACOSTA

“It was a positive day for us. We took a big step forward from FP1 to FP2, as I had already ridden at this track in the past, but everything is very different with this bike. I am happy with the work we did. In the afternoon, we were able to go fast when riding alone, until we had the crash. Overall, I am satisfied with how things went today.”

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