The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 duo enjoy a productive day, with the first two Free Practice sessions of the British GP.

After two years away, Silverstone hosted Motorcycle World Championship action on Friday, with Red Bull KTM Ajo competing in Moto3. Pedro Acosta had his first experience of the track, finishing ninth in the combined FP1 and FP2 standings for the day. Teammate Jaume Masia placed 11th. With these results, both earned provisional positions in Q2 tomorrow at the British Grand Prix.

The day started well for the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 duo, with dry conditions in the morning and ambient temperatures of 13ºC. Acosta adapted quickly to the British track, achieving the fifth best time of the session with a 2:13.078. The rookie completed 15 laps, which provided him with valuable data. Teammate Masia was seventh in FP3, after stopping the clock at 2:13.464 on his 11th attempt out of a total of 14.

In the afternoon, the two riders both took a step forward, riding quicker than their FP1 times. Acosta continued to put kilometres under his belt, with 13 laps throughout the session. The rookie finished ninth with a 2:12.162. Masia placed 11th thanks to a personal best of 2:12.225, achieved on his last attempt of 13.

Tomorrow morning, Acosta and Masia will have a final Free Practice session to set up their KTM bikes before qualifying. Moto3 Q1 will start at 12:35 PM local time, followed by Q2 at 1 PM.

Results (Combined practice times FP1-FP2)
1. Romano Fenati (Husqvarna) 2:11.334
2. Ayumu Sasaki (KTM) 2:11.473 +0.139
3. Niccolo Antonelli (KTM) 2:11.533 +0.199
4. Riccardo Rossi (KTM) 2:11.718 +0.384
5. Dennis Foggia (Honda) 2:11.724 +0.390
9. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 2:12.162 +0.828
11. Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 2:12.225 +0.891

5 JAUME MASIA

“We completed the first day of work at Silverstone, recovering our feeling and gathering information about the track. The positive thing is that we take a step forward from FP1 to FP2. Tomorrow we will do our best to continue progressing and improving, with our sights set on qualifying in the afternoon.”

37 PEDRO ACOSTA

“The low temperatures affected things today. Even so, in FP1 we had good teamwork with Jaume [Masia]. It was my first time at Silverstone and, in general, our feeling was positive. In the afternoon, we continued to concentrate on doing our job, although the rest of the riders were very fast. I feel ready to face Saturday and try to ensure a direct route into Q2.”