Jaume Masia and Dani Holgado complete the third and final day of work at the official test at Portimao, ready for the first race of the year in Qatar.

After a week of intense work, Red Bull KTM Ajo ended the 2022 pre-season with the third day of the Portimao official test. In the space of a single week, the team have run five days of testing in total, split across Jerez and Portugal. Jaume Masia completed 171 laps over the three days in Portugal, placing 7th overall, whilst Dani Holgado rode 113 laps and was 16th.

Masia dedicated the last day of pre-season to fine tuning the details of the setup of his bike, in order to find the most competitive base for the first race in Qatar. The work done by the Spanish rider and his team was fruitful, and Masia set his best time of the entire test on Monday morning with a 1:47.654, improving his previous quickest lap by 9 tenths. On Monday, the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 rider occupied 7th place with a total of 65 laps to his name.

Holgado continued to take steps forward in his adaptation to the class, lowering his personal best time in the morning session with a 1:47.984. This allowed him to end Monday in 17th place with a total of 36 laps completed. Despite having undergone a recent operation to treat a multifragmentary fracture to his left leg, Holgado had a positive test, showing that he is quickly acclimatising to the class and to his team.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 duo will next be in action at the Losail International Circuit, at the Qatar Grand Prix from March 4-6th.

Results (Combined practice times Day 3)
1. Dennis Foggia (Honda) 1:46.990
2. Andrea Migno (Honda) 1:47.042 +0.052
3. Izan Guevara (GASGAS) 1:47.324 +0.334
4. Ayumu Sasaki (Husqvarna) 1:47.553 +0.563
5. David Muñoz (KTM) 1:47.618 +0.628
7. Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:47.654 +0.664
17. Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:47.984 +0.994

Results (Portimao Test combined practice times)
1. Dennis Foggia (Honda) 1:46.990
2. Andrea Migno (Honda) 1:47.042 +0.052
3. Izan Guevara (GASGAS) 1:47.324 +0.334
4. Tatsuki Suzuki (Honda) 1:47.390 +0.400
5. Ayumu Sasaki (Husqvarna) 1:47.553 +0.563
7. Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:47.654 +0.664
16. Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:47.984 +0.994

AKI AJO – TEAM MANAGER

“These pre-season tests at Jerez and Portimao have been very important for us. We have had stable conditions and we have been able to test everything we wanted to try out. I’m happy with all the work we have done during these tests. Jaume [Masia] is in his second year with us and we are trying to work like we did last season and improve our pace, so he is doing very well. We were worried about Dani [Holgado]’s fitness, but he has been improving day by day and has been able to complete enough laps in the tests to prepare well for the campaign ahead.”

5 JAUME MASIA

“I am very happy with how the three days of testing at Portimao have gone, since I have improved day after day and my feeling with the bike has been good in general. I want to thank the team for the great work they have done during these last few days, and highlight that we have finished pre-season with a good taste in our mouths. Now it’s time to focus on Qatar, where we will have great enthusiasm and clear ideas. We hope to achieve a positive result there.”

96 DANI HOLGADO

“The pre-season has been very positive for me because I have been able to ride the bike, which was the most important objective. I’m very happy with how the testing sessions have gone, since we have managed to take steps forward consistently. We leave here with clear ideas and confident about starting the season, in terms of both the team and the bike. I’m looking forward to getting the campaign underway next week.”