The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 duo contend with rain and wind on the opening day of the Portuguese GP, finishing fifth and seventh, respectively.

The opening day of the Portuguese Grand Prix was affected by wind and heavy rain at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve. Despite this, the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 duo did a great job in the first two Free Practices of the weekend. Dani Holgado finished Friday in fifth position in the combined FP1 and FP2 standings, after leading the morning session. His teammate, Jaume Masia, was seventh. Both riders earned a provisional spot in tomorrow’s Q2.

FP1 was undertaken in wet conditions, due to intense overnight rain. However, Holgado adapted perfectly and was one of the most competitive riders throughout the session, which he ended up leading. The Spaniard completed a total of fifteen laps, setting his best time on his penultimate attempt with a 2:02.658. Masia approached FP1 calmly and without taking unnecessary risks, and he placed 11th with a time of 2:04.062, set on his last lap of 15.

In the afternoon, Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 once again had to face a track in wet conditions and a strong wind in the final part of the session. Masia finished the practice in sixth place after stopping the clock at 2:03.156. Following the appearance of a red flag with 10 minutes remaining, due to an object on the track, Masia and Holgado decided to stay in the garage. The latter was 18th with a time of 2:04.801, despite suffering a crash in the 10th minute at Turn 8.

Tomorrow sees one last Free Practice session, before qualifying. Q1 will begin at 12:35 PM local time, followed by Q2 at 1 PM.

Results (Combined practice times FP1-FP2)
1. Mario Aji (Honda) 2:02.491
2. Diogo Moreira (KTM) 2:02.544 +0.053
3. Riccardo Rossi (Honda) 2:02.566 +0.075
4. Carlos Tatay (CFMoto) 2:02.589 +0.098
5. Dani Holgado (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 2:02.658 +0.167
7. Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 2:03.156 +0.665

#5 JAUME MASIA

“I’m happy with the improvement that both the bike and I have had, from morning to afternoon. In FP1, it took us a while to find a positive feeling, but little by little we picked up the pace. In FP2, we took another step forward, but we had to stop due to the conditions on the track. Lap after lap we are improving in the wet, although we hope that tomorrow the weather will be a little more favourable.”

#96 DANI HOLGADO

“It’s been a pretty positive day, because I led my first practice – which is always special. In FP2, I had a small crash but, in general, I’m happy with how the session went. My feeling in the wet was pretty good, I’m fast and that’s positive for tomorrow, because it looks like we’ll have the same weather as today. On Saturday we’ll try to qualify among the top positions. I’m confident on the bike and I’m happy with the job that we did today.”

#96 DANI HOLGADO

“It’s been a pretty positive day, because I led my first practice – which is always special. In FP2, I had a small crash but, in general, I’m happy with how the session went. My feeling in the wet was pretty good, I’m fast and that’s positive for tomorrow, because it looks like we’ll have the same weather as today. On Saturday we’ll try to qualify among the top positions. I’m confident on the bike and I’m happy with the job that we did today.”