Misfortune for Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 at Portimao

24/04/2022

Augusto Fernandez and Pedro Acosta are involved in a multiple-rider crash that prematurely ends the Portuguese Grand Prix for both of them.

 

The Moto2 Portuguese Grand Prix was heavily affected by the appearance of rain and a multiple-rider crash at Turn 2, that forced a red flag on Lap 8. The two Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 riders were involved in the incident and, despite the great efforts made by their crews, were unable to re-join the contest once it resumed.

Fernandez, who took off from the second row, was cautious in the initial stages of the contest, as drops of rain began to fall on the track. However, he would gain confidence and move up the order as the laps went by, eventually reaching fourth. Shortly after, Fernandez was caught up in the race’s big crash, from which he escaped unhurt.

Acosta made a good start from the back of the grid, moving up from 20th position to 18th at the first corner. The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 talent pushed hard to reach 13th on Lap 7, but on the following lap was involved in the incident that saw several riders crash at Turn 2. He was unharmed, but was unable to resume the race after the red flag.

Fernandez occupies 11th position in the Moto2 World Championship with 24 points. Acosta is 15th with 20. Next week, the Red Bull KTM Ajo duo will be back in action at the Spanish Grand Prix, held from April 29th to May 1st.

Results (Moto2 Race)
1. Joe Roberts (Kalex) 12:09.757
2. Celestino Vietti (Kalex) +2.818
3. Jorge Navarro (Kalex) +2.991
4. Marcel Schrotter (Kalex) +3.104
5. Manuel Gonzalez (Kalex) +3.199
DNF. Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo)
DNF. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo)

Moto2 World Championship Standing 2022
1. Celestino Vietti (Kalex) 90 points
2. Ai Ogura (Kalex) 56 points
3. Tony Arbolino (Kalex) 54 points
4. Joe Roberts (Kalex) 49 points
5. Aron Canet (Kalex) 49 points
11. Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 24 points
15. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 20 points

 

AKI AJO – TEAM MANAGER

“It was quite a challenging weekend because of the weather, but it was the same for everyone. I feel that we moved forward again and it was a productive round, until the strange finish to the race. Of course we are very disappointed, because it wasn’t our fault; it was a big crash involving several riders because of the track conditions. Of course, the riders feel that it’s not fair that they can’t participate, but we need to respect the rules. We will take the positives from this weekend and continue our progress in Jerez.”

#37 AUGUSTO FERNANDEZ

“The situation in today’s race was very atypical and surreal. These are things that we cannot control. We prepared ourselves to start the second race, and the team worked hard to repair the bike, which was badly damaged despite it having been a slow crash. I felt really good until the crash and could have had a good race. At every contest we find ourselves among the front-runners and, if we keep working as we have been, the results will come. I’m looking forward to going to Jerez.”

#51 PEDRO ACOSTA

“It was a tough start to the race, but we were fighting back. With the tank a little emptier, we would have been higher up the order. After what happened with the red flag, we are in good shape physically. I want to thank the team, who have been the heroes of the day, because they managed to completely fix both my bike and Augusto’s, which were quite damaged after the crash. Next week we will work hard once again to get a good result.”

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