Fernandez and Acosta complete the first two Free Practice sessions of the weekend, finishing sixth and seventh, respectively.

The Americas Grand Prix began well for Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2, with good showings in the first two Free Practices of the weekend. Augusto Fernandez led the first session of the day and, in the afternoon, improved his times to conclude sixth on the combined timesheets. Pedro Acosta took progressive steps forward on each outing, finally placing seventh. With these results, the two riders provisionally make the cut for Q2.

In a change to the regular schedule, the intermediate class opened the day’s action, with an FP1 held in dry conditions and with the sun shining. Fernandez started Friday in top form, as the fastest rider in the session with a 2:10.489, which he set on his 11th out of 12 laps. The Spaniard achieved this result despite suffering a small crash at Turn 16, with two minutes to go before the chequered flag fell. Acosta finished his first run out at COTA with a Moto2 bike in 13th place, stopping the clock at 2:11.563 on his last attempt of a total of 13.

In the afternoon, the two Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 riders took a step forward, and both lowered their times from the morning. Augusto Fernandez continued with a good feeling, achieving the sixth fastest time of the session. His 2:09.362 was just 0.2 tenths off the top spot. The Spaniard completed 14 laps of COTA, the same as his teammate, Acosta. The reigning Moto3 World Champion finished the last practice of day seventh, with a personal best of 2:09.363.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 duo will return to work on Saturday morning, for the last Free Practice of the weekend. In the afternoon, Q1 and Q2 for the Americas Grand Prix will take place at 12:35 PM and 1 PM local time, respectively.

Results (Combined practice times FP1-FP2)
1. Fermin Aldeguer (Boscoscuro) 2:09.155
2. Tony Arbolino (Kalex) 2:09.201 +0.046
3. Cameron Beaubier (Kalex) 2:09.327 +0.172
4. Jake Dixon (Kalex) 2:09.334 +0.179
5. Aron Canet (Kalex) 2:09.353 +0.198
6. Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 2:09.362 +0.207
7. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 2:09.363 +0.208

#37 AUGUSTO FERNANDEZ

“I’m happy with how the day went. The morning session went well, despite the small crash we suffered when we were pushing. In the afternoon, we did a good job and I am satisfied with it. Perhaps we lacked a little something in the second practice, but we have to bear in mind that the times today were very tight. Our tasks for tomorrow are to ride more smoothly and calmly, so that we can take a step forward in terms of our pace and consistency. We will work as hard as possible with the team to take a step forward in these aspects, and be able to get a great spot on the grid.”

#51 PEDRO ACOSTA

“It has been a good first day of work in Austin. From FP1 to FP2 we made a great leap forward. It is our first time at this track with Moto2, so we will continue to learn and adapt to it and to the class. In addition, today we made great progress in the setup of the bike that I hope will help us for the rest of the weekend. Tomorrow we will continue to push, together with the team, to keep improving and progressing.”