Red Bull KTM Ajo rider takes his latest rostrum of 2022. Pedro Acosta battles back to finish sixth

The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 team earned positive results at the Catalan Grand Prix, as Augusto Fernandez moved his way up the order and claimed third place in Barcelona, whilst Pedro Acosta finished sixth after starting from twelfth on the grid.

Fernandez was on the third row of the grid when the lights went out, and a large group formed around him. That, coupled with high temperatures on track, made it difficult to gain positions quickly. Fernandez felt better lap after lap, and moved up to fourth place with eight laps remaining. He set his sights on catching up with the leading riders and fighting for the podium, and did so on the last lap, moving into third place before the chequered flag and claiming his second rostrum of the season.

Acosta took off from twelfth, and also progressively climbed positions throughout the race. He maintained a good pace from the start, allowing him to break into the Top 10 and chase down the leading pack. Gradually closing the distance, on the last five laps Acosta increased his pace, pushing hard and finishing in sixth.

Fernandez is fourth in the overall standings with 96 points, while Acosta is tenth with 55. The next round for the Moto2 class will be the German Grand Prix, held from June 16-19th.

Results (Moto2 race)
1. Celestino Vietti (Kalex) 38:42.958
2. Aron Canet (Kalex) +0.081
3. Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +0.522
4. Jake Dixon (Kalex) +0.646
5. Marcel Schrotter (Kalex) +1.470
6. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +6.298

Moto2 World Championship Standing 2022
1. Celestino Vietti (Kalex) 133 points
2. Ai Ogura (Kalex) 117 points
3. Aron Canet (Kalex) 109 points
4. Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 96 points
5. Tony Arbolino (Kalex) 89 points
10. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 55 points

Aki Ajo – Team Manager

“It has been a very good weekend for our Moto2 riders. With the high temperatures throughout the weekend it has been challenging, especially during the race when you have to overtake other riders. Controlling tyre temperature was important today, and our riders moved up a lot of positions. Both managed the situation very well. Augusto got on the podium and was one of the fastest riders in a difficult race. We have to be happy with this result. Pedro was sixth today, but I couldn’t say which of the last weekends has been the best, because in all of them he has taken a step forward and is learning many things.”

#37 AUGUSTO FERNANDEZ

“It was a very tough race and I’m happy about the podium, because I’d started on the third row and the traffic on the first few laps was difficult for the tyres. In this race there was a group formed, my tyre temperature went up and it made riding and attacking very difficult. In the end, on the last lap I went for it and the strategy worked out well for me. I’m happy with the result and with our position in the World Championship. There’s still a long way to go, but we’re up there after a start to the season that was not as expected.”

#51 PEDRO ACOSTA

“We salvaged something from the weekend. This is the first race that I started from far back, fought back and didn’t crash.  We are getting used to the class and, in the end, managing the race. They were things that I lacked, and today we suffered from that. I think we have to be happy because now we are up there. I spent quite a few laps behind another rider, my tyre overheated and from then on everything became more difficult. We finished the race and came home sixth, which I think, apart from the victory, is one of our best results. We are getting there. When the tyre temperature began to drop, we were getting there. I think it was all about race management and we will take away the experience.”