Second place for Fernandez at Motegi, with Acosta in the Top 10
25/09/2022Augusto Fernandez finishes the Japanese Grand Prix on the podium, with Pedro Acosta in seventh place.
The Japanese Grand Prix weekend concluded with a great race for the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 riders. Augusto Fernandez was one of the fastest competitors and finished runner-up, with Pedro Acosta gaining more than ten positions and placing seventh.
Fernandez started from the third row of the grid, in eleventh. He held his position when the lights went out, before moving his way up the order and reaching fourth by Lap 9. The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 rider maintained a high pace in the race to catch up with the frontrunners and take second place. His latest podium keeps him in the lead of the overall standings, with 234 points.
Acosta was competing at Motegi for the first time, and in the race the track conditions were very different from those in qualifying. Despite starting from eighteenth on the grid, he maintained a good pace to make a steady climb through the field. After entering the Top 10, he moved up to seventh place and kept the position through to the chequered flag. Acosta is the best rookie in the class with 132 points and occupies sixth in the standings.
The Moto2 riders now move on to the seventeenth round of the season, the Thai Grand Prix, which will be held from September 29th to October 2nd.
Results (Race)
1. Ai Ogura (Kalex) 40:56.269
2. Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +1.192
3. Alonso Lopez (Kalex) +7.168
4. Jake Dixon (Kalex) +7.597
5. Somkiat Chantra (Kalex) +12.255
7. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +14.520
Moto2 World Championship Standing 2022
1. Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 234 points
2. Ai Ogura (Kalex) 232 points
3. Aron Canet (Kalex) 177 points
4. Celestino Vietti (Kalex) 162 points
5. Tony Arbolino (Kalex) 138 points
6. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 132 points
Aki Ajo – Team Manager
“Our Moto2 riders had a very good race in Japan. Augusto is very strong mentally and he showed it in the race. He kept up a good pace and was fast. The starting positions were not good for him or for Pedro, but both were able to fight back and get good results. We’re happy for them and I’m sure they’ll get good results in Thailand.”
#37 AUGUSTO FERNANDEZ
“I’m very happy with this second place. I had to push a lot from the start, without taking too many risks, as we couldn’t make mistakes. I managed to get into the top positions and maintain a good pace. It was important to get a result like this to add points for the title fight. We’ll see how it goes in Thailand, but we’re going to give 100% from the get-go.”
#51 PEDRO ACOSTA
“It’s been a good day in which we have learned a lot. What we lacked was knowing how to adapt better to the situation, especially from the middle of the race onwards. It was important to ride here because it was a new circuit for me, and we finished in the Top 10, so it’s a good result. Now we are focusing on Thailand.”