Pedro Acosta wins the Portuguese Grand Prix, with Albert Arenas in eighth.

The Moto2 Portuguese Grand Prix race took place on Sunday at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve. Pedro Acosta took victory in a fast 21-lap race, whilst teammate Albert Arenas stayed in the front positions until finishing in eighth.

The Portuguese GP Moto2 race forced the riders to give their all due to the demanding conditions. Acosta started from the front row of the grid and made a great start that allowed him to take the lead after the first few laps. The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 rider kept up a high pace that included him setting the fastest lap of the race, holding off any challengers and becoming the first winner of the 2023 season.

Arenas started from the third row of the grid, in seventh position. The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 rider climbed positions at the start, moving up to fifth, and felt very comfortable in the first half of the race. He closed the gap to those at the front and maintained a good pace as the laps went by. After the midway mark he did not have such a good feeling, but remained in the Top 10 to finish his first race with Red Bull KTM Ajo in eighth position, his best result to date at the Portuguese track.

The Argentina Grand Prix will be the next round for the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 team, which will be held next week from March 31st to April 2nd.

Results (Race)
1. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 36:04.193
2. Aron Canet (Kalex) +1.358
3. Tony Arbolino (Kalex) +4.460
4. Filip Salac (Kalex) +7.110
5. Manuel Gonzalez (Kalex) +8.193
8. Albert Arenas (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +12.270

Moto2 World Championship Standing 2023
1. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 25 points
2. Aron Canet (Kalex) 20 points
3. Tony Arbolino (Kalex) 16 points
4. Filip Salac (Kalex) 13 points
5. Manuel Gonzalez (Kalex) 11 points
8. Albert Arenas (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 8 points

Moto2 Teams World Championship Standing 2023
1. Red Bull KTM Ajo 33 points
2. Elf Marc VDS Racing Team 25 points
3. Pons Wegow Los40 21 points
4. Gresini Racing Moto2 19 points
5. Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Mastercamp 11 points

Aki Ajo – Team Manager

“We are really happy about our start in Moto2. Of course Pedro controlled the race really well and showed the maturity that he has at the moment. It was a great win. I feel that Albert had a really good start too. We need to analyse what happened at the end of the race to improve our pace in the second part. In general it was a really good start to the season and we will continue working in Argentina next week.”

#37 PEDRO ACOSTA

“It was a tough race from start to finish. All the riders were very fast and there was no losing concentration. We managed to find an advantage and both in the tests and this weekend we have worked well, which has allowed us to avoid some mistakes that could have affected us in the race. The team have been able to give me that little step up that we were missing and I can only be grateful for their work, both in the GP and throughout preseason. We improved a lot on the first lap and I leave here satisfied. Now it’s time to focus on Argentina and the next race.”

#75 ALBERT ARENAS

“We have completed the first race of the season and took our first points. I want to highlight the first part of the race, which was good. I enjoyed it and I was strong. In the second half I wasn’t able to maintain the pace that I wanted, but we will keep working to improve. At the next race it will be one of the points to improve but we have clear ideas about how. Congratulations to my teammate for the first victory, see you in Argentina!”