Acosta finishes third and Arenas twelfth at Termas de Rio Hondo.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 riders kicked off the Argentina Grand Prix with the first two practice sessions of the weekend. Despite complicated track conditions due to intermittent rain, Pedro Acosta finished the day with the third best time, while Albert Arenas was twelfth. With these results, both riders are provisionally through to Q2.

Rain affected the first practice session of the day for the Moto2 riders, who did not go out on track in the opening minutes. Acosta and Arenas decided to avoid unnecessary risks, although once the track had dried out both riders upped their pace as their feeling improved. FP1 was very tight on the timesheets among the intermediate class riders, which forced them to concentrate as much as possible from start to finish to place among the leaders. Acosta achieved the sixth fastest time, just +0.088 off the top spot, with a 1:44.480 on his last lap. Arenas was twelfth thanks to his 1:45.552, clocked on his penultimate lap of the session.

Moto2 Practice 2 was a key session for the Red Bull KTM Ajo duo. The threat of rain during the day had caused uncertainty, and made Acosta and Arenas work hard with the team to set a time that would allow them to get a provisional spot in Q2. Acosta moved into the Top 3 and held onto third place when the chequered flag came out, finishing thousandths off the best time. With a 1:43.252 on his 16th lap of 18, he was third overall. Arenas continued to take steps forward and the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider was twelfth thanks to a time of 1:43.743.

Moto2 qualifying will take place on Saturday, starting at 1:45 PM local time, at the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit.

Results (Combined practice times P1 – P2)
1. Tony Arbolino (Kalex) 1:43.172
2. Filip Salac (Kalex) 1:43.238 +0.066
3. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:43.252 +0.080
4. Jake Dixon (Kalex) 1:43.293 +0.121
5. Somkiat Chantra (Kalex) 1:43.298 +0.126
12. Albert Arenas (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:43.743 +0.571

#37 PEDRO ACOSTA

“It has been a productive day in Argentina and we have improved a lot from last year. We’re less than a tenth away from the pacesetter, so we’re not far off. Tomorrow we want to focus on working on our pace to be strong in the race. It will be important to start near the front and tomorrow we will try to get a good position on the grid.”

#75 ALBERT ARENAS

“With the first day in Argentina completed, everything is very tight. We are focused on riding as consistently as possible. I’m working well with the team and tomorrow I think we can have a good qualifying session. Tomorrow we will give it our best shot, as it will be important to start as high up as possible in the race on Sunday.”