By taking second position in the Argentine Grand Prix, Miguel Oliveira offered Portugal its first podium in the intermediate category. In view of his performance at the end of the first free practice session of Moto2 in Austin, it is clear that the now official KTM does not intend to stop there.
Last season, he started from twentieth place on the grid for the Grand Prix of the Americas and ended up being trapped in the race. Here he is armed to do much better. And to set the tone, here is the updated table of times achieved so far in the category before the last verdict on the track this Friday:
| #AmericasGP Moto2 | 2016 | 2017 |
| FP1 | 2'10.156 Alex Rins | 2'11.606 Miguel Oliveira |
| FP2 | 2'09.564 Alex Rins | |
| FP3 | 2'09.981 Sam Lowes | |
| QP | 2'08.850 Alex Rins | |
| Warm Up | 2'10.237 Takaaki Nakagami | |
| Course | Rins Lowes Zarco | |
| All time lap record | 2'08.850 Alex Rins 2016 |
A track this time at 42° while the spectators took advantage of the summer 30°. Very different actual conditions from those in the morning. For what verdict?
The first 45 minutes of the exercise began with a small drop in Julian Simon who gets to know the Mistral610 this weekend. For once, the French motorcycle gave him a wind. A misadventure far from the occupations of a Morbidely which immediately established the new reference in 2'11.151. A performance immediately beaten by the teammate Alex Marquez who, in 2'10.631, passed the 2'11 mark. An idea also developed by a Schrotter to the Suter chassis which set its time at 2'10.975.
Simeon, eleventh, fell at turn 12 and Cardus, tenth, at turn 13 at the end of this first hectic quarter of an hour which saw the Mistral610 of Virgin point ninth. Time to breathe for a few minutes then the fight resumed during the last fifteen minutes, chosen by Quarterly to get into the top 10. Starting ninth, the Frenchman pushed his efforts to finish sixth. Not bad for the one who celebrated his 18th birthday on April 20.
Alex Marquez also worked towards a 2'10.601 which consolidated its leading position. This will be enough to keep a Morbidely second and Schrotter third. The leading trio are the only ones to claim a time below 2'11.
The fourth man is Olive tree who is ahead Lüthi of three thousandths. Pasini et Syahrin follow in front Quarterly eighth and best among beginners. Cardus is ninth so that the two KTMs are in the top 10 closed by Nakagami. Virgin is fourteenth with the Mistral610.
#AmericasGP Moto2 FP2 Chronos:
🏁 # Moto2 FP2@ alexmarquez73 out to make fines after Argentina disappointment – top of the times from Morbidelli & Schrotter! #AmericasGP pic.twitter.com/0006xewdMH
- MotoGP @ 🏁 (@MotoGP) April 21, 2017
