Moto2 Portugal Portimão Race: Pedro Acosta opens the scoring!

If the qualification finally designated Filip Salač (Kalex, QJ MOTOR Gresini Moto2, #12) as poleman for the 2 Portuguese Moto2023 Grand Prix, there are in fact a good half dozen to have distinguished themselves during the various test sessions, starting of course with Aron Canet (Kalex, Pons Wegow Los40, #40) and Peter Acosta (Kalex, Red Bull KTM Ajo, #37) who will also make up the first row of the starting grid, but we can also cite for example Alonso Lopez (Boscoscuro, CAG SpeedUp, #21) despite his two falls, Jake Dixon (Kalex , India GasGas Aspar Team, #96) despite his two falls, Tony Arbolino (Kalex, ELF Marc VDS Racing Team, #14) despite his fall or Fermín Aldeguer (Boscoscuro, CAG SpeedUp, #54) and Barry Baltus (Kalex, Fieten Olie Racing GP, #7) despite his fall.

 

Anyway, the second line will be composed of Celestine Vietti (Kalex, Fantic Racing, #13) who will have to complete 2 long laps for having been penalized during the race at Valencia 2022, Manuel González (Kalex, Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46, #18) and Jeremy Alcove (Kalex, QJ MOTOR Gresini Moto2, #52), the third of Albert Arenas (KTM, Red Bull KTM Ajo, #75), Tony Arbolino (Kalex, ELF Marc VDS Racing Team, #14) and Sam Lowes (Kalex, ELF Marc VDS Racing Team, #22).

In total, 27 drivers will start for 21 laps, in the absence of Ai Ogura (Kalex, Idemitsu Honda Team Asia, #79) and Izan Guevara (Kalex, India GASGAS Aspar Team, #28) injured, while the latter is replaced by Jordi Torres.
Kohta Nozane (Kalex, Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46, #5), Alex Escrig (Forward Team, #17) and Lukas Tulovic (Kalex, Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP, #3) are also withdrawn.

All riders use the hard tire at the front and the new soft at the rear.

 

Temperatures are currently 22° in the air and 33° on the ground under a beautiful blue sky.

Past references:

Moto2™ Portimão	2022	2023
P1	2'04.519 Zonta Van den Goorbergh	1'43.046 Jake Dixon
P2	2'00.678 Marcel Schrötter	1'42.391 Pedro Acosta
P3	2'00.810 Celestino Vietti	1'42.003 Arón Canet
Q1	1'45.533 Marcos Ramirez	1'42.965 Tony Arbolino
Q2	1'44.151 Arón Canet	1'42.323 Filip Salač
warm up	1'43.353 Arón Canet	XXXXXX
Course	Roberts, Vietti, Navarro	Acosta, Canet, Arbolino
All time lap record	1″42.101 Raúl Fernández 2021	1'42.003 Arón Canet 2023

 

When the red lights go out... Aron Canet gets the best start and takes command in front Filip Salac et Peter Acosta.

 

 

The positions remain stabilized during the first round but Aron Canet made a first attempt at the end of the straight, while Will Bendsneyder (Kalex, Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team, #64) falls at turn 1, pushed by a competitor.

Peter Acosta also overtakes the Czech driver…

 

 

then took command in the second round.

 

 

Filip Salač quickly falls back several places to find himself 5th behind Pedro Acosta, Arón Canet, Manuel González and Albert Arenas since Celestine Vietti did the first of his two long laps.

Peter Acosta, with Aron Canet at 4/10, manage to escape from the peloton and now have more than a second ahead of them.

A third of the way through, Tony Arbolino dethrones Manuel González to lead the peloton is possibly aiming for the third step of the podium.

 

 

The gaps and positions remain surprisingly stable during the second third of the race, even if Aron Canet returned to the wheel of Peter Acosta to put pressure on the latter.

Tony Arbolino is the fastest on the track and manages to reduce the gap on the two leaders to 1,2 seconds with seven laps to go.

Darryn binder (Kalex, Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP, #15), who was fighting for seventh place, fell without seriousness but managed to restart.

 

 

Alonso lopez (Boscoscuro, CAG SpeedUp, #21) experiences his third fall in a weekend to forget!

The only question that really arises is whether Aron Canet has it under his belt and will try to get his first victory, or if Peter Acosta with the situation in hand and will head towards his fourth success. A first response comes three laps from the checkered flag when driver Ajo sets the best lap in the race then does it again on the next pass...

Tony Arbolino managed to break away from the peloton but was completely forgotten by the two leaders and is now more than three seconds behind.

Finally, Peter Acosta off hook Arón Canet and flies to his fourth victory in Moto2!

 

 

Second, the valiant Aron Canet, still looking for a first success in Moto2 despite his 12th podium in the intermediate category.

 

 

Results of the Moto2 Portuguese Grand Prix at the Algarve International Autodrome in Portimão:

Classification credit: MotoGP.com