The riders of the Moto2 world championship met at the Autódromo do Algarve, near Portimão in Portugal, more than three months after the Valencia Grand Prix, with new faces in the category and new rivalries for this 2022 season. It is still far too early to draw any conclusions, but we cannot help but note the presence of four drivers in less than a tenth of a second, well ahead of the rest of the group...
La first day of testing on the Portuguese circuit ended with the new recruit of the Aspar team, Jake dixon, as the fastest driver of the day, thanks to his time of 1'43.169 during the last of the day's three sessions. The Briton's time, which is still one second off the Portuguese circuit record, allowed him to lead the day on his fourth day with the Spanish team, ahead of a trio that was really very close on time...
After completing 51 laps on a track where he had never driven so fast, the Briton, however, continues to adapt positively to his team and will seek today and tomorrow to continue to improve, avoiding the small errors that slowed him down at the opening of this pre-season test.
Jake dixon 1'43.169 (51 laps) : « Overall, I'm very happy with how the day went. I did my best lap on this circuit. It's the usual paradox, when you're not focused on getting a time, it comes by itself. I'm also very happy with the team, we continue to work hard and we found small improvements between the second and third session which allowed us to ride better. I have to try to make fewer mistakes to continue improving. »
Behind him only 75 thousandths, Arón Canet and his new helmet didn't miss this kick-off...
In third position and 89 thousandths behind, Augusto Fernández newly arrived at Red Bull KTM Ajo. The Spaniard had a positive opening day of the Portimão test, leading the first two sessions and finishing third on the combined timesheets with a best lap of 1'43.258. The Spanish rider overcame the discomfort of his injured left hand to do a great job with his team, improving his feel with the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 bike. He completed a total of 40 laps.
Augusto Fernández: « I'm happy with this first day, because my hand is better and we were able to progress. I felt pretty good with the basic setup we had since Jerez. We worked as if it were a Grand Prix weekend, looking for the best setup for the bike based on the track conditions, and we were able to try some things. I'm improving every time I go out on the track and I want to continue like this. »
Augusto Fernandez, Portimão Moto2 test, 19/02/2022
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Last card of a square of aces gathered in less than a tenth of a second, Peter Acosta rode a Moto2 for the first time on the Portuguese track, continuing the process of adaptation to the intermediate category. The reigning Moto3 World Champion made rapid progress, improving his times with each outing, closing with a personal best of 1'43.264. Acosta has accumulated a total of 27 rounds, giving him valuable experience and good conclusions to draw for this Sunday.
Pedro Acosta: « We got off to a good start on the first day of testing in Portimao. It took us a few laps to understand the circuit with a Moto2, because it's different compared to the Moto3. However, we felt good, we took a step forward and found the same feeling we had in Jerez. Over the next two days, we will continue to test things to draw conclusions for Qatar. »
Pedro Acosta, Portimão Moto2 test, 19/02/2022
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