Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) set a new Moto2™ lap record in the Official Portimao test, with the 2022 Rookie of the Year starting the year very much on the front foot. Both he and close challenger Fermin Aldeguer (CAG Speed Up) made it into the 1:41s, Acosta with a fastest ever 1:41.907 and Aldeguer at a deficit of just 0.072. Third went to Aron Canet (Pons Wegow Los40) with a 1:42.091, the third rider under the old lap record, just not quite into the 1:41s.
It remained close from there on out, with Somkiat Chantra flying the flag for Idemitsu Honda Team Asia in fourth, and the squad fielding one rider as they wait for 2022 challenger Ai Ogura to return from injury. Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team), who has form at Portimao, was fifth and just 0.006 off Chantra, with Lowes' teammate Tony Arbolino just another 0.009 further back in a tight pack.
Bo Bendsneyder (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team) and Barry Baltus (Fieten Olie Racing GP) were notable in seventh and eighth, ahead of Jake Dixon (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team) and Albert Arenas (Red Bull KTM Ajo).
The fastest rookie was Sergio Garcia (Pons Wegow Los40) in P17.
Some more experienced riders who will be looking for a lot more come the Grand Prix weekend are Alonso Lopez (CAG Speed Up) in P15 and Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team) in P19. Full final session and combined timesheets can be found below!
Rossi heads Rueda by 0.051s in Moto3™
It was CLOSE at the top, with Rossi searing to a new lap record and rookie Rueda on the chase
Riccardo Rossi (SIC58 Squadra Corse) has begun the Moto3™ season on top, with the Italian putting in a scorching lap of Portimao under the old lap record at the Official Test. The rider on the chase arguably upstages the impressive feat of the more veteran 54, however, with rookie Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) just 0.051s further back as he joins the fold – and with a lap that's also under the previous record. If he wasn't one to watch already, arriving as the first rider to win both JuniorGP™ and the Red Bull MotoGP™ Rookies Cup in the same year, he most definitely is now.
Third on the combined timesheets goes to David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports), the impressive 2022 rookie starting his sophomore season on a high, with two veterans rounding out the top five: Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) and Romano Fenati (Rivacold Snipers Team). The full combined timesheets can be found below.
Some notable positions include the trio of rookies from 10th to 12th, with David Alonso (Autosolar GASGAS Aspar Team), Syarifuddin Azman (MT Helmets – MSI) and Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) all impressing.
Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) in P15 and Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing) in P19 are two veterans who will be looking for more once the Grand Prix gets underway.
DORNA