Brad Binder rode to 4th place and Jack Miller was 5th to cap another competitive and positive weekend of MotoGP for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, and for what was the second Grand Prix of the campaign and only the fifth to be held at the Algarve International Circuit. In Moto3™ Jose Antonio Rueda earned his first silverware of the season with a strong charge to 2nd.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing reset their objectives for the Grand Prix of Portugal and for what was a strategic and cagey 25-laps in southern Europe. The Algarve International Circuit may have missed the sunshine on race day but there was plenty of color to be had in the contest for maximum points and where Brad Binder (starting 10th) and Jack Miller (launching from 5th) had their say.
Both KTM RC16s made their customary bright getaway from the grid and Brad and Jack were joined by starlet rookie Pedro Acosta as Austrian machinery filled three slots in the mid-top ten. Binder and Miller had to measure their pace with their tire wear and levels of effective grip as the race distance counted down. Incident and accident marked the running order in the space of the final three laps and the two orange bikes took full benefit to cross the line in the top five. The points ensure that Brad stays P2 in table after two rounds and Jack posted his first score to sit 9th.
The Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas will bring MotoGP to a U.S. audience with the annual visit to the long and varied Circuit of the Americas in Austin. The world championship will reconvene in Texas in mid-April.
Brad Binder, 4th: “It was cool to take 4th today even though we had some help with it. It was a really tough weekend and I struggled to get comfortable and that meant it was hard in the race because I wanted to push and go with the boys. I had to ride smart and make sure I didn’t make the same mistake as yesterday. To have 4th after a hectic and hard weekend…we’ll take it.”
Jack Miller, 5th: “I wanted a little bit more today. I wanted to go with the boys at the front early on but just didn’t quite have the pace mid-corner to get my claws-in and hang on for the [tire] drop. We got a bit lucky with some of the crashes at the end there…but we’ll take it. We have to have some luck sometimes! We still have a bit of work to do but this was a massive improvement over Qatar. The bike has plenty of potential, so we’ll do our homework, look at the data and come back for another go in Austin.”
Francesco Guidotti, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “Quite good feelings about today because it was not an easy weekend and to have these positions on a Sunday afternoon means we were not too bad. The gap could be better, the feeling for the riders also, but we took points for the championship and the Teams standings. Congratulations to Pedro. This is a good sign that the equipment is working well and for different riding styles and is a friendly bike. As a manufacturer we have to be proud of the work so far.”
Results MotoGP Grand Prix of Portugal
1. Jorge Martin (ESP) Ducati 41:18.138
2. Enea Bastianini (ITA) Ducati +0.882
3. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +5.362
4. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +11.129
5. Jack Miller (AUS) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +16.437
11. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +28.244
World Championship standings MotoGP
1. Jorge Martin (ITA) Ducati, 60 points
2. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 42
3. Enea Bastianini (ITA) Ducati, 39
5. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3, 28
9. Jack Miller (AUS) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 16
16. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3, 5
KTM GP Academy
Red Bull KTM Ajo kicked off their Moto3 and Moto2 efforts with Jose Antonio Rueda and Vicente Perez pushing the KTM RC4s onto the grid for 19-laps and the first race of the day. Rueda had achieved his first career Pole Position for what is only his second Moto3 season on Saturday. The Spaniard, who was unlucky not to bag a significant haul of points from the opening round in Qatar two weeks ago, was fast and determined in Portugal and led the first half of the Grand Prix. Rueda remained poised, ever-present in the first three, and on the decisive final lap tried to overtake Daniel Holgado in the last three corners. He missed out on victory by just four hundredths of a second but 2nd place represented his second career podium and best result in Moto3 so far.
Jose Antonio Rueda: “I pushed at the beginning of the race to make the smallest group possible and then it was hard to manage the tire and find the good line. I went for it in that last sector but, anyway, I’m very happy. I need to say thanks to my team. They worked a lot. I’m happy: my first podium of the year in just the second race.”
Perez rallied inside the top fifteen for 14th and collected two points for his second and final outing for the team ahead of Xabi Zurutuza’s debut in the United States for round three.
Moto2 witnessed Celestino Vietti’s improving form and confidence as the Italian throttled through 21-laps fighting for 7th place. Moto2 rookie Deniz Öncü had started from further back on the grid and the launch position conditioned his potential for the Grand Prix distance. The Turk pushed in customary style and passed the checkered flag with 20th.
Results Moto3 Grand Prix of Portugal
1. Daniel Holgado (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 34:09.038
2. Jose Antonio Rueda (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo +0.044
3. Ivan Ortola (ESP) KTM +0.820
4. David Alonso (COL) CFMOTO +2.218
6. Collin Veijer (NED) Husqvarna IntactGP +2.263
8. Joel Esteban (ESP) CFMOTO +5.430
11. Jacob Roulstone (AUS) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +16.213
13. Tatsuki Suzuki (JPN) Husqvarna IntactGP +20.682
14. Vicente Perez (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo +20.776
World Championship standings Moto3
1. Daniel Holgado (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3, 45 points
2. David Alonso (COL) CFMOTO, 38
3. Ivan Ortola (ESP) KTM, 23
4. Collin Veijer (NED) Husqvarna IntactGP, 21
5. Jose Antonio Rueda (ESP), Red Bull KTM Ajo, 20
10. Joel Esteban (ESP) CFMOTO, 13
11. Tatsuki Suzuki (JPN) Husqvarna IntactGP, 12
12. Jacob Roulstone (AUS) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3, 11
19. Vicente Perez (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo, 2
Results Moto2 Grand Prix of Portugal
1. Aron Canet (ESP) 36:03.959
2. Joe Roberts (USA) +2.059
3. Manuel Gonzalez (ESP) +2.610
7. Celestino Vietti (ITA) Red Bull KTM Ajo +7.288
14. Senna Agius (AUS) Husqvarna IntactGP +16.739
15. Darryn Binder (RSA) Husqvarna IntactGP +17.945
20. Deniz Öncü (TUR) Red Bull KTM Ajo +26.523
22. Izan Guevara (ESP) CFMOTO +41.234
World Championship standings Moto2
1. Aron Canet (ESP), 31 points
2. Joe Roberts (USA), 29
3. Manuel Gonzalez (ESP), 27
9. Celestino Vietti (ITA) Red Bull KTM Ajo, 16
17. Senna Agius (AUS) Husqvarna IntactGP, 2
18. Darryn Binder (RSA) Husqvarna IntactGP, 1
19. Deniz Öncü (TUR) Red Bull KTM Ajo, 1
24. Izan Guevara (ESP) CFMOTO, 0