Acosta Smashes Moto2 Lap
Record At Portimao
P
edro Acosta (Red Bull KTM
Ajo) put on a stunning display
at the Portimao Moto2 preseason
test over the weekend, the rookie
blitzing the lap record to set a
1:41.552, some 0.6 seconds up
on the time set by the man he
replaces on the team, MotoGP-
bound Raul Fernandez.
The times were fast across the
board as Acosta headed team-
mate Augusto Fernandez, who
clocked a 1:41.706. Completing
the Spanish top three was Aron
Canet (Flexbox HP40 Kalex) with
a 1:41.819. Rounding out the
top five was 2021 breakout star
Fermin Aldeguer (MB Conveyors
Speed Up) who put the Bosco-
curo in fourth, 0.563 off the
top, with Albert Arenas (GasGas
Aspar Team) fifth.
It was a positive test for Joe
Roberts (Italtrans Kalex). The
leading American, Roberts,
clocked the sixth-fastest time be-
hind fifth-place Ai Ogura, although
the gap was a worrying 0.9 sec-
onds off the flying Acosta.
Jake Dixon (GasGas Aspar
Team), Celestino Vietti (Mooney
VR46 Racing Team) and Jorge
Navarro (Flexbox HP40 Kalex)
rounded out the top 10.
American Racing teammates
Cameron Beaubier and rookie
Sean Dylan Kelly finished the test
19th and 27th, respectively.
The next hit out for the Moto2
teams will be round one of the
Championship at Qatar on March
6, 2022.
CN
VOLUME 59 ISSUE 8 FEBRUARY 23, 2022 P29
This kid is very, very
good! 17-year-old Pedro
Acosta blew the Moto2
lap record out of the
water at Portimao.
