Month: August 2017

The twelfth Moto2 race of the year took place this Sunday at Silverstone Circuit, and ended with both Red Bull KTM Ajo riders placing inside the Top 10. Miguel Oliveira was eighth, back amongst the points after his DNF in Austria, whilst Brad Binder’s ninth place was his second consecutive Top 10.

The key moment of the contest for Oliveira came on Lap 10, when he went wide at Turn 7. The Portuguese had been in the group fighting to get onto the podium, but the incident dropped him down to fourteenth place. Never giving up, the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider managed to re-establish his pace and complete the 18 laps in eighth place.

 #44 Miguel Oliveira

“In the end it was a race a little without reward for us, because I had a very good pace and I knew I could have fought for the victory. I didn’t start very well, then I got into the Top 5 and, when I wanted to pass Pasini, I couldn’t engage the gear -it was stuck in neutral and I ran wide. I was able to get back up and pass some other riders, to take some points and cross the finish line in eighth place. We will take away the positives and move on. Now we have to focus and be motivated for the next race”.

Aki Ajo – Team Manager

"This has been another good race for our Moto2 structure, at a circuit where we had never been before. Throughout the weekend Miguel [Oliveira] showed a very good pace, and that he is in great form. In the race he was able to recover from going wide, which had made him lose some positions; without that, he would have been fighting at least to be in the Top 5."

After 12 rounds of the season, Miguel Oliveira remains fourth in the overall standings with 141 points. He will try to continue adding to his total in two weeks’ time, at the San Marino GP.

Results (Race)

1. Takaaki Nakagami (Kalex) 38:20.883

2. Mattia Pasini (Kalex) +0.724

3. Franco Morbidelli (Kalex) +2.678

4. Thomas Luthi (Kalex) +4.645

5. Francesco Bagnaia (Kalex) +9.515

8. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +10.463

Moto2 World Championship Standing 2017

1. Franco Morbidelli (Kalex) 223 points

2. Thomas Luthi (Kalex) 194 points

3. Alex Marquez (Kalex) 155 points

4. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 141 points

5. Francesco Bagnaia (Kalex) 111 points

The final result of the Moto2 British GP qualifying session provided mixed feelings for Miguel Oliveira. The Portuguese Red Bull KTM Ajo rider took a place on the third row, in eighth, but was very satisfied with the pace he set throughout the session.

The intermediate class rider was able to ride on a completely dry surface throughout the final practice session. Oliveira and Binder ran used tyres for the entirety of FP3. Oliveira set his best time on his first stint, placing seventh with a 2:07.927, although he would not lower his times from Friday.

Oliveira’s strategy preferred to focus his efforts on race pace, and found a consistently fast rhythm in the afternoon. He made just one stop in the garage, and put in as many as 12 laps in the 2:07 range. His top time was 2:07.124. 

#44 Miguel Oliveira

“In the qualifying session we placed little lower than we were expecting, but I have to say that it was a very good session for us. We were close to my best lap all the time. I'm happy about this, and I think that tomorrow I can run that pace for the entire race. A lot of riders set their best lap at the end, using slipstreams, so it's a bit bittersweet for us. Looking at the work we've done so far, I'm optimistic for tomorrow".

The Moto2 British GP will have a unique start time of 2pm local time tomorrow.

Results (Qualifying Practice)

1. Mattia Pasini (Kalex) 2:06.572

2. Alex Marquez (Kalex) 2:06.794 +0.222

3. Franco Morbidelli (Kalex) 2:06.817 +0.245

4. Takaaki Nakagami (Kalex) 2:06.936 +0.364

5. Luca Marini (Kalex) 2:06.983 +0.411

8. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 2:07.124 +0.552

Miguel Oliveira made a great start to the weekend at Silverstone, and quickly established himself as one of the riders to watch for Sunday’s race. The Portuguese quickly put his disappointing end to the Austrian GP behind him to go fast right from the get-go for the British GP, clocking the second quickest time and putting in a terrific pace.  

The good conditions for FP1 allowed Oliveira to set a 2:08.678 lap, putting him third. A further positive was his 8 laps in the 2:08 range, and he was the only rider to achieve such a feat.  

It took only 3 laps for Oliveira to match his morning time in FP2, and 2 further laps to set his best time of the day: 2:07.763. The Portuguese would not improve in the rest of the session, but maintained a strong pace and was second on the timesheet, giving him optimism for tomorrow’s qualifying session. 

#44 Miguel Oliveira

“It was a good first day here at Silverstone. The bike was always working well, so we haven’t changed many things, and we have grown and grown. I’m happy about how things have gone so hopefully the weather conditions are going to be favourable tomorrow as well. I hope I can take a risk to be on either the first or second row -as always- and give my all. Tomorrow we will do a ‘contrast test,’ if you can call it that, because we don’t have much to do on the bike. We must also adjust my riding a bit”.

Qualifying takes place on Saturday at 3:05pm local time.

Results (Combined practice times FP1-FP2)

1. Alex Marquez (Kalex) 2:07.491

2. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 2:07.763 +0.272

3. Mattia Pasini (Kalex) 2:07.774 +0.283

4. Dominique Aegerter (Suter) 2:08.139 +0.648

5. Takaaki Nakagami (Kalex) 2:08.139 +0.648

The former airfield of the Royal Air Force Station, now known as the Silverstone Circuit, will this weekend host the twelfth round of the Moto2 season. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider arrives at Silverstone leaving behind a fall in the Austrian GP race, when he fought for a place on the podium, a few laps of the chess flag. He faces the British GP with optimism and convinced that he will take a further step forward this weekend.

Oliveira miraculously emerged unscathed from his heavy crash during the race at the Red Bull Ring. He was even able to participate in the test held the following Monday at the Austrian track. Already fully recovered from the fall, Oliveira hopes to fight for the podium at the longest circuit on the calendar. His best result at Silverstone thus far was in the 2014 season in Moto3, when he finished fourth.

#44 MIGUEL OLIVEIRA

“The British GP is usually a very important weekend for the World Championship. It’s a tricky circuit, the longest of the season, with a mixture of very interesting corners and hard braking, where you have to turn the bike a lot, and with some slow corners. It’s not easy to find the perfect setup for the bike and it is easy to make a mistake and lose points. I’m confident that we can do a good job and very motivated after the crash in Austria. Fortunately, I'm at 100% physically."

Exceptionally, due to a clash with Formula 1, the Moto2 race will be held at 2pm local time on Sunday.

Circuit information – Silverstone

Length: 5.900m / 3.666 miles

Width: 17 metres

Left corners: 8

Right corners: 10

Longest straight: 770m / 0.478 miles

Constructed: 1948

Modified: 2011

Miguel Oliveira was a protagonist in today's epic Moto2 race, at the Austrian GP. The young portuguese rider started in the 3rd row, 8th position; in the first laps got involved in a battle with is teammate, Brad Binder, and Francesco Bagnaia, which ultimately cost him time to the leading group.

After being able to overcome the opponents, Oliveira made a sequence of quick laps that allowed him not only to reach the leading group, but also to be the best rider on track, while retrieving the almost 3 seconds disadvantage he had. With 5 laps remaining to the finish, Miguel Oliveira lost the rear wheel grip in turn 8 and he could’t avoid the crash, which ended his race.

The young Red Bull KTM Ajo pilot was transported to the circuit’s hospital for medical examinations, which dictated him able to run.

#44 Miguel Oliveira

“It was a very positive race. We had been able to close the gap to the front group after they escaped on the opening laps, and five laps from the end I could see that we had victory within reach. It was very important to take this step forward after having had difficulties in practice. It’s a shame about the crash; I lost the rear wheel and was thrown off the bike. Luckily nothing is broken, although my whole body is very sore. Tomorrow we have a day of testing, but I don’t know if I'm going to be fit in time”.

Miguel Oliveira is now 4th in the Moto2 World Championship Standing, with 133 points, at only 30 points from the spanish Alex Marquez.

The next race for the Red Bull KTM Ajo team will be at Silverstone, in the British Grand Prix between August 25th-27th. However, tomorrow they will have a day of testing at the Red Bull Ring.

Results (Race)

1. Franco Morbidelli (Kalex) 37:39.370

2. Alex Marquez (Kalex) +1.312

3. Thomas Luthi (Kalex) +2.544

4. Francesco Bagnaia (Kalex) +3.070

5. Mattia Pasini (Kalex) +3.745

DNF. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo)

Moto2 World Championship Standing 2017

1. Franco Morbidelli (Kalex) 207 points

2. Thomas Luthi (Kalex) 181 points

3. Alex Marquez (Kalex) 153 points

4. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 133 points

5. Francesco Bagnaia (Kalex) 100 points

The Red Bull KTM Ajo team continued their preparations for the Austrian GP with Saturday action at the spectacular Red Bull Ring. Miguel Oliveira again improved his times, first in FP3 and later in qualifying, to take 8th on the grid, for Round 11 of the season.

The final Free Practice session saw Oliveira suffer a crash at Turn 4, ten minutes in. Although he escaped unhurt, his bike was sufficiently damaged as to oblige his team to undertake an heroic effort to get him back out on track. He used the remaining quarter of an hour to set a new personal fastest time of 1:30.094 -fifth.

The portuguese rider continued his consistent improvement in qualifying. Oliveira set his quickest lap of 1:29.998 in the opening 20 minutes, on his sixth lap, and remained inside the Top 10 for the remainder of the session. He will start from eighth on the grid for the Austrian GP.

The Moto2 Austrian GP begins tomorrow afternoon at 11:20am, portuguese time, with great expectation for the Red Bull KTM Ajo riders at a home round for partners Red Bull and KTM.

#44 Miguel Oliveira

“Despite suffering a crash in FP3, in qualifying later on I felt very comfortable on the bike again. We didn't finish very far off the fastest riders, despite the fact that we tried a big change for qualifying that didn't work out as we had hoped. At the moment it seems that this circuit is a little harder to prepare a setup for, but tomorrow we will give our all again and do the best we can in the race".

Results (Qualifying Practice)

1. Mattia Pasini (Kalex) 1:29.364

2. Franco Morbidelli (Kalex) 1:29.395 +0.001

3. Alex Marquez (Kalex) 1:29.570 +0.176

4. Francesco Bagnaia (Kalex) 1:29.581 +0.187

5. Thomas Luthi (Kalex) 1:29.696 +0.302

8. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:29.998 +0.604

The Red Bull KTM Ajo team made a positive start to the Austrian GP this Friday. The event is considered a home race for the team, due to the location of partners Red Bull and KTM in the country, and thus the Grand Prix is one of the biggest of the year. Miguel Oliveira needed only a few laps to be strong at the Red Bull Ring, finishing third on Friday and leading the way several times during the two Free Practice sessions.

FP1 for the Moto2 class was barely ten minutes old before it began to rain intensely. Oliveira used these minutes before the track was fully wet to adapt perfectly with his KTM and set the best time of the session: 1:31.203. The final 17 minutes were ridden in the wet.

The weather stabilised for FP2, which took place in completely dry conditions. Again Oliveira was very strong from the start, taking the top spot on his opening stint. Always in the fight to be fastest, the Portuguese rider eventually placed third with a 1:30.394.

After a positive Friday, the Red Bull KTM Ajo team will try to fight for KTM's first pole position at the Red Bull Ring in Moto2, tomorrow from 14:05, Lisbon time.

 #44 Miguel Oliveira

"The day went pretty well today. We had some more work to do, because we had to prepare the setup based on a softer tyre than what we had last year. We worked hard on it, thinking about the race. Everything has been very consistent and very good, I was able to lead the timesheets for a long time and this morning I was fastest. I have a very good feeling for tomorrow. The goal for qualifying must be to get on the first or second row".

Results (Combined practice times FP1-FP2)

1. Franco Morbidelli (Kalex) 1:30.2111

2. Thomas Luthi (Kalex) 1:30.242 +0.031

3. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:30.394 +0.183

4. Mattia Pasini (Kalex) 1:30.421 +0.210

5. Isaac Viñales (Kalex) 1:30.473 +0.262

After the summer stop, the Red Bull Ring will host the second consecutive Grand Prix in as many weekends, just a few days after the Czech GP. Miguel Oliveira, who had very positive results at Brno including a podium, comes to Austria hoping to continue taking steps forward during the second half of the season and with a first victory in his crosshairs. In addition, it will be a very special round for the team, as the first 'home GP’ in Moto2 for Red Bull and KTM.

Oliveira took a podium at Brno last weekend, with a third place in a wet race and being among the fastest riders during every practice session – under all kinds of conditions. In Austria he will try to again be in the fight for a sixth podium of the season, at a Red Bull Ring where he finished 14th last year.

The portuguese rider will try to get a first podium for KTM at the Red Bull Ring in Moto2 this weekend, in a race that will take place on Sunday at 11:20pm, Lisbon time.

 #44 Miguel Oliveira

“We arrive in Austria in very good shape and able to fight for the podium again. The goal is to start the weekend strong and finish it even better. We are looking for the win, but the work has been very consistent at every race and I am very happy with how things are going so far. We know that it is a special GP for Red Bull and for KTM, although we will try to approach it as a normal weekend, as if it is not here that we win, we will have other opportunities to do so later on. Everything will be very close at the Red Bull Ring, but by doing our job we can be among the best riders”.

Circuit information – Red Bull Ring

Length: 4.318 m / 2.683 miles

Width: 13 metres

Left corners: 3

Right corners: 7

Longest straight: 626 m / 0.389 miles

Constructed: 1969

Modified: 1996

The Moto2 Czech Grand Prix was divided into two parts, the first dry and a final six laps in wet. Miguel Oliveira showed what had already been apparent in practice, that he felt comfortable in all kinds of conditions. The Portuguese took third position, for his fifth podium of the year and a first in the rain.  

The first part of the Moto2 race took place in the dry. Oliveira, the rider from Red Bull KTM Ajo made a great start, but on the eighth lap, when he was up in third position, Race Direction brought out the red flag due to rain. Upon the restart, in a six-lap sprint, Oliveira again got off the line well, although two riders risked more in the first half-lap and escaped. The Portuguese improved his pace lap after lap to cross the finish line in third position.

With this second consecutive podium, Miguel Oliveira is fourth in the overall standings, level with the third placed rider with 133 points. The next race will be the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring next weekend.

 Miguel Oliveira #44

"It was a very difficult race. We were lucky that it was short, because at the end it was very tricky when the rain fell again. In any case, I was able to make a good start, although in just half a lap, Luthi and Marquez pushed hard and I lost contact with them. I was also fighting with the riders behind and I think I lost a little time with that. Later I was able to cut the gap, but I needed a few more laps. It was a very difficult race, I couldn’t do any better than third. I am pleased that we were able to improve in these wet conditions because we were not able to do so in some of the previous races. I'm very happy".

Aki Ajo – Team Manager

"It has been a very good weekend for us in Moto2. Our riders have had a good performance in both dry and wet conditions. Unfortunately Brad [Binder] didn’t feel comfortable in the second race. But for me it has also been a good weekend for him. For Miguel [Oliveira] it has been a very positive weekend, especially with his podium, but also because he managed to be up there in every session. In my opinion, one of the most important things that we take from this GP is that we were strong in wet conditions, when we had not been previously. So we have taken a new step forward".

Results (Race)

1. Thomas Luthi (Kalex) 13:39.036

2. Alex Marquez (Kalex) +4.991

3. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +6.983

4. Luca Marini (Kalex) +9.190

5. Xavi Vierge (Tech 3) +11.064

Moto2 World Championship Standing 2017

1. Franco Morbidelli (Kalex) 182 points

2. Thomas Luthi (Kalex) 165 points

3. Alex Marquez (Kalex) 133 points

4. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 133 points

5. Francesco Bagnaia (Kalex) 87 points

Miguel Oliveira will start the Czech Grand Prix from the front row of the grid, after placing second in a dry qualifying session at Brno. He was just 0.032s off pole position, showing the will and determination of the portuguese athlete. Today was, moreover, a very positive day for the whole Redbull KTM Ajo team, for not only Miguel Oliveira’s colleague, Brad Binder, has achieved his best Moto2 qualifying result, but also because the team has announced to extend the project for another two yers, with both current riders remaining part of the team in 2018.

In the last Free Practice session of the weekend, the portuguese Moto2 rider has experienced completely different conditions to those of Friday. Ambient temperatures of around 30ºC and a dry track allowed him to improve his time from yesterday. Oliveira has decided to make a pit stop to fit new tyres, placing eleventh, with a 2:03.211 lap.

For qualifying, the track temperature was clocked at a high of 45ºC. Oliveira was up into fourth on his first stint, but it was not until his final run that he was able to lower his time. A magnificent 2:02.643 lap placed him second, 0.032s off pole.

"It was a very difficult qualifying session because it was very hot. The conditions were difficult. Our strategy was to try to set a good lap quickly at the beginning, but we ended up getting it at the end. I'm happy to be second but the most important thing is to be on the front two rows. We are ready for tomorrow, whatever the conditions. I want to add that I am very proud to be able to renew for another year with the Red Bull KTM Ajo team in Moto2. In the rookie year for our project we are already doing big things, at circuits where we had no references, so I am very happy to be able to continue for another season and will look to do even better in 2018”.

Satisfied with the work done today, Oliveira and Binder will tomorrow undertake the first race of the second half of the season, starting at 11.20am.

Results (Qualifying Practice)

1. Mattia Pasini (Kalex) 2:02.611

2. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 2:02.643 +0.032

3. Franco Morbidelli (Kalex) 2:02.661 +0.050

4. Francesco Bagnaia (Kalex) 2:02.686 +0.075

5. Jorge Navarro (Kalex) 2:02.742 +0.131