The Red Bull Ring hosted more than 90,000 fans this Sunday, and the gathered crowd enjoyed a breathtaking Moto2 race. For the second consecutive weekend, Miguel Oliveira was one of the stars of the show, leading for almost the entirety of the contest. He only missed out on victory when he was passed on the final lap by rival Pecco Bagnaia.
Starting from second -his best grid position of the year so far- Miguel Oliveira got off the line well, claiming the holeshot and breaking clear by more than half a second early on. He continued to lead the way, until the frenetic duel began with Bagnaia. Both riders amazed fans with a riding masterclass, but it was the Italian who would cross the line just 2 tenth ahead of Oliveira.
Miguel Oliveira #44
"I am satisfied with this second place at the Red Bull Ring, although its slightly bittersweet because I didn’t win the race. Overall, it was a great race for me; I didn’t make mistakes and led every lap, but just lost one place on the last lap. I had to try to guess where Bagnaia would try his move and close the door. The last lap was almost a carbon copy of what happened last year in MotoGP.
The World Championship standings are very tight and the races are very exciting. We are on the limit. This year there have been no mistakes from the top riders either, and both Bagnaia and I have always kept adding points to our tally.
I'm very happy because things are going well and I'm sure we'll get the win at another race".
With these excellent results at their home Grand Prix, Miguel Oliveira is second, just 3 points from the top spot.
The next Moto2 round takes place on August 26th at Silverstone in the UK.
Results (Race)
1. Francesco Bagnaia (Kalex) 37:45.914
2. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +0.264
3. Luca Marini (Kalex) +5.953
4. Mattia Passini (Kalex) +6.114
5. Jorge Navarro (Kalex) +8.554
6. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +8.944
Moto2 World Championship Standing 2018 – Riders
1. Francesco Bagnaia (Kalex) 189 points
2. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 186 points
3. Alex Marquez (Kalex) 113 points
4. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 111 points
5. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Kalex) 106 points
Although nobody had expected it after a wet morning, the Moto2 class enjoyed a completely dry qualifying session for the Austrian GP. The World Championship leader, Miguel Oliveira, took advantage of the conditions, claiming second place and his first spot on the front row this season.
Free Practice 3 was a wet session anda Miguel Oliveira used his 45 minutes of track time to work on setups for a possible wet qualifying run. He steadily improved his lap times and felt ever more comfortable as the session progressed, with his final positions on the timesheets being seventh, with a 1:39.399. Miguel Oliveira crashed late on when hit by another rider at Turn 1, but emerged unscathed.
The appearance of the sun and the path cleared by the MotoGP bikes in the previous session left the track completely dry for qualifying. With the slicks back on, there was a change to the normal strategy from the intermediate class, as the grid spots were not decided early on. Miguel Oliveira set his best times on his final stints, with him always inside the Top 3 and placing second -1:29.719.
Miguel Oliveira #44
“It's been a difficult weekend due to the weather conditions, so we had very little time to adjust the bike setup for dry conditions. However, from the early stages of qualifying my bike was already performing well. We suffered a bit of sliding coming into the corners, but in the end we were able to set a good lap that allowed us to claim our first front row of the year. We are happy about that!
Ahead of tomorrow's race, we first have to analyse qualifying, because as we've only had two dry sessions it will be important to understand who has the best pace. As always, our goal is to fight for the victory and try to make as few mistakes as possible”.
After won at Brno for Miguel Oliveira will try for a second consecutive victory tomorrow. The Moto2 25-lap Austrian GP will start at 11:20am Portuguese local time.
Results (Qualifying session)
1. Francesco Bagnaia (Kalex) 1:29.409
2. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:29.719 +0.310
3. Fabio Quartararo (Speed Up) 1:29.930 +0.521
4. Jorge Navarro (Kalex) 1:29.971 +0.562
5. Alex Marquez (Kalex) 1:30.058 +0.649
The home Grand Prix for the Red Bull KTM Ajo team began with a day affected by changeable weather conditions, during which the Moto2 riders had to contend with heavy rain in FP2. However, Miguel Oliveira ended the day satisfied with his work, finishing sixteenth, on the combined timesheets.
The plan for the first session of the weekend for Miguel Oliveira consisted of him making just one stop, to put on new tyres. Miguel Oliveira put in 23 laps and was only 4 tenths of the fastest rider of the day with his 1:30.920.
In the afternoon, the Red Bull KTM Ajo Portuguese rider rode on a completely wet track, with rain falling consistently during the 45 minute session. The conditions caused several crashes amongst the Moto2 field. Miguel Oliveira didn’t want to take excessive risks and ran only two short stints for a total of nine laps.
Miguel Oliveira #44
“The idea for this Friday was to follow the same strategy that we started to follow in Brno, preparing well for qualifying, but the weather didn't let us carry it out. In the morning things went quite well and we were very close to the top time, only 0.4 off. I know there are small aspects of my riding that I have to improve for tomorrow. We had hoped to continue working in the afternoon, but the weather wasn't on our side. In addition, when I went out on track it was when the surface was at its wettest -both times- and I couldn't improve my times much. I hope that tomorrow and on Sunday the weather is more favourable, as the forecasts suggest, and that we will be able to continue working using our initial plan”.
Tomorrow Miguel Oliveira will try to confirm the step forward made in qualifying at the recent Czech GP. The fight for pole position will start at 2:05pm, Portuguese local time.
Results (Combined practice times FP1-FP2)
1. Francesco Bagnaia (Kalex) 1:30.441
2. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Kalex) 1:30.504 +0.063
3. Marcel Schrotter (Kalex) 1:30.522 +0.081
4. Alex Marquez (Kalex) 1:30.568 +0.127
5. Fabio Quartararo (Speed Up) 1:30.568 +0.127
16. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:30.920 +0.479
The Red Bull Ring will host the second consecutive Grand Prix for the Moto2 World Championship this weekend, when the series hits Austria. The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 come into their most special event of the season in the best possible way: Having won the last two races at Sachsenring and Brno, they lead the team standings and also the rider standings with Miguel Oliveira. The Portuguese rider want another great result at Red Bull and KTM’s home round.
Miguel Oliveira arrives in Austria as the new leader of the intermediate class, after his second victory of the season in the Czech Republic last weekend -rewarding the great development work done in recent weeks by KTM and WP. The Portuguese is two points ahead of his closest rival. Unfortunately for the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider, last season he crashed out of the Austrian GP when fighting for the top positions.
Miguel Oliveira #44
“This round is Red Bull and KTM’s home Grand Prix and I want to give something extra because of the huge support we receive throughout the weekend. I want to be competitive and get back on the podium. We changed our strategy in the Czech Republic and it went really well. Our goal is always to fight for the victory. Austria is a circuit at which I feel good, and where last year’s race ended badly because I crashed five laps from the end, but we were able to be very competitive. I'm really looking forward to getting back there and being strong again, in order to continue taking points in this close title fight”.
Miguel Oliveira will try to take KTM’s first home podium in Moto2, when the race gets underway at 11:20am, Portuguese local time on Sunday.
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
Miguel Oliveira enjoyed an historic day at Brno to start the second half of the 2018 Moto2 season, claiming his second win of the year and moving into first place in the overall standings.
Although he would win the race, it was not an easy 19 laps for Miguel Oliveira. The Portuguese rider started from fourth on the grid, and was part of a group of nine riders in the early stages. After momentarily taking the lead on Lap 7, Miguel Oliveira dropped back before attacking again with three laps to go. The victory would be decided on the final lap, as he held off Luca Marini to take the chequered flag first.
Miguel Oliveira #44
“It was a very fun race. From the start I understood that the pace wasn't going to be very fast, so the key was to overtake and not lose much time. On the final laps I knew I had to be further up at the front, then when Baldassarri passed us all I thought I maybe had something extra up my sleeve. I suffered a bit of chatter and sliding, but I wanted to be up at the front. I tried to ride smoothly and without making mistakes, and on the last lap I knew that Marini was going for the win, but finally I managed the last laps well and I was able to finish first. I'm very happy; it is an important victory for us and we hope to continue like this.
Our goal now is to continue enjoying ourselves and working well. We know there are things to improve with the bike, and we are working on it tirelessly to try to make the dream come true at the end of the year”.
Aki Ajo – Team Manager
"It's a great feeling that we have today. We went into the summer break with a victory for Brad Binder at Sachsenring, and we've started the second half of the season with a victory for Miguel Oliveira here at Brno. The whole team are very happy. Miguel had a great race today; I would say that the end of the race was the 'Miguel Oliveira Show.' I have great respect for Miguel, who never gives up and who put on a great performance."
The result for Oliveira means that he tops the overall standings with a 2 point advantage -the first time a Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 rider has occupied the spot.
Results (Race)
1. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 39:22.324
2. Luca Marini (Kalex) +0.070
3. Francesco Bagnaia (Kalex) +0.525
4. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Kalex) +0.745
5. Xavi Vierge (Kalex) +3.362
Moto2 World Championship Standing 2018
1. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 166 points
2. Francesco Bagnaia (Kalex) 164 points
3. Alex Marquez (Kalex) 113 points
4. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Kalex) 106 points
5. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 101 point
The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 Portuguese rider had established a goal before the Czech GP weekend: Improving his qualifying performance in order to avoid the need for raceday fightbacks. He did just that on Saturday at Brno, earning fourth position.
In the last Free Practice session of the weekend, Miguel Oliveira made a short stint in order to try out some pending setup modifications, followed by a stop in the garage and a long run in search of race pace. The results were positive: he lowered his times from yesterday and finished seventh -2:03.216- after setting one of the fastest paces of the Moto2 field.
As is customary in the Moto2 class, the grid places were largely decided in the first 10 minutes of qualifying, taking advantage of the rubber laid down by the MotoGP riders. Miguel Oliveira -2:02.446- managed to use this to his benefit by setting his best times of the weekend. The first 9 riders were separated by less than 3 tenths of a second. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider used the rest of the session to continue refining his race pace.
Miguel Oliveira #44
"It was a positive qualifying session. Our strategy changed this weekend; we worked to improve the bike for a fast lap. In the end everything went as we had expected, but of course having only five minutes to set a time means that my lap had mistakes and could have been better. Compared to my grid positions from the last few races it is a much better situation. It's my best qualifying result of the season, equaling what we did in Qatar, so we are back on the second row and I hope that this is the beginning of a change and that we can continue in this way.
Tomorrow we know that the heat will be a factor that might be decisive. We have a very good pace and I feel comfortable, so we will have to manage the physical side of the race in the best possible way to achieve a good result".
Tomorrow sees the tenth race of the season take place, a 19-lap contest that begins at 12:20pm local time.
Results (Qualifying session)
1. Luca Marini (Kalex) 2:02.244
2. Alex Marquez (Kalex) 2:02.359 +0.115
3. Mattia Pasini (Kalex) 2:02.417 +0.173
4. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 2:02.446 +0.202
5. Marcel Schrotter (Kalex) 2:02.449 +0.205
7. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 2:02.493 +0.24
Miguel Oliveira had a busy day at Brno on Friday. The Red Bull KTM Ajo Portuguese rider was back after a three weeks break and devoted much of the two Free Practice sessions to trying out new setups and developments. Miguel Oliveira completed the first day in twelfth place.
The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider dedicated the first 45 minute session to getting his feel for the bike back after the summer break. It was not an easy start, with track temperatures of 41ºC. The Portuguese rider set his best time in the first of his two stints in FP1. Miguel Oliveira placed tenth with a time of 2:04.701.
In the afternoon, when the track temperature had already risen to 49ºC, Miguel Oliveira began trying new set-ups with qualifying in mind. The results were positive, although neither the track conditions nor the continuous setup testing prevented Oliveira -2:03.694, twelfth, from significantly lowering his time from FP1.
Miguel Oliveira #44
"Today we tried the new parts that KTM have brought for the second half of the season. The truth is that, although we still have to keep testing them, I noticed an improvement with the rear. I got more grip with it, which is what we have been looking for in recent races. This first day has been very positive. We have begun the weekend with a setup that is a bit more extreme and we are getting closer and closer to last year's bike, which was very good. I'm happy with the work we've done today, although when we put the soft tyre on at the end of the day we didn't do much work with it; we'll leave that for tomorrow.
Today we were able to prepare well for qualifying, which was our goal, so tomorrow I hope I can get a grid position a little higher up the order than at the last few races. The high temperatures don't worry me too much because they will be the same for everyone. In the first minutes of qualifying it will be important to take advantage of the grip on the track".
Tomorrow the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider will try to finish the work done throughout Friday with a good position on the starting grid. The fight for the pole position will take place at 2:05pm Portuguese local time.
Results (Combined practice times FP1-FP2)
1. Marcel Schrotter (Kalex) 2:03.118
2. Francesco Bagnaia (Kalex) 2:03.319 +0.201
3. Matia Pasini (Kalex) 2:03.359 +0.241
4. Alex Marquez (Kalex) 2:03.411 +0.293
5. Fabio Quartararo (Speed Up) 2:03.501 +0.383
12. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 2:03.694 +0.576