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After a fantastic performance at the Argentina Grand Prix, the Portuguese MotoGP rider is already in Austin, Texas, aiming to continue to improve on board of his KTM RC16. Miguel Oliveira intends to continue within the positive course he has been working on and to bring from the Circuit Of The Americas more points that will allow him to remain within the TOP 15 of the MotoGP world championship.

After finishing eleventh in Argentina, the rider now intends to maintain his goals and continue to follow up on this good moment of his career.

"The Circuit of the Americas is very interesting. I think this is the track with more corners throughout the championship. It's very long, bumpy, full of ups and downs and so it becomes a very fun track to do and I'm sure riding it on my KTM RC16 will be fantastic! At the moment, we are working to consolidate our position, so that we can punctuate, from now on, in a more solid way. The goal in Austin is to score again and continue to improve the performance of the bike and my riding. We really want to continue to improve with each passing day. I'm very excited about this grand prix!" Miguel Oliveira

Hervé Poncharal, team manager, shows confidence for this next grand prix.

"This is a very interesting and difficult track to master and understand, but with the very strong performance and good feel that the entire Red Bull KTM Tech3 team had in Argentina, I think we all came here to Texas with a lot of optimism, a lot of energy and a willingness to continue to grow, so that we can continue to help the KTM MotoGP project also to progress. There is a positive atmosphere within the KTM MotoGP group. It's exciting and interesting to see Pol (Espargaró) and Miguel pushing each other, which is the best key to the performance. At the end of the day, performance is what it takes to develop a bike. I believe that Miguel and Hafizh will show their best profile, as they did in Argentina, also here in Texas, and we’ll continue with our mission, which is to close the gap from the best riders in all big prizes. We all had a week to rest so we'll be 100% ready to face the challenge!" Hervé Poncharal

The Almada rider is back in action tomorrow, Friday, at 15.55 (Portugal time), with the FP1.

After an impressive weekend, Miguel Oliveira fulfills his goal and reaches his first points in the premier class of the MotoGP World Championship.

The Portuguese rider of the Red Bull KTM Tech3 team started his Sunday in the Top 10, finishing the Warm Up session in ninth place, ahead of all other KTM bikes.

Miguel Oliveira has always proved to be confident for the Argentina Grand Prix, which was confirmed in the race after he started it from the fourteenth position to finish it in a magnificent eleventh place, bringing with him 5 points from the Thermas of Río Hondo Circuit.

The portuguese lost a couple of positions at the start of the race, which he quickly recovered and managed to gain some positions against his starting position. With a choice of Hard and Medium tires, Miguel Oliveira performed a steady and consistent race, which allowed him to create a favorable distance between the pilots who pursued him and to maintain a strategic distance from the pilots in front of him. Already at the end of the race, the pilot tried to overtake the Espargaro brothers, ending up behing only by a couple of tenths of Pol Espargaro.

In addition to finishing the race as the second best rookie, Miguel Oliveira was also the second best KTM.

"I'm very happy with this race. Staying in the points was our goal and this makes me very happy for myself and the team. We did a good race, with a good pace. I am very happy with my evolution, in general, and with the bike. I feel like we are on a good way as we are only one tenth of the best KTM and this leaves us very motivated to continue working on the best course. This is a hard work, but we are getting the most out of the bike and that leaves us very happy. Now it’s time to go to Texas to find a new track with this bike and we are motivated to continue a good job " Miguel Oliveira

Miguel Oliveira made history once again, being the first Portuguese rider to achieve points in the premier class of MotoGP, being now in the fifteenth position of the championship.

Race Results:

1. M. Marquez (Honda)

2. V. Rossi (Yamaha) +9.816

3. A. Dovizioso (Ducati) +10.530

11. M. Oliveira (KTM) +25.855

The portuguese Red Bull KTM Tech3 rider starts tomorrow’s race from the fourteenth position, after an excellent qualification.

Miguel Oliveira made a fantastic performance during the second day of the Argentina Grand Prix, in which he managed to reduce his best time in 1.961s comparing to FP1 times, and continued to improve it during FP4 and his qualification.

The Almada rider finished the day in the fourth position of Q1 and will leave tomorrow’s race from the fifth line of the starting grid.

"It was a very positive qualifying day because we were able to improve the starting position comparing to Qatar, which is very good. I feel very good about the bike and I believe I can be even faster. I made my all qualification without air con and without any references, so I am very happy with my driving and very optimistic to start the race tomorrow." Miguel Oliveira

The race for the second round of the 2019 MotoGP season is scheduled to start tomorrow, Sunday, at 7 p.m. in Portugal.

Qualifying Results:

1. M. Marquez (Honda) 1'38.304

2. M. Viñales (Yamaha) 1'38.458 +0.154

3. A. Dovizioso (Ducati) 1'38,468 +0.164

4. V. Rossi (Yamaha) 1'38.545 +0.241

5. J. Miller (Ducati) 1'38,548 +0.244

14. M. Oliveira (KTM) 1'39.298 +0.994

Located in the northern province of Santiago del Estero, the Thermas de Río Hondo Circuit is the stage of the MotoGP World Championship second round this weekend.

After two weeks, today started the second grand prix of the 2019 season, with the first two sessions of free practices.

During the first practice session, the portuguese rider made his best time in the minute 1'41.513, closing the time table in the sixteenth position, 1'686s of the first classified, Marc Marquez.

From the beginning of training, Miguel Oliveira impressed with his fast times around the Argentine circuit. The rookie of the premier class dropped his best time in 1.507 seconds between FP1 and FP2, eventually losing provisional Q2 positions only by just 0.377 seconds.

"Today was a good day and we managed to improve a lot between FP1 and FP2. We did a fantastic job and I felt comfortable on the bike, which allowed us to have a good pace in the second practice session. We are still working to improve the fact that with a new tire we do not feel as much traction as with others, so there are details to keep in mind to be as competitive as possible. I felt with a good pace for the race and with the bike in general, I always had many good times with the average tire behind and just lacked a little more performance with the new tire behind, the soft, which was what hold us a bit to our final position today. Overall, I'm very happy with the end result of today and with my pace and driving. The goal is to continue to improve every day, as it was done today." Miguel Oliveira

Qualifying for the second round of the season takes place tomorrow, Saturday, with Miguel Oliveira's first qualifying scheduled for 1:50. Qualifications for the premier class are set at 6:05 p.m.

Results – Combined Training (FP1 + FP2):

1. A. Dovizioso (Ducati) with 1min39.181s

2. J. Miller (Ducati) with 1min39,190s

3. M. Viñales (Yamaha) with 1min39.345s

4. C. Crutchlow (Honda) with 1min39.346s

5. F. Quartararo (Yamaha) with 1min39.357s

19. M. Oliveira (KTM) with 1min40.006s

After a good debut in the premier class of the MotoGP World Championship, Miguel Oliveira is ready to return to action in what will be the second round of the 2019 season.

Almada's Portuguese rider maintains his goal for his second race at the Argentina Gran Premio and focuses on reaching a position that allows him to score at the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit in Argentina.

"This circuit will be the first one in which I will ride without testing it first. I believe we will need to have a different approach, because we need to adapt quickly to the conditions of the track and its layout. I know and really like this track and this will allow us to discover the bike better. I am confident it will be a positive weekend. We will keep the same focus and goals and we will fight for the points as we did in Qatar. For now, this is my focus: to continue to improve my riding, improve with the team, the bike and the whole setup. I feel confident and ready to fight again." Miguel Oliveira

Hervé Poncharal, team manager, said he considered the first race of the MotoGP world championship and for the rider Miguel Oliveira to be a very interesting race, in which the rider was able to learn a lot. According to him, the last seven to eight laps were complicated and claims to be part of the learning process of a MotoGP rookie.

The Red Bull KTM Tech3 duo has not yet tested on the Argentine circuit, but the team's manager remembers the good memories and sensations experienced in the last season and says that the team is motivated with the start of this great prize and with what we can expect. For Hervé Poncharal, the MotoGP grid has never been so competitive, emphasizing that the team's goals are to reach the points.

Yesterday took place the Qatar Grand Prix of the MotoGP calendar.

The Red Bull KTM Tech3 rookie started the race with a few setbacks, but quickly solved the situation by getting up some positions, reaching and maintaining the thirteenth place for a couple of laps. The Almada rider was during some moments of the race the best KTM rider, running ahead of his team-mate Hafizh Syahrin, as well as the drivers Johann Zarco and Pol Espargaro.

Due to the wear of the KTM RC16’S rear tire, Miguel Oliveira lost some positions in the last laps of the race, finishing it in seventeenth place. The rider did not score in what was his first race in the premier class of the MotoGP World Championship, but he’s feeling confident for the next race.

"It was an interesting race. My engine stopped on the starting grid and I had to restart the pit lane, aligned last, but despite this small setback I kept calm and made a good start and a great first lap, where I passed in 14th on the first pass through the finish line. I was very surprised by the performance of the bike at the beginning of the race and managed to stay and defend myself within the group. It's a pitty that only with seven/eight laps left my rear tire has lost its yield and then there was not much else I could do because the tire was completely degraded. I could not finish in the points. I felt that today was a day where I had a lot of capacity, yet we could not make the tire last the entire race. We leave here with the positive fact that we’re of being competitive and have the potential to be faster. At the end of it all, finishing at 16 seconds is not negative and the team is happy. Now we are going to work to make better in Argentina. My dream today came true, I did my first MotoGP race. I fought with what I had and I am sure we will still have many joys with my KTM.” Miguel Oliveira

The next race will take place at the Circuit of Termas de Rio Hondo, Argentina, on the weekend of March 29-31.

Race Results:

1. A. Dovizioso (Ducati)

2. M. Marquez (Honda) + 0.023s

3. C. Crutchlow (Honda) + 0.320s

17. M. Oliveira (KTM) + 16,377s

Miguel Oliveira will start from the seventeenth position in what is his first grand prix in the premier class of the MotoGP World Championship.

On this windy and intense qualifying saturday, the day started at the Losail International Circuit with the first free practices of the day, in which the portuguese rider won an amazing tenth place, being one of only three riders to improve his best time compared to FP2. In the third free practice session, Miguel Oliveira had his best time in minute 1: 55.557, just +0.880 of first-place finisher Marc Marquez.

The Red Bull KTM Tech3 rookie improved in every session and performed well in what was his first ever qualifying in the premier class.

The fourth session of free practice was marked by a slower pace by the Almada driver, who managed to reach the sixteenth place of the session, when he made his best time in minute 1: 56.011, +1.157 of Danilo Petrucci, the first classified.

After finishing Q1 in seventh position, followed by Rossi, Lorenzo and Espargaro, Miguel Oliveira will start tomorrow’s race from the 6th line of the starting grid.

"It was my intention to improve my lap time, but on the last exit there was a bit of confusion with the riders in front and that did not allow me to make a clean lap to the maximum. I'm a bit disappointed with that, however, I'm also quite happy to start tomorrow’s race from the sixth line of the starting grid! I think it's a good start for our first race as we get close to our first goal, which is ending up the race inside the points. Let's wait for tomorrow." Miguel Oliveira

The first MotoGP round of the 2019 season is scheduled to start tomorrow, Sunday, at 17.00 CET.

Qualifying Results:

1. M. Viñales (Yamaha) 1: 53.546

2. A. Dovizioso (Ducati) 1: 53,744 +0.198

3. M. Marquez (Honda) 1: 53,745 +0.199

4. J. Miller (Ducati) 1: 53,809 +0.263

5. F. Quartararo (Yamaha) 1: 53,946 +0.400

17. M. Oliveira (KTM) 1: 55,122 +0.852

The 2019 season has officially started with the first two free practice sessions held today at the Losail International Circuit, in Qatar.

The Losail International Circuit is the first round of the MotoGP World Championship, which will happen this weekend. Located about 30 km from Doha, the Qatar Grand Prix is ​​without a doubt one of the most extraordinary events on the MotoGP calendar.

Rookie Miguel Oliveira showed some promising potential on his first day aboard the KTM RC16, finishing in the top 20, having improved his time by 0.426s from the first to the second session of practices. The rider finished ahead of his team-mate, Hafizh Syahrin, in both free practices.

The first practice session took place in the morning, where the portuguese rider made his best time in minute 1:56.061, closing the time table in the eighteenth position, only 1m013s behind first-place finisher Valentino Rossi.

In the evening session, Miguel Oliveira managed to improve his morning times, reaching his best time of 1'55.635s, 2'255s of first-place finisher Marc Marquez.

In the combined time table (FP1 + FP2) he achieved the 20th best time.

“Today was quite tricky at the end. We knew that FP2 was going to be important and everyone was pushing to get a fast lap but finally, we couldn’t take out the full profit of the tyre we had. We are trying to understand what we can improve on the bike to gain more drive out of the corners, which seems to be the thing, that is holding us back more. But I trust that tomorrow we still can do a good FP3 and maybe be a little bit more in front. For sure, we are far from Q2, but we are going to try the maximum to be closer.” Miguel Oliveira

The qualifying for the first grand prix of the season takes place tomorrow, saturday, with Miguel Oliveira's FP3 scheduled to start at 12:15 pm. Qualifications of the premier class are set at 5:00 p.m.

Results – Combined Training (FP1 + FP2)

1. M. Marquez (Honda) with 1min53,380s

2. M. Viñales (Yamaha) with 1min53.854s + 0.474s

3. J.Miller (Ducati) with 1min53.908s + 0.528s

4. D. Petrucci (Ducati) with 1min54.053s + 0.673s

5. F. Quartararo (Yamaha) with 1min54.154s + 0.774s

20. Miguel Oliveira (KTM) with 1min55.635s + 2.255s

Red Bull KTM Tech3 duo, Miguel Oliveira and Hafizh Syahrin, finished today's preseason tests at Losail International Circuit, in Qatar, with a positive perception before the first round of the 2019 MotoGP World Championship, which will begin on the weekend of March 9 and 10.

With a total of 28 laps on the last day of testing, Miguel Oliveira improved his lap time achieving 1: 55.773, 1,118 seconds faster than the first day of testing.

Position: 18^th – Time: 1:55.773 – Laps: 28

“Today we definitely found harder conditions than the two previous days because of the wind. We started a bit slow in terms of lap time, but then I was picking up the pace and riding quite good. Unfortunately, a crash ended the test, but I felt I was coming stronger and also the team made quite a few changes to the bike, with which I was very satisfied. I think we ended this test without really arrive at the limit and extract the maximum of the bike, so we leave an extra few tenths in the pocket for the GP.”

The start of the 2019 season for the Red Bull KTM Tech3 team was held today with the official presentation in Mattighofen, Austria. The rider Miguel Oliveira, who will race for the Red Bull KTM Tech3 team in the present season of the MotoGP World Championship was at the presentation today to reveal the new blue and orange colors, with chrome plated, of his RC16.

 “I’m very happy with the new colors, the bike is amazing. The outlook of everything is just incredible, quite different from what we are used to. It’s such a nice project, that KTM and Red Bull got together; to have two factory teams on the grid is something pretty unique and it shows clearly, that KTM soon wants to dominate also this class and road racing in general. I’m just really proud and I feel privileged to be a part of this project.”