Author: admin_322345

On the first day of Catalan GP, the good work that many teams, including Red Bull KTM Ajo, carried out at the end of May in a test, paid off with fast times. The Moto2 field had adapted well to the new asphalt and a new Turn 13 at the Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit, and the pace was so even that the tenth best time, set by Miguel Oliveira, was just 351 thousandths of a second off the top spot.

The setup worked on in the test allowed the Red Bull KTM Ajo duo to head the timesheets in the opening minutes of the FP1. Miguel Oliveira made just a single stop in the pits after long runs, ending the session with new tyres, in eighth -1:44.576.

The 44°C track temperature provided a new variable for FP2. It meant that very few riders would lower their previous times, and Miguel Oliveira was thousands of a second off doing so. Back among the fastest riders and still inside the Top 10, Miguel Oliveira was fifth -1:44.592-. The Portuguese suffered a crash on the fast Turn 9 with 6 minutes remaining, but escaped unharmed.

Miguel Oliveira #44

“It has been a very good day, I felt very comfortable with the bike at all times. In FP2 the conditions were more difficult but we matched our times, which is very positive. When we put on the new tyre I was pushing hard, and on my first lap I lost the front on a fast corner and unfortunately went down. I hit my right elbow, which has swollen up, but it isn't anything serious and tomorrow we will be able to work like always. We have a good pace; the crash prevented me from looking for our fastest lap, but I am very happy about how the bike is behaving.

Doing the test here three weeks ago has helped, as we have been able to find our way much more easily. Tomorrow we have to continue like that”

Moto2 qualifying takes place tomorrow at 2:05pm Portuguese local time, and Miguel Oliveira will look for a position on the starting grid higher up than at Mugello a fortnight ago

Results (Combined practice times FP1-FP2)

1. Francesco Bagnaia (Kalex) 1:44.225

2. Alex Marquez (Kalex) +0.115

3. Marcel Schrotter (Kalex) +0.115

4. Joan Mir (Kalex) +0.115

5. Augusto Fernandez (Kalex) +0.135

10. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +0.351

The Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit hosts the seventh round of the Moto2 World Championship this weekend, and the Red Bull KTM Ajo Portuguese rider comes into the event in the best possible way after taking his first victory of the season at the Italian GP. Miguel Oliveira will seek to fight for the podium at a modified track where he has already tested at the end of last month.

Miguel Oliveira’s win at Mugello last time out helped him to close the gap to the series leader to just 13 points. This weekend’s venue also holds good memories for the Red Bull KTM Ajo Portuguese rider; it was there that he earned his first Moto3 podium in 2012 with a third place, the same result he achieved there last season in Moto2.

Miguel Oliveira #44

“At Mugello we got a victory for which we had been fighting since the beginning of the season, so it would be very nice to take a second win in Barcelona. An important thing for us would be to take a step forward in the qualifying session, so as not to have to risk so much on Sunday. With the base that we have from the days of testing in Barcelona and Mugello, we are prepared to achieve that. We have already tested with the layout changes, so in theory we will not find anything new here. The asphalt has very good grip and almost no bumps, so it will certainly be a very interesting weekend.”

This season the circuit has undergone a complete resurfacing and a new Turn 13 has been created, which replaces the previous chicane. The seventh Moto2 race of 2018, which will be run over 22 laps, will start on Sunday, June 17th at 11:20am Portuguese local time.

Circuit information – Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit

Length: 4.627 m / 2,875 miles

Width: 12 metres

Left corners: 6

Right corners: 8

Longest straight: 1.047 m / 0,650 miles

Constructed: 1991

Modified: 2018

After fightbacks from Miguel Oliveira in the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday, the Portuguese rider stayed on at Mugello on Monday for a day of testing. The Red Bull KTM Ajo 23 years old rider was very happy with his work, although rainfall midway through the afternoon altered the track conditions for the final session.

Yesterday's race winner Miguel Oliveira -who put in 52 laps- made the most of the three hours of track time at his disposal this Monday at Mugello. The work plan was principally focused on confirming the findings of last week's test in Barcelona, under different conditions and at a different track, to make a more complete assessment of the new developments. Specific work was done on chassis setup.

Miguel Oliveira #44

“After taking the win yesterday, today we had a positive day of testing in Italy. We tested some parts that we had also tried out in the race yesterday and at the Barcelona test last week. Today we didn't try any new parts. We tried to test the front suspension and chassis setup, to see how to ride the bike better. In general, I am very pleased with how everything has gone, so we are looking forward to next week in Barcelona”.

The next time that the Red Bull KTM Ajo Portuguese rider will get on his Moto2 bike will be next week, at the Catalan GP from June 15th-17th.

A thrilling performance at Mugello on Sunday took Miguel Oliveira to his first victory of the season, as he fought his way through the field and clinched the win on the final lap. 

Miguel Oliveira had a masterclass of a start, as he took off from eleventh on the grid but was already up into fifth coming out of the opening corner. By the time the first lap came to an end, he was riding in third. The Portuguese rider would not leave the podium positions from then on, and would battle with first Pasini and Bagnaia, then late on with Baldassarri. Eventually, it was the Portuguese who took the chequered flag first. 

Miguel Oliveira #44

"Starting from so far back on the grid, I knew I had to make a good start. I pushed my hardest on the first lap and, shortly after, I was already up into third. Pasini was very strong and very fast, but I saw that I had a chance to win the race and, simply, I decided to go for it. Baldassarri also had a great pace, and I fought with him until the last lap. It was a very fun and spectacular battle.

I am very happy to have taken this victory that we had been chasing since the beginning of the season. I have to thank the team because they worked really hard, and from FP3 to qualifying we had to change the bike almost completely; in the end, it worked out very well.” 

With the 25 points earned today, Miguel Oliveira continues in second in the overall standings and cuts the gap to the series leader to 13 points difference. 

Results (Race)

1. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 39:42.018

2. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Kalex) +0.184

3. Joan Mir (Kalex) +0.334

4. Francesco Bagnaia (Kalex) +0.484

5. Alex Marquez (Kalex) +3.537

Moto2 World Championship Standing 2018

1. Francesco Bagnaia (Kalex) 111 points

2. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 98 points

3. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Kalex) 84 points

4. Alex Marquez (Kalex) 78 points

5. Joan Mir (Kalex) 64 points

The Moto2 World Championship comes to Mugello this weekend, making its annual visit to one of the most legendary circuits on the calendar. It is also the scene of some of the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 Portuguese rider best memory, as he has won at the event in the past.

In 2015 –his first season with the team– Miguel Oliveira claimed his first Grand Prix victory at the Italian track. In Moto2, the best result for the team is the fifth place taken by Miguel Oliveira last year.

The Portuguese arrives in Italy second in the overall standings, having gained a position despite the difficult weekend he experienced two weeks ago in France. The aim for him this weekend at Mugello will be to try to cut the gap to the series leader by as many points as possible and challenge for the win. To do this, he will try to take advantage of the improvements made to his KTM on the day of testing held this past Monday in Barcelona.

Miguel Oliveira #44

“We come into this GP after a positive test at the Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit on Monday, which I’m sure will help us because we found important improvements to the setup. This is a different track to Le Mans, so I am confident that we can get into the top positions again. I have good memories of Mugello; I got my first victory there in Moto3 and last year we took fifth position –a place that I hope to better this Sunday. We will work hard to be able to fight for the victory. I'm sure we can take the win, so we will work hard to get it”.

The sixth Moto2 race of 2018, held over 21 laps, will start on Sunday, June 3rd at 11:20am Portuguese local time

Circuit information – Mugello

Length: 5.245 m / 3.259 miles

Width: 15 metres

Left corners: 6

Right corners: 9

Longest straight: 1.141 m / 0.709 miles

Constructed: 1974

This Monday, Miguel Oliveira undertook a private test at the Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit, where the seventh event of the year will be held in just three weeks’s time. Defying the forecasts, the single-day test took place in perfect weather conditions, and was used to prepare the Portuguese rider for the Moto2 World Championship’s next trip to the track, as well as this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo Portuguese rider continued finetuning the setup of his Moto2 machines, in addition to learning the characteristics of two new additions to the Spanish circuit: The resurfaced asphalt and the new Turn 13 that replaces the old chicane. Miguel Oliveira, who put in 104 laps, also took advantage of the day of testing to try new chassis and suspension parts that KTM had brought to the track as well as Dunlop tyres for the new surface.

Miguel Oliveira #44

“We had a very productive day. We were working almost all day with the hard compound. In the middle of the day we tested many things, such as new parts and improvements for the chassis. Then we put on the softer compound and we did quite well; we were consistent and ran a good pace. We focused more on preparing the Catalan Grand Prix, but even so I think we have to improve at circuits where we use soft tyres and there is a lot of grip -like Le Mans. Luckily, this day can be used as a reference for when we visit tracks with these conditions. The new asphalt is not very bumpy and has very good grip, so I think they have done a very good job”.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo Portuguese rider will have his first opportunity to put into practice today's testing results this Friday, when the Italian Grand Prix starts at Mugello.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo Portuguese rider finished his most difficult weekend of the season so far at Le Mans. Miguel Oliveira took a sixth place at the French GP that allows him to climb to second position in the overall standings.  

Starting from the fourth row of the grid, the Red Bull KTM Ajo Portuguese rider made a spectacular start, completing the opening lap in fifth position. From there, several overtaking moves occurred between him and other riders. Oliveira was sixth on the seventh lap, after passing his teammate Brad Binder. Despite giving up the position momentarily, the Portuguese moved back into sixth with six laps remaining and fought for fifth place until the final lap.

Miguel Oliveira #44

“I am satisfied with our sixth position because we have improved compared to last year and we are also second in the overall standings, which is important. The problem for us was that at the beginning of the race the other riders had more grip and could go faster than us, whilst we lacked speed. At the end I was able to ride as fast as lead riders, but it was too late by then. Even so, we are lacking something and we are struggling a little, so we need something more. Luckily the team are working hard.

Now we have a test before Mugello that I'm sure will be good for us; both for me personally and for the bike too, as we look to take a step forward. Le Mans was the most difficult circuit we had marked on the calendar, so it's already done with and we’re going to go for a good result at Mugello”

Aki Ajo – Team Manager

"We have to be happy with today's results, because both of our riders were able to finish in the Top 10. The start of the weekend was very difficult, as was Saturday morning. I’m happy with the progress we have made throughout these past three days, since last year we had difficulties here with Miguel [Oliveira]; Brad [Binder] was out injured. We have improved and we haven’t surrendered at any time. Making improvement during the race weekend is the most important thing. We leave here with more points, we are second in both the rider standings, with Miguel, and in the team standings. Next week we will have a day of testing and we’ll have another after the race at Mugello, so the next three weeks are very important for us. I am very sure that we can fight for victories again

After five races, Miguel Oliveira moves up a place to second in the overall standings with 73 points. The Portuguese rider will be in action on June 3rd for the next Grand Prix at Mugello, Italy, following a day of testing.

Results (Race)

1. Francesco Bagnaia (Kalex) 40:40.162

2. Alex Marquez (Kalex) +2.709

3. Joan Mir (Kalex) +4.865

4. Marcel Schrotter (Kalex) +7.041

5. Xavi Vierge (Kalex) +9.811

6. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +9.943 

Moto2 World Championship Standing 2018

1. Francesco Bagnaia (Kalex) 98 points

2. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 73 points

3. Alex Marquez (Kalex) 67 points

4. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Kalex) 64 points

5. Mattia Pasini (Kalex) 58 points

Whilst the weekend of the French Grand Prix has not been the easiest of the season so far for Miguel Oliveira, the Red Bull KTM Ajo Portuguese rider nevertheless managed to obtain positive results in qualifying at Le Mans. Miguel Oliveira set his best laps in the grid-defining session, to start from the fourth row -in tenth- for tomorrow's race.

Miguel Oliveira used FP3 to test out solutions to problems encountered yesterday, and he made two pit stops. The final minutes saw Oliveira progress to fourteenth place -1:37.556-.

The Portuguese rider clocked his best laps in his third run in qualifying.  Before that, in the opening minutes he had improved his times from Free Practice, showing that he had correctly analysed the data from FP3. Late on, the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider tried to get the most out of his newest set of tyres, and ended with fastest laps of  1:36.976.

Miguel Oliveira #44

“This morning we had a bit of a tough session. It helped us to understand why we were not moving forward; I didn't have confidence with the front brake on corner entry. In the end we have been able to solve that issue and at least we have improved my feeling on the bike. We had a consistent qualifying session, in which we were always pushing. On the last stint I had a bit of bad luck with the other riders getting in the way. I could have been a little faster.

Starting from the fourth row at a Grand Prix that we knew was going to be very difficult leaves me satisfied. We will try to take the maximum number of points tomorrow. The race will be hard, as we don't know what will happen with our tyres because they go off very fast. Let's hope everything goes well”.

Tomorrow's 25-lap race will start at 11:20pm Portuguese local time. Miguel Oliveira will try to fight for a fourth consecutive podium of the season.

Results (Qualifying session)

1. Francesco Bagnaia (Kalex) 1:36.188

2. Xavi Vierge (Kalex) 1:36.390 +0.202

3. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Kalex) 1:36.583 +0.395

4. Joan Mir (Kalex) 1:36.659 +0.471

5. Marcel Schrotter (Kalex) 1:36.671 +0.483

10. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:36.976 +0.788

The Moto2 World Championship continues its European run and this weekend heads to Le Mans for the French Grand Prix, the fifth event of the year. Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 team have so far been the top team after the first four races of the season. Miguel Oliveira will have his sight set on a first victory of the campaign and continuing with the good results achieved at the start of 2018.

Miguel Oliveira has three podiums and a Top 5 finish from the four races contested so far. At the Red Bull Spanish GP, the Portuguese rider got his best result with a second place. Oliveira is fully involved in the fight for the title, as he lies just 10 points off the leader and 1 from the rider in second place. He has never been on the rostrum at Le Mans, something he wants to change this weekend.

Miguel Oliveira #44

“The aim is to keep up what we've  been doing in recent Grands Prix, in which we've taken three consecutive podiums. Of course, one thing that we can improve is qualifying higher up the order. Last year's French GP was very difficult for us; we never found the best setup to adapt the bike to the track. It's a circuit with hard braking, sharp acceleration and chicanes, so we will work on getting a setup that allows us to be fast and comfortable. The important thing is to not make mistakes, continue collecting points and increase our run of podiums. Finishing inside the Top 3 would be a great result”.

The 25-lap Moto2 race will begin on Sunday at 11:20am local time.

Circuit information – HJC Helmets Grand Prix de France

Length: 4.185 m / 2.600 miles

Width: 15 metres

Left corners: 5

Right corners: 9

Longest straight: 674 m / 0.418 miles

Constructed: 1965

Modified: 2008

This Sunday at the Jerez-Angel Nieto Circuit, Miguel Oliveira converted his worst position on the starting grid this year into his best finish of the season to date. The Portuguese went from fourteenth to second during the Red Bull Spanish GP, to claim the 25th podium of his career.

Starting from the fifth row, Miguel Oliveira had already moved his way up to eighth on the first sector and was into seventh at the end of the first lap. He continued to move steadily up the order and was second on Lap 5, sticking there for the remainder of the race -albeit trying to catch the leader.

Miguel Oliveira #44

“Qualifying yesterday was very hard for me, because I couldn't find the right line. I knew inside that I had some strong points for this race but yesterday I couldn't place higher than 14th position. I knew I had to give everything in the race and climb positions as quickly as possible. On the first few laps I realised that the group at the front was breaking away, but I thought I would be able to catch up with them. Fighting for the victory was difficult because Baldassarri was very strong and gave everyone else no chance. This second position, with all the fans that have come from Portugal cheering me on -it's like my home Grand Prix- feels even better than a regular victory”.

Aki Ajo – Team Manager

"We have to be very happy with today's race, especially with what Miguel [Oliveira] did, because it's been a very difficult weekend for him. We don't know exactly what the reason is, but above all on Friday and Saturday he seemed to be under pressure. I am very happy because he has made a change of mentality and did an excellent job in the race. Of course, this second position means almost more than a victory, because he took some very important points for the World Championship”.

After the first European event of the season, the Moto2 World Championship moves on to Le Mans for the French GP on May 20th. Miguel Oliveira will come into the event third in the overall standings with 63 points, 10 behind the leader.

Results (Race)

1. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Kalex) 39:33.889

2. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +2.851

3. Francesco Bagnaia (Kalex) +6.250

4. Xavi Vierge (Kalex) +6.953

5. Mattia Pasini (Kalex) +10.138

Moto2 World Championship Standing 2018

1. Francesco Bagnaia (Kalex) 73 points

2. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Kalex) 64 points

3. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 63 points

4. Mattia Pasini (Kalex) 58 points

5. Alex Marquez (Kalex) 47 points