Holgado triumphs in Portugal, DNF for Farioli
Racing returned for good on Sunday at the beautiful Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, for the biggest pleasure of all motorcycle fans. The Moto3™ category set the tone for the day with an exciting race full of battles, overtakes and comebacks, just as we like them. And what more could we have asked when Daniel Holgado from Red Bull KTM Tech3 passed the checkered flag first, bringing home his maiden Grand Prix.
Confident and strong since the start of the weekend in Portimao, Daniel Holgado established himself as a serious contender for the win. Starting from P4, he took a flying start to the opening race, and took the lead on lap 2. With a solid rhythm and an incredible consistency straight from the start, he spent his race fighting for the lead with Australian Joel Kelso. His fastest lap of the race was in 1’48.209, on lap 11. He was overtaken on lap 13 but quickly took back his position to the front, and led the remaining laps of the race. Daniel Holgado started his season with Red Bull KTM Tech3 in the best way possible, with a first Grand Prix win, making it also the first Moto3™ win of Red Bull KTM Tech3.
Rookie Filippo Farioli did not have the best day in Portimao. After struggling to find his marks on his new bike all weekend long, he was taking the start of the Portuguese Grand Prix from the twenty-first position. He took a good start and grabbed a few positions to find himself close to the Top 15, but unfortunately a small mistake brought him down on his fourth lap. This is a disappointing outcome for the young Italian, but there is already another chance next week as the Red Bull KTM Tech3 crew is now heading to Termas de Rio Hondo, for the Gran Premio Michelin® de la República Argentina.
Daniel Holgado
“The whole weekend has been fantastic to be honest. It is my first ever victory, and it is also the first one for my team Red Bull KTM Tech3. It is difficult to find words because I am so happy. All I can say is that we have been doing an amazing job since the Portimao Test last week, and it has paid off today, so I would like to say a big thank you to all my crew. We now need to quickly focus on Argentina because we already have another race next week. Vamos!”
Filippo Farioli
“I made a silly mistake on lap 4 in the race and ended up crashing, while I needed time on the bike and race experience. We have been making good progress on the bike all weekend, so this is a positive thing. We need to reset and focus on Argentina, because we have another chance next week to do things well.”
