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Autosport
Autosport
Lewis Duncan

MotoGP Portuguese GP: Full Moto2 and Moto3 race results

The 19-lap Moto3 season-opener kicked off proceedings for the 2023 lightweight class campaign in typically wild fashion.

Having taken the lead on the second lap from fourth on the grid, Tech3 KTM rider Dani Holgado fended off a hard-charging lead group of 10 competitors to claim a first grand prix victory for himself and the team in the class.

Holgado held off David Munoz on the BOE KTM across the final lap to take the chequered flag 0.160 seconds clear.

MT Helmets KTM rider Diogo Moreira completed the podium for the first time, marking Brazil’s first rostrum in the lightweight class since 2007.

Ajo KTM rookie Jose Rueda briefly took the lead late on, and finished a fine fourth on his debut ahead of the Leopard Honda of Jaume Masia and Intact GP Husqvarna’s Ayumu Sasaki – who started from pole.

Daniel Holgado, Red Bull KTM Tech3 leads (Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images)

The top 10 was completed by Angeluss MTA Team KTM rider Stefano Nepa, Prustel GP CF Moto duo Xavi Artigas and Joel Kelso – who grabbed the holeshot off the line – and Tech3’s Deniz Oncu, who recovered to 10th after being forced to start from pitlane when he stalled on the warm-up lap.

Australian Kelso was taken to the medical centre following the race after suffering a sickening incident directly after the chequered flag.

As Holgado celebrated his victory, Kelso was caught unsighted as he went to pull a tearoff strip from his visor and clattered into the back of the Tech3 rider.

Kelso was thrown off his machine and landed headily on the asphalt, while Holgado escaped unscathed.

Moto3 race results

Cla Rider Bike Gap Interval
1 Spain Daniel Holgado KTM    
2 David Muñoz KTM 0.160 0.160
3 Brazil Diogo Moreira KTM 0.175 0.015
4 Jose Antonio KTM 0.206 0.031
5 Spain Jaume Masia Honda 0.233 0.027
6 Japan Ayumu Sasaki Husqvarna 1.090 0.857
7 Italy Stefano Nepa KTM 1.125 0.035
8 Spain Xavier Artigas CF MOTO 1.137 0.012
9 Joel Kelso CF MOTO 1.268 0.131
10 Turkey Deniz Öncü KTM 1.409 0.141
11 Japan Kaito Toba Honda 2.852 1.443
12 Collin Veijer Husqvarna 6.904 4.052
13 David Salvador KTM 6.931 0.027
14 Japan Tatsuki Suzuki Honda 9.722 2.791
15 Italy Riccardo Rossi Honda 9.748 0.026
16 Japan Ryusei Yamanaka GASGAS 9.771 0.023
17 Matteo Bertelle Honda 19.803 10.032
18 Indonesia Mario Suryo Aji Honda 20.317 0.514
19 Italy Romano Fenati Honda 29.900 9.583
20 Japan Taiyo Furusato Honda 29.948 0.048
21 United Kingdom Joshua Whatley Honda 29.904  
22 Syarifuddin Azman KTM 29.969 0.065
23 Spain Ana Carrasco KTM 30.066 0.097
  Ivan Ortola KTM 1 Lap 1 Lap
  David Alonso GASGAS 6 Laps 5 Laps
  Filippo Farioli KTM 14 Laps 8 Laps
  United Kingdom Scott Ogden Honda    
  France Lorenzo Fellon KTM    

The first round of the 2023 Moto2 season saw Pedro Acosta set his intentions early on, as he absorbed race-long pressure from Aron Canet to claim victory.

Pons Kalex rider Canet grabbed the lead off the line from first-time poleman Filip Salac on the Gresini Kalex, with Acosta moving through into second on lap two.

On the following tour Acosta took the lead from Canet going through Turn 14, with both riders easing away from the pack behind.

Canet kept Acosta in check for much of the race, but in the closing three tours the Ajo KTM rider pulled away by 1.3s to get to the chequered flag unbothered.

Pedro Acosta, Red Bull KTM Ajo (Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images)

Tony Arbolino completed the podium for the Marc VDS squad, as Salac finished fourth from Yamaha VR46 Master Camp rider Manuel Gonzalez.

Aspar’s Jake Dixon rounded out the top six ahead of fellow Briton Sam Lowes (Marc VDS), with Albert Arenas eighth on his first outing with Ajo KTM, Honda Team Asia’s Somkiat Chantra ninth and the second Gresini-run bike of Jeremy Alcoba 10th.

Moto2 race results

Cla Rider Bike Time Gap Interval
1 Spain Pedro Acosta Kalex -    
2 Spain Arón Canet Kalex 1.358 1.358 1.358
3 Italy Tony Arbolino Kalex 4.460 4.460 3.102
4 Czech Republic Filip Salač Kalex 7.110 7.110 2.650
5 Spain Manuel Gonzalez Kalex 8.193 8.193 1.083
6 United Kingdom Jake Dixon Kalex 9.146 9.146 0.953
7 United Kingdom Sam Lowes Kalex 9.649 9.649 0.503
8 Spain Albert Arenas Kalex 12.270 12.270 2.621
9 Thailand Somkiat Chantra Kalex 13.941 13.941 1.671
10 Spain Jeremy Alcoba Kalex 13.840 13.840  
11 Italy Celestino Vietti Ramus Kalex 14.086 14.086 0.246
12 Belgium Barry Baltus Kalex 14.515 14.515 0.429
13 Spain Fermin Aldeguer Boscoscuro B-21 15.445 15.445 0.930
14 United States Joe Roberts Kalex 25.444 25.444 9.999
15 Spain Sergio García Kalex 26.876 26.876 1.432
16 South Africa Darryn Binder Kalex 40.233 40.233 13.357
17 Borja Gomez Kalex 41.710 41.710 1.477
18 Italy Dennis Foggia Kalex 41.806 41.806 0.096
19 Italy Lorenzo Dalla Porta Kalex 42.116 42.116 0.310
20 United States Sean Dylan Kelly Kalex 42.141 42.141 0.025
21 Spain Marcos Ramirez FORWARD 44.802 44.802 2.661
22 United Kingdom Rory Skinner Kalex 45.630 45.630 0.828
23 Spain Jordi Torres Kalex 1'02.643 1'02.643 17.013
  Spain Alonso López Boscoscuro B-21      
  Netherlands Zonta van den Goorbergh Kalex      
  David Sanchis FORWARD      
  Netherlands Bo Bendsneyder Kalex      
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