Portimao Moto2 Test Results - Saturday, Day 1 (Session 3)

Jake Dixon fastest during the opening day of the Official 2022 Portimao Moto2 test.

19 Feb 2022

The only Official 2022 pre-season test for the Moto2 and Moto3 classes began in Portimao on Saturday morning.

Testing takes place over three days, from 10am to 6pm, with each class having three 70-minute track sessions per day.

Augusto Fernandez was the rider to beat in Sessions 1 and 2 of the Moto2 action, reaching a best of 1m 43.258s, with rookie team-mate and reiging Moto3 champion Pedro Acosta slotting into a close second place.

However, both Ajo riders were among those to sit out the final session, when Aspar's Jake Dixon set the fastest lap of the day.

“Overall I'm very happy with how today went,! said Dixon. "I have achieved my fastest lap on this circuit. It's business as usual, when you're not focused on getting a lap time, it comes along. I am also very happy with the team; we continue to work hard and we have found small improvements between the second and third sessions that have allowed us to ride better. I have to try to make fewer mistakes to continue improving.”

Fernandez, who eventually slipped to third overall behind Dixon and Aron Canet after skipping the final session, said: "I am happy with this first day, because my hand feels better and we have been able to make progress. I felt fairly good with the base setup that we had from Jerez. We worked as if it were a Grand Prix weekend, looking for the best setup for the bike according to the track conditions, and we have been able to try out some things. I am improving every time I go out on track, and I want to continue like this."

Rookie Acosta, fourth overall, added: "We have had a good start on the first day of testing in Portimao. We needed a few laps to understand the circuit with a Moto2 bike, as it is different compared to Moto3. However, we felt good, we have taken a step forward and we have got back the same feeling that we had at Jerez. For the next two days we will continue testing things to draw conclusions for Qatar."

2022 Portimao Moto2 test times, Saturday - Session 3
Pos	Rider	Team	Time
1	Jake Dixon	GASGAS Aspar Team	1'43.169s
2	Aron Canet	Flexbox HP40	+0.075s
3	Albert Arenas	GASGAS Aspar Team	+0.412s
4	Joe Roberts	Italtrans Racing Team	+0.451s
5	Fermín Aldeguer	Speed Up Racing	+0.486s
6	Celestino Vietti	VR46 Racing Team	+0.585s
7	Marcel Schrotter	Liqui Moly Intact GP	+0.671s
8	Jorge Navarro	Flexbox HP40	+0.702s
9	Tony Arbolino	ELF Marc VDS Racing Team	+0.770s
10	Bo Bendsneyder	Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team	+0.968s
11	Marcos Ramirez	MV Agusta Forward Team	+1.067s
12	Alessandro Zaccone	Gresini Racing Moto2	+1.528s
13	Lorenzo Dalla Porta	Italtrans Racing Team	+1.553s
14	Manuel Gonzalez	Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team	+1.577s
15	Romano Fenati	Speed Up Racing	+1.667s
16	Jeremy Alcoba	Liqui Moly Intact GP	+1.727s
17	Barry Baltus	RW Racing GP	+1.850s
18	Filip Salac	Gresini Racing Moto2	+1.940s
19	Keminth Kubo	Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team	+2.530s
20	Niccolò Antonelli	VR46 Racing Team	+2.582s
21	Gabriel Rodrigo	Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team	+2.905s
22	Simone Corsi	MV Agusta Forward Team	+3.028s
23	Zonta Van Den Goorbergh	RW Racing GP	+3.916s
	Ai Ogura	Idemitsu Honda Team Asia	No Time
	Sean Kelly	American Racing	No Time
	Cameron Beaubier	American Racing	No Time
	Sam Lowes	ELF Marc VDS Racing Team	No Time
	Somkiat Chantra	IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia	No Time
	Augusto Fernandez	Red Bull KTM Ajo	No Time
	Pedro Acosta	Red Bull KTM Ajo	No Time

Portimao Moto2 lap records:
Best lap:
Remy Gardner AUS Kalex 1m 42.447s (2021)
Fastest race lap:
Remy Gardner AUS Kalex 1m 42.504s (2020)

Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.