18th Apr 2023
ACOSTA WINS INTENSE BATTLE IN AUSTIN AND ARENAS CLAIMS POINTS
Moto2:
Pedro Acosta earns his second victory of the season, with Albert Arenas finishing in twelfth place.
The Grand Prix of the Americas took place on Sunday amidst high temperatures and intense action over the 16-laps race at COTA, with Pedro Acosta winning the race after a great fight on the final lap. Albert Arenas earned further points for his tally, with twelfth place.
Acosta once again began the race from the front row of the grid, an opportunity that he took advantage of to make a good start and went on to lead after the first few laps. After a small mistake, he dropped to fourth place, although the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 rider managed to recover and move up to second and chase the leader. Acosta had an intense fight for the top spot, claiming it with 3 laps to go after a mistake by his rival. The last lap provided an exciting tussle for the victory, in which Acosta won out to earn his second win of the season and his fifth in Moto2. He is second in the overall standings with 54 points.
Arenas was thirteenth on the grid, and maintained his position and found a steady race pace on the opening laps. The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 rider then upped the tempo and gained places to move up to tenth. The high temperatures of the Circuit of the Americas made it necessary to manage tyres well in order to be as competitive as possible from start to finish. The Spanish rider fought with the group to remain in the Top 10, although on the last few laps he dropped to twelfth. With 19 points to his name, Arenas is tenth in the standings.
The next round will be the Spanish Grand Prix, which will take place from April 27-30th, at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto.
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Aki Ajo – Team Manager
“I’m happy about the weekend. Both riders had a good performance. On Saturday we went straight into Q2 and our starting positions were good as well. Pedro showed again in the race how he has matured and how he can manage things in a smart way. He did the right things, at the right place, and at the right moment. He is one of the top riders and he has improved so much. Albert also has shown good progress here and even in the race he was in the Top 10. Unfortunately in the end he had a problem that dropped him out of the Top 10, but we have taken steps forward during this weekend.”
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#37 PEDRO ACOSTA
“Winning like we did today, being strong throughout the race, is a very good way to get the win. This circuit is very demanding and we knew it was going to be a tough race, and I knew that I had to take risks at the end because if we made a mistake at the beginning it would hinder us. I had to try and it turned out well. We have had a good pace and we are leaving COTA very happy. Now it’s time to focus on the next race in Jerez.”
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#75 ALBERT ARENAS
“The race didn’t end up as I wanted. We had a good pace from the start, but I couldn’t keep it up until the end. We have taken a step forward in terms of speed but it has not been enough to catch up with the leading group. I think that if we had started a little higher up the order, we could have been closer. I’ll take away the positives from this weekend, I know we’re still making progress and at Jerez we’ll start things off in the best possible way. The team did a great job and I want to apologise for not being able to finish as we would have liked. Congratulations also to Pedro and the team for the victory. The next race is at home, so we will give our best”.
Results (Race)
1. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 34:42.879
2. Tony Arbolino (Kalex) +0.146
3. Bo Bendsneyder (Kalex) +5.851
4. Jeremy Alcoba (Kalex) +6.049
5. Filip Salac (Kalex) +7.462
12. Albert Arenas (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +14.001
Moto2 World Championship Standing 2023
1. Tony Arbolino (Kalex) 61 points
2. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 54 points
3. Aron Canet (Kalex) 41 points
4. Filip Salac (Kalex) 33 points
5. Alonso Lopez (Boscoscuro) 29 points
10. Albert Arenas (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 19 points
Moto2 Teams World Championship Standing 2023
1. Elf Marc VDS Racing Team 79 points
2. Red Bull KTM Ajo 73 points
3. Pons Wegow Los40 53 points
4. Gresini Racing Moto2 52 points
5. Beta Tools Speed Up 43 points
Moto3:
RED BULL KTM AJO MOTO3 PICK UP POINTS AT GRAND PRIX OF THE AMERICAS
Deniz Öncü finishes the Moto3 race in sixth place, with Jose Antonio Rueda tenth.
The Moto3 race at the Grand Prix of the Americas took place this Sunday, and the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 riders put in an outstanding performance. Deniz Öncü moved up from the fifth row of the grid to finish in sixth place, whilst Jose Antonio Rueda continued to take steps forward and earned tenth position.
Deniz Öncü started from the fifth row of the grid after crashing in Q2 while on his hot lap. The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 rider gained several positions off the line and maintained a good pace whilst trying to stay in the group. The Circuit of the Americas witnessed an intense race in which Öncü gave his best to stay consistent. He broke into the Top 10 just past the midway mark, and he would rise to sixth before the chequered flag. After this race, Öncü occupies thirteenth place in the overall standings with 16 points.
Jose Antonio Rueda was contesting his first race at COTA. The Moto3 rookie started from the fourth row of the grid and maintained his position in the early stages. Rueda felt more and more comfortable, increasing his pace and moving into the Top 10 with eight laps to go. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider lost ground in an intense fight in his group, but recovered to clinch tenth on the final lap. He is now eighth in the standings with 19 points and is the best rookie in the class.
The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 duo will return to Europe for the next round of the season: The Spanish Grand Prix, from April 27-30th at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto.
![](https://media.zenobuilder.com/upload/5oh0vblukt/44542325.jpg)
Aki Ajo – Team Manager
“First of all, we need to be satisfied that both riders were in the Top 10 today and that they finished the race, as there were so many crashes during this weekend in Austin. To be honest, we expected to have a chance to fight for the podium, especially with Deniz. Both he and Jose Antonio had good performance in the practice sessions but we maybe weren’t strong enough to be at the front during the race. The positive is that we feel that we had a good performance and we are on the right path. For sure we will fight for the podium in Jerez.”
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#53 DENIZ ÖNCÜ
“We started 14th, and I made some mistakes at the start so I lost some positions. I tried to be as fast as possible to get to front but I didn’t manage to pass a lot of riders. I was stuck in the group and I couldn’t reach the front pack. I tried to have a good pace and in the end I gained some places. We took some points today, but this result isn’t what we had hoped for. We will come back stronger at Jerez for the next race”.
![](https://media.zenobuilder.com/upload/5oh0vblukt/29046203.jpg)
#99 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA
“It’s my first race in Austin and we’ve finished in the Top 10. On the opening laps I struggled a bit more and I lost some places. We were in the second group and we finished in a good position. We are improving the bike every weekend and I feel more comfortable all the time, so I’m happy with how the weekend went. The next race is at home, in Jerez, so it will be special for me. We have to keep on the same path and do the best we can.”
Results (Race)
1. Ivan Ortola (KTM) 32:01.062
2. Jaume Masia (Honda) +0.457
3. Xavier Artigas (CFMoto) +0.558
4. Diogo Moreira (KTM) +0.567
5. Daniel Holgado (KTM) +0.657
6. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +9.493
10. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +10.085
Moto3 World Championship Standing 2023
1. Daniel Holgado (KTM) 49 points
2. Diogo Moreira (KTM) 49 points
3. Xavier Artigas (CFMoto) 32 points
4. Jaume Masia (Honda) 31 points
5. Tatsuki Suzuki (Honda) 27 points
8. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 19 points
13. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 16 points
Moto3 Teams World Championship Standing 2023
1. Leopard Racing 58 points
2. MT Helmets – MSI 54 points
3. Red Bull KTM Tech3 49 points
4. Angeluss MTA Team 44 points
5. CFMOTO Racing PruestelGP 39 points
6. Red Bull KTM Ajo 35 points