The Moto3™ race in Texas boiled up into another classic encounter, and from the unique COTA the grid now heads for the differently unique Autodromo Internacional do Algarve. Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) arrives having put some bad luck to bed and fresh from the top step, and Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team) was likewise back on the podium – with the two making amends from a more dramatic encounter in Argentina. Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing), meanwhile, was once again fast, consistent and drama free – something he's making a habit of in 2022, and something that’s put him 16 points clear in the standings.
Portimão has already been a good hunting ground for the Italian too, with his speed having been consistently impressive and any bad luck purely that. Migno has also been on the rostrum in Portugal more than once and will be hoping to repeat the feat, and it’s now Masia who arrives looking to prove flashes of speed at the venue can return some big points this time around.
On the other side of the coin, Sergio Garcia (Valresa GASGAS Aspar Team) is looking to bounce back from bad luck at COTA and find some more podium form on the Algarve, and teammate Izan Guevara will want to be right back in that rostrum fight. Ayumu Sasaki (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) heads in with his form seemingly ironed out and shouldn’t be discounted, and the names of the potential frontrunners go on. But then there are the rookies.
There have been some standout performers so far, but on speed alone the honours until this point have to go to Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI). The Brazilian has had a mix of bad luck and mistakes, to be expected in a first World Championship season, but the pace has been stunning – and the veterans on the grid will be sarcastically pleased to know that on his debut in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup last season in Portimão, he promptly put it on pole and then came second in the first race. That’s a good omen, and he'll be hoping to arrive in good shape after his crash in Texas left him needing to be passed fit ahead of the Grande Premio Tissot de Portugal.
Scott Ogden (VisionTrack Racing Team) is also putting together a quietly impressive campaign and gaining traction, and he’ll want more on more familiar ground. Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Ajo), meanwhile, has had some serious speed of late – but also a few extra and unwanted adventures. He’ll want to iron that out and make pace pay for points in Portugal.
The schedule is another slightly different one this weekend, but Moto3™ are racing first once again as the European leg of the season begins. The lights go out at 11:20 in GMT +1, which is Lisbon and London time.