Red Bull KTM Ajo's Dani Holgado set the pace in the opening Moto3™ session of the Tissot Grand Prix of Portugal as the treacherous weather conditions caught out no fewer than 12 riders. The young Spaniard closed out FP1 an impressive six tenths clear of SIC58 Squadra Corse's Lorenzo Fellon, who managed to close the gap to the front with his final lap of the session after crashing out earlier on at the final corner.
A valiant effort from @FellonLorenzo to try and hold onto it! ????
— MotoGP™???? (@MotoGP) April 22, 2022
Early progress halted as Fellon was up the top of the timesheets when he crashed! ????#Moto3 | #PortugueseGP ???????? pic.twitter.com/z3qerwERNx
Italy's Andrea Migno was third fastest and three-quarters of a second adrift of Holgado's 2:02.658. Izan Guevara (Valresa GasGas Aspar Team) was fourth on the timesheets, a fraction ahead of David Salvador, who has been drafted in as a last-minute replacement for John McPhee in the Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max Racing squad after the Scotsman was declared unfit on Thursday.
The rain made for extremely tricky conditions and 12 riders were thrown off their machines without much warning. Those riders being Adrian Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Tech3), Ryusei Yamanaka (MT Helmets – MSI), SIC58's Fellon and Riccardo Rossi, Team MTA's Ivan Ortola, PruestelGP's Xavi Artigas and Carlos Tatay, QJMOTOR Avintia Racing Team's Matteo Bertelle and Elia Bartolini, Max Racing's Ayumu Sasaki, Aspar's Sergio Garcia and BOE's Gerard Riu.
Proof of just how tricky it is out there! ⚠️
— MotoGP™???? (@MotoGP) April 22, 2022
Adrian Fernandez is the first to be caught out by the conditions! ????️#Moto3 | #PortugueseGP ???????? pic.twitter.com/ZJUzhTUaX2
Fernandez has subsequently been declared unfit for the remainder of the weekend after fracturing both his fourth and fifth finger on his left hand. We wish the Spaniard a speedy recovery and hope we can see him back in action on home soil next weekend in Jerez.
Moto3™ FP1 top ten:
1. Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Ajo) – 2:02.658
2. Lorenzo Fellon (SIC58 Squadra Corse) + 0.610
3. Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team) + 0.739
4. Izan Guevara (Valresa GASGAS Aspar Team) + 0.830
5. David Salvador (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max) + 0.893
6. Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia) + 1.071
7. Ayumu Sasaki (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max) + 1.263
8. Ryusei Yamanaka (MT Helmets – MSI) + 1.314
9. Scott Ogden (VisionTrack Racing Team) + 1.338
10. Riccardo Rossi (SIC58 Squadra Corse) + 1.376
A learning session in the books! ????
— MotoGP™???? (@MotoGP) April 22, 2022
We'll see #Moto3 later where hopefully it'll be a little bit less wet! ????#PortugueseGP ???????? pic.twitter.com/2k35jwmq8W