MotoGP Portimao: Holgado heads KTM charge in Moto3 Friday practice

Having swapped from Red Bull KTM Ajo to Tech3 for 2023, Danial Holgado was the man to beat in Moto3 practice at Portimao on Friday.

The Spaniard’s 1’47.320 second practice effort topped the times by 0.15s as KTM locked out the top three. MT Helmets -MSI’s Diogo Moreira and BOE Motorsports’ David Muñoz completing the leading trio while Britain’s Scott Ogden made his case for direct Q2 promotion from ninth overall.

A new name in the Moto3 paddock for 2023 wasted no time in showcasing his incoming talent, duel Red Bull Rookie and JuniorGP Champion Jose Antonio Rueda running immediately in the top five as the lightweight action began on Friday morning. It was a solid KTM quintet after the opening quarter of an hour, Holgado leading the two Red Bull KTM Ajo riders Deniz Öncü and Rueda with Angeluss MTA’s Ivan Ortola and Stefano Nepa slotting in between from second and fourth.

A steady start for the VisionTrack Brits found Scott Ogden circulating in 17th two seconds adrift of Holgado’s 1’48.607 benchmark, while Josh Whatley got his 2023 campaign started on 1’52.307 pace.

CFMoto’s Joel Kelso and Xavi Artigas joined the fight with ten minutes to go of first practice, the Australian launching to second with his PruestelGP teammate fourth, splitting the improving MTA’s as Holgado, then Moreira advanced the outright pace on the bubble of 1’48. CIP Green Power’s David Salvador improved to sixth with Leopard’s Tatsuki Suzuki in hot pursuit before David Alonso on the GasGas Aspar arrived to third.

The closing three minutes saw Ogden up to 11th before a rapid shuffle dropped him back. Riccardo Rossi advancing the Sic58 Honda to eighth as Rueda returned to sixth.

A trio of late session crashes caught out Rossi, Filippo Farioli and