march 24, 2024 - Pirelli

Record races for Pirelli in the Portuguese GP

Aron Canet (Fantic Racing/Kalex) dominates in Moto2™ and Daniel Holgado (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3/GASGAS) wins a heated Moto3™ race down to the final lap

In the Portuguese GP, two Spanish riders triumphed, Aron Canet (Fantic Racing/Kalex) in Moto2™ and Daniel Holgado (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3/GASGAS) in Moto3™, in races which were hard fought and spectacular down to the last lap.
Excellent performance by Pirelli tyres which allowed the riders in both categories to set new all-time records - both track records and race records - even improving on the overall race times, all to the advantage of the show and the competition.

GIORGIO BARBIER _ MOTORCYCLE RACING DIRECTOR

Extremely fast races and constant improvements

“At the end of our second Grand Prix weekend, the results are undoubtedly positive and tyre performance was extremely good. I say this based on irrefutable data. In Moto2, the riders were extremely fast and Aldeguer improved on the race lap record which had stood since 2020. Compared with Qatar, where there was more indecision on which compounds to use in the race, today all the riders relied on the soft SC0 at the rear, and this is a sign that they are beginning to have a better understanding of the difference between the blends and how they perform. Precisely the SC0 rear demonstrated good performance, with outstanding wear levels. What we saw in Moto3 was even better: an amazing 18-second improvement in terms of race time compared with last year, so almost 1 second per lap, with Alonso improving on the race lap record by more than half a second. In this class, we saw that all the compounds were a valid choice for the race; naturally, the softest blends had greater wear. Speaking of which, allow me to clarify something. Pirelli’s construction philosophy is to make tyres with outstanding grip levels and which allow the riders to go fast, improving track records and race times year after year, with a view to continuous improvement. Wear and degradation are part of the game and the riders can manage these variables, but if the races are fast and fun like the ones we saw today, I think that it is definitely worth it.”

· In Moto2™ choices were unanimous for the rear tyre. In fact, all the riders used the soft SC0 compound. For the front, unlike in Moto3, the soft SC1 was the most popular (17 out of 27 riders). Front tyre choice for the riders on the podium differed, with winner Aron Canet (Fantic Racing/Kalex) on SC2 and Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing Team/Kalex) and pole man Manuel Gonzalez (QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2/Kalex) on SC1.

· In Moto2™, Fermín Aldeguer (Beta Tools SpeedUp/Boscoscuro) set the new race lap record with a time of 1’42.221 on the eleventh lap, almost 3 tenths better than the record set by Remy Gardner in 2020 (1’42'504) and the overall race time also improved slightly compared with last year.

· Various tyre combinations were seen on the Moto3™ grid, all equally effective. Of the three riders on the podium, for example, the winner, Daniel Holgado (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3/GASGAS), used the medium SC2 solution on both axles, whereas Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo/KTM), second, chose the soft SC1 on both front and rear, and Ivan Ortola (MT Helmets – MSI/KTM), third, opted for the SC2 at the front and the SC1 at the rear. Overall, in Moto2™, the SC2 was the front tyre most used in the race (18 out of 26 riders), whereas the SC1 was the rear tyre preferred by 15 riders out of 26.

· The Moto3™ race was 18 seconds faster than 2023, with an average improvement per lap of almost 1 second. David Alonso (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team/CFMOTO) set the new race lap record with a time of 1’46.985 on the sixth lap, improving by almost 6 tenths on the previous record set by Deniz ÖNCÜ in 2023 in 1’47.563.

- Photogallery (37)

Moto3 podium

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Moto3 race start (2)

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Moto3 race start

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Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM AjoKTM)

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Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM AjoKTM)