PORTUGUESE GP

David Alonso sets the pace on the first day in Portugal

The CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team rider was the fastest rider in the only practice session held

The Moto3 World Championship is back with the second round of the season, the Grand Prix of Portugal. The small category is back in action with a first day that has been marked by the track conditions. The rain that fell during the previous night, as well as the sand accumulated on the asphalt, has forced the cancellation of the first Moto3 free practice session at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve. As a result, the small category only had one free practice session which has ended with CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team rider David Alonso as the fastest rider. 

The young Colombian has given his rivals no chance and has led the session from start to finish. Alonso has set the pace throughout the session and has finished with a best time of 1:47.202. This time has left him 37 thousandths of a second ahead of second-placed Australian Joel Kelso and six tenths of a second ahead of the Italian Matteo Bertelle. Alonso, who arrives in Portugal as leader of the World Championship, has been very comfortable on the CFMOTO on a track where he was already the fastest in preseason and he has had a wide advantage during most of the session, with a gap of more than nine tenths of a second.

His teammate Joel Esteban has finished the day eleventh. The Spanish rider has set a lap time of 1:48.643, a time that improves the time he set here in preseason. Esteban is satisfied with the work he has done and is confident that he will continue to make progress in his adaptation to the category. 

1st David Alonso 1:47.202: "We have had to wait until the second session to go out and the feeling with the bike has been good from the first moment. The track is still not in the best conditions and if you go off the line it is very dirty. I think it will improve tomorrow and it will be more comfortable to ride. The bike is good, I can move the way I want to move and I can ride the way I like to. "

11th Joel Esteban 1:48.643 (+1.441): "It was a pretty positive day. I have done a great job, even though I have lacked a bit of grip. I have already been faster than in the pre-season test we did here and I have done the time on my own. We are making progress and we are getting closer and closer to the fastest riders."