Daniel Holgado decided five laps remaining was the right time to push and his calculations proved correct as he lead all of the closing laps to൩ the chequereౠd flag to take back-to-back Portimao wins in round two of the Moto3 championship.

The Red Bull Gas Gas rider was a constant in the lead group as first Jose Antonio Rueda and then David Alonso e🌊njoyed long spells leading the way.  

After making his move, there was one final lunge on the penultimate corner where the🐼 #99 tried to pull underneath, but Holgado was able to pull away and avoided being slipst🐠reamed over the line to take victory.

Rueda lead from pole in the opening laps before an oveꦰrtake from David Alonso saw him swallowed by the group. The #96 didn’t panic and fought back, but couldn’t find a way around Holgado’s defensive lines, so crossed theဣ line just 0.044s behind for Red Bull KTM Ajo.

After his surge forward last time out in Qatar a different kind of race was needed 𝐆from Ivan Ortola. He found his way forward to break i𓄧nto a clear third to complete the podium for MT helmets -MSI.

The rostrum was an all Spanish affair but interestingly there was a complet📖e mix of Pirelli tyre options amongst the frontrunners.

• Portuguese 🌞MotoGP to be broadcast on free-to-air TV today
• Vinales: “Amazing” Aprilia victory, bu🦋t is he MotoGP's first winner on three different bikes?
• 2024 Portuguese Moto3: Final sector speed brings Rueda maiden🦋 p🔴ole

No tyre and no podium for Alonso

After his Qatar win, David Alonso was full of fight and tried to pull away out front when the opportunity came to pass then leade🐟r Rueda with ten laps to go.

The Colombian held the lead for five laps, but his push to the front seemed costly as he ran wider lines, breaking in different places to the rest of the pack as he tried to manage the damage done to his tyres to💙 lead.

The CFMoto Aspar rider was fourth as the race drew to a close, but over a second away from Ortola and more than two seconds off ♎the lead duo.

The #80 had his work cut out holding that position t♏oo, with pressure all the way from the rest of the lead grouဣp.

Alonso just held off Joel Kelso in the run t𒈔o the line, with the Australian fifth for BOE Motorsports, with Collin Viejer right behind the pair in sixth for Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP.

Sꦫtefaᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚno Nepa moved to the front of the next group on track and pulled away for a lonely seventh for LevelUp -MTA.

Rookie Joel Esteban was the long term leader of the chasing gro🃏up. The Aspar rider went on to take eighth.

There was a large gap before David Munoz arrive♒d at the finish on the second BOE entry, with Adrian Fernandez close behind to complete the top ten for Leopard as the top Honda.

Rookie Jacob Roulstone was back in the points in eleventh for Red Bull GasGas, he had Matteo Bertelle for company on track, with the Italian taking twelft💙h for the Snipers team.

The remaining points weꦆnt to Tatsuki Suzuki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) in 13th, Vincente Perez in 14th and Scott Ogden, who fought back on the last lap for the final point for the MLav Racing team. His teammate Joshu Whatley was 19th.

Just ahead of him was Qatar podium finisher,Taiyo Furusato, who had a massive downturn in fortunes. After third in Losail, the the Honda Team Asia rider was 18th an💝d over thirty seconds away from the race winner.

Noah Dettwiler had bike issues on the start and was stationary as the lights went out. The CIP Green Power rooꦿkie managed to climb to 20th after a horrible start to his race.

Crashes, injuries and replacements

Ryusei Yamanaka was the first faller, collecting Angel Piqueras😼 on the first lap, who picked u🙈p a hand fracture in his fall.

Luca Lunetta didn’t last much longer, 𒁃a carbon copy of his turn five highside from earlier in the weekend ending his hopes. The SIC58 Squadra Corse rider remounted to finish 23rd and last.

Riccardo Rossi was a late faller. The CIP rider had looked as if he had fallen se🍌veral times in the race before being found on track as his transpoder was fauꦡlty before he eventually succumbed to another turn five fall.

Hamad Al Sahouti(22nd) made his debut sitting in for David Almansa at the Snipers te♋am. Almansa is still recovering from the injury to his hand he picked up in practice in the opening round in Qatar.

Xabi Zurutuza is a🔴waiting his birthday to get🥀 his rookie season started, so Perez returned again as cover at Red Bull KTM Ajo.

Championship Standings

The championship is only t꧅wo rounds old, but has already changed hands with Daniel Holgado now the overall leader, with his win in Portugal added the second he༒ took in the first round.

His total of 45 points sees him ahead of David Alonso, who is now second on🐈 38 points, with Ivan Ortola third overall on 23 points.

After a DNF in Lusail, Rueda’s 20 points𝐆 puts him fifth in the standings, behind Collin Veijer.